BECE Past Questions

BECE 1995 Integrated Science Past Questions and Answers

40 objective questions and 4 theory questions from the 1995 BECE Integrated Science paper. Answers and worked solutions for questions 1 to 10 are below; the rest are free in the app.

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Paper 1: Objectives

  1. Which of the following activities does not cause soil erosion?
    1. A. Clearing of vegetation
    2. B. Bush burning
    3. C. Heavy rainfall
    4. D. Over grazing
    5. E. Crop rotation
    Answer: E
  2. What is the difference between mass and weight? The
    1. A. mass of a body is twice the weight
    2. B. weight of a body is constant but its mass varies
    3. C. mass of a body varies but its weight does not
    4. D. weight of a body varies but its mass does not
    5. E. mass of a body is half the weight
    Answer: D
  3. By what process is heat transferred from the bottom of a beaker containing water to the top?
    1. A. Convection
    2. B. Conduction
    3. C. Radiation
    4. D. Absorption
    5. E. Transmission
    Answer: A
  4. In what units are work and energy measured?
    1. A. Work in joules, energy in watts
    2. B. Work in joules, energy in joules
    3. C. Work in newtons, energy in joules
    4. D. Energy in watts, work in watts
    5. E. Energy in newtons, work in joules
    Answer: B
  5. Which of the following is the organic part of the soil?
    1. A. Mineral salts
    2. B. Water
    3. C. Rock particles
    4. D. Air
    5. E. Humus
    Answer: E
  6. A mixture of sugar and water can be separated by
    1. A. Filtration
    2. B. Evaporation
    3. C. Decantation
    4. D. Distillation
    5. E. Condensation
    Answer: B
  7. The air pressure at great heights can be measured with
    1. A. A thermometer
    2. B. An anemometer
    3. C. A barometer
    4. D. A hydrometer
    5. E. A hygrometer
    Answer: C
  8. Which of the following animals reproduces without mating?
    1. A. Toad
    2. B. Lizard
    3. C. Dog
    4. D. Man
    5. E. Amoeba
    Answer: E
  9. Which of the following environmental factors can cause the fastest rate of water loss from leaf surfaces?
    1. A. High humidity
    2. B. Low temperature
    3. C. Still air
    4. D. Wet wing
    5. E. Dry air
    Answer: E
  10. A fruit adapted for dispersal by wind is likely to be
    1. A. Succulent
    2. B. Brightly coloured
    3. C. Hooked
    4. D. Sticky
    5. E. Hairy
    Answer: E

Answers and solutions for questions 11 to 40 are free in the BECE Past Questions app, with timed practice and offline study.

