Multiple choice questions
Multiple choice questions will appear throughout both exam papers (Breadth and Depth), and at both Foundation tier and Higher tier.
These questions provide you with a number of answers, from which you must select the answer or answers that you think are correct.
A multiple choice question may require you to:
- tick one or more boxes next to the correct statements in a list
- tick 'true' or 'false' next to each statement in a list
- draw a ring around the correct answer in a list
- select the correct answer or answers from 'talking heads' speech bubbles
- join the boxes by drawing lines between two linked statements or between questions and correct answers
- select the correct word from a list to complete one or more sentences
- re-order statements into the correct sequence
The question may tell you in bold type how many ticks, rings or lines to draw. If you draw less than this, or more than this, you will not be able to get full marks. Make sure that you draw straight lines, rather than complex wavy lines.
There will usually be more options than correct answers. Read each option carefully and decide whether it is right or wrong.
The number of marks for the question will not always match the number of ticks, rings or lines required - read the question carefully to make sure you understand what you have to do.
Sample question 1 - Foundation
Question
a) The statements below are all about planets in our Solar System. Some of the statements are true and some are false. Put a tick (✔) in the correct box after each statement. [2 marks]
| Statement | True | False |
| All planets are the same size | ||
| The Sun's gravity keeps all the planets in their orbits |
| Statement | All planets are the same size |
|---|---|
| True | |
| False |
| Statement | The Sun's gravity keeps all the planets in their orbits |
|---|---|
| True | |
| False |
b) The following statements describe how the Solar System formed. They are not in the correct order.
In the spaces below, put down the order in which they should come. [4 marks]
Two have been done for you:
- and denser areas of the dust clouds condensed into the planets.
- was pulled together by gravity
- A large cloud of dust and gas in space
- when fusion reactions started, and the Sun was born
- the gas was compressed and heated up
- until the centre part had a temperature of millions of degrees
OCR 21st Century Science, GCE Physics, Paper J259, 2016.
a)
| Statement | True | False |
| All planets are the same size | ✔ | |
| The Sun's gravity keeps all the planets in their orbits | ✔ |
| Statement | All planets are the same size |
|---|---|
| True | |
| False | ✔ |
| Statement | The Sun's gravity keeps all the planets in their orbits |
|---|---|
| True | ✔ |
| False |
When answering questions like this, it is important to carefully read the question and the statements. This is an easy two marks but marks can easily be lost by rushing and not carefully reading the entire question. The planets are not all the same size so therefore the first statement is false. It is the Sun's gravity that keep the planets in orbit so that statement is true.
b) 3, 2, 5, 6, 4, 1:
- A large cloud of dust and gas in space
- was pulled together by gravity
- the gas was compressed and heated up
- until the centre part had a temperature of millions of degrees
- when fusion reactions started, and the Sun was born
- and denser areas of the dust clouds condensed into the planets.
[4]
Again with this question, read the question and the statements carefully, then order them into the correct sequence to show how the Solar System was formed. This starts with the dust and gas being pulled together by gravity until gases are compressed and the temperature increases. When fusion occurs stars are born and denser areas condense into planets.
Sample question 2 - Foundation
Question
A refrigerator uses mains electricity to compress a gas into a liquid.
When the liquid expands and turns back into a gas in a fridge, the temperature of the fridge changes.
Complete the following sentences about the liquid becoming a gas.
Use terms from the list. [3 marks]
| apart | heat capacity | higher | latent heat | lower | together |
| apart |
| heat capacity |
| higher |
| latent heat |
| lower |
| together |
When the liquid changes to a gas, energy is needed to move the molecules ______. The energy is the ______.
The energy is taken from the air inside the fridge, which makes the temperature inside the fridge become ______.
OCR 21st Century Science, GCE Physics, Paper J260, 2016.
When the liquid changes to a gas, energy is needed to move the molecules apart [1]. The energy is the latent heat [1].
The energy is taken from the air inside the fridge, which makes the temperature inside the fridge become lower [1].
In this question it is important to not be thrown by the context given. This question is about changing states and latent heat. Use your knowledge of latent heat to fill in the gaps using the words given.
