SHORTCUT TRIAL CONTEST 11
ROUND 1 – FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS
Preamble: The laws of chemical combination were proposed by some scientists. Where
applicable, provide the most commonly used term for the law given and state the law.
1. State Richter’s law
Ans; when definite mass of an element A combines with two other elements B and C to
form two compounds and if B and C also combine to form a compound, their combining
masses are in same proportion or bear a simple ratio to the masses of B and C which
combine with a constant mass of A (law of reciprocal proportions)
2. State Gay-Lussac’s law
Ans; when gases combine or are produced in a chemical reaction, they do so in a simple
ratio by volume provided all gases are at same temperature and pressure (law of
gaseous volumes)
3. State the law of equivalent masses
Ans; In all chemical reactions, substances always react in the ratio of their equivalent
masses.
Preamble: Determine the range of the given trigonometric function
1. 𝑦 = 4𝑐𝑜𝑠𝑥 − 3𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑥 − 2 Ans: {𝒚: −𝟐𝟔 ≤ 𝒚 ≤ −𝟏𝟔}
2. 𝑦 = 𝑠𝑖𝑛2𝑥 − 14 sin 𝑥 + 21 Ans: {𝒚: 𝟖 ≤ 𝒚 ≤ 𝟑𝟔}
3. 𝑦 = |5 − 7sin(𝑥 + 3)| Ans: {𝒚: 𝟎 ≤ 𝒚 ≤ 𝟏𝟐}
Preamble: Provide two functions each of the cell membrane.
(Each school must provide 1 after which the moderator comes back to take the 2nd answer)
1. Acts as a protective barrier of the cell
2. Provides binding sites for enzymes
3. Allows for cell recognitions
4. Regulates transports in and out of the cell
5. Provides anchoring sites for filaments of cytoskeleton.
6. Contains the cytoplasm.
7. Has interlocking surfaces that binds cells together
1. The spring constant of a spring fixed at one end is 8.0 kN/m. Find the period of natural
oscillations of a 0.20 kg mass attached to the other end of the spring.
Ans: 0.031 s
SHORTCUT TRIAL CONTEST 11
2. A 0.40 kg mass is attached to the free end of a spring of spring constant 25 kN/m which
has one fixed end. Find the frequency of natural oscillations of the spring-mass system.
Ans: 40 Hz
3. Find the period of natural oscillations of a spring-mass system comprising a 0.50 kg
mass and a spring whose spring constant is 45 kN/m.
Ans: 0.021 s
Preamble: Determine the conjugate acid – conjugate base pair of the given molecule or
compound.
1. H2O
Ans: Conjugate Acid – 𝑯𝟑𝑶+ / Conjugate Base – 𝑶𝑯−
2. 𝐻𝑆−
Ans: Conjugate Acid – 𝑯𝟐𝑺 / Conjugate Base – 𝑺𝟐−
3. 𝑁𝐻3
Ans: Conjugate Acid – 𝑵𝑯𝟒+ / Conjugate Base – 𝑵𝑯𝟐−
Preamble: Find the value(s) of p for which the circle with the given equation has the radius R.
1. 𝑥2 + 𝑦2 − 4𝑥 + 12𝑦 + 𝑝 = 0 and R = 8 units
Ans: 𝒑 = −𝟐𝟒
2. 𝑥2 + 𝑦2 + 𝑝𝑥 − 8𝑦 + 15 = 0 and R = √26 units
Ans: 𝒑 = ±𝟏𝟎
3. 𝑥2 + 𝑦2 + 6𝑥 + 𝑝𝑦 − 7 = 0 and R = 8 units
Ans: 𝒑 = ±𝟖√𝟑
Preamble; Provide the names to the following vitamins,
1. Vitamin K
Ans: Phylloquinone
2. Vitamin B5
Ans: Pantothenic acid
3. Vitamin E
Ans: Tocopherol
1. A potential difference of 35 V is applied across a series combination of a 4 Ω resistor and
a 3 Ω resistor. Find the potential difference across the 5 Ω resistor.
Ans: 25 V
SHORTCUT TRIAL CONTEST 11
2. A potential difference of 48 V is applied across a series combination of a 15 Ω resistor
and a 1 Ω resistor. Find the potential difference across the 1 Ω resistor.
Ans: 3 V
3. A potential difference of 140 V is applied across a series combination of a 25 Ω resistor
and a 45 Ω resistor. Find the potential difference across the 25 Ω resistor.
Ans: 50 V
SHORTCUT TRIAL CONTEST 11
ROUND 2 – SPEED RACE
1. Determine the sum of the stoichiometric coefficients of all reactants in the balanced
equation for the complete combustion of cyclodecene.
Ans; 31
2. With the exception of the Paschen series, name two other hydrogen spectral line series
found in the infrared region
Ans; Brackett and Pfund
3. Calculate the concentration of a weak acid whose Ka is 1.00 × 10−7 and whose pOH is
9.50
Ans: 0.0100 M
4. What is the key difference between a monocot and a dicot in terms of their vascular
tissue organization.
Ans: Monocots have scattered vascular tissues whiles dicots have vascular tissues
arranged in a circular pattern.
5. Name the main post-ganglionic neurotransmitter in the sympathetic nervous system.
Ans, Noradrenaline
6. What is the effect of glucocorticoids on the GIT absorption?
Ans, it increases water and electrolyte absorption.
