*W39*

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Pre-Junior Cycle Final Examination 2023

Science
(Option A)
Common Level
Time – 2 hours
360 marks For Examiner
Ques on Mark Ques on Mark

1 11
2 12
3 13
4 14
5 15
6 16
7
8
School use only:
9 Total
Spelling Waiver Granted
10 %
Grade
*01*
Instruc ons

Write your details in the boxes on the front cover.

There are two sec ons in this examina on paper.

Sec on A 150 marks 10 ques ons

Sec on B 210 marks 6 ques ons

Answer all parts of all ques ons.

You may ask the superintendent for a copy of the Formulae and Tables booklet. You must return
it at the end of the examina on. You are not allowed to bring your own copy into the
examina on.

Not all the ques ons carry equal marks. The number of marks for each ques on is stated at the
top of the ques on.

Write your answers in the spaces provided in this booklet. You are not required to use all of the
space provided. There is extra space at the end of Sec on A and at the back of the booklet. Label
any extra work clearly with the ques on number and part.

This examina on booklet will be scanned and your work will be presented to an examiner on
screen. Anything that you write outside of the answer areas may not be seen by the examiner.

Write your answers in blue or black pen. You may use pencil for graphs and diagrams only.

*02*
 Section A 150 marks

Ques on 1 (15 marks)

(a) The diagram on the right is an unlabelled diagram of the diges ve system. Iden fy the organ
labelled A and explain any one of its func ons.

Iden fy A

Func on

(b) Name one loca on other than the organ named in part (a) where physical diges on occurs.

(c) List one chemical responsible for chemical diges on.

(d) What is the func on of the liver?

*03*
Ques on 2 (15 marks)

(a) The atom consists of three subatomic par cles, called the proton, neutron, and electron.

Nega ve Negligible Electron

Nucleus Posi ve
1 amu Neutral Proton

Shell Nucleus
Neutron

Nucleus

Using the words given in the above table, complete the table below by filling in the blank white
boxes.

Characteris c Proton Neutron Electron

Charge Neutral
Mass 1 amu
Loca on Nucleus Shell

(b) An atom of potassium has an atomic number of 19 and mass number of 39. State (i) the
number of protons and (ii) the number of neutrons.

Number of protons

Number of neutrons

*04*
Ques on 3 (15 marks)

Answer the following ques ons from (a) to (c) on experimenta on by placing a ck (√) in the
correct box. In part (d), state which diagram represents accuracy and preciseness, sta ng your
reason why.

Tick one box only for each ques on.

(a) When a student incorrectly measures the length of a line with their ruler, it is considered/a:
Bias
Zero error
Random error
Systema c error

(b) “It shows you data for easy comparison.” Which of the following terms represents this
statement?
Repea ng
Measurement
Graphing
Experimenta on

(c) Why is it important to be open-minded in the scien fic method?

To prove your hypothesis correctly
To make sure your results are correct
To avoid bias
To help plan your variables error

(d) Which of the following diagrams represents accurate and precise? State your reason.

1 2 3

Answer

Reason

*05*
Ques on 4 (15 marks)

(a) A solid object has a mass of 120 g. Its volume is 40 cm3. Calculate the density of this object.
Include units with your answer.

(b) Which of the following objects has the lowest density? Jus fy your answer.

Wooden block

Sponge

Metal

1 2 3

Which?

Jus fy

(c) Name a piece of equipment that can be used to measure the volume of the solid in container
3 from part (b) if water were to become displaced.

*06*
Ques on 5 (15 marks)

Using the words below, complete the following paragraph on the forma on of our solar system.

planets helium star gravity ma er moons asteroids

Our solar system formed about 4.5 billion years ago from a dense cloud of interstellar gas and
dust. The cloud collapsed, possibly due to the shockwave of a nearby exploding ,
called a supernova. When this dust cloud collapsed, it formed a solar nebula – a spinning, swirling
disk of material.

At the centre, pulled more material in. Eventually, the pressure in the core
was so great that hydrogen atoms began to combine and form , releasing a
tremendous amount of energy. With that, our sun was born, and it eventually collected more than
99% of the available .

Ma er beyond out in the disk was also clumping together. These clumps smashed into one another,
forming larger and larger objects. Some of them grew big enough for their gravity to shape them
into spheres, becoming , dwarf planets, and large .

