Grade 11 SEM [40 marks]

1. Which quantity has the same units as those for energy stored per unit [1 mark]
volume?
A. Density
B. Force
C. Momentum
D. Pressure

Markscheme
D

Examiners report
[N/A]

2. A list of four physical quantities is [1 mark]

acceleration
energy
mass
temperature
How many scalar quantities are in this list?
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4

Markscheme
C
 Examiners report
[N/A]

3. Three forces act on a block which is sliding down a slope at constant [1 mark]
speed. W is the weight, R is the reaction force at the surface of the block
and F is the friction force acting on the block.

In this situation
A. there must be an unbalanced force down the plane.
B. W = R.
C. F = W .
D. the resultant force on the block is zero.

Markscheme
D

Examiners report
[N/A]

4. Two forces of magnitude 12 N and 24 N act at the same point. Which [1 mark]
force cannot be the resultant of these forces?
A. 10 N
B. 16 N
C. 19 N
D. 36 N
 Markscheme
A

Examiners report
[N/A]

5. A student is verifying the equation [1 mark]

2λY
x=
z
The percentage uncertainties are:

What is the percentage uncertainty in x?

A. 5 %
B. 15 %
C. 25 %
D. 30 %

Markscheme
B

Examiners report
This question was well answered by candidates, as shown by a high difficulty
index.
6. A sports car is accelerated from 0 to 100 km per hour in 3 s. What is the [1 mark]
acceleration of the car?
A. 0.1 g
B. 0.3 g
C. 0.9 g
D. 3 g

Markscheme
C

Examiners report
Response D was the most common (but incorrect) response, with candidates
neglecting to convert km/h to m/s.

7. A waiter carrying a tray is accelerating to the right as shown in the image.[1 mark]
What is the free-body diagram of the forces acting on the tray?
 Markscheme
D

Examiners report
Response D was the most common response, with the free-body diagram in
response A providing a significant distractor for roughly a third of candidates.
Most candidates recognized that the only upward vector would be one
perpendicular to the tray.

8. What is the unit of power expressed in fundamental SI units? [1 mark]

A. kg m s–2
B. kg m 2 s–2
C. kg m s–3
D. kg m2 s–3

Markscheme
D

Examiners report
[N/A]

9. The length of the side of a cube is 2.0 cm ± 4 %. The mass of the cube is [1 mark]
24.0 g ± 8 %. What is the percentage uncertainty of the density of the
cube?

A. ± 2 %
B. ± 8 %
C. ± 12 %
D. ± 20 %
 Markscheme
D

Examiners report
[N/A]

10. A truck has an initial speed of 20 m s–1. It decelerates at 4.0 m s–2. What is [1 mark]
the distance taken by the truck to stop?

A. 2.5 m
B. 5.0 m
C. 50 m
D. 100 m

Markscheme
C

Examiners report
[N/A]
11. A projectile is fired at an angle to the horizontal. Air resistance is [1 mark]
negligible. The path of the projectile is shown.

Which gives the magnitude of the horizontal component and the magnitude of
the vertical component of the velocity of the projectile between O and P?

Markscheme
A

Examiners report
[N/A]
12. Two blocks X and Y rest on a frictionless horizontal surface as shown. A [1 mark]
horizontal force is now applied to the larger block and the two blocks
move together with the same speed and acceleration.

Which free-body diagram shows the frictional forces between the two blocks?

Markscheme
A

Examiners report
[N/A]
13. Three forces act at a point. In which diagram is the point in equilibrium? [1 mark]

Markscheme
B

Examiners report
[N/A]

14. A student measures the radius r of a sphere with an absolute uncertainty [1 mark]
Δr. What is the fractional uncertainty in the volume of the sphere?
3
A. ( Δrr )

B. 3 Δrr
C. 4π Δrr
3
D. 4π( Δrr )
 Markscheme
B

Examiners report
[N/A]

15. A uniform ladder resting in equilibrium on rough ground leans against a [1 mark]
smooth wall. Which diagram correctly shows the forces acting on the
ladder?

Markscheme
B

Examiners report
[N/A]
16. Which is a unit of force? [1 mark]
A. Jm
B. J m–1
C. J m s–1
D. J m–1 s

Markscheme
B

Examiners report
[N/A]

17. A boy runs along a straight horizontal track. The graph shows how his [1 mark]
speed v varies with time t.

After 15 s the boy has run 50 m. What is his instantaneous speed and his average
speed when t = 15 s?

Markscheme
C
 Examiners report
[N/A]

18. Two balls X and Y with the same diameter are fired horizontally with the [1 mark]
same initial momentum from the same height above the ground. The
mass of X is greater than the mass of Y. Air resistance is negligible.
What is correct about the horizontal distances travelled by X and Y and the times
taken by X and Y to reach the ground?

Markscheme
C

Examiners report
[N/A]

19. How many significant figures are there in the number 0.0450? [1 mark]
A. 2
B. 3
C. 4
D. 5

Markscheme
B
 Examiners report
[N/A]

20. Which of the following is a scalar quantity? [1 mark]

A. Velocity
B. Momentum
C. Kinetic energy
D. Acceleration

Markscheme
C

Examiners report
[N/A]

21. A ball is tossed vertically upwards with a speed of 5.0 m s–1. After how [1 mark]
many seconds will the ball return to its initial position?
A. 0.50 s
B. 1.0 s
C. 1.5 s
D. 2.0 s

Markscheme
B

Examiners report
[N/A]
22. Two stationary objects of mass 1kg and 2kg are connected by a thread [1 mark]
and suspended from a spring.

The thread is cut. Immediately after the cut, what are the magnitudes of the
accelerations of the objects in terms of the acceleration due to gravity g?

