St.

Stephen’s Girls’ College

Mid-year Examination 2016-2017
Form 1 SCIENCE LYL, MLW
176 students Time allowed: 1 hour 15 minutes

Name: ______________________________ Class: ________ No: ________

Instructions:
1. This paper consists of two sections. Section A (Conventional Questions) carries 90 marks and
Section B (Multiple Choice Questions) carries 10 marks.
2. Answer ALL questions on this Question-Answer Paper.
Section A – Conventional Questions (90 marks)
1. Name one piece of safety equipment that should be used in each of the following accidents.
Accidents (i) (ii) (iii)
Hot chemical spills
into his eyes

Equipment that
should be used
(Total: 3 marks)
2. The diagram on the right shows a Bunsen burner.
(a) Name parts A and B. (2 marks)
A :____________________ B : ____________________
(b) If part C is open during the lighting of the Bunsen burner,
a strange noise may be produced.
(i) What do we call this situation? (1 mark)
___________________________________________
(ii) Why shouldn’t part A be touched when such a situation takes place? (1 mark)
_______________________________________________________________________
(iii) State two actions that should be taken during this situation. (2 marks)

(c) Which flame, yellow or blue, is better for boiling a beaker of water? Explain. (2 marks)

(d) State the use of apparatus D. (1 mark)

(e) Alcohol should not be put near a Bunsen flame. Explain. (2 marks)

(Total: 11 marks)

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F.1 Science Mid-year Examination 2016-2017

3. Paul is going to mix two solutions A and B. The diagram below shows the steps taken by him.

Draw some Add the solution Draw some Add the solution into
solution A with into a test tube. solution B with the the same test tube.
a dropper. same dropper. Shake the test tube
gently.
(a) What is wrong with the above steps? Explain. (2 marks)

(b) Below are three methods of mixing solutions in a test tube.

Method 1 Method 2 Method 3

Which of above methods is/are wrong? Explain why the method(s) is/are wrong. (3 marks)
Method(s) ________________ is /are wrong.

(c) The mixture of solutions A and B will change colour upon heating.
Paul tries to find out the time needed for the mixture to change its
colour.
(i) Write down two safety precautions that Paul should take when mixture of
he is heating the mixture. (2 marks) solutions A
and B

(ii) Name an instrument that can be used to measure the time needed for the mixture to
change colour. (1 mark)

(Total: 8 marks)
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F.1 Science Mid-year Examination 2016-2017

4. A student performed an experiment using liquid X and solid block Y. He used instruments P
and Q to measure the volume of liquid X and the mass of block Y respectively. The diagrams
below show their measurements.
Block Y

500 cm3
Instrument P 0 Instrument Q
4 1
kg
Liquid X
450 3 2

(a) Name instruments P and Q. (2 marks)

P: __________________________________ Q: _________________________________

(b) Write down the volume of liquid X and the mass of block Y. (2 marks)
Volume of liquid X: ____________________ Mass of block Y: _____________________
(c) State the unit of volume in the experiment. (1 mark)
____________________________________
(d) It is given that the mass of liquid X is 470 g. Find the density of liquid X. Show your
workings. (2 marks)

(e) Suggest the name of liquid X. (1 mark)

__________________________________
(f) It is given that the dimensions of block Y are 10 cm × 10 cm × 3 cm. Find the density of
block Y. Show your working. (2 marks)

(g) If block Y is put into liquid X, will it float or sink? Explain your answer. (2 marks)

(Total: 12 marks)
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F.1 Science Mid-year Examination 2016-2017

5. A fresh egg sinks in water. As the egg

ages, it loses water slowly through its
shell and eventually turns bad. The bad
bad egg
egg will then float in water.
fresh
egg water

(a) Describe the change, if any, in the mass, the volume and the density of the egg when the fresh
egg ages and turns bad. (3 marks)
Measurement Change, if any (*Circle the correct answer.)
Mass of the egg * decreases / increases / remains unchanged

Volume of the egg * decreases / increases / remains unchanged

Density of the egg * decreases / increases / remains unchanged

(b) Arrange the water, the fresh egg and the bad egg in the order of increasing density. (2 marks)
______________________ , _____________________ , _____________________
(c) Sam has two eggs. Both eggs sink in water. He thinks that the two eggs have the same
density. Do you agree with Sam? Explain briefly. (2 marks)

(Total: 7 marks)

6. Peter proposed that plants need sunlight for healthy growth. Based on this hypothesis, he carried
out the following tests. Is the test fair or not? Explain your answer. (4 marks)
Test Is the test fair or not?
I. The test is * fair / unfair (*Circle the correct answer.)

