New Curriculum First Term Physics examination for SS 1

Class: SSS 1
Term: First Term
Subject: Physics
Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Marks: 70

SECTION A: OBJECTIVES (40 MARKS)
Instruction: Answer ALL questions. Each question carries 1 mark.

1. A pointed metal conductor attached to earth protects a structure mainly because it ________. (a) makes the roof an electrical insulator   (b) provides a low-resistance path for charge to earth   (c) converts electric charge into heat stored on the roof   (d) prevents all charge from forming in clouds
2. All of these conditions can affect a falling-ball viscosity experiment EXCEPT (a) the distance used for timing   (b) sphere size and density   (c) liquid temperature   (d) the written name of the liquid on the bottle
3. A teacher compares diffusion of vapour in warm and cool air. The main reason diffusion is faster in the warm sample is ________. (a) greater average molecular kinetic energy   (b) lower number of molecules in every warm sample   (c) permanent electrical charging of vapour particles   (d) absence of collisions at higher temperature
4. Which of the following descriptions correctly distinguishes displacement from distance? (a) Distance depends on direction but displacement does not   (b) Both quantities are vectors measured along the shortest route   (c) Displacement has magnitude and direction; distance has magnitude only   (d) Displacement always exceeds distance for curved journeys
5. A car travels 150 m in 12 s at constant speed. Its speed is (a) 18 m/s   (b) 1.25 m/s   (c) 12.5 m/s   (d) 1 800 m/s
6. Two perpendicular displacement vectors have magnitudes 9 m and 12 m. Their resultant magnitude is ________. (a) 3 m   (b) 15 m   (c) 108 m   (d) 21 m
7. A cyclist travels 3 km north then 3 km south. Which statement is correct? (a) Distance is zero; displacement is 6 km   (b) The displacement is 3 km north   (c) Distance is 6 km; displacement is zero   (d) Both distance and displacement are 6 km
8. A pupil reports the length of a wire as 0.75 m. The equivalent measurement in millimetres is ________. (a) 7 500 mm   (b) 750 mm   (c) 0.75 mm   (d) 75 mm
9. All the following have units derived from basic SI units EXCEPT (a) time   (b) speed   (c) acceleration   (d) density
10. Which of the following is NOT sufficient to determine velocity? (a) Gradient of a displacement–time graph   (b) Change of position with time   (c) Displacement and elapsed time   (d) Distance travelled without direction
11. Which statement best explains why a gas fills its container while a solid retains its shape? (a) Particles are absent from gases but present in solids   (b) Gas particles are larger than the container   (c) All solid particles have zero kinetic energy   (d) Gas particles move relatively freely; solid particles vibrate about fixed positions
12. The total distance travelled by someone who goes 12 m east and returns 5 m west is ________. (a) 17 m   (b) 7 m   (c) 5 m   (d) 12 m
13. All are suitable precautions when charging an electroscope by contact EXCEPT (a) drying the apparatus before the trial   (b) holding the metal cap throughout with a bare hand   (c) using an insulating support   (d) keeping the charged object away from stray metal
14. ________ explain the irregular movement of tiny smoke particles observed under a microscope. (a) perfectly stationary gas molecules   (b) crystals dissolving without a gas phase   (c) random molecular collisions   (d) a uniform electric current
15. A steel needle may remain on a carefully prepared water surface because of ________. (a) electrostatic induction   (b) osmotic pressure   (c) viscous heating   (d) surface tension
16. An uncharged metal sphere is brought near a negatively charged rod without touching. The side nearest the rod becomes (a) uncharged because conductors cannot polarise   (b) positively charged by redistribution of electrons   (c) permanently positive without earthing   (d) negatively charged because electrons gather near it
17. A digital timer records 1.80 s for a rolling object. The measurement in milliseconds is ________. (a) 180 ms   (b) 18 000 ms   (c) 1 800 ms   (d) 0.0018 ms
18. A crystalline solid shows a repeated geometrical arrangement. This observation most directly supports (a) its conversion to a gas at room temperature   (b) continuous random wandering of lattice sites   (c) the absence of intermolecular forces   (d) an ordered internal particle structure
19. Which of the following observations supports the law that like charges repel? (a) Two positively charged pith balls move apart   (b) A magnet pulls iron filings   (c) A positive and negative pith ball attract   (d) A charged ruler attracts neutral paper
