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SECTION 2: SCIENCE PROFICIENCY
Time -– 50 minutes
60Questions(86 – 145)
For each question, decide which is the best answer choice, and darken the corresponding oval on the answer sheet.
1. A corn farmer wants to study the effect of using
too much pesticide on the fertility of soil. Which
of the following experimental set-ups would be
best to use to arrive at a valid conclusion?
A. Corn plants are planted in two types of soil
using two containers, where both containers
have the normal amount of pesticide.
B. A rice plant and a corn plant are planted in
the same type of soil using two containers,
where one container has more pesticidethan
the other.
C. Corn plants are planted in the same type of
soil using three containers with different
types of pesticides.
D. Corn plants are planted in the same type of
soil using three containers, where the first
container has no pesticide, the second has
the normal amount of pesticide, and the
third has pesticide more than the normal.
2. The eruption of Mt. Pinatubo caused widespread
destruction and loss of human life. Gases and
solids injected into the stratosphere circled the
globe for three weeks. Volcanic eruptions of this
magnitude can impact global climate, reducing
the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth's
surface, lowering temperatures in
troposphere, and changing atmospheric
circulation patterns. Which of the following was
an effect of the Mt. Pinatubo eruption?
A. an increase of the Earth’s temperature by 2˚C
B. massive global warming
C. El niño phenomenon
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D. lowered global temperature by 0.5˚
3. The trapping of heat by carbon dioxide and water
vapor in the atmosphere is called greenhouse
effect. Clouds increase the greenhouse effect by
absorbing some of the infrared radiation that
would normally be lost into space. Without
greenhouse effect, sunlight would warm the
ground to only about -10 ° C. What is a good
result of balanced greenhouse effect?
A. severe drought
B. Earth remains warm enough for life to exist
C. changing of seasons
D. significant decrease in rainfall
4. A cloud is a visible mass of liquiddroplets or
frozen crystals, depending on its altitude, made
of water or various chemicals suspended in the
atmosphere above the surface of a planetary
body. What kind of cloud has the highest
probability of precipitation?
A. Cirrus
B. Cumulus
C. Cumulonimbus
D. Cirro-cumulus
5. Weathering is the process that changes solid rock
the into sediments. With weathering, rock is
disintegrated. It breaks into pieces. However,
rocks on the moon are not being weathered.
Which of the following is the reason for this?
A. There is no atmosphere on the moon.
B. There is no water on the moon.
C. There is no volcano on the moon.
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D. The gravity on the moon is very small.
6. The solidification of molten rock from inside or
outside the earth causes the formation of
igneous rocks. These rocks are characterized by
the presence of large or small
depending on the rate of cooling of the rocks.
Granite is an intrusive igneous rock that cooled
beneath the earth’s crust, and has large crystals.
What is the most probable reason for this?
A. Extreme pressures at the bottom create
larger crystals.
B. Gravity causes the heavier crystals to collect
at the bottom of intrusive igneous rocks.
C. Hotter temperatures act as a catalyst to
increase the rate of crystal formation in
intrusive igneous rocks.
D. Hotter temperatures beneath the earth’s
crust decrease the cooling rate, allowing
more time to grow larger crystals.
7. Refer to the diagram below.
Sediments
A B
Igneous Sedimentary
Rocks Rocks
– S e t A 2
D. I, II, and III
8. Fossils of animals that lived in land can be found
in horizontal sedimentary rock layers at ocean
depths. How most earth scientists interpreted
crystals, this fact?
A. Land animals cannot live in ocean.
B. Animals that lived in deep water evolved
from species that once lived in land.
C. Dead land animals were carried onto the
ocean.
D. Portion of the Earth’s crust have changed
their elevation relative to sea level.
9. A mid-ocean ridge is an underwater mountain
system that consists of various mountain ranges,
typically having a valley known as a rift running
along its spine, formed by divergent plate
tectonics. One of the famous mid-ocean ridges is
the Mid-Atlantic Ridge slicing through the center
of Iceland. Which of the following causes this
formation?
A. volcanic eruptions
B. under ocean currents
C. the ocean floor is spreading
D. ocean ridges is the area of subsidence
10. Which inference is false about the following rock
cross section?

