SCIENCE

Grade 9
Paper 2 2024

Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint

Name

Date

45 minutes

Question Marks
1 /4
INSTRUCTIONS 2 /8
3 /6
• Read each question carefully. Answer ALL 4 /9
• questions. 5 /3
• The periodic table is provided on the last page. 6 /3
• In the boxes above, write your name & date. 7 /6
• Write your answer neatly in good English with 8 /6
pen/pencil. 9 /2
• The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the 10 /3
end of each question. Total /50

Page 1 of 13
1 Look at the diagram of part of the cross-section of a plant leaf.

(a) The palisade layer contains many chloroplasts.

(i) What process happens inside chloroplasts?

………………………………………………………………………………………………... [1]

(ii) Name two gases exchanged through the stoma.

1 ……………………………………………………

2 ……………………………………………………..
[2]

(b) Chloroplasts contain chlorophyll.

What is the function of chlorophyll?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………... [1]

Page 2 of 13
2 This question is about thermal transfer.

Decide if each sentence is true or false.

Tick (🗸) the correct box.

sentence true false

Heat is the word used to measure how hot an object is.

Thermal energy is measured in oC.

When thermal energy is transferred, more thermal

energy is created.

Thermal energy always transfers from hotter objects to

colder objects.

Heat dissipation happens when thermal energy

transfers from a hotter region to a colder region.

A liquid is a good thermal energy conductor.

Convection happens in liquids and gases only.

Radiation needs particles to transfer thermal energy.

[8]

Page 3 of 13
3 This question is about the carbon cycle.

(a) Draw a straight line to match the process to its correct description.

process description

carbohydrate moves from one

combustion
organism to another organism

the breakdown of dead and

decomposition
decaying waste material

feeding the burning of fossil fuels

the release of energy from the

photosynthesis
breakdown of glucose

the formation of glucose and

respiration
oxygen by green plants

[5]

(b) Name the process in the carbon cycle that decreases the amount of carbon in
the atmosphere.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. [1]

Page 4 of 13
4 The diagram shows part of the carbon cycle.

(a) The boxes A, B, C and D show four important processes in the carbon cycle.

Name each of these processes.

A ……………………………………………………………………

B ……………………………………………………………………

C ……………………………………………………………………

D …………………………………………………………………… [4]

(b) Electricity is often generated using fossil fuels.

Many countries generate their electricity using renewable energy resources such as wind
turbines and solar panels.

Predict the effect of using renewable energy resources, rather than fossil fuels, on the carbon
cycle.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..… [1]

Explain the reason for your prediction.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..… [1]

Page 5 of 13
 (c) Scientists use evidence of climate change to predict damaging effects on ecosystems.

(i) State one piece of evidence for climate change.

…………………………………………………………………………………………….…… [1]

(ii) Suggest two effects of climate change.

1 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………………………………………….

2 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
[2]

5 Ahmed wants to find the density of dry sand.

The dry sand has a mass of 150 g and a volume of 100 cm3.

Calculate the density of the dry sand.

Include the unit of density in your answer.

density = ……………..…… unit …….…….……..

[3]

Page 6 of 13
6 The diagram shows the genetic material inside an animal cell.

Look at parts A, B, C, D and E.

(a) Circle the letter that shows a chromosome.

A B C D E
[1]

(b) Circle the letter that controls a single characteristic such as eye colour.

A B C D E
[1]

(c) Write down the name of the chemical that is in a chromosome.

………………………………………………………………………………………………..….[1]

Page 7 of 13
7 The diagram shows the range of frequencies of sound waves that different animals hear.

(a) Write down the lowest frequency of sound a racoon hears.

……………………………………………….Hz
[1]

(b) Estimate the range of frequencies a mouse hears.

………………………………………………………………………………………………… Hz
[1]

Page 8 of 13
(c) Look at the graph showing the waveforms of two sound waves.

Waveform A and waveform B have different frequencies and different amplitudes.

(i) Describe how increasing the frequency of a sound wave changes the sound we hear.

………………………………………………………………………………………….[1]

(ii) Describe how increasing the amplitude of a sound wave changes the sound we hear.