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

II
The test is * fair / unfair (*Circle the correct answer.)
.

soil and tap water soil and distilled _____________________________________________

only water only

(Total: 4 marks)

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F.1 Science Mid-year Examination 2016-2017

7. Joyce wanted to investigate the rate of heat transfer of different metals. She used three metal
rods, which were made of copper, iron and aluminium respectively. She set up the experiment as
shown below.

metal rod

wax

drawing pin
Bunsen
flame

copper rod

iron rod
aluminium rod

A drawing pin was attached to the end of each metal rod with the same amount of wax. The wax
melted when it was heated up to a certain temperature, and the pin dropped.
After lighting the Bunsen burner for some time, the drawing pin on the copper rod dropped, and
then the pin on the aluminium rod. The one on the iron rod dropped the last.

(a) State the aim of the experiment. (1 mark)

(b) Complete the variable table of the experiment. (5 marks)

Controlled variables (state 3) Independent variable Dependent variable
1.

2.

3.

(c) Write down the conclusion of the experiment. (2 marks)

(Total: 8 marks)

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F.1 Science Mid-year Examination 2016-2017

8. A student carried out an experiment to investigate the conditions for speeding up dissolving. The
set-ups used are as follows:
Set-up I Set-up II Set-up III

50 mL of 50 mL of 50 mL of
hot water hot water cold water

5 g of sugar powder 5 g of sugar cubes 5 g of sugar cubes

(*The diagrams above show the situations BEFORE dissolving.)

(a) Which two conditions for speeding up dissolving can be studied in this experiment?(2 marks)

(b) Predict in which set-up the sugar will dissolve most quickly. Set-up ______ (1 mark)

(c) Considering the investigation using set-ups I and II, suggest one controlled variable. (1 mark)

(d) It took 2 minutes and 6 minutes to dissolve 5 g of sugar in set-ups I and III respectively.

(i) Present the above results in table form. (3 marks)

(ii) A student concluded that the smaller the size of the sugar, the higher the rate of dissolving.
Is the student’s conclusion correct? Explain. (2 marks)

(e) Which two results of the above set-ups (I, II and III) need to be compared in order to draw
each of the following conclusions? (2 marks)
Conclusion Results of the set-ups
(i) The higher the temperature, the higher the rate of dissolving
of the sugar. _____ and _____

(ii) The smaller the size of the sugar, the higher the rate of
dissolving of the sugar. _____ and _____

(Total: 11 marks)

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F.1 Science Mid-year Examination 2016-2017

9. A student tried to remove impurities from muddy pond water using the following set-up.

muddy pond water

A
solid C
B

liquid D

(a) Name the method used in this experiment. ________________________ (1 mark)

(b) Name the following. (3 marks)
Apparatus A : __________________________
Apparatus B: ___________________________
Solid C : ______________________________
(c) Before pouring the beaker of muddy pond water into the set-up, it was allowed to stand for
15 minutes with the addition of alum.
(i) What is the purpose of standing the beaker of muddy pond water for 15 minutes?
(1 mark)

(ii) Name the process in part (c)(i). __________________ (1 mark)

(iii) Why does adding alum make the water clearer? (2 marks)

(Total: 8 marks)

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F.1 Science Mid-year Examination 2016-2017

10. The diagram below shows a set-up for purifying water.

C
Y
gas P
B
A
A

muddy
water X
liquid Q

(a) There is a mistake in the above set-up. What is it? How can it be corrected? (2 marks)

(b) What will be the reading of C after correction? (1 mark)

(c) (i) Name apparatus A and B. (2 marks)

A: ___________________________
B: __________________________
(ii) What is the function of B? (1 mark)

