Year 9 Module 2 Practice Paper

Science Department

minutes

marks

This test represents the work taught to all students, and as such may be in
parts above/below the appropriate level for any one individual; the practice
paper represents the content taught, and not explicitly the questions that
may be on the real test.

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Q1. Some pupils put three identical trays of young plants in a greenhouse.
They gave the plants a little water each morning with a sprinkler.
The drawing shows the plants three weeks later.

(a) (i) Why did some of the plants in trays A and C not grow as well as the plants in tray B?

............................................................................................................

............................................................................................................
1 mark

(ii) How would you move tray A to find out if your answer to part (i) is correct?
What result would you expect?

............................................................................................................

............................................................................................................

............................................................................................................
2 marks

(b) The sprinkler adds water to the soil. What else could the pupils add to the soil to help the
plants to grow well?

......................................................................................................................
1 mark

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 (c) At the same time, the pupils grew another tray of the same type of plants.
They put the tray in a dark cupboard and kept the soil damp.
After three weeks, how were the plants grown in the dark different from the plants grown in
the greenhouse?

Tick two boxes.

The plants grown in the dark had:

larger leaves

longer stems

more leaves

paler leaves

more roots
2 marks
Maximum 6 marks

Q2. Codling moths lay eggs on apple trees. The caterpillars of the codling moth feed on apples.
The diagram below shows the life cycle of codling moths.

not to scale

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Apple growers use special traps to catch male codling moths.
The traps contain a chemical which female moths produce to attract male moths.

(a) (i) Explain why trapping male moths may result in fewer caterpillars the next year.

…………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………
1 mark

(ii) Some apple growers spray their trees with insecticide to kill moths.
Other apple growers disagree with this method of control.
Suggest two reasons for not using insecticides.

1. ………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………

2. ………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………
2 marks

(b) The female moth lays large numbers of eggs.

Suggest why this is necessary.

………………………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………………………..
1 mark

(c) When the caterpillars are fully grown, they crawl into tiny spaces under the bark of the
trees. The caterpillars stay under the bark during the winter and then change into pupae.

(i) Suggest why more caterpillars and pupae survive when they are under the bark.

…………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………
1 mark

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 (ii) Some apple growers wrap bands of folded cardboard around the trunks of
apple trees, as shown below. Caterpillars crawl into the folds. The cardboard is
removed during the winter and destroyed.

Suggest one way in which this helps to protect the next year’s apples from
damage by caterpillars of codling moths.

…………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………
1 mark
Maximum 6 marks

Q3. The drawing shows the label on a box of fertiliser for houseplants.

(a) To maintain healthy growth of their potted plants, people have to keep adding fertiliser
to the soil. Explain why they need to keep adding fertiliser.

......................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................
1 mark

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 (b) Part of the Periodic Table is shown below. The three elements N, P and K shown on the
fertiliser label are also shown in the table.

(i) The element N is nitrogen. What are the names of the other two elements?

P ..................................................................……

K ..................................................................……
2 marks

(ii) Give the symbol for the most reactive metal shown in this part of the Periodic Table.

......................……
1 mark
Maximum 4 marks

Q4. The drawing shows a ‘bottle garden’ which is kept in a brightly lit room.
The cork in the neck of the bottle is not taken out.

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(a) The plants in the bottle use oxygen for respiration.

Explain why, over a week, the amounts of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the bottle stay
about the same.

......................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................
3 marks

(b) Cross-pollination is the transfer of pollen from one plant to another.

Give two reasons why cross-pollination is less likely to happen in this bottle garden than in
an outdoor garden.

1. ..................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................

2 ...................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................
2 marks

(c) Micro-organisms in the soil break down the dead parts of plants.
This releases minerals such as nitrates. Nitrates are a source of nitrogen for living plants.

Why does a plant need nitrogen to grow?

......................................................................................................................
1 mark
Maximum 6 marks

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Q5. The diagram shows a key which can be used to identify different chemicals.

(a) Use the key to identify chemicals A, B and C.

(i) Chemical A is a white powder. It fizzes when dilute hydrochloric acid is added.
It dissolves in cold water.