20. A student draws vectors head-to-tail to obtain a resultant. The correct next step is to (a) reverse every arrow before connecting them   (b) replace each arrow with a scalar number   (c) add the arrows' lengths regardless of orientation   (d) draw a vector from the starting tail to the final head
21. Which action would most directly reduce unwanted friction in a rotating machine bearing? (a) Applying a suitable lubricant   (b) Roughening the contact surfaces   (c) Removing all shaft clearance without testing   (d) Increasing the load on the bearing
22. The main reason a stopwatch is preferred to a wall clock when timing a short experiment is ________. (a) its direct measurement of speed   (b) its immunity to human reaction time   (c) its finer time resolution   (d) its ability to measure length
23. A displacement–time graph rises uniformly from 5 m at 2 s to 29 m at 8 s. Its gradient represents a velocity of (a) 24 m/s   (b) 4 m/s   (c) 6 m/s   (d) 3 m/s
24. A bicycle tyre grips the road while a rider brakes. The friction involved is useful because it (a) produces the horizontal force needed to slow the bicycle   (b) converts the bicycle's mass into energy   (c) makes the normal reaction zero   (d) eliminates the bicycle's inertia
25. The ________ of a velocity–time graph gives acceleration for straight-line motion. (a) gradient   (b) intercept on the displacement axis   (c) total length of the plotted line   (d) area beneath the curve
26. Warm engine oil tends to flow more readily than cold engine oil primarily because its ________ decreases. (a) mass   (b) viscosity   (c) surface area   (d) density always becomes zero
27. A measured area of 0.024 m² should be reported in cm² as (a) 240 cm²   (b) 24 cm²   (c) 0.24 cm²   (d) 2 400 cm²
28. A spring balance gives a reading in newtons, whereas a beam balance is used to measure ________. (a) density   (b) pressure   (c) force   (d) mass
29. Which step is most appropriate when measuring acceleration with a ticker timer? (a) Measure only the width of the paper tape   (b) Compare the tape colour before and after the run   (c) Count tape dots without knowing the timer frequency   (d) Measure successive equal-time tape intervals and examine changes in spacing
30. A student walks 6 m east and then 8 m north. The magnitude of the resultant displacement is (a) 48 m   (b) 10 m   (c) 2 m   (d) 14 m
31. A spinning ceiling fan is an example of ________ motion about a fixed axis. (a) oscillatory   (b) random   (c) rotational   (d) translational
32. On a coordinate grid, a point shifts from (−2, 3) to (4, 3). Its displacement is (a) 2 units west   (b) 6 units east   (c) 6 units north   (d) 7 units east
33. A pupil obtains several straight-line distance–time plots with different slopes. The steepest plot indicates ________. (a) the longest journey in every case   (b) the largest acceleration necessarily   (c) the greatest speed   (d) the least elapsed time in every case
34. Which procedure best reduces reaction-time error when manually timing repeated trials? (a) Round every observed time to the nearest minute   (b) Repeat trials under similar conditions and compare the readings   (c) Begin timing several seconds after motion starts   (d) Replace the stopwatch with a metre rule
35. A stone tied to a string moves in a circle, while the hand holds the string's end. The stone's path is best described as (a) random Brownian motion   (b) pure rotation about its own centre only   (c) circular motion about the hand   (d) straight-line translation
36. A trolley accelerates uniformly from 4 m/s to 16 m/s in 6 s. Its acceleration is (a) 12 m/s²   (b) 72 m/s²   (c) 3 m/s²   (d) 2 m/s²
37. Which test best demonstrates that a liquid offers viscous resistance? (a) Heat the spheres until they expand visibly   (b) Weigh a container before putting liquid into it   (c) Compare the fall times of identical small spheres in liquids at equal temperature   (d) Measure the colours of two liquids in sunlight
38. A runner completes a race in 2 min 35 s. The time in SI units is (a) 235 s   (b) 125 s   (c) 2.35 s   (d) 155 s
39. The quantities listed below are vectors EXCEPT (a) temperature   (b) displacement   (c) velocity   (d) force
40. A velocity–time graph is horizontal at 8 m/s from t = 2 s to t = 7 s. The acceleration in this interval is (a) 8 m/s²   (b) 1.6 m/s²   (c) 0 m/s²   (d) 40 m/s²

SECTION B: THEORY (30 MARKS)
Instruction: Answer Question 1 and any other TWO questions. Each question carries 10 marks.

