Hello everyone,
After a ‘lull period’ of relative inactivity (unless you major in Humanities of course), the Physics tikam-tikam MCQs are finally here to wake all from the premature post-O Levels slumber, and snare those who still refuse to wake up.
To help you amass those 40 marks (that’s 30% of your total score) that’s on offer, my 师姐 and I have compiled a short list of 14 questions (from 10 topics) for your quick practice as a final go-through before your early sleep tonight (remember it’s a short & sharp 8am MORNING paper not 3am!).
Last but not least, whether you’re taking your Physics or Chemistry or Biology or Combined Science or all of the above MCQs in the next few days, a final reminder to:
- Bring your 2B pencil, eraser & protractor.
- Bring your calculator (DUH!!! – you didn’t throw it away after your maths papers right????)
- Pace yourself, read your questions carefully …
- … and make sure you stay cool and transfer your final answer from your ultra-messy workings to the CORRECT shaded oval on your OMR/answer sheet. Remember the OMR is cold-blooded, and the TOTO counter has never shown any mercy to those who miss the winning number by a single digit because he/she shaded on the wrong oval!
Now to locate the source of that eerie sobbing sound I’m hearing right now …
Kinematics (Graphical Analysis)
The velocity-time graphs of Car A and Car B are shown. Which of the following statements correctly describe the motion of both cars?
- Throughout the 9 s interval, Car B is leading.
- Initially, Car B is leading. After 6.5 s, Car A is leading.
- Car A and Car B meet each other at 0 s and 6.5 s respectively.
- Initially, Car B is faster than Car A. After 7 s, Car B stops moving while Car A continues to move on.
[+] 
ANSWER – my sister says you’ll suffer a terrible fate if you click & peek at the answer before you’ve tried the question!
Vectors (Parallelogram Law & Tip to Tail Method)
A string of negligible mass with a weight of 50 N at one end is attached at the other end to a fixed point P. The sphere is acted upon by a horizontal force of 80 N such that the string makes an angle θ to the vertical. What is the value of θ?
- sin−1(8/5)
- cos−1(8/5)
- tan−1(8/5)
- tan−1(5/8)
[+] ANSWER – my sister says you’ll suffer a terrible fate if you click & peek at the answer before you’ve tried the question!
Two forces, P and Q, act on a body. A frictional force F holds in equilibrium. Which of the following could represent the relationship between these forces?
[+] ANSWER – my sister says you’ll suffer a terrible fate if you click & peek at the answer before you’ve tried the question!
Pressure (Barometer & Manometer)
A U-tube contains copper sulphate solution in one limb and paraffin in the other. The meniscus of the copper sulphate solution column is 40 cm above the common level while that of the paraffin column is 50 cm. Given that the density of copper sulphate solution is 1.2 g/cm3, what is the density of paraffin?
- 0.80 g/cm3
- 0.96 g/cm3
- 1.2 g/cm3
- 1.5 g/cm3
[+] ANSWER – my sister says you’ll suffer a terrible fate if you click & peek at the answer before you’ve tried the question!
The diagram shows a narrow glass tube with a thread of mercury 12 cm long. Some air is trapped between the mercury thread and the sealed end of the tube. Given that the atmospheric pressure is 760 mmHg, what is the length of trapped air when the tube is positioned vertically with the open end facing down?
- 20 cm
- 27 cm
- 28 cm
- 38 cm
[+] ANSWER – my sister says you’ll suffer a terrible fate if you click & peek at the answer before you’ve tried the question!
Transfer of Thermal Energy (Conduction & Convection)
The chief mechanism for conduction in a typical metallic conductor involves the
- diffusion of atoms in a conductor from the hot end to the cooler end.
- atoms near the hot end sending out energy to atoms near the cooler end.
- diffusion of free electrons in the conductor from the hot end carrying their energy along with them.
- atoms near the hot end vibrating with big amplitude about their fixed positions and transferring their energy to neighbouring atoms located in cooler regions by knocking against them.
[+] ANSWER – my sister says you’ll suffer a terrible fate if you click & peek at the answer before you’ve tried the question!
Which of the following statements about the vacuum flask is incorrect?
- The walls of the glass container are silvered to reduce radiation.
- The vacuum in the double-walled glass effectively prevents conduction and convection.
- Loss of thermal energy by radiation is minimized by keeping hot water in a double-walled glass container.
- Loss of thermal energy is minimized by using a cork or plastic stopper to close up the neck of the glass container.
[+] ANSWER – my sister says you’ll suffer a terrible fate if you click & peek at the answer before you’ve tried the question!
Temperature (Range, Sensitivity & Responsiveness)
John replaced his original thermometer with another one with a bigger bulb which contained more thermometric liquid. What are the changes in terms of response, sensitivity and range?
| Response | Sensitivity | Range | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Decrease | Decrease | Increase |
| B | Decrease | Increase | Decrease |
| C | No change | Increase | Decrease |
| D | No change | No change | No change |
[+] ANSWER – my sister says you’ll suffer a terrible fate if you click & peek at the answer before you’ve tried the question!
Lens (Distant Object)
A telescope uses a converging lens to see birds which are far away. If the focal length is 20 cm, what is the distance from the observer’s eye to the lens to see a clear image of the bird?
- 10 cm
- 20 cm
- 40 cm
- 500 cm
[+] ANSWER – my sister says you’ll suffer a terrible fate if you click & peek at the answer before you’ve tried the question!
Electromagnetic Spectrum (Properties & Applications)
Which of the following statements is true about all electromagnetic waves?
- They can be detected by a radio aerial.
- Only sound wave requires a medium to travel.
- They obey the laws of reflection and refraction.
- They carry charges and are not affected by electric fields and magnetic fields.
[+] ANSWER – my sister says you’ll suffer a terrible fate if you click & peek at the answer before you’ve tried the question!
Which of the following uses gamma rays?
- Sterilising
- Killing cancerous cells
- Detecting flaws in metals
- I & II only
- I & III only
- II & III only
- I, II & III
[+] ANSWER – my sister says you’ll suffer a terrible fate if you click & peek at the answer before you’ve tried the question!
Electrostatics (Law of Electrostatics)
Two neutral conducting spheres are placed touching each other and supported by insulating stands as shown. Which is the correct sequence to induce opposite charges to the two spheres?
- Remove the charged rod.
- Earth the spheres instantaneously.
- Place a charged rod near the conducting spheres.
- Separate the two spheres by pulling the insulating stands away from each other.
- III, II, I
- III, II, IV, I
- III, IV, I
- IV, III, II, I
[+] ANSWER – my sister says you’ll suffer a terrible fate if you click & peek at the answer before you’ve tried the question!
Practical Electricity (Live, Neutral, Earth wires)
A switch was connected along the neutral wire of a fan. Which of the following statements is/are correct?
- The fan would not operate when the switch is closed.
- The fan would still operate when the switch is opened.
- The fan would still be connected to the high voltage source when the switch is closed.
- I only
- III only
- I & II only
- I & III only
[+] ANSWER – my sister says you’ll suffer a terrible fate if you click & peek at the answer before you’ve tried the question!
Electromagnetism & Electromagnetic Induction
A conducting rod and an insulating rod (both axes go into the paper) are being dropped between two magnets as shown. Which of the following are true?
- The conducting rod will be attracted to the magnets.
- The induced current in the conducting rod flows out of the paper.
- The conducting rod takes a longer time to pass through the magnetic field than the insulating rod.
- I & II only
- I & III only
- II & III only
- I, II & III
[+] ANSWER – my sister says you’ll suffer a terrible fate if you click & peek at the answer before you’ve tried the question!