Melting C
A
Metamorphic B
Rocks C

Which of the following is TRUE? E

F
D
I. Path A is uplift, weathering, erosion, deposition
H
II. Path B is heating and crystallization.
G
III. Heat and pressure are responsible for path C.

A. I and II only A. Rock layer A is the youngest.

B. I and III only B. Rock layer G is formed before the fault.
C. II and III only C. Rock layer H is an intrusive rock.

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D. Rock layer E is older than rock D. 13. On March 11, 2011, an earthquake measuring
11. Which diagram best models the movement of 9.0 on Richter scale triggered a tsunami that
coastal air during the day? devasted parts of coastal Japan. The tremors
were the result of a violent uplift of the seafloor
80 miles off the coast of Japan, where the Pacific
A. tectonic plate slides beneath the plate where
Japan sits on. What type of plate boundary
caused this earthquake?
A. convergent plate boundary
B. divergent plate boundary
B. C. transformational plate boundary
D. insufficient information

14. A cloud is a visible mass of liquiddroplets or

frozen crystals, depending on its altitude, made
C. of water or various chemicals suspended in the
atmosphere above the surface of a planetary
body. What kind of cloud has the highest
probability of precipitation?
A. Cirrus

D. B. Cumulus
C. Cumulonimbus
D. Cirro-cumulus

15. Rock and dust samples brought back from the

12. The diagram below shows the relative positions
of the Sun, the Moon, and Earth when an eclipse
is observed from Earth. Positions A and B are
locations on Earth’s surface.
Earth
Moon
Sun A B
Which of the following is correct based on the
given diagram?
A. A lunar eclipse is observed from position A.
B. A lunar eclipse is observed from position B.
C. A solar eclipse is observed from position A.
D. A solar eclipse is observed from position B.
Moon by the Apollo missions in the 1980s were
more similar to Earth’s mantle than to meteorites
that struck the Earth. Which of the following
statements is true about Earth’s tock and moon’s
rock?
A. Rocks on Earth are much younger than those
on the moon.
B. Rocks on Earth are much older than those on
the moon.
C. Rocks on Earth are about the same age as
rocks on the moon.
D. Moon rocks do not have age.
16. The trapping of heat by carbon dioxide and water
vapor in the atmosphere is called greenhouse

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effect. Clouds increase the greenhouse effect by A. It has many active volcanoes.
absorbing some of the infrared radiation that B. It rotates slowly.
would normally be lost into space. Without C. It has thicker clouds.
greenhouse effect, sunlight would warm the D. Its atmosphere is composed of 96.5% CO2.
ground to only about -10 ° C. What is a good
result of balanced greenhouse effect? 20. If a river is flowing toward the hanging wall, how

A. Greenhouse effect is not good at all. would the river change during a normal fault

B. Earth remains warm enough for life to exist. movement?

C. There is enough rainfall for the entire year. A. The river would possibly be dammed up,

D. There is changing of seasons. until it finds a new pathway.

B. A waterfall would possibly be formed.

17. Flooding frequently happens in the Philippines. It C. The river would change course.

may occur due to an accumulation of rainwater D. The river would likely follow the fault.

on saturated ground. This can threaten several

lives, properties and even livestock. If there is a 21. The box diagram below shows the blood flow

flood, what characteristics of soil would make the through the human heart.

situation of flooding worse within the affected Lungs

area?
A. high porosity and high permeability
B. high porosity and low permeability Right Left
C. low porosity and high permeability Atrium Atrium

D. low porosity and low permeability

Right Left
18. The term cave is given to a naturally formed Ventricle Ventricle

underground cavity. Caves are geological

Heart
features and form in a variety of ways. The most
common caves are solutional caves, often called
Rest of the body
limestone caves for the common type of soluble
rock in which they form. How do most limestone Why does blood passes through the lungs before

caves form? it is distributed to the other parts of the body?