Chemical A is ......................................................................................
1 mark

(ii) Chemical B is a green powder. It does not fizz when dilute hydrochloric acid
is added

Chemical B is ......................................................................................
1 mark

(iii) Chemical C is a white powder. It does not fizz when dilute hydrochloric acid is
added. It is insoluble in cold water.

Chemical C is ......................................................................................
1 mark

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 (b) Nickel carbonate is green. It is the nickel that makes nickel carbonate green, not the
carbonate. Explain, using information from the key, how you know that this is true.

......................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................
2 marks
Maximum 5 marks

Q6. A science teacher showed her class three experiments, A, B and C.

The experiments and the word equations for the reactions that took place are shown
below.
All the experiments were done in a fume cupboard.

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(a) From the substances in experiments A, B and C, above, give the name of:

(i) one metallic element;

.............................................................
1 mark

(ii) one non-metallic element;

.............................................................
1 mark

(iii) two compounds.

................................................... and ...................................................

1 mark

(b) In experiment B, the iron filings weighed 2.0 g at the beginning of the experiment
and the iron sulphide produced weighed 2.8 g.

Explain this increase in mass.

.........................................................................................................................

.........................................................................................................................
1 mark

(c) Complete the word equation for the chemical reaction in experiment C.

copper + chlorine ? .............................................................

1 mark
maximum 5 marks

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Q7. The words ‘contains added iron’ were printed on Colin’s box of cereal.

(a) Colin decided to test the cereal to see if it contained tiny pieces of powdered iron metal.

First he crushed 500 g of cereal into a fine powder and mixed it with water.

He put a clean, white, plastic-coated magnet in the mixture.

Then he stirred it.

If the cereal contains tiny pieces of iron metal, what should Colin expect to see?

......................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................
1 mark

(b) Colin finds that the cereal does contain pieces of powdered iron.
Give two differences between iron metal and compounds containing iron.

1. .................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................

2. .................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................
2 marks

(c) Colin eats some cereal. The tiny pieces of iron metal in the cereal react with the
hydrochloric acid in his stomach.

Complete the word equation to show the reaction of iron with hydrochloric acid.

iron + hydrochloric acid → ................................ + ..............................

2 marks

(d) The body needs iron to make red blood cells. The red blood cells transport oxygen to all
the cells of the body. People who do not have enough red blood cells may feel that they do
not have much energy. Explain why.

......................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................
2 marks
Maximum 7 marks

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Q8. The table gives information about solutions of three different salts in water.

(a) Which two solutions when mixed together could form a neutral solution?

........................................... and ............................................

1 mark

(b) Sodium hydrogensulphate solution behaves like an acid.

(i) Magnesium is added to a solution of sodium hydrogensulphate.

What would you expect to see forming on the magnesium?

............................................................................................................
1 mark

(ii) Sodium carbonate is added to a solution of sodium hydrogensulphate.

What gas would you expect to be formed?

............................................................................................................
1 mark

(c) The formula for a different carbonate compound is K2CO3.

Give the names of the three elements which make up this compound.

1. ............................................................

2. ............................................................

3. ............................................................
1 mark
Maximum 4 marks

Q9. The picture shows a man called Aristotle. He lived in Greece over 2000 years ago.

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Aristotle said that the heavier an object is, the faster it will fall to the ground.

(a) The drawings below show a bowling ball, a cricket ball and a ping-pong ball.
Lila dropped them all at the same time from the same height.

bowling ball cricket ball ping-pong

mass = 5 000 g mass = 160 g mass = 2.5 g

If Aristotle was correct, which of the three balls would you expect to reach the ground first?
Give the reason for your answer.

.....................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................
1 mark

(b) Joe said that it would be a fairer test if Lila had only used a cricket ball and a hollow plastic
ball as shown below.

cricket ball hollow plastic ball

mass = 160 g mass = 56 g

Why was Joe correct?

.....................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................
1 mark

(c) About 400 years ago in Italy, a man called Galileo had a different idea. He said that all
objects dropped from the same height would reach the ground at the same time.

(i) Lila dropped a hammer and a feather at the same time from the same height.