Question 1
(a) A student moves 6 m east, then 8 m north. Calculate the total distance and magnitude of displacement. (5 marks)
(b) Explain why distance and displacement differ on this journey. (5 marks)

Question 2
(a) A vehicle increases velocity from 6 m/s to 24 m/s uniformly in 9 s. Calculate its acceleration. (4 marks)
(b) Sketch a clearly labelled velocity–time graph for the nine seconds and determine the distance covered. (6 marks)

Question 3
(a) Describe how charging by induction differs from charging by contact. (4 marks)
(b) Explain three precautions in using a metal spike and conductor as an earthing demonstration. (6 marks)

Question 4
(a) Explain how a ticker timer can help estimate acceleration of a trolley. (6 marks)
(b) Describe one laboratory observation supporting the kinetic theory and relate it to movement of particles. (4 marks)

Objective Marking Scheme
Question 1 – ✅ (b) provides a low-resistance path for charge to earth
Question 2 – ✅ (d) the written name of the liquid on the bottle
Question 3 – ✅ (a) greater average molecular kinetic energy
Question 4 – ✅ (c) Displacement has magnitude and direction; distance has magnitude only
Question 5 – ✅ (c) 12.5 m/s
Question 6 – ✅ (b) 15 m
Question 7 – ✅ (c) Distance is 6 km; displacement is zero
Question 8 – ✅ (b) 750 mm
Question 9 – ✅ (a) time
Question 10 – ✅ (d) Distance travelled without direction
Question 11 – ✅ (d) Gas particles move relatively freely; solid particles vibrate about fixed positions
Question 12 – ✅ (a) 17 m
Question 13 – ✅ (b) holding the metal cap throughout with a bare hand
Question 14 – ✅ (c) random molecular collisions
Question 15 – ✅ (d) surface tension
Question 16 – ✅ (b) positively charged by redistribution of electrons
Question 17 – ✅ (c) 1 800 ms
Question 18 – ✅ (d) an ordered internal particle structure
Question 19 – ✅ (a) Two positively charged pith balls move apart
Question 20 – ✅ (d) draw a vector from the starting tail to the final head
Question 21 – ✅ (a) Applying a suitable lubricant
Question 22 – ✅ (c) its finer time resolution
Question 23 – ✅ (b) 4 m/s
Question 24 – ✅ (a) produces the horizontal force needed to slow the bicycle
Question 25 – ✅ (a) gradient
Question 26 – ✅ (b) viscosity
Question 27 – ✅ (a) 240 cm²
Question 28 – ✅ (d) mass
Question 29 – ✅ (d) Measure successive equal-time tape intervals and examine changes in spacing
Question 30 – ✅ (b) 10 m
Question 31 – ✅ (c) rotational
Question 32 – ✅ (b) 6 units east
Question 33 – ✅ (c) the greatest speed
Question 34 – ✅ (b) Repeat trials under similar conditions and compare the readings
Question 35 – ✅ (c) circular motion about the hand
Question 36 – ✅ (d) 2 m/s²
Question 37 – ✅ (c) Compare the fall times of identical small spheres in liquids at equal temperature
Question 38 – ✅ (d) 155 s
Question 39 – ✅ (a) temperature
Question 40 – ✅ (c) 0 m/s²

Theory Marking Scheme
Question 1
(a) Distance = 14 m (2); displacement = sqrt(6²+8²) = 10 m (3). [5 marks]
(b) Distance is total path length, a scalar (2); displacement is the straight-line change in position with direction, a vector (3). [5 marks]
Question 2
(a) a=(24−6)/9=2 m/s²; formula 2, substitution/calculation 2. [4 marks]
(b) Plot (0,6) to (9,24) as a straight line with labelled axes (3); trapezium area ½(6+24)×9=135 m (3). [6 marks]
Question 3
(a) Induction involves charge separation without direct contact and appropriate earthing (2); contact transfers charge on touching (2). [4 marks]
(b) 2 each: safe isolation from live supplies; secure continuous conductor to appropriate earth reference; dry insulated supports/teacher supervision; do not simulate lightning using mains. [6 marks]
Question 4
(a) Known time interval between dots (2); compare speeds from sequential tape sections (2); obtain change in speed over elapsed time with correct unit (2). [6 marks]
(b) Smoke-cell/Brownian-motion observation (2); irregular movement results from collisions with unseen air molecules (2). [4 marks]