BECE 1998 Integrated Science Past Questions and Answers

Paper 1: Objectives

1. Which of the following processes could be used to preserve fish for a long time?
   1. A. Boiling only
   2. B. Salting only
   3. C. Sun drying only
   4. D. Boiling and sun drying
   5. E. Salting and sun drying
   Answer: E
2. One hectare is equivalent to
   1. A. 100 m2
   2. B. 1,000 m2
   3. C. 10,000 m2
   4. D. 100,000 m2
   5. E. 1,000,000 m2
   Answer: C
3. Which of the following causes ringworm?
   1. A. Bacteria
   2. B. Fungi
   3. C. Protozoa
   4. D. Ticks
   5. E. Viruses
   Answer: B
4. The central nervous system is made up of the
   1. A. Brain only
   2. B. Spinal cord only
   3. C. Brain and sense organs
   4. D. Brain and spinal cord
   5. E. Spinal cord and sense organs
   Answer: D
5. An object weighing 60 N is dragged through a distance of 2 m. Calculate the work done
   1. A. 6 J
   2. B. 15 J
   3. C. 30 J
   4. D. 120 J
   5. E. 1200 J
   Answer: D
6. Which of the following substances is necessary for the formation of food in plants?
   1. A. Carbon dioxide
   2. B. Water
   3. C. Nitrogen
   4. D. Oxygen
   5. E. Starch
   Answer: A
7. How many times is the sun overhead at the equator within a year?
   1. A. 1
   2. B. 2
   3. C. 3
   4. D. 4
   5. E. 5
   Answer: B
8. Which of the following takes the shape of its container?
   1. A. Chalk
   2. B. Charcoal
   3. C. Paper
   4. D. Petrol
   5. E. Stone
   Answer: D
9. A group of stars form
   1. A. The universe
   2. B. The atmosphere
   3. C. The solar system
   4. D. The planetary system
   5. E. A galaxy
   Answer: E
10. Which of the following types of soil is good for plant growth?
    1. A. Clay
    2. B. Course sand
    3. C. Fine sand
    4. D. Loam
    5. E. Silt
    Answer: D

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11. The equation Carbon (IV) oxide + water → Glucose + Oxygen, represents
    1. A. Breathing
    2. B. Diffusion
    3. C. Photosynthesis
    4. D. Respiration
    5. E. Transpiration
12. Which of the following pairs of diseases are both contracted through water?
    1. A. Cholera and dysentery
    2. B. Smallpox and dysentery
    3. C. Ringworm and smallpox
    4. D. Tuberculosis and cholera
    5. E. Tuberculosis and dysentery
13. The efficiency of a machine is usually less than one due to
    1. A. Friction
    2. B. Greasing
    3. C. Heat
    4. D. The load used
    5. E. The effort applied
14. Which of the following pairs of organisms are decomposers?
    1. A. Animals and bacteria
    2. B. Animals and fungi
    3. C. Bacteria and plants
    4. D. Bacteria and fungi
    5. E. Plants and fungi
15. A mixture of engine oil and water could be best separated by
    1. A. Evaporation
    2. B. Freezing
    3. C. Decantation
    4. D. Heating
    5. E. Addition of soap
16. Which of the following plants is propagated vegetatively?
    1. A. Apple
    2. B. Coconut
    3. C. Pawpaw
    4. D. Pear
    5. E. Sweet potato
17. Which of the following diseases is transmitted by close contact with an infected person?
    1. A. AIDS
    2. B. Bilharzia
    3. C. Elephantiasis
    4. D. Measles
    5. E. Polio
18. The breakdown of rocks into smaller particles is known as
    1. A. Decomposition
    2. B. Erosion
    3. C. Ploughing
    4. D. Terracing
    5. E. Weathering
19. Which of the following energy changes takes place when a church bell is tolled?
    1. A. Chemical energy is changed to sound energy
    2. B. Kinetic energy is changed to sound energy
    3. C. Potential energy is changed to sound energy
    4. D. Potential energy is changed to kinetic energy
    5. E. Thermal energy is changed to sound energy
20. The dodder on milk bush is an example of
    1. A. A plant parasite on animal host
    2. B. A plant parasite on plant host
    3. C. An animal parasite and a plant parasite
    4. D. An animal parasite on an animal host
    5. E. An animal parasite on a plant host
21. Which of the following features is shown by plants only?
    1. A. Feeding
    2. B. Growth
    3. C. Transpiration
    4. D. Reproduction
    5. E. Respiration
22. The structure of the skin that removes waste substances is the
    1. A. fat deposit
    2. B. hair
    3. C. sweat duct
    4. D. sweat gland
    5. E. sweat pore
23. Which of the following statements about light is true?
    1. A. Light is reflected from polished surfaces
    2. B. Light travels through opaque objects
    3. C. Light passes through plane mirrors
    4. D. The angle of incidence is between the normal and the reflected ray
    5. E. The speed of light is less than that of sound
24. The efficiency of a machine is given by the ratio
    1. A. load/effort
    2. B. momentum/velocity
    3. C. distance moved by effort/distance moved by load
    4. D. work input/work output
    5. E. mechanical advantage/velocity ratio
25. About 55% of blood is made up of the plasma while the remaining 45% is made up of
    1. A. Cells
    2. B. Dissolved food substances
    3. C. Dissolved gases
    4. D. Liquid
    5. E. Salt
26. Which of the following is a structure in the ear?
    1. A. Cornea
    2. B. Cochlea
    3. C. Iris
    4. D. Retina
    5. E. Trachea
27. Brass is an alloy made up of
    1. A. Aluminium and zinc
    2. B. Copper and tin
    3. C. Copper and zinc
    4. D. Iron and carbon
    5. E. Steel and tin
28. Which of the following controls the amount of light that enters the eyes?
    1. A. The cornea
    2. B. The iris
    3. C. The lens
    4. D. The pupil
    5. E. The retina
29. A body which moves round the earth is called
    1. A. A meteorite
    2. B. A satellite
    3. C. A star
    4. D. Jupiter
    5. E. The sun
30. Which of the following processes should be carried out first when separating a mixture of sand and common salt?
    1. A. crystallization of the salt
    2. B. dissolution of the salt
    3. C. distillation of the solvent
    4. D. filtration of the mixture
    5. E. sublimation of the solute
31. A temperature controlling device which works using the principles of expansion and contraction is called a
    1. A. conductor
    2. B. fuse
    3. C. manometer
    4. D. thermometer
    5. E. thermostat
32. Kerosene and petrol are obtained from crude oil by
    1. A. condensation of the crude oil
    2. B. decantation of the crude oil
    3. C. distillation of the crude oil
    4. D. evaporation of the crude oil
    5. E. filtration of the crude oil
33. The fusion of the male and female gametes is known as
    1. A. copulation
    2. B. evolution
    3. C. fertilization
    4. D. ovulation
    5. E. reproduction
34. Calculate the voltage across a wire of resistance 4 ohms if 3 amperes of current is passed through it.
    1. A. 0.75 V
    2. B. 1.00 V
    3. C. 1.33 V
    4. D. 7.00 V
    5. E. 12.00 V
35. Which of the following flower parts develops into a seed?
    1. A. ovule
    2. B. pollen grain
    3. C. stamen
    4. D. stigma
    5. E. style
36. The ability of an organism to resist infection by producing antibodies is known as
    1. A. diagnosis
    2. B. immunity
    3. C. incubation
    4. D. inoculation
    5. E. vaccination
37. The part of cocoyam which is used in propagation is the
    1. A. bulb
    2. B. corm
    3. C. seed
    4. D. sucker
    5. E. rhizome
38. Which of the following diseases affects the lungs?
    1. A. Cholera
    2. B. Measles
    3. C. Tetanus
    4. D. Tuberculosis
    5. E. Typhoid
39. Gaseous exchange between air and blood in the lungs takes place in the
    1. A. alveoli
    2. B. bronchi
    3. C. bronchioles
    4. D. larynx
    5. E. trachea
40. The stretched arm of a JSS student holding a stone in the palm is an example of a
    1. A. First class lever
    2. B. Second class lever
    3. C. Third class lever
    4. D. Fourth class lever
    5. E. Fifth class lever