A. dissolution of soluble rocks A. To release the carbon dioxide by exhaling

B. animal burrowing B. To absorb the nutrients inside the lungs

C. quarrying of sand C. To get oxygen for distribution to other parts

D. increase of sea water wave contact to the of the body

limestones D. To bring nutrients from the heart into the

lungs

19. The surface of Venus is much hotter than the 22. Which event in meiosis is responsible for genetic

surface here on Earth, considering its distance diversity by allowing genes from parent to

from the Sun. What is the main reason for this rearrange?

fact? A. Condensation of chromatin to chromosome

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B. Crossing over of chromatids categorized as complete, incomplete, perfect or
C. Lining up of chromosomes on the equatorial imperfect. Which of the following lists of parts
plate describes a perfect flower but not a complete
D. Moving of chromosomes to the opposite flower?
poles of cell A. Pistil, stamen and accessory parts
B. Pistil and accessory parts only
23. A woman is a carrier of a sex-linked trait marries C. Stamen and accessory parts only
a normal man. What is the probability that their D. Pistil and stamen only
first-born son would have the disease?
A. 100% 26. Which of the following statements is/are TRUE
B. 50% regarding the properties of nucleic acids?
C. 25% A. All nucleic acids are double stranded.
D. cannot be determined B. All nucleic acids have Adenine, Guanine,
Cytosine and Thymine.
24. Refer to the diagram below. C. All nucleic acids are made up of nucleotides.
D. All nucleic acids have a deoxyribose residue.

27. Which insects have two pairs of wings covered

with protective scales and sucking mouthparts?
They belong to order Lepidoptera.
A. mosquito and fly
B. butterfly and dragonfly
C. butterfly and moth
D. flea and wasp

28. In snapdragons, red flowers represent the RR

If B is blocked, what would happen? genotype while white flowers represent the rr
A. Both sensation and movement are intact. genotype. Upon breeding red and white flowers,
B. Sensation is intact but movement is the offsprings were neither red nor white, instead
compromised. they were pink. What mode of inheritance is
C. Movement is intact but sensation is exhibited by the snapdragons?
compromised. A. Codominance
D. Both sensation and movement are B. Dominance
compromised. C. Incomplete Dominance
D. Sex-influenced
25. Flowers are the reproductive organs of 29. The diagram below shows the geological ranges
angiosperms. These organs have various parts and relative abundances (width of the shaded
that fall under three groups: (1) male parts, (2) area) for the major groups of animals. Based on
female parts and (3) accessory parts. Depending the diagram, in which era were the jellyfish and
on the present structures, a flower may be starfish most abundant?

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A. Tadpoles feed on plant material that contains
cell wall, thus requiring a longer digestion
time.
B. Tadpoles still have inactive digestive
enzymes, thus they compensate by having
longer intestines.
C. The observation is purely coincidental.
D. The observation offers no advantage to
either the tadpole or the frog.

A. Cretaceous 32. Assuming that complete dominance is followed,

B. Cenozoic which of the following genotypes has the same
C. Mesozoic phenotype as QQRrssTt?
D. Paleozoic A. AABbccDd
B. QqRRssTT
30. In the given pedigree below, shaded are tall and C. Qqrrsstt
unshaded are short where tall trait is dominant D. QQRrSsTt
over short. What is the probability of obtaining a
short off-spring, if individuals 1 and 2 try to 33. Professor Geller wanted to demonstrate the role
reproduce once more? of osmosis in plant cells. He placed the cells in a
solution that is hypertonic to the cells. The
solution contains red microscopic dye particles.
1 2 Which of the following could be a possible result
of Professor Geller’s demonstration?
A. Plant cells decrease in size (flaccid), and the
solution will have a lighter color.
3 4 5 6 7 B. Plant cells increase in size (turgid), and the
solution will remain the same color.
C. Plant cells maintain their size, and the
solution will become darker.
8 9 D. Plant cells will burst, causing the solution to
A. 1/2 reduce its color.
B. 1/4
C. 3/4
D. 1 34. Taxonomy is the study of identifying and
31. Tadpoles have longer intestines compared with classifying organisms into groups based on the
frogs. Based on the function of intestines, which characteristics an organism shares with others of
of the following statements best explains this its same kind. Domain is the most general
observation? taxonomic classification of organisms. Cell
structure and genetics are two primary criteria