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 If Galileo was correct, which, if either, would reach the ground first?

.............................................................................................................
1 mark

(ii) Gravity acts on both the hammer and the feather as they fall. Give the name of one
other force which acts on them as they fall.

..........................................
1 mark

(iii) An astronaut on the moon dropped a hammer and a feather at the same time from
the same height.

How would the results of the astronaut’s experiment on the Moon be different from
Lila’s experiment on the Earth?

.............................................................................................................

Explain your answer.

.............................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................
2 marks
Maximum 6 marks

##

In a storm, a small ship was blown onto a beach. Now it is calm and there is no wind. A
tugboat is trying to pull the ship off the beach.

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(a) The tugboat pulls the ship with a force of 25 000 N.

The ship does not move because of the force of friction acting on it.

(i) Tick one box to show the size of the frictional force acting on the ship.

zero

more than zero but less than 25 000 N

25 000 N

more than 25 000 N

1 mark

(ii) Add an arrow to the drawing to show the direction of the frictional force acting on the
ship.
1 mark

(b) When the tide is higher, the tugboat again pulls the ship with a steady force of 25 000 N.
The ship begins to move.

Once the ship is off the beach, the tugboat continues to pull the ship with a force of
25 000 N.
A frictional force due to the water acts on the ship.

(i) At first, the speed of the ship increases.

Tick one box to describe the frictional force acting on the ship while its speed is
increasing.

zero

more than zero but less than 25 000 N

25 000 N

more than 25 000 N

1 mark

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 (ii) After a short while, the ship reaches a steady speed. The tugboat continues to pull
with a force of 25 000 N.

Tick one box to describe the frictional force acting on the ship while it is going at a
steady speed.

zero

more than zero but less than 25 000 N

25 000 N

more than 25 000 N

1 mark

(iii) The ship is towed to the north. What is the direction of the frictional force acting on
the ship?

.............................................................................................................
1 mark
Maximum 5 marks

Q11. A remote-controlled car was timed over a period of 10 seconds.

A graph of distance against time is shown below.

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(a) Describe the motion of the car between:

(i) 2 seconds and 6 seconds;

.............................................................................................................
1 mark

(ii) 9 seconds and 10 seconds.

.............................................................................................................
1 mark

(b) Calculate the average speed of the car between 0 and 10 seconds.
Give the unit.

.....................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................
2 marks

(c) The diagram below shows two of the forces acting on the car when it is moving.

(i) When the motor was switched off, the car slowed down and then stopped.

While the car was slowing down, which of the following was true? Tick the correct
box.

Friction was zero and the forward

force was greater than zero.

The forward force was zero and

friction was greater than zero.

Friction was zero and the forward

force was zero.

The forward force and friction were

both greater than zero.

1 mark

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(ii) Use the graph to find the time when the car started to slow down.

The car started to slow down after ............ s.

1 mark
Maximum 6 marks

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M1. (a) (i) they received less water
accept ‘the plants in tray B got more water’
do not accept ‘they got less light’
1

(ii) The first mark is for describing how tray A could be moved.
The second mark is for predicting that the plants now being
watered would grow more quickly.

any one from

• turn it around

• swap it with tray B

accept ‘move it into the middle’

• swap with tray C without turning it round

accept ‘swap it with tray C’
1

the plants being watered would grow more quickly

accept ‘the plants in the water would grow faster’
or ‘the plants in the middle would grow better’ if the first
point was ‘turn it around’ or ‘swap it with tray C’ then
accept ‘the smaller plants would grow more quickly’
or ‘the bigger plant would grow more slowly’ if the first
point was ‘swap it with tray B’ then accept ‘all the plants
in tray A would grow quickly or the same’
1

(b) fertiliser
accept ‘nutrients’ or ‘nitrates’ or ‘minerals’ or ‘manure’
or ‘plant food’ or trade names for fertilisers
do not accept ‘food’
1

(c) longer stems

paler leaves
if more than two boxes are ticked,
deduct one mark for each incorrectly ticked box
minimum mark zero
1
[6]

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M2. (a) (i) Answers must refer to mating or breeding or reproduction.

