BECE 1999 Integrated Science Past Questions and Answers

Paper 1: Objectives

1. A mixture of sand and common salt could be separated by
   1. A. filtration and distillation
   2. B. dissolution and evaporation
   3. C. dissolution, sedimentation and evaporation
   4. D. dissolution, filtration and evaporation
   5. E. sedimentation and filtration
   Answer: D
2. What structure links the mouth to the stomach?
   1. A. Colon
   2. B. Duodenum
   3. C. Oesophagus
   4. D. Rumen
   5. E. Trachea
   Answer: C
3. Which of the following organisms causes bilharziasis?
   1. A. Blood fluke
   2. B. Bloodworm
   3. C. Liver fluke
   4. D. Roundworm
   5. E. Tapeworm
   Answer: A
4. Which of the following processes is a chemical change?
   1. A. Digestion of starch by saliva
   2. B. Melting of wax
   3. C. Dissolution of sugar in water
   4. D. Boiling of water
   5. E. Evaporation of sea water
   Answer: A
5. An atom has 5 protons and 5 neutrons in its nucleus. How many electrons are present in the atom?
   1. A. 1
   2. B. 2
   3. C. 5
   4. D. 9
   5. E. 10
   Answer: C
6. Which of the following features in plants are used for defence?
   1. A. Buds
   2. B. Leaf spines
   3. C. Pitchers
   4. D. Roots
   5. E. Tendrils
   Answer: B
7. The ability of birds to fly depends on
   1. A. Their hollow bones only
   2. B. Their flight feathers only
   3. C. Their feathers covering their bodies
   4. D. Their hollow bones and flight feathers
   5. E. Their light bodies only
   Answer: D
8. Gases are more compressible than solids because:
   1. A. Solids have harder surfaces
   2. B. There are wider spaces between gas molecules
   3. C. Gases have fixed volumes
   4. D. The particles of solids are regularly arranged
   5. E. The molecules of gases are randomly arranged
   Answer: B
9. Which of the following statements about machines is/are true?
   
   I. The commonest and simplest of all machines is the lever
   
   II. The efficiency of a machine is the ratio of work output to work input
   
   III. The efficiency of a machine is usually less than one
   
   IV. Machines make working much easier and convenient
   1. A. I only
   2. B. I and II only
   3. C. I and III only
   4. D. I, II and III only
   5. E. I, II, III and IV
   Answer: E
10. Which of the following substances reacts with ammonium chloride to produce ammonia gas?
    1. A. Calcium hydroxide
    2. B. Calcium chloride
    3. C. Calcium carbonate
    4. D. Calcium sulphate
    5. E. Calcium nitrate
    Answer: A

