CONTEST 7

ROUND 1

Preamble
Identify the triangle. (M)
Q. A triangle with no two sides congruent.
A. Scalene triangle

Q. A triangle with two angles congruent.

A. Isosceles triangle

Q. What is an empirical formula of a compound? (C)

A. It is a formula where elements are given in their simplest ratios

Q. With the empirical formula of a compound known, what else is needed to be able to
determine the molecular formula of a compound? (C)
A. Molar mass

Q. You are given an assortment of infra-red, red, yellow, green and blue light emitting diodes
(LEDs) and a beam combiner that can combine light from the diodes to a single beam. What
colour of light will be obtained by combining light from the blue and green LEDs? (P)
A. Cyan

Q. You are given an assortment of infra-red, red, yellow, green and blue light emitting diodes
(LEDs) and a beam combiner that can combine light from the diodes to a single beam. What
colour of light will be obtained by combining light from the blue and red LEDs? (P)
A. Magenta

Q. Name the phenomenon in a heterozygote in which both alleles of the pair are expressed in the
phenotype. (B)
A. Co-dominance

Q. What name is given to the alternative forms of a gene which occur at the same locus on the
homologous chromosomes? (B)
A. Allele

1
Preamble
Express the exponential equation in logarithmic form. (M)
Q. y = 3x2.
A. log y = 2 log x + log 3

Q. .
A. 2 log y = -5 log x + log 2

Q. What is the colour of the precipitate formed when lead ions combine with iodide ions? (C)
A. Yellow (precipitate of PbI2)

Q. What is the colour of the precipitate formed when H2S gas is bubbled through Zn2+ solution?
(C)
A. White (of ZnS)

Q. You are given an assortment of infra-red, yellow, red, green and blue light emitting diodes
(LEDs) and a beam combiner that can combine light from the diodes into a single beam. Which
of the diodes will you select for building the screen of a large TV? (P)
A. Red, green and blue

Q. You are given an assortment of infra-red, yellow, red, green and blue light emitting diodes
(LEDs) and a beam combiner that can combine light from the diodes into a single beam. Which
of the diodes will you select for a device that can send invisible messages? (P)
A. Infra-red

Q. Name the location within an environment where an organism is able to survive and reproduce.
(B)
A. Habitat

Q. What name is given to the sum total of the resources that an organism exploits to meet its
energy, nutrient and survival demand? (B)
A. Niche

Preamble
Find the general term of the sequence. (M)
Q. 1, 4, 9, 16……
A. Un = n2

Q. 1, 3, 5, 7……
A. Un = 2n – 1

2
Q. What accounts for the higher covalency in lithium salts? (C)
A. Smaller size of Li+ high polarising power of lithium ions.

Q. Which is stronger, carbon-fluorine bond or carbon-chlorine bond? (C)

A. Carbon-fluorine bond

Q. You are given an assortment of infra-red, yellow, red, green and blue light emitting diodes
(LEDs) and a beam combiner that can combine light from the diodes into a single beam. Which
of the diodes can be used to produce light of the same colour as that of another diode? (P)
A. Red and green give yellow

Q. You are given an assortment of infra-red, yellow, red, green and blue light emitting diodes
(LEDs) and a beam combiner that can combine light from the diodes into a single beam. Which
of the diodes can be used to produce white light? (P)
A. Red, blue and green (Accept: yellow and blue)

Q. What name is given to the flat part of a leaf? (B)

A. Lamina/blade

Q. Which organelle functions in intracellular digestion? (B)

A. Lysosome

Preamble
Find the equation of a circle with centre C and radius, r given: (M)
Q. C (2, -3) and r = 5.
A. (x - 2)2 + (y + 3)2 = 52

Q. C (0, 5) and r = .
2 2
A. x + (y - 5) = 2

Q, Give the systematic names of aliphatic esters. (C)