Markscheme
D

Examiners report
[N/A]
23. A student draws a graph to show the variation with time t of the [1 mark]
acceleration a of an object.

What can the student deduce from this graph only, and what quantity from the
graph is used to make this deduction?

Markscheme
B

Examiners report
[N/A]
24. A sphere fits inside a cube. [1 mark]

The length of the cube and the diameter of the sphere are 10.0±0.2cm.
percentageuncertaintyofthevolumeofthesphere
What is the ratio ?
percentageuncertaintyofthevolumeofthecube

A. 43
π
B. 1
C. 2
D. 8

Markscheme
B

Examiners report
[N/A]
25. An aircraft is moving horizontally. A parachutist leaves the aircraft and a [1 mark]
few seconds later opens her parachute. Which graph shows the variation
of the vertical speed v with time t for the parachutist from the time she leaves the
aircraft until just before landing?

Markscheme
A

Examiners report
[N/A]
26. An object of mass m rests on a horizontal plane. The angle θ that the [1 mark]
plane makes with the horizontal is slowly increased from zero. When
θ=θ0, the object begins to slide. What are the coefficient of static friction μs and
the normal reaction force N of the plane at θ=θ0?

Markscheme
D

Examiners report
[N/A]

=0
27. An object is at rest at time t = 0. The variation with t of the acceleration [1 mark]
a of the object is shown from t = 0 to t = 20 s.

What is the speed of the object when t = 15 s?

A. 25 m s−1
B. 50 m s−1
C. 75 m s−1
D. 100 m s−1

Markscheme
B

Examiners report
Think units.
If we want a speed then this can only be calculated from the area under the
graph.
28. A student throws a stone with velocity v at an angle θ to the vertical from [1 mark]
the surface of a lake. Air resistance can be ignored. The acceleration due
to gravity is g .

What is the time taken for the stone to hit the surface of the lake?
A. v sin θ
g
v cos θ
B. g
2v sin θ
C. g
2v cos θ
D. g

Markscheme
D

Examiners report
Clearly when θ = 90∘ , t = 0, so A and C must be incorrect. The relevant
equation of motion relating s, v, a, t includes 12 , so D must be the correct
response.

−1
29. A velocity of 5 m s−1 can be resolved along perpendicular directions XY [1 mark]
and XZ.

The component of the velocity in the direction XY is of magnitude 4 m s−1. What is

the magnitude of the component in the direction XZ?
A. 4 m s−1
B. 3 m s−1
C. 2 m s−1
D. 1 m s−1

Markscheme
B

Examiners report
[N/A]
30. The graph below shows the variation with time t of the velocity v of a car [1 mark]
travelling in a straight line.

Which graph shows the variation with t of the displacement s of the car?
 Markscheme
C

Examiners report
[N/A]

31. Which statement applies to an object in translational equilibrium? [1 mark]

A. The object must be stationary.
B. The object must be moving with constant acceleration.
C. The resultant force acting on the object must be zero.
D. There must be no external forces acting on the object.

Markscheme
C

Examiners report
[N/A]
32. The horizontal component vh and the vertical component vv of velocity of [1 mark]
an object are shown on the graphs. Air resistance is negligible.

These graphs could represent the motion of an object fired from a cliff
A. vertically upwards.
B. at an angle above the horizontal.
C. horizontally.
D. at an angle below the horizontal.

Markscheme
B

Examiners report
[N/A]

33. An object is positioned in a gravitational field. The measurement of [1 mark]

gravitational force acting on the object has an uncertainty of 3 % and the
uncertainty in the mass of the object is 9 %. What is the uncertainty in the
gravitational field strength of the field?
A. 3 %
B. 6 %
C. 12 %
D. 27 %

Markscheme
C
 Examiners report
[N/A]

34. The diagram shows an analogue meter with a mirror behind the pointer. [1 mark]

What is the main purpose of the mirror?

A. To provide extra light when reading the scale
B. To reduce the risk of parallax error when reading the scale
C. To enable the pointer to be seen from different angles
D. To magnify the image of the pointer

Markscheme
B

Examiners report
[N/A]

35. Two boxes in contact are pushed along a floor with a force F. The boxes [1 mark]
move at a constant speed. Box X has a mass m and box Y has a mass 2m .

What is the resultant force acting on Y?

A. 0
B. F2
C. F
D. 2F
 Markscheme
A

Examiners report
[N/A]

36. An elevator (lift) and its load have a total mass of 750 kg and accelerate [1 mark]
vertically downwards at 2.0 m s–2.

What is the tension in the elevator cable?

A. 1.5 kN
B. 6.0 kN
C. 7.5 kN
D. 9.0 kN

Markscheme
B

Examiners report
[N/A]
37. A boy jumps from a wall 3m high. What is an estimate of the change in [1 mark]
momentum of the boy when he lands without rebounding?
A. 5×100 kg m s–1
B. 5×101 kg m s–1
C. 5×102 kg m s–1
D. 5×103 kg m s–1

Markscheme
C

Examiners report
[N/A]

38. A river flows north. A boat crosses the river so that it only moves in the [1 mark]
direction east of its starting point.
What is the direction in which the boat must be steered?

Markscheme
C

Examiners report
[N/A]
39. The distances between successive positions of a moving car, measured at [1 mark]
equal time intervals, are shown.

The car moves with

A. acceleration that increases linearly with time.
B. acceleration that increases non-linearly with time.
C. constant speed.
D. constant acceleration.

Markscheme
D

Examiners report
[N/A]

40. The velocities vX and vY of two boats, X and Y, are shown. [1 mark]

Which arrow represents the direction of the vector vX – vY?

Markscheme
D

Examiners report
[N/A]
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