………………………………………………………………………………………….[1]

(d) (i) Calculate how many times bigger the amplitude of waveform B is than
waveform A.

………………………………. [1]

(ii) Calculate how many times bigger the frequency of waveform A is than waveform B.

………………………………. [1]

Page 9 of 13
8 The diagram shows an egg cell and a sperm cell.

(a) (i) The nucleus of the egg cell and the nucleus of the sperm cell both contain chromosomes.

What are chromosomes made of?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………. [1]

(ii) Describe what happens to the nucleus of the egg cell and the nucleus of the sperm cell
during fertilisation.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………. [1]

(iii) Which of these cells, the egg or the sperm, determines the sex of the offspring?

Explain your answer. Use ideas about chromosomes.

cell ……………………………………………………………………………………....

explanation …………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………

[2]

Page 10 of 13
 (b) The drawing shows a group of cats.

Although they all look different they all belong to the same species.

(i) What term describes the differences that occur within the same species?

………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

(ii) Why do the cats look different?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………………………………………. [1]

9 Look at the diagram of a model of the Earth’s crust and upper mantle.

(a) Name one event that happens at X.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … . [1]

(b) What do the arrows on the diagram represent?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. [1]

Page 11 of 13
10 Mia investigates an electrical circuit.

(a) She makes this prediction,

‘Adding more lamps into a series

circuit does not change the
current in the circuit.’

Tick (✓) to show if Mia's prediction is correct.

yes no

Give a reason for your answer.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………[1]

(b) The current flowing through a lamp is 4.5 A.

The voltage across the lamp is 1.5 V.

Calculate the resistance of the lamp.

resistance = … … … … … … … Ω

[2]

END OF QUESTION PAPER

Page 12 of 13
 The Periodic Table of Elements
Group
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 2
H He
hydrogen helium
Key 1 4
3 4 atomic number 5 6 7 8 9 10

Li Be atomic symbol B C N O F Ne
lithium beryllium name boron carbon nitrogen oxygen fluorine neon
7 9 relative atomic mass 11 12 14 16 19 20
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar
sodium magnesium aluminium silicon phosphorus sulfur chlorine argon
23 24 27 28 31 32 35.5 40
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

K Ca Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge As Se Br Kr
potassium calcium scandium titanium vanadium chromium manganese iron cobalt nickel copper zinc gallium germanium arsenic selenium bromine krypton
39 40 45 48 51 52 55 56 59 59 64 65 70 73 75 79 80 84
37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54

Rb Sr Y Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh Pd Ag Cd In Sn Sb Te I Xe
rubidium strontium yttrium zirconium niobium molybdenum technetium ruthenium rhodium palladium silver cadmium indium tin antimony tellurium iodine xenon
85 88 89 91 93 96 – 101 103 106 108 112 115 119 122 128 127 131
55 56 57–71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86

Cs Ba lanthanoids
Hf Ta W Re Os Ir Pt Au Hg Tl Pb Bi Po At Rn
caesium barium hafnium tantalum tungsten rhenium osmium iridium platinum gold mercury thallium lead bismuth polonium astatine radon
133 137 178 181 184 186 190 192 195 197 201 204 207 209 – – –
87 88 89–103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118

Fr Ra actinoids
Rf Db Sg Bh Hs Mt Ds Rg Cn Nh Fl Mc Lv Ts Og
francium radium rutherfordium dubnium seaborgium bohrium hassium meitnerium darmstadtium roentgenium copernicium nihonium flerovium moscovium livermorium tennessine oganesson
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71

lanthanoids La Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu
lanthanum cerium praseodymium neodymium promethium samarium europium gadolinium terbium dysprosium holmium erbium thulium ytterbium lutetium
139 140 141 144 – 150 152 157 159 163 165 167 169 173 175
89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103

actinoids Ac Th Pa U Np Pu Am Cm Bk Cf Es Fm Md No Lr
actinium thorium protactinium uranium neptunium plutonium americium curium berkelium californium einsteinium fermium mendelevium nobelium lawrencium
– 232 231 238 – – – – – – – – – – –
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