(d) Water flows in and out of apparatus B through X and Y. Which label above shows the part
which water flows in? From which part does water flow out? (1 mark)
In: __________________________
Out: _________________________
(e) What are gas P and liquid Q? (2 marks)
Gas P: ________________________
Liquid Q: ______________________

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F.1 Science Mid-year Examination 2016-2017

(f) (i) Name the above method of purification. ______________________________ (1 mark)

(ii) Briefly describe how this method can purify water. (4 marks)

(g) What types of impurities can be removed by this method but not by filtration? (2 marks)

(h) If each of the following changes is made, what will be the effect on the volume of liquid
collected in 10 minutes? (2 marks)
The effect on the volume of liquid
Change in the set-up collected in 10 minutes
(* Circle the correct answer.)

(i) Increase the volume of muddy * increase / decrease / remain unchanged

water in apparatus A

(ii) The temperature of the water * increase / decrease / remain unchanged

flowing into apparatus B is
lower
(Total: 18 marks)

- End of Section A –

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F.1 Science Mid-year Examination 2016-2017

Section B – Multiple Choice Questions (10 marks)

Choose the best answer for each question and write the corresponding letter in the boxes below.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

1. If your hand is burnt with a hot object accidentally, the first thing you should do is
A. to apply some cream.
B. to dress the affected area.
C. to report it to the teacher.
D. to wash the affected area with running water.

2. A non-luminous flame should NOT be left unattended because

A. it is blue in colour.
B. it is unsteady.
C. it is very hot and almost invisible.
D. the air hole is open.

3. Lily is going to find the volume of a small irregular object. cm3

She fills an instrument with 130 cm3 of water. Then she
puts the irregular object into the water.
X
The figure shows two ways that Lily can take the readings.
She does not know which way is correct.
Y
At which position should Lily take the reading?
What is the volume of the irregular object?
Position Volume
A. X 13 cm3
B. X 15 cm3
C. Y 15 cm3
D. Y 18 cm3

4. A farmer wants to find out which one of the fertilizers, A or B, will make his crops grow faster. He
carried out a test to find the answer. Two plants of the same size are used. One plant is given
fertilizer A and kept in a greenhouse at 20°C and the other plant is given the same amount of
fertilizer B and kept in a greenhouse at 30°C. All other conditions such as watering and sunlight
exposure are the same for the two plants.

What conclusion could he draw?

A. The plant grew faster with fertilizer A.
B. The plant grew faster with fertilizer B.
C. The plant grew faster at 30°C than at 20°C.
D. No conclusion could be drawn.

5. A cooked egg sinks in a beaker of water as shown in the diagram.

Which of the following actions can make the egg float in the water?
A. Add more water to the beaker.
B. Add cooking oil to the water. water
C. Dissolve a large amount of salt into the water.
D. Heat the beaker of water using a Bunsen burner. cooked
egg

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F.1 Science Mid-year Examination 2016-2017

6. A ship travels from a fresh water river to the sea. If the temperature of sea-water is the same as
that of river water, how would the depth of the ship in the water change?
A. decrease
B. increase
C. remain unchanged
D. cannot be determined

7. What are commonly used to kill micro-organisms in swimming pools and drinking fountains
respectively?
Swimming pools Drinking fountains
A. Chlorine Ultra-violet light
B. Ozone Chlorine
C. Salt Chlorine
D. Ultra-violet light Ozone

8. If substance X has a high solubility in water,

A. a lot of substance X can dissolve in water.
B. substance X dissolves quickly in water.
C. substance X dissolves in water poorly.
D. we cannot obtain a saturated solution of substance X.

9. The table below shows the least amount of water required to dissolve 10 g of a substance
completely.
Substance Volume of water (cm3)
P 100
Q 80
R 200
S Too much to be measured

Which substance has the highest solubility?

A. Substance P
B. Substance Q
C. Substance R
D. Substance S

10. Which of the following methods is/are used in the water treatment process in Hong Kong?
(1) Chlorination
(2) Distillation
(3) Fluoridation
A. (1) only
B. (2) only
C. (1) and (3) only
D. (2) and (3) only

- End of Paper –

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