  1. All the following substances are mixtures except
    1. A. Ink
    2. B. Air
    3. C. Carbon dioxide
    4. D. Palm wine
    5. E. Candle flame
  2. In a first class lever, the load is placed
    1. A. On the effort
    2. B. Between the effort arm and the pivot
    3. C. At one end of the load arm
    4. D. Between the pivot and the load arm
    5. E. On the pivot
  3. Excretion in animals involves the removal of
    1. A. Water from the body
    2. B. Urine and faeces from the body
    3. C. Blood from the body
    4. D. Waste materials from the body cells
    5. E. Undigested food from the body
  4. Which of the following is an indirect source of light?
    1. A. Torch light
    2. B. The sun
    3. C. Fire
    4. D. The moon
    5. E. Candle flame
  5. Which of the following is the sense organ for sight?
    1. A. Skin
    2. B. Nose
    3. C. Eye
    4. D. Ear
    5. E. Tongue
  6. Liquids suitable for use in thermometers must not:
    1. A. Wet glass
    2. B. Have a low boiling point
    3. C. Have a high melting point
    4. D. Have a high density
    5. E. Expand
  7. When living organisms die, the mineral salts in their bodies become available to the soil through the process of
    1. A. Evaporation
    2. B. Sedimentation
    3. C. Defecation
    4. D. Decay
    5. E. Osmosis
  8. Ice floats on water because
    1. A. Water is denser than ice
    2. B. Ice is denser than water
    3. C. Ice has the same temperature as water
    4. D. Ice has a lower temperature than water
    5. E. Ice is different from water
  9. The reason for chewing food before swallowing is to
    1. A. Soften the food
    2. B. Make digestion faster
    3. C. Cause saliva to flow out
    4. D. Exercise the jaws
    5. E. Make the teeth strong
  10. Power is defined as the
    1. A. Ability to do work
    2. B. Amount of energy
    3. C. Rate of distance covered
    4. D. Rate of doing work
    5. E. Ease of moving a heavy object
  11. The force which is able to hold light objects on the surface of liquids is called
    1. A. surface tension
    2. B. friction
    3. C. capillarity
    4. D. viscosity
    5. E. cohesion
  12. In the nucleus of an atom, there are
    1. A. neutrons and shells
    2. B. protons and electrons
    3. C. neutrons and protons
    4. D. electrons and shells
    5. E. electrons and neutrons
  13. The male sperms fertilize the female eggs to form the
    1. A. embryo
    2. B. ovary
    3. C. ovum
    4. D. placenta
    5. E. uterus
  14. Most plants will not do well in the desert because
    1. A. there is no top soil
    2. B. it is too sunny there
    3. C. rainfall is very poor
    4. D. the speed of wind is high
    5. E. the gullies are too deep for plant cultivation
  15. What is the work done when a girl lifts a pot of water weighing 40 N upward through a distance of 1 m?
    1. A. 400.0 J
    2. B. 40.0 J
    3. C. 4.0 J
    4. D. 1.0 J
    5. E. 0.4 J
  16. Which of the following is not characteristic of all living organisms? The ability to
    1. A. break down food to obtain energy
    2. B. produce food using the sun’s energy
    3. C. make use of food nutrients to grow
    4. D. respond to changes within the environment
    5. E. give rise to young new individuals
  17. The process used in getting salt from sea water is
    1. A. boiling
    2. B. condensation
    3. C. decantation
    4. D. sedimentation
    5. E. evaporation
  18. Which of the following bodies is a satellite of the earth?
    1. A. Mars
    2. B. Sun
    3. C. Venus
    4. D. Moon
    5. E. Mercury
  19. Which of the following are soil micro-organisms?
    1. A. Termites
    2. B. Viruses
    3. C. Ticks
    4. D. Bacteria
    5. E. Crabs
  20. The darkest part of a shadow formed when a large source of light is used is the
    1. A. Partial eclipse
    2. B. Lunar eclipse
    3. C. night
    4. D. penumbra
    5. E. umbra
  21. The part of air which supports burning is
    1. A. nitrogen
    2. B. inert gas
    3. C. water vapour
    4. D. oxygen
    5. E. carbon dioxide
  22. What structure links the mouth with the stomach? The
    1. A. duodenum
    2. B. oesophagus
    3. C. ileum
    4. D. trachea
    5. E. colon
  23. Which of the following instruments is used in measuring current in an electric circuit?
    1. A. Voltmeter
    2. B. Ammeter
    3. C. Barometer
    4. D. Thermometer
    5. E. Anemometer
  24. There are thick forests in part of the world where the climate is
    1. A. Hot and wet
    2. B. cool and wet
    3. C. hot and dry
    4. D. cool and dry
    5. E. warm and dry
  25. The outer ear is also referred to as
    1. A. cochlea
    2. B. tympanum
    3. C. pinna
    4. D. incus
    5. E. malleus
  26. Gin can be obtained from palm wine by
    1. A. condensation
    2. B. freezing
    3. C. sedimentation
    4. D. distillation
    5. E. filtration
  27. Which of the following is likely to happen when the relative humidity is high?
    1. A. It is likely to rain
    2. B. It is likely to be dry
    3. C. It is likely to be sunny
    4. D. The day will be hot
    5. E. It will be windy
  28. Which of the following features is common to both the fish and the lizard? The possession of
    1. A. a sticky tongue
    2. B. a lateral line system
    3. C. dorsal fins
    4. D. clawed digits
    5. E. scales on the body
  29. Which of the following statements about the solar system is true? The
    1. A. sun moves round the earth
    2. B. planets move round the sun
    3. C. planets move round the moon
    4. D. sun moves in its orbit
    5. E. sun moves round the moon
  30. What type of fruit is a mango?
    1. A. Drupe
    2. B. Pepo
    3. C. Berry
    4. D. Caryopsis
    5. E. Pome

Paper 2: Theory

  1. (a) Explain each of the following terms:

    (i) Diffusion

    (ii) Surface tension

    (iii) Capillarity

    (b) Why does water wet glass?

    (c) (i) State the composition of blood

    (ii) List three functions of blood

    (d) (i) Describe how ions are formed from atoms

    (ii) State two differences between a proton and an electron

    (iii) Write the chemical symbol for each of the following:

    α) an atom of Lithium

    β) a molecule of chlorine

    γ) an atom of oxygen
  2. (a) Make a labelled diagram of the human eye.

    (b) (i) Name two defects of the eye.

    (ii) State how each of the defects you named can be corrected.

    (c) (i) What is a satellite?

    (ii) State one difference between a natural and an artificial satellite.

    (iii) State two uses of artificial satellites.

    (d) Write down the names of the new substances formed when each of the following substances react with dilute hydrochloric acid:

    (i) Ammonia

    (ii) Sodium hydroxide

    (iii) Calcium carbonate
  3. (a) In each of the activities listed below, state whether the changes that occur are physical or chemical. Explain your answers:

    (i) An egg is boiled for five minutes

    (ii) A piece of bread is chewed in the mouth for two minutes

    (iii) A piece of meat is chewed in the mouth for two minutes

    (iv) A piece of wood is burnt to ashes

    (b) Define each of the following:

    (i) A machine

    (ii) Mechanical advantage of a machine

    (iii) Velocity ratio of a machine

    (c) A system of levers is used to overcome a resistance of 3,000 N when an effort of 150 N is applied to it. Calculate the mechanical advantage of the system.

    (d) (i) List three general causes of diseases

    (ii) State four ways by which diseases can be prevented.
  4. (a) Distinguish between sexual reproduction and asexual reproduction.

    (b) State the vegetative part that can be used to propagate each of the following plants:

    (i) cassava

    (ii) onion

    (iii) banana

    (iv) yam

    (v) ginger

    (vi) pineapple

    (c) (i) Define density of a substance.

    (ii) Describe how you would determine the density of a sample of soil in the laboratory.

    (d) State one solvent for each of the following substances:

    (i) Common salt

    (ii) Paint

    (iii) Coal tar

    (iv) Sucrose

    (v) Chlorophyll

Worked solutions to the theory questions are free in the app.

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