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11. Plastic materials may be used to make the handles of cooking utensils because they are
    1. A. Hard
    2. B. Poor conductors of heat
    3. C. Attractive
    4. D. Easy to wash
    5. E. Not poisonous
12. Which of the following substances will turn red litmus paper blue?
    1. A. Hydrochloric acid
    2. B. Sodium chloride solution
    3. C. Sulphuric acid
    4. D. Water
    5. E. Sodium hydroxide
13. The heat of the sun reaches the earth through
    1. A. Radiation
    2. B. Convection
    3. C. Conduction
    4. D. Both radiation and conduction
    5. E. Both radiation and convection
14. The mineral salts in dead organisms become available to the soil through
    1. A. Decomposition
    2. B. Diffusion
    3. C. Fermentation
    4. D. Leaching
    5. E. Manuring
15. A ray of light is incident at an angle of 30° to the surface of a plane mirror. Calculate the angle of reflection.
    1. A. 30°
    2. B. 60°
    3. C. 90°
    4. D. 120°
    5. E. 180°
16. Salt could be obtained from sea water by
    1. A. Boiling
    2. B. Condensation
    3. C. Decantation
    4. D. Distillation
    5. E. Evaporation
17. A fertilised ovum is known as
    1. A. A gamete
    2. B. A zygote
    3. C. An oocyte
    4. D. An ovary
    5. E. A foetus
18. The smallest planet known in the solar system is
    1. A. Earth
    2. B. Jupiter
    3. C. Mars
    4. D. Mercury
    5. E. Venus
19. The organic constituent of the soil is
    1. A. Air
    2. B. Humus
    3. C. Mineral salts
    4. D. Rock particles
    5. E. Water
20. A car head lamp lights up when connected to a battery. What type of energy is obtained from the battery?
    1. A. Chemical energy
    2. B. Electrical energy
    3. C. Heat energy
    4. D. Light energy
    5. E. Potential energy
21. Which of the following statements about bacteria is true?
    1. A. I only
    2. B. II only
    3. C. III only
    4. D. II and III only
    5. E. I and II only
22. Which of the following organisms is a parasite on plants?
    1. A. Bee
    2. B. Butterfly
    3. C. Capsid
    4. D. Red ant
    5. E. Tick
23. The main parts of the central nervous system are the
    1. A. brain and nerves
    2. B. spinal cord and the nerves
    3. C. brain and the spinal cord
    4. D. brain, the nerves and the spinal cord
    5. E. brain, the eyes, the ears and the nerves
24. Which of the following pairs of diseases can be spread easily when food is exposed to houseflies?
    1. A. Cholera and Guinea Worm
    2. B. Dysentery and Malaria
    3. C. Dysentery and Guinea Worm
    4. D. Malaria and tuberculosis
    5. E. Dysentery and cholera
25. Which of the following activities is a mode of transmission of AIDS?
    1. A. Shaking hands with an infected person
    2. B. Eating with an infected person
    3. C. Having sex with an infected person
    4. D. Sharing clothes with an infected person
    5. E. Sleeping in the same room with an infected person
26. The eclipse of the moon occurs when the
    1. A. moon and the sun are in a straight line
    2. B. earth and the sun are in a straight line
    3. C. sun is between the earth and the moon
    4. D. earth is between the sun and the moon
    5. E. moon comes between the sun and the earth
27. Spitting in public is a bad social habit because it
    1. A. makes the environment humid
    2. B. reduces the amount of air in the body
    3. C. reduces the amount of water in the body
    4. D. releases disease-causing organisms into the environment
    5. E. reduces the amount of saliva in the mouth
28. The male sex cells in the flower are found in the
    1. A. filament
    2. B. ovary
    3. C. capsid
    4. D. pollen grains
    5. E. stigma
29. Which of the following substances is a pollutant?
    1. A. Domestic waste
    2. B. Fog
    3. C. Nitrogen
    4. D. Oxygen
    5. E. Treated Waste
30. Digestion of protein starts in the
    1. A. duodenum
    2. B. gullet
    3. C. mouth
    4. D. small intestine
    5. E. stomach
31. The sun, the heavenly bodies and the planets form the
    1. A. atmosphere
    2. B. galaxy
    3. C. milky way
    4. D. solar system
    5. E. universe
32. Which of the following practices encourages soil erosion?
    1. A. Planting trees on bare soil
    2. B. Clearing trees and slopes
    3. C. Planting grasses along slopes
    4. D. Ploughing across slopes
    5. E. Preventing bush fires
33. Which of the following metals is an alloy?
    1. A. Aluminium
    2. B. Brass
    3. C. Copper
    4. D. Iron
    5. E. Zinc
34. Which of the following statements about plants is true?
    1. A. I only
    2. B. II only
    3. C. III only
    4. D. I and II only
    5. E. II and III only
35. Which of the following practices will destroy the breeding grounds of mosquitoes?
    1. A. Sleeping in mosquito nets
    2. B. Spraying with insecticides
    3. C. Using insect repellent
    4. D. Introducing fish into ponds
    5. E. Burying all empty cans
36. A plastic pen on rubbing in the hair attracts pieces of paper. What force is responsible for the attraction?
    1. A. Electrostatic force
    2. B. Frictional force
    3. C. Gravitational force
    4. D. Magnetic force
    5. E. Centripetal force
37. When carbon dioxide is passed through lime water
    1. A. the lime water becomes warm
    2. B. the lime water turns milky
    3. C. the lime water remains clear
    4. D. lime is produced
    5. E. the lime water decomposes
38. Which of the following solids melts easily on exposure to sunlight?
    1. A. Animal fat
    2. B. Candle wax
    3. C. Plastics
    4. D. Rubber
    5. E. Shea butter
39. Which of the following structures regulate the amount of light that enters the eye?
    1. A. Choroid
    2. B. Cornea
    3. C. Iris
    4. D. Lens
    5. E. Retina
40. Leguminous crops such as beans are cultivated to
    1. A. add humus to the soil
    2. B. increase the nitrate contents of soils
    3. C. add nitrogen to the soil
    4. D. make the soil loamy
    5. E. add protein to the soil

Paper 2: Theory

1. (a) State one function of each of the following organs in humans
   
   (i) skin
   
   (ii) lung
   
   (iii) kidney
   
   (iv) testis
   
   (b) (i) What is vegetative reproduction?
   
   (ii) Name two plants which reproduce vegetatively
   
   (c) Name four main factors which determine the climate of a place
   
   (d) Define the following:
   
   (i) work
   
   (ii) power
   
   (e) Name the separation method used in the production of each of the following substances
   
   (i) akpeteshie (alcohol)
   
   (ii) common salt
   
   (iii) tap water
2. (a) How would you demonstrate that expired air contains carbon dioxide?
   
   (b) (i) What is an ion
   
   (ii) Give two examples of ions
   
   (c) (i) What is capillary action
   
   (ii) State two processes which use capillary action
   
   (d) (i) What is a lever?
   
   (ii) Give two examples of second class levers
   
   (e) (i) Use any three of the following organisms to construct a food chain. Rat, hawk, okro leaves, toad, cassava, man, grasshopper
   
   (ii) List three ways of keeping the teeth healthy.
3. (a) (i) Describe briefly what happens to a morsel of kenkey in the mouth during eating.
   
   (ii) List in order, the parts of the digestive system of humans.
   
   (b) A mixture of iron filings and sulphur is heated in a test tube
   
   (i) Give the name of the compound formed
   
   (ii) Write the chemical equation of the reaction which took place.
   
   (iii) State two methods of preventing iron from rusting.
   
   (c) (i) A boy pulled a load through a distance of 5 m. If he exerts a force of 15 N in the direction of the force, calculate the work done
   
   (ii) Convert the following weights expressed in kilogram force (kgf) to newton (N):
   
   α) 0.75 kgf
   
   β) 1.33 kgf
   
   [1 kgf = 10 N]
4. (a) (i) State two reasons which indicate that respiration and burning are similar processes.
   
   (ii) What is cross-pollination?
   
   (iii) List four methods by which cholera can be controlled and prevented.
   
   (b) (i) Name the three coldest planets.
   
   (ii) State one reason which accounts for the coldness of the planets you have stated.
   
   (iii) An object of mass 150 g occupies a volume of 250 cm3. Calculate its density.
   
   (c) Name a suitable solvent for each of the following substances:
   
   (i) grease
   
   (ii) oil paint
   
   (iii) alcohol
   
   (iv) sugar

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