A. Alkyl alkanoates

Q. Give the systematic name for the compound CH3CH2 CONH2. (C)
A. Propanamide

Q. You are given an assortment of infra-red, yellow, red, green and blue light emitting diodes
(LEDs) and a beam combiner that can combine light from the diodes into a single beam. Name
one diode which produces a primary colour? (P)
A. Red, blue and green diode

3
Q. You are given an assortment of infra-red, yellow, red, green and blue light emitting diodes
(LEDs) and a beam combiner that can combine light from the diodes into a single beam. Name
one diode which produces a primary colour? (P)
A. Red, blue and green diode

Q. What name is given to that part of an enzyme that interacts with the substrate? (B)
A. Active site

4
ROUND 2

Q. The following is the equation of a circle: .

Find i. the coordinates of the centre of the circle
ii. the radius of the circle
iii. the distance from the point A(-11, -3) to the centre of the circle
iv. the length of the tangent from the point A to the circle (M)

A.

i.

Centre (2, -3)

ii. radius

iii. distance from A(-11, -3) to C(2, -3) is 13.

iv. length of the tangent

52 + d2 = 132
d2 = 169 – 25 = 144
d = 12

5
ROUND 3

Q. The seat belt of an automobile protects its wearer by increasing the time the wearer is brought
to rest in collision. (P)
A. T

Q. Isomers differ in their structures. (C)

A. T

Q. Addition of vectors is commutative. (M)

A. T

Q. Composition of functions is associative. (M)

A. T

Q. Each cell of a given animal or plant species has its own fixed number and composition of
chromosomes. (B)
A. T

Q. The suspension system of an automobile is nearly critically damped so that oscillations die
down quickly. (P)
A. T

Q. Optical isomers polarize light. (C)

A. F [they bend the plane of polarized light]

Q. When some covalent bonds break homolytically energy is given off. (C)
A. F [energy is required/ absorbed to break bonds]

Q. In a geometric sequence, the common ratio is the difference of successive terms. (M)
A. F [common ratio is the quotient of successive terms.]

Q. The cells involved in sexual reproduction possess half the number of chromosomes in other
cells of the same organism. (B)
A. T

Q. A liquid whose contact angle with glass is 5o will not wet glass. (P)
A. F

6
Q. If a glass capillary tube is inserted vertically into a liquid whose contact angle with glass is
140o, the level of liquid in the tube is lower than the level outside the tube. (P)
A. T

Q. Enthalpy change of a reaction is independent of temperature and pressure. (C)

A. F

Q. A straight line with gradient „m‟ and y – intercept „c‟ has equation y = mx + c. (M)
A. T

Q. Spongy mesophyll cells possess more chloroplasts than cells of the palisade mesophyll. (B)
A. F

Q. Guard cells are specialised epidermal cells. (B)

A. T

7
ROUND 4

Q. I am a popular rule in mathematics. I am in a way, a modification of Pythagoras theorem. For

the right type of triangle, I am Pythagoras theorem. I am applied to triangles. To be precise I can
be used to find the angles of a triangle with given sides. My name begins with a trigonometric
ratio. Who am I? (M)
A. Cosine Rule

Q. I am a member of a group whose name in Greek means “before a nucleus”. I am adapted to

living in any kind of environment. I am just visible with the light microscope but I am more
metabolically competent than even human beings. My metabolic capability is exploited by
humans to produce a wide variety of chemicals. Mu name means rods. A complex molecule
called peptidoglycan is associated with my cell wall. Who am I? (B)
A. Bacteria

Q. I make drops of mercury as round as can be. The surface of a liquid in a small tube is curved
because of me and you use me to cause a steel needle to float on water. If I did not exist,
mosquitoes could not walk on water. Who am I? (P)
A. Surface Tension

Q. My neutral compounds have everything in common with an item in the Egyptian landscape.
But I am only an element. The difference between the shape of my compounds and that of the
Egyptian item is that one has a trigonal base and the other a square base. My atoms at the
elemental stage know nothing like independence. They are always in association in fact, in twos.
The number 7, 14 and 28 are very important to me. Who am I? (P)
A. Nitrogen (gas)