Year 8 Final practice sheet

New topics
Question 1

1 The elements in Group 1 of the Periodic Table have similar properties.

The first three elements in this group are lithium, sodium and potassium.
a Which one of these three elements is the least reactive? [1]

b Which one of these three elements has the largest mass number? [1]

2 a Explain what is meant by an ion. [1]

b Why is an ion of potassium more stable than an atom of potassium? [1]

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4 Explain how you could test to find out if a substance is ionic or covalent. You could draw
a diagram if this helps to explain your answer. You should say how this experimental test
will enable you to identify the type of compound. [3]

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Question 2

1 Zara investigated how giving plants different amounts of water affected their growth.
She grew some seedlings in pots and watered them each day.
She measured the height of each seedling on day 1 and on day 7.
The table shows her results.

Height of seedling in mm Increase in

Water given Seedling
Day 1 Day 7 height in mm

1 6.0 6.5 0.5

none 2 5.5 6.0 0.5

3 5.5 6.0 0.5

4 5.5 7.5 2.0

2 cm3 5 6.0 8.0 2.0

6 6.0 8.5 2.5

7 6.0 9.5 3.5

5 cm3 8 5.5 9.5

9 6.0 10.0

a Calculate the increase in height for seedlings 8 and 9.

Write your answers in the table. [1]

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 b Write down a conclusion that Zara can make from her results. [1]

c Explain why Zara used three seedlings for each amount of water in her experiment. [1]

d The parts of the plant that the water moved through are listed, but not in the correct order.

leaves xylem root hair

Write them in the correct order. [1]

2 When a woman becomes pregnant, she may need to make small changes to her diet and lifestyle.
Explain how each of the following changes can help to maintain the health of the mother
and her fetus.
a eating more foods that contain iron [2]

b stopping smoking [2]

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3 Here are some sentences about excretion.
The sentences are not in the correct order.
A The urine is stored in the bladder.
B The urine flows down the ureter.
C Urea is made in the liver.
D The blood transports urea to the kidneys.
E The urine flows down the urethra.
F The kidneys filter urea out of the blood and make urine.
Write down the letters of the sentences in the correct order, from left to right.
One has been placed for you. [2]

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Question 3

1 a Write the word equation for the reaction between zinc and copper sulfate. [1]

b Complete the symbol equation for the reaction in part a. [1]

+ CuSO4 → +

c Write the word equation for the reaction between magnesium and iron sulfate. [1]

d Write the symbol equation for the reaction in part c. [1]

2 In an investigation, an unknown metal was tested to try to identify it.

The metal was heated in air; it reacted slowly to form an oxide.
The metal was placed in water; there was no reaction.
The metal was placed in dilute acid; there was a reaction with bubbles of gas being given off slowly.
Write down which of the following metals it could be. [1]

lithium magnesium zinc copper silver

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3 a Give the formula for sulfuric acid. [1]

b Name this acid: HNO3 [1]

c Name the salt formed when zinc reacts with hydrochloric acid. [1]

4 When some students made the salt zinc sulfate, they reacted a piece of zinc with sulfuric acid
in a beaker. When the reaction finished, they poured the solution into an evaporating basin and
heated it. After heating it for a short time, they removed it from the heat and left the solution to
evaporate completely.
What risks are there in carrying out this experiment? How should the students overcome
the risks? [2]

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Question 4

1 The diagram shows part of the carbon cycle.

a Write down the name of the process labelled A. [1]

b Draw one arrow onto the diagram to show how animals get carbon. [1]
c What are decomposers? [1]

d Explain how some of the carbon in carbon compounds in animals is returned to the air. [3]

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 e The quantity of carbon dioxide in the air is increasing. How will this affect the Earth?
Tick [] two correct answers. [1]

The temperature of the Earth will decrease.

Sea levels will rise.

There will be more flooding in some countries.

There will be fewer extreme weather events.

2 Marcus did an experiment to find out how different colours of light affect
how quickly a plant photosynthesised.
He shone different coloured lights onto an aquatic plant. He counted the number
of bubbles that the plant produced in one minute.
The table shows his results.

Colour of light Number of bubbles produced per minute

green 2

red 18

orange 34

blue 10

a What should Marcus keep the same in his experiment?

Tick [] two boxes. [1]

The colour of the light.

The distance of the lamp from the plant.

The temperature of the water the plant is kept in.

The number of bubbles produced per minute.

b Name the gas that is that is present in the bubbles produced by the plant. [1]

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c Marcus wrote this conclusion:
The plant photosynthesised most quickly in orange light.
Is Marcus correct? Use the results of his experiment to explain your answer. [1]

d What can Marcus do to make his results more reliable? [1]

e Explain why plants need light for photosynthesis. [1]

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3 The diagram shows the human excretory system.

a Write down the name of each of the labelled parts. [2]

M
b Complete the sentences. Choose words from the list. [1]

chlorophyll nicotine urea urine

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Question 5

1 Match the following terms and the facts about them. [4]

a substance formed from different

mass number types of atoms that share at least one
pair of electrons

the number of neutrons and protons

atomic number
that an atom has

formed when at least two atoms join

ion
together by sharing electrons

covalent an atom that has lost or gained an

compound electron

molecule the number of protons in an atom

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2 a Diamond and graphite are both giant structures formed from the element carbon.
Write these facts in the correct column of the table below. [3]

The carbon atoms in this substance are arranged in layers; the bonds
between the layers are weak.

The carbon atoms in this substance form a lattice structure and each
carbon atom has four strong covalent bonds.

This substance is the hardest material on Earth.

This substance is very soft.

This substance has a low melting point.

This substance has a very high melting point.

Diamond Graphite

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 b State one use of diamond and one use of graphite. [2]

Diamond:

Graphite:
3 Write the word equation for:
a the reaction between magnesium carbonate and hydrochloric acid [1]

b the reaction between potassium and water. [1]

4 Write the chemical equation for:

a the reaction between copper oxide and sulfuric acid [1]

b the reaction between sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid. [1]

5 In a reaction between nitric acid and calcium carbonate, the mass of the reactants is 150 g.
a What will be the mass of the products? [1]

b If this reaction is carried out in an unsealed flask that has been placed on a top pan
balance, why might the mass of the products not be what you expect? [1]

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Question 6
1 a State the law of conservation of energy. [2]

b Thermal energy spreads out from hot objects.

Which term describes the process of energy spreading out and becoming less useful? [1]
Tick (✓) one box.

evaporation

dissipation

conservation

condensation

2 Conduction is one method of transferring thermal energy.

a Name the other two methods. [2]

b i Name one method of thermal energy transfer that cannot occur in a vacuum. [1]

ii Explain your choice. [2]

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3 The diagrams show the waveforms of four sounds, A–D.

a Which sound is the loudest? [1]

Write the letter:

b Which sound has the lowest pitch? [1]

Write the letter:

4 There are different theories about how the Moon was formed.
Name the theory that is currently accepted by most scientists. [1]

5 a List these objects in the correct order of size, from smallest to largest. [1]

star planet nebula

b There are different types of nebula.

Some of them appear bright and contain areas of greater brightness. This type of nebula emits
its own light.
Suggest why this type of nebula is thought to contain stellar nurseries. [3]

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