4 −3
7. Given that matrix 𝐴 = ( ), find 𝐴2.
7 −4
−𝟓 𝟎
Ans: ( )
𝟎 −𝟓
1
8. Evaluate and simplify antilog5(− 2) 𝟏
√𝟓
−
Ans: ⁄𝟓
9. Kofi, Ama and Abena can do the same piece of work in 2 hours, 4 hours and 6 hours
respectively. How long will it take all three to do the same work, working at the same
rate?
𝟏𝟐
Ans: 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔
𝟏𝟏
10. Find the sound intensity of an engine at 12.0 m, If the sound intensity 18.0 m from the
engine is 72.0 W m−2.
Ans: 162 W/m2
11. A 35 N cm−1 spring and a 12 N cm−1 spring are connected in parallel. Find the extension
of the parallel combination when a 141 N force is applied to it.
Ans: 3.0 cm
12. The common-emitter DC current gain of a bipolar-junction transistor is 90. What is the
emitter current when the collector current is 455 mA?
Ans: 450 mA
SHORTCUT TRIAL CONTEST 11
ROUND 3 – PROBLEM OF THE DAY
Estimate the enthalpy change for the aerial oxidation of liquid ethanol to liquid ethanoic
acid using (a) Bond energies and (b) Enthalpies of formation, all in kJmol-1. Are the
values in (a) and (b) the same?
Bond C-H C=O C-C O-H O2
Energy(kJmo- 411 799 346 459 494
1)
ΔHfo ΔHfo(C2H5OH) ΔHfo(CH3COOH) ΔHfo(H2O)
Energy(kJmol- -278 -487 -286
1)
SOLUTION TO PROBLEM OF THE DAY
By Bond Energies
CH3CH2OH(l) + O2 → CH3COOH(l) + H2O(l)
Bonds broken O2 + 2C-H; 494 + 822 = +1316
Bond made C=O + 2O-H; -799 - 918 = -1717 kJmol-1
∆H reaction = -1717 + 1316 = -401kJ
By Enthalpies of formation
∆H = Sum ∆H (products) - Sum ∆H(reactants)
= (-487-286) - (-278) = -495 kJ
Values are not the same. Bond Energies are average bond energies, not the real
ones and so may not give accurate values. Enthalpies of formation are
experimental or real values and will give accurate values.
SHORTCUT TRIAL CONTEST 11
ROUND 4 – TRUE OR FALSE
1. An equilateral quadrilateral is a rhombus.
True
2. A square is a rhombus
True
3. In a parallelogram, the diagonals bisect the angles at their ends
False
4. The mean of a given data is always greater than the median
False
5. The number of students in a school represents a continuous data
False
6. The diameter of a circle represents a continuous data.
True
7. Water vapour is a greenhouse gas.
True
8. Table sugar is made up two glucose units.
False (Made up of glucose and fructose.)
9. The atomic mass of an element of several natural isotopes is the average of the mass
numbers of the isotopes.
False (It is the weighted average)
10. Haemitite is one of the several ores of iron.
True (=Fe2O3)
11. Magnetite is an ore from which magnesium can be obtained.
False (Magnetite is an ore of Fe (Fe3O4))
12. Buaxite and mica both contain aluminium.
True (Bauxite Al2O3.xH2O; Mica/Feldspar K2Al2Si6O16)
SHORTCUT TRIAL CONTEST 11
13. An enzyme lowers the activation energy of a particular reaction
True
14. The sugar component of ATP is a pentose sugar
True (Ribose)
15. Vestigial structures provide anatomical record of macroevolution
True
16. Bacteria lack organized nucleus
True
17. The cell of bacteria lack plasma membrane
False
18. Many kinds of bacteria possess flagella
True
19. The image in a plane mirror is laterally inverted.
True
20. A concave mirror always forms a real image.
False
21. A convex mirror never forms a virtual image of a real object?
False
22. In an inelastic collision, momentum is conserved.
True
23. In an inelastic collision, energy is conserved.
False
24. In an elastic collision, kinetic energy is partially converted into thermal energy.
False
SHORTCUT TRIAL CONTEST 11
ROUND 5 - RIDDLES
1. I belong to a family of 5 siblings
2. I am a pentamer of my kind
3. In a sense, I function as a defensive mechanism that protects the body against foreign
substances.
4. I have the strongest affinity with the weakest avidity among my family member
5. I am one of the most common group of antibodies involved in the ABO blood group
system
Who am I?
Immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody.
1. I am a physical phenomenon.
2. I can be observed in both solid and liquid states.
3. In one case, you might notice me when a spinning object feels different as it speeds up
or slows down.
4. In another, you might see me in the way water moves in a circular pattern in a drain.
5. I am characterized by the rotational effect caused by an object’s inertia.
6. I am responsible for the tendency of an object to continue rotating or to keep rotating in
the same direction.
Who am I?
Angular Momentum
1. I am an artificially produced radioactive chemical element having an unknown
appearance but probably has a silvery white or metallic grey color.
2. My most stable isotope has a half-life of 2.4 minutes.
3. My possible oxidation states include +6 , +5 , +4 , +3 ,or 0.
4. I am a d-block Trans actinide element and a member of the 7th period and belongs to the
group as the 4th member in the 6d series.
5. I was the first element to be name after a living person who was an American nuclear
chemist named Glenn T. Seaborg.
Who am I?
Seaborgium
1. Even though I am a power unto myself, I bring down mighty powers.
2. I am another word for an index or an exponent.
3. I reduce a product into a sum.
4. I am a tool for computation.
5. I was invented by a Scottish gentleman by name John Napier.
6. I am a log with a rhythm.
Who am I?
Logarithm