In other cases, planets did not form: the asteroid belt is made of bits and pieces of the early solar
system that could never quite come together into a planet. Other le over pieces became
,comets, meteoroids, and small, irregular moons.

*07*
Ques on 6 (15 marks)

(a) Iden fy whether the characteris cs below are examples of sexual or asexual reproduc on.

Characteris c Sexual or Asexual

Offspring are not iden cal to parent

One parent needed

Bacteria reproduce this way

(b) Answer the following ques on by placing a ck (√) in the correct box.

Differences between organisms is known as:

Varia on
Respira on
Metabolism
Compe on

(c) Referring to the diagram on the right, state how evolu on has aided the survival of the
modern horse. Give two pieces of informa on to verify your claim.

Modern thoroughbred

Bone of
forefoot

1. Przewalski's
horse
Equus
(present)

Merrychippus
(17 million
years ago)

2. Miohippus
(28 million years ago)

Eohippus (dawn horse)

(54 million years ago)
Animal illustra ons
are to scale.

*08*
Ques on 7 (15 marks)

(a) When 16 g of methane gas is burned in 64 g of oxygen, water and carbon dioxide are formed.
The mass of the water produced is 36 g. How much carbon dioxide is made?
CH₄ + O₂ CO₂ + H₂O
16g + 64g x + 36g

(b) Describe how the above chemical reac on accounts for the Law of ConservaƟon of Mass.

(c) Fill in the blanks using the words below:

easy difficult physical chemical rus ng evapora on

No new substances are formed during a change. During a

change, a new substance is formed. is an example of a physical change.
Physical changes are normally to reverse. is an
example of a chemical change. Chemical changes are to reverse.

*09*
Ques on 8 (15 marks)

(a) Two different circuits were set up, one in series, one in parallel. In both circuits, one of the
bulbs break. State and explain which circuit the other bulb remains ligh ng in.

Circuit A
Which?

Explain
Circuit B

(b) Name the instrument that measures the flow of charge in an electric circuit.

(c) The electric power consumed by a circuit with one lightbulb is 12 W. The current in the circuit
is 6 A. Calculate the voltage of the circuit. You may use mathema cal log tables.

Formula: Power = Voltage x Current

*10*
Ques on 9 (15 marks)

Analyse the Carbon Cycle diagram shown below and answer the ques ons which follow.

The Carbon Cycle

3 4
1

Food

Death 5
and 6

(a) Classify in the table below the 6 stages of the Carbon Cycle that are indicated by the numbers
1 to 6 in the diagram above:

Name of stage or products formed

1
2
3
4
5
6

(b) Outline the role of stage/process 6 in the carbon cycle.

(c) State the consequence if too much of stage/process 3 in the carbon cycle con nues to occur.

*11*
Ques on 10 (15 marks)

Answer the following ques ons on sexual reproduc on in humans.

(a) Using the list of terms/parts given below, insert the correct term/part of the male
reproduc ve system next to its func on in the table below.

Sperm duct Penis Scrotum Tes s

Making sperm

Controlling the temperature at

which sperm are produced

Transferring sperm to the female

Carrying sperm from the testes to

the penis

(b) Sperm can survive for 5 to 7 days. The egg can stay alive 27 28 1 2
for 2 days. The fer le period is the me in the menstrual 26 3
25 4
cycle when pregnancy is most likely to take place. What
24 5
days is this most likely to happen?
23 6

22 7
What days? 21 8
20 9
19 10
18 11
(c) What term is given to the process of the embryo
17 12
becoming a ached to the lining of the uterus? 16 15 14 13

(d) State and outline one func on of the organ that develops in the uterus during pregnancy.

State

Outline

(e) Discuss one benefit of breas eeding newborn babies.

*12*
 Addi onal wri ng space for Sec on A.
Label all work clearly with the ques on number and part.

*13*
 Section B 210 marks

Ques on 11 (30 marks)

In an experiment, a class were inves ga ng the effect of temperature on the solubility of four
unknown solids per 100 g of water.

120.0
Solubility (g per 100g of water)

100.0 Solid A
Solid B
80.0

60.0 Solid C

40.0 Solid D

20.0

0.0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Temperature (°C)

(a) Draw a labelled diagram of the apparatus the students may have used in the experiment.