any one from

• fewer males to mate

do not accept ‘there are no males to mate’
or ‘there are fewer males’

• fewer moths to breed

do not accept ‘fewer moths’
accept ‘there will be fewer eggs’
1 (L5)

(ii) any two from

• insecticide might enter food chains

• other useful or harmless insects might be killed

accept ‘other insects or bees might be killed’
do not accept ‘other animals are killed’

• predators of pests might be killed

• people might eat the insecticide

accept ‘people might be poisoned’
accept ‘people might breathe it in’
accept ‘so that the apples are organic’
2 (L6)

(b) any one from

• some eggs or caterpillars or pupae or moths

accept ‘caterpillars get eaten’ may be eaten

• some might not hatch

• some might die

accept ‘so that as many as possible survive’
1 (L5)

(c) (i) any one from

• they cannot be seen by predators or birds

accept ‘they are not eaten’ or ‘to hide’
accept a named predator such as blue-tit

• for shelter
accept ‘to keep warm’

• to protect them from the cold

accept ‘to protect them’
1 (L5)

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 (ii) any one from

• caterpillars are removed or killed

accept ‘pupae can be removed or killed’
accept ‘there are fewer pupae’

• fewer pupae change into moths

• fewer moths produce caterpillars

• there will be fewer caterpillars to eat the apples

1 (L6)
[6]

M3. (a) answers should convey the idea that fertilisers are needed to replace
the nutrients used up by the plants

any one from

• as the plant grows, nutrients are used up

• to replace the nutrients or minerals used by the plant

do not accept ‘soil in the pot contains a limited
amount of nutrients’
1

(b) (i) P: phosphorus

1
K: potassium
1

(ii) K
do not accept ‘potassium’
1
[4]

M4. Answers may be in any order

(a) oxygen is produced during photosynthesis

accept ‘oxygen produced by plants is used by bacteria’
do not accept ‘oxygen is produced by the plants’
1

carbon dioxide is used up during photosynthesis

1

carbon dioxide is produced during respiration

accept ‘carbon dioxide is produced when bacteria
or micro-organisms respire’
1

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 Answers may be in either order

(b) insects can’t enter to transfer pollen

accept ‘there are no insects’
1

there is no wind in the bottle to transfer the pollen

accept ‘there is no wind’
accept ‘there might be only one of
each type of plant in the bottle’
1

(c) to make protein

accept ‘to make amino acids’ or ‘for chlorophyll’
or ‘for enzymes’
1
[6]

M5. (a) (i) sodium carbonate

1 (L4)

(ii) nickel sulphate

1 (L4)

(iii) calcium sulphate

1 (L4)

(b) both nickel compounds are green

1 (L5)

the other carbonate compounds are not green

answers may be in either order
accept ‘nickel sulphate is green’
accept the converse
accept ‘calcium carbonate is white’
or ‘sodium carbonate is white’
1 (L5)
[5]

M6. (a) (i) any one from

• iron

• copper
accept calcium
1 (L5)

Page 22 of 28
 (ii) any one from

• sulphur

• chlorine
accept ‘oxygen’ or ‘carbon’
1 (L5)

(iii) any two from

• calcium carbonate

• calcium oxide

• carbon dioxide

• iron sulphide
accept ‘copper chloride’
answers may be in either order
both answers are required for the mark
1 (L6)

(b) any one from

• the iron reacted or combined with sulphur

accept ‘the iron gained sulphur’
or ‘sulphur was added to the iron’
accept ‘the iron has joined with the sulphur’
do not accept ‘iron has mixed with the sulphur’
do not accept ‘sulphur or iron added a new layer’

• the sulphur had mass

accept ‘the sulphur weighed 0.8 g’
1 (L6)

(c) copper chloride

1 (L6)
[5]

M7. (a) pieces of iron sticking to the magnet

accept ‘the iron powder attracting the magnet’
or ‘pieces of a dark or grey powder on the magnet’
do not accept ‘dark pieces in the powder’
1

Page 23 of 28
(b) A comparison must be made or implied for each mark to be awarded

any two from

• the metal is magnetic or many iron compounds are not magnetic

accept ‘iron compounds are non-magnetic’