Paper 2: Theory

1. (a) State two differences between a planet and a star.
   
   (b) (i) What is surface tension.
   
   (ii) State one way in which surface tension can be useful to man.
   
   (c) (i) Give one example each of a rhizome, a corm, a stem tuber, a bulb and a sucker.
   
   (ii) State two reasons why a rhizome, a corm and a stem tuber are considered as stems.
   
   (d) Name the compounds formed when the following elements combine:
   
   (i) zinc and oxygen
   
   (ii) calcium and chlorine
   
   (iii) sodium and bromine
   
   (iv) potassium and iodine
2. (a) (i) What is a fertile soil?
   
   (ii) Name four of the most important nutrients in mineral salts which plants use to form food.
   
   (b) (i) Define density of a substance.
   
   (ii) Describe briefly how you would determine the density of an irregular piece of stone.
   
   (iii) A box with volume 1200.0 m³ is filled with sand to the brim. If the density of the sand is 1.95 kg/m³, calculate the mass of the sand contained in the box.
   
   (c) (i) Define an atom.
   
   (ii) Why are atoms electrically neutral?
3. (a) Explain the following:
   
   (i) Crackling noises are heard from a metal sheet roof when the weather becomes very hot.
   
   (ii) Railway tracks are laid with gaps in between their ends.
   
   (iii) A fitting mechanic washes his greasy hands with petrol and not with water.
   
   (b) What observation will be made if a piece of blue litmus paper is dropped in each of the following:
   
   (i) sodium hydroxide solution
   
   (ii) dilute hydrochloric acid
   
   (iii) lime juice
   
   (iv) distilled water
   
   (v) rain water
   
   (c) State any three ways in which constipation could be avoided.
   
   (d) What are the end products of the digestion of each of the following food substances?
   
   (i) Carbohydrates
   
   (ii) Proteins
   
   (iii) fats
4. (a) State four ways by which plants are able to protect themselves against animals.
   
   (b) (i) Define pollination.
   
   (ii) List four features of insect-pollinated flowers.
   
   (c) An atom has three protons and three neutrons.
   
   (i) How many electrons are there in this atom?
   
   (ii) Draw a labeled diagram to show the arrangement of all the particles in the atom.
   
   (d) A body of mass 12.0 kg is placed on an orange tree 20.0 m above the ground:
   
   (i) Calculate its potential energy with respect to the ground.
   
   (ii) If the body is released from this height, what will be its kinetic energy just before it hits the ground. [g = 10 m/s²]

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