(b) Describe the effect of increasing the temperature on the solubility of solid A.

*14*
(c) State which solid has the highest solubility at 20 degrees Celsius.

(d) Outline one advantage of graphing results from inves ga ons such as the above inves ga on.

(e) Indicate on the graph, using a circle, the point where solid B and solid C have the same
solubility in g per 100 g.

(f) Solids such as A, B, C and D are described as being soluble in water. Explain the underlined
term.

(g) Solid B is Sodium Chloride. It is commonly known as table salt. It is also one of the salts found
in seawater. Name two techniques that can be used to separate a soluble solid like Sodium
Chloride and water.

1.

2.

*15*
Ques on 12 (30 marks)

On the 22nd of October 2022, a par al solar eclipse was seen in Ireland. The next par al solar
eclipse will be visible on the 8th of April 2024. The next total eclipse will not be visible un l 2090.
The last total solar eclipse in Ireland took place in 1724.

(a) Explain, in your opinion, why it is rare for a country such as Ireland to experience a full solar
eclipse o en.

(b) Explain why we only see one side of the Moon on Earth.

(c) Illustrate, with the aid of a labelled diagram, a solar eclipse, clearly indica ng the pathway of
the eclipse shadows.

(d) The Earth acts as a natural satellite to the Sun; the Moon acts as a natural satellite to the
Earth. Discuss what is meant by “natural satellite”.

*16*
(e) The Moon is described as a non-luminous object. Explain how this is evident from a solar eclipse.

(f) Consider why objects fall slower on the Moon than on Earth.

(g) In the Northern Hemisphere, Ireland experiences cooler temperatures in December (winter)
and warmer temperatures in June (summer). Describe how this occurs, referring to the
posi on of the Earth to the Sun.

(h) Indicate whether A, B, C or D represents summer in the Northern Hemisphere.

A
Sun
C

Answer, which?

*17*
Ques on 13 (30 marks)

Under the supervision of their teacher, two students were inves ga ng forces as part of their studies. They
were given the task of designing an experiment to inves gate the effect of different surfaces on a toy
car. From their experiment, they recorded that the rougher the surface, the slower the object moved.

(a) Name the type of force these students were inves ga ng.

(b) Construct a suitable hypothesis for the above inves ga on.

(c) Name the variable that was measured in this inves ga on.

(d) State the variable that was changed in this inves ga on.

(e) The two students performed this inves ga on three mes. Give a brief explana on for this.

*18*
Study the three situa ons, shown on the right, Situa on Force Diagram
that would affect the car during the inves ga on.

(f) Describe, from force diagram 1, the 1

rela onship between weight and fric on
when the car was travelling at constant
Car travelling
speed. at constant
speed Thrust Weight
Fric on Reac on Foce

2
Car
(g) State one conclusion from force diagram 2 accelera ng
when the car was accelera ng. Thrust Weight
Fric on Reac on Foce

3
Car slowing
down
Thrust Weight
Fric on Reac on Foce
Create your own at Storyboard That

(h) Explain the scenario that caused the car to slow down in force diagram 3.

(i) State the rela onship between Velocity and Force from the graph below.

20

10
Force (N)

-10

-20
-8 -6 -4 -2 0 2 4 6 8
Velocity (m/s)

*19*
Ques on 14 (30 marks)

In the classroom, you would have inves gated the reac on between acids and bases. One common
reac on you may have inves gated is between Hydrochloric Acid and Sodium Hydroxide. This is
also known as a neutralisa on reac on, forming salt and water upon reac on.

(a) Construct a word reac on to summarise the reac on men oned above.

(b) Outline two safety precau ons when carrying out this reac on.

(c) Propose how you would have iden fied when this reac on had become neutralised.

(d) Classify a neutralisa on reac on as an exothermic or endothermic reac on. Explain why.

Which?

Explain

(e) Construct a simple energy profile diagram to illustrate the neutralisa on reac on above.
Indicate, by labelling in your diagram, the ac va on energy, reactants, and products.

*20*
Ques on 15 (45 marks)

Study the bar chart below on a grassland habitat study performed by two students.