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used to classify organisms within domains. Which D. 4 g H2
taxonomic domain includes multicellular and
photosynthetic organisms? 39. Which statement concerning the phase diagram
A. Archaea below is INCORRECT?
B. Bacteria
C. Protista
D. Eukarya

P A B
35. To produce an offspring, one sperm cell and one
egg cell have to join together. They merge C

together to make one cell called zygote. Only one D

sperm cell can enter the egg cell because ______.
A. the egg cell hardens the outer membrane
B. the sperm cells fight off one another T

C. the other sperm cells are not volatile enough A. Only the solid phase exists at point A.
D. the size of the egg cell is only enough for B. At point D, the triple point, all three phases
one sperm cell (gas, liquid, and solid) are in equilibrium.
C. Moving from point A to B results in a phase
36. Iodine-131 has a half-life of 8 hours. How much transition from solid to liquid.
of a 24 g sample would remain after one day? D. At point C, the solid and liquid phases are in
A. 0 g equilibrium.
B. 1g
C. 2 g 40. Which Lewis electron-dot diagram represents a
D. 3 g molecule having a nonpolar covalent bond?

37.
Cl A container weighs 90 g when empty and 110 g
Cl
A.
when fully filled with water. The density of water
is 1.0
- g/mL. When the container is filled instead
+
B. K Brwith liquid X, it weighs 140 g. What is the density

of liquid X?
H ClA. 0.80 g/mL
C.
B. 1.4 g/mL

D. H SC. 2.5 g/mL

HD. 3.0 g/mL 41. Consider the following gaseous sample in a

38. Which of the following consists of the most cylinder with movable piston. Initially, there are n
number of molecules? The atomic masses of O, moles of gas at a temperature T, pressure P and
N, and H are 16 g, 14 g, and 1 g, respectively. volume V.
A. 32 g O2
B. 28 g N2
C. 18 g water

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A. Steel bar (at 40C), iron block (at 25C)
Which is the correct representation if the B. Steel bar (at 25C), iron block (at 40C)
pressure exerted on the piston is tripled at C. Steel bar (at 40C), iron block (at 40C)
constant n and T ? D. Steel bar (at 25C), iron block (at 25C)

44. In an experiment, 2.0 mol/dm3 of nitric acid

A. C.
from a burette was added to a conical flask
containing 25.0 cm3 of aqueous sodium
hydroxide. The pH of the resulting mixture was
recorded as nitric acid was added. The graph
below shows the result of the experiment.

B. D.
pH

14

42. The table below shows the electronic 7

configurations of four hypothetical elements.

Element Electronic Configuration
M 2, 8
0
N 2, 8, 7 12.5
Volume of nitric acid added (dm3)
O 2, 8, 2
P 2, 4 What substance was present in the mixture in the
conical flask when pH level is equal to 7?

Which of the following shows the correct formula A. Nitric acid

for a covalent compound formed from the given B. Sodium hydroxide

elements? C. Sodium nitrate

A. MO D. Nitrous hydroxide

B. PN4
C. ON2
D. O2P

43. Suppose a cold steel bar (at 10C) and a hot iron 45. Dyes that are allowed in foods are given E

block (at 70C) are placed inside the same room numbers. Four such dyes commonly used in

at the same time. With time, the steel bar and the ketchup are E120, E123, E125, and E172. The

iron block are brought to thermal equilibrium chromatogram shown was obtained from three

with the room. The final temperature of the room ketchups A, B, and C. Ketchups are tested to

is 25C. What are the final temperature of the ensure all dyes used in making the ketchup are

steel bar and the iron block? legal. If the ketchup contained E180, it is illegal.

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 A B C E120 E123 E125 E172 E180

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D. The elements are arranged in order of
increasing proton number.

