Exam practice
Exam questions
Write your answer. Then open the mark scheme and tick each point you made.
- Question 1 of 101 mark
Name the state of matter that has a fixed volume but takes the shape of its container.
Mark scheme
- Liquid
- Question 2 of 103 marks
The diagrams show the particles in three states of matter. Name the state shown in each diagram.
Mark scheme
- A: gas
- B: solid
- C: liquid
- Question 3 of 102 marks
Describe the arrangement and the movement of the particles in a solid.
Mark scheme
- Arrangement: close together (touching) in a regular pattern
- Movement: they vibrate about fixed positions
- Question 4 of 102 marks
Explain why a gas is easy to squash into a smaller space but a solid is not.
Mark scheme
- In a gas there are big gaps (a lot of empty space) between the particles
- In a solid the particles are already touching (accept: very close together), so they cannot be pushed closer
- Question 5 of 102 marks
Name the change of state when (a) a gas turns into a liquid, and (b) a solid turns straight into a gas.
Mark scheme
- (a) Condensing (accept: condensation)
- (b) Subliming (accept: sublimation)
- Question 6 of 103 marks
A solid is heated until it melts. Explain what happens to its particles.
Mark scheme
- They gain energy
- They vibrate faster (accept: vibrate more)
- They break away from their fixed positions and can slide past each other
- Question 7 of 103 marks
The graph shows the temperature of a pure solid as it is heated. (a) State the melting point of the solid. (b) Explain why the temperature stays the same between 3 and 6 minutes.
Mark scheme
- (a) 50 °C
- (b) The solid is melting (accept: it is changing state)
- (b) The energy is being used to break the particles away from their fixed positions, not to raise the temperature (accept: to overcome the forces between the particles)
- Question 8 of 102 marks
A sealed metal can of air is heated. Explain why the pressure inside the can rises.
Mark scheme
- The particles gain energy and move faster
- They hit the walls of the can harder and more often
- Question 9 of 102 marks
Someone sprays air freshener in one corner of a room. A few minutes later it can be smelt all over the room. Explain why.
Mark scheme
- The air freshener particles move about at random and mix with the air particles
- They spread out from where there are many to where there are few (accept: from a high concentration to a low concentration; this is diffusion)
- Question 10 of 102 marks
A metal block has a mass of 81 g and a volume of 30 cm³. Calculate its density and give the unit.
Mark scheme
- 2.7 (81 ÷ 30)
- g/cm³ (accept: grams per cubic centimetre)