Plant species present vs. % frequency

Grassland Habitat
105
98
91 100
84
77
70
63 70
56
49
42 50
35
28 30
21
14
7 10 10
Grass Dockleaf Dandelion Bu ercup Clover Thistle

The DAFOR scale is used for semi-quan ta ve sampling, to provide a quick es mate of the rela ve
abundance of species (generally plants) in a given area.

D - Dominant 50-100%
A - Abundant 30-50%
F - Frequent 15-30%
O - Occasional 5-15%
R - Rare < 5%

(a) From the DAFOR scale, classify which plant species is a) most dominant and b) one which is
least common.

a) Most dominant

b) Least common

(b) Iden fy two pieces of apparatus suitable for carrying out an inves ga on of the presence of
certain plant species in a grassland habitat.

*21*
(c) Outline one precau on when using any of the named instruments men oned in part (b).

Precau on:

(d) Explain one disadvantage of any of the two instruments these students used in this random
sampling inves ga on.

Disadvantage:

(e) Jus fy why the month of June or July would be op mal to carry out a random sample of
grassland species in a habitat.

(f) Name the two pieces of apparatus used to collect insects below and describe briefly how
these instruments work.

Diagram of instrument Name of instrument Use of instrument

*22*
(g) In recent years, many habitats in grassland ecology have been removed, thus decreasing the
level of biodiversity. Define the term biodiversity and consider one piece of evidence why
biodiversity is decreasing in ireland.

(h) Illustrate two ways biodiversty can be maintained in ireland.

*23*
Ques on 16 (45 marks)

Read the following ar cle, adapted from an RTÉ News ar cle, and answer the ques ons that follow.

Bord Gáis Energy and Amarenco have signed a partnership that will see eight u lity scale solar
farms built in County Cork. The move will eventually lead to the crea on of 40MW of power
produc on, enough to power around 8,000 homes. Amarenco will build and operate the power
plants.

Bord Gáis Energy will manage and feed the electricity produced from the farms into its exis ng
supply. “Our ambi on is to become a net zero business by 2045 and to provide products, services
and solu ons to help our customers on their journey to net zero,” said Managing Director of Bord
Gáis Energy, Dave Kirwan. “We’re commi ed to suppor ng the growth of renewables in Ireland
and over the past number of years have been building our por olio to expand the renewable
energy we can supply to our customers. Our partnership with Amarenco not only supports this
ambi on but also contributes to decarbonising the energy sector.”

Bord Gáis Energy recently announced partnerships with Neoen and Obton, powered by Shannon
Energy, to manage over 176MW of power from a combined 14 solar farms. Added to the 220MW
of wind produc on that Bord Gáis Energy already has, the company will eventually supply
renewable power to over 164,000 homes across the country. “We hope that this is the first of
many such partnerships with Bord Gáis Energy in Ireland,” said Execu ve Chairman of Amarenco
Solar, John Mullins. “We already have a successful partnership with the parent of Bord Gáis
Energy, Centrica, in Spain.” The solar farms will produce 5MW of power each.
Bord Gáis Energy and Amarenco plan eight solar farms in Cork, RTÉ News, May 2022

(a) Iden fy the company that is responsible for the construc on of the solar power plants.

(b) State the amount of power and number of homes that would be supplied power by this
power produc on.

(c) Classify the alterna ve form of renewable energy and state the number of homes already
supplied with renewable energy from Bord Gáis prior to this engagement.

*24*
(d) “Our ambi on is to become a net zero business by 2045 and to provide products, services and
solu ons to help our customers on their journey to net zero.”

What does the Managing Director of Bord Gáis Energy mean by “net zero” (in terms of output
from the use of energy in the home)?

(e) Briefly discuss two disadvantages of the construc on of these solar farms.

(f) Describe two advantages of the use of solar energy from these farms.

(g) The objec ve of making the journey of homes and businesses a “net zero” is for sustainability
purposes. Define the term sustainability.

*25*
(h) From the Sankey diagram below, calculate the % efficiency of the ke le.

Boiling a Ke le

Electrical Energy Thermal Energy

100% 95%

Sound Energy
5%

(i) Looking at the Sankey diagram above, how can you verify that the “Law of Conserva on of
Energy” is observed?

(j) Give an example of where chemical energy is transformed to thermal energy.

*26*