48. Which pair of elements shows an alpha decay?

4
¿¿ →¿ + 2 He

207 203
A. 82 Pb ∧ 80Hg
Which statement can be inferred to ketchup C?
11 11
A. Ketchup C is illegal. B. 5 B ∧ 6C
B. Ketchup C contains E125. C. 238 232
9 2U ∧ 9 0Th
C. Ketchup C contains E125 and E123.
52 52
D. Ketchup C contains all dyes found in Ketchup D. 26 Fe∧26 Fe
A.

49. What is the limiting reagent for the following

46. Based on the following periodic table, which two chemical reaction if 24 grams of hydrogen and
elements have a half-filled p orbital? 48 grams of oxygen react to form water?
2H2 + O2  2H2O
Be N O A. Hydrogen
Na Al Si B. Oxygen
K Fe Co
C. Water
Sb I
D. This reaction has no limiting reagent.
Ba Os

50. What occurs when an atom gains an electron?

A. The atom’s radius decreases and the atom
becomes a negative ion.
A. Nitrogen and antimony B. The atom’s radius decreases and the atom
B. Iron and cobalt becomes a positive ion.
C. Barium and osmium C. The atom’s radius increases and the atom
D. Sodium and potassium becomes a negative ion.
D. The atom’s radius increases and the atom
47. Which statement about periodic table is NOT becomes a positive ion.
true?
51. A physicist walks 8 m, 30north of east, and then
A. Elements get more metallic on descending
4 m south. What is the displacement of the
group.
physicist?
B. Elements in the same group have the same
A. m, west
number of valence electrons.
B. m, west
C. From left to right across a period, there is an
C. m, east
increase in metallic property and a decrease
D. m, east
in non-metallic property.

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55. If a girl weighs 392 N here on Earth, what would
52. The table below shows the velocity of the car be her weight on Mars?The acceleration due to
over a period of time. gravity on Mars is approximately 3.7 m/s2.
Time (s) Velocity (m/s) A. 392 N
0 0 B. 148 N
1 2.5 C. 185 N
2 5 D. 244 N
3 7.5
4 10 56. A thunder is heard after 3 seconds a lightning
5 10 flash. How far is the lightning flash? Take the
6 10 speed of sound to be 340 m/s.
A. 11.3 m
Which of the following does not describe the B. 680 m
motion of the car? C. 1.02 km
A. increasing speed then constant speed D. 1.5 km
2
B. 2.5 m/s acceleration then zero acceleration
C. constant acceleration then constant velocity 57. Specific gravity is the ratio of the density of
D. increasing acceleration then constant velocity substance to the density of water. Suppose the
specific gravity of liquid X is 1.2. Which of the
53. Two forces are applied on the box. Which of the following will not float in liquid X?
following orientations would produce the A. Water
greatest acceleration of the box across the floor? B. A 1000-cm3 object whose mass is 750 g
A. C. C. A solid object whose specific gravity is 0.9
D. A liquid whose specific gravity is 1.3

B. D.

58. A 75.0-kg child climbs a 6.0-m long slide that is

54. A boy kicks a ball from the ground into the air at inclined 30.0 with the horizontal. What is the
an angle. Which is about to become zero as the potential energy of the child with respect to the
ball approaches back to the ground? ground when he reaches the top of the slide?
A. the ball’s velocity A. 225 J
B. the ball’s acceleration B. 450 J
C. the ball’s displacement C. 2.2 kJ
D. the ball’s vertical displacement D. 4.4 kJ

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59. The figure below shows resistors connected in
series and parallel. If the total resistance from A
to B is 6 Ω, find the resistance of R.

1Ω 1Ω
2Ω 3Ω
A B

R
A. 1 Ω
B. 2Ω
C. 3 Ω
D. 4 Ω How can you make bulb 1 glow brighter?
A. omit CD and replace with EF
B. connect point E to B and point F to C
60. The figure shows two identical bulbs are connected C. connect point E to A and point F to B
in series to a battery. D. connect point E to B and point F to D

B C
bulb 1

bulb 2

A D

E F
bulb 3

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