• the metal is an element or in iron compounds, iron is chemically joined

to other elements
accept ‘iron is an element’ or ‘compounds contain different
elements joined together’
do not accept ‘iron metal is pure’
or ‘the compounds contain iron plus something else’
do not accept ‘in compounds the atoms are joined
together in molecules’

• iron metal is grey or shiny or compounds containing iron are green

or brown

• iron is a good electrical conductor or iron compounds are electrical

insulators
accept ‘iron is a conductor’
or ‘iron conducts electricity’
or ‘iron compounds are insulators’

• iron is a good thermal conductor or iron compounds are poor thermal

conductors
accept ‘iron conducts heat’
or ‘iron compounds are thermal insulators’

• the metal is not soluble in water or many iron compounds are soluble
in water
accept ‘iron compounds are soluble

• iron can rust or iron compounds cannot rust

• in iron metal, all the atoms have the same number of protons
accept ‘in iron metal, all the atoms are the same’
2

(c) iron chloride + hydrogen

products may be in either order
accept ‘FeCl2’ for iron chloride ignore references
to oxidation states accept ‘H2 for hydrogen
2

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 (d) Answers may be in either order

less oxygen is carried to the cells

accept ‘oxygen is needed for respiration’
or ,cells cannot get enough oxygen’
or ‘not enough oxygen going around the body’
1

less energy released in respiration

accept ‘not enough energy from respiration’
1
[7]

M8. (a) ammonium chloride and sodium sulphite

answers may be in either order
both are required for the mark
accept ‘sulphate’ for sulphite
accept ‘4 and 10’
1 (L7)

(b) (i) bubbles

accept ‘hydrogen’ or ‘gas’ or ‘fizzing’
do not accept ‘a reaction’
1 (L7)

(ii) carbon dioxide or CO2

1 (L7)

(c) potassium carbon oxygen

answers may be in any order
all three are required for the mark
1 (L7)
[4]

M9. (a) Both the correct ball and the correct reason are required for the mark.

the bowling ball because it has the greatest mass or it is the heaviest
do not accept ‘because it is bigger’
‘the bowling ball because it is bigger’ insufficient
1 (L5)

(b) any one from

• they are the same diameter

accept ‘they are the same size’

• they produce the same air resistance or friction

1 (L5)

Page 25 of 28
 (c) (i) they would both reach the ground at the same time
1 (L5)

(ii) air resistance

accept ‘friction’
1 (L5)

(iii) either

• the feather and the hammer landed at the same time

1 (L6)

• there is no atmosphere or air resistance or air on the moon

1 (L6)

or

• they would take longer to fall on the moon

1 (L6)

because there is lower gravity than on the Earth

do not accept ‘there is no gravity on the moon’
1 (L6)
[6]

M10. (a) (i) 25 000 N √

if more than one box is ticked, award no mark
1 (L5)

(ii) an arrow pointing in the opposite direction to pull of the

tow-rope as shown below

the arrow parallel to the tugboat may be drawn

anywhere on the diagram
do not accept a horizontal arrow
1 (L5)

(b) (i) more than zero but less than 25 000 N

if more than one box is ticked award no mark
1 (L6)

(ii) 25 000N
if more than one box is ticked, award no mark
1 (L6)

Page 26 of 28
 (iii) any one from

• south or southwards

• in the opposite direction to the movement or pull

• away from tugboat

accept ‘opposing motion’ or ‘backwards’
1 (L5)
[5]

M11. (a) (i) constant speed or steady speed

accept not accelerating
1 (L7)

(ii) stationary or not moving or stopped

accept ‘steady speed of zero’
do not accept ‘it has a steady speed’
1 (L7)

(b) 1.8

accept
1 (L7)

m/s
accept ‘metres per second’ or ‘ms –1’
do not accept ‘mps’
1 (L7)

(c) (i) The forward force was zero and friction was greater than zero.
if more than one box is ticked, award no mark
1 (L7)

(ii) 6
accept answers from 5.8 to 6.2
1 (L7)
[6]

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Page 28 of 28