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ZIMSEC O Level · 4023/1 · J2025

Physics Paper 1 June 2025

Questions
40
Time allowed
60 min
Syllabus code
4023/1

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Questions
40
Pass mark
24
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Answer every question in the printed order, get marked at the end, then see the answers.

The questions

Question 1

Measurement
Which instrument accurately measures the internal diameter of a boiling tube?
  1. Atape measure
  2. Bvernier calipers
  3. Cmetre rule
  4. Dmicrometer screw gauge

Question 2

Measurement
What are the base units of force?
  1. Akgm/s2
  2. Bkgms2
  3. Ckgms
  4. Dkgm/s

Question 3

Kinematics
Acceleration is defined as the rate of change of
  1. Adisplacement.
  2. Bdistance.
  3. Cvelocity.
  4. Dspeed.

Question 4

Measurement
A piece of wire is 60 cm long and 0.2 cm in diameter .
What is its volume?
  1. A18.85 cm3
  2. B12.00 cm3
  3. C7.54 cm3
  4. D1.88 cm3

Question 5

Forces
A trolley is loaded with three concrete bricks and set in motion by a constant force producing an acceleration. If one brick is removed, the trolley will
  1. Adecelerate.
  2. Baccelerate more.
  3. Cmaintain its velocity.
  4. Dmaintain its acceleration.

Question 6

Forces

Similar metallic spheres were placed at different positions on a surface. A rests on top of a rounded dome, B in a hollow, C on a small flat ledge and D on top of a flat topped rise.

Which sphere A, B, C or D is the least stable?

  1. AA
  2. BB
  3. CC
  4. DD

Question 7

Pressure

The diagram shows a manometer measuring gas pressure. h3 is the height of the liquid in the open arm above the base, h2 is the difference between the levels in the two arms, and h1 is the height of the liquid in the arm joined to the gas above the base. Atmospheric pressure A acts on the open arm.

The pressure of the gas piped into the manometer is

  1. Arho g h2 + A.
  2. Brho g h1 + A.
  3. Crho g h2 - A.
  4. Drho g h3 + A.

Question 8

Pressure

The diagram shows a fish pond with fish at different heights from the bottom of the pond. A is at the surface, B is below it, C lower still and D is the deepest.

Which fish A, B, C, or D is experiencing the greatest pressure?

  1. AA
  2. BB
  3. CC
  4. DD

Question 9

Energy, work and power
What is the power generated when an object of mass 2 kg falls with a constant velocity of 3 m/s?
[ Take acceleration due to gravity to be 10 m/s2]
  1. A0 W
  2. B60 W
  3. C90 W
  4. D180 W

Question 10

Energy, work and power

The diagram shows a pulley system with three pulleys, an effort E of 1200 N and a load L of 2400 N.

What is the work done by the effort, E, when the pulley system raises the load, L, by 4 m?

  1. A3 600 J
  2. B4 800 J
  3. C9 600 J
  4. D14 400 J

Question 11

Materials
When builders lay bricks, they are making
  1. Alapped joints.
  2. Bpinned joints.
  3. Cmortised joints.
  4. Dgrooved joints.

Question 12

Energy, work and power
Which process only occurs in a four stroke engine?
  1. Aignition by compression
  2. Bignition by spark plug
  3. Cfiltration of air
  4. Dfiltration of fuel

Question 13

Energy, work and power

An object of mass 2 kg is dropped from a height of 5 m.

What is the kinetic energy as it hits the ground?

  1. A10 J
  2. B20 J
  3. C100 J
  4. D500 J

Question 14

Thermal physics
Air vents allow heat exchange mainly through
  1. Aradiation only.
  2. Bconduction and convection.
  3. Cradiation and convection.
  4. Dconvection only.

Question 15

Thermal physics
When a substance is melting or boiling its
  1. Atemperature increases.
  2. Bkinetic energy increases.
  3. Clatent energy increases.
  4. Dparticle size increases.

Question 16

Thermal physics
The amount of heat needed per unit mass to change the state of a substance at constant temperature is called
  1. Alatent heat.
  2. Bheat capacity.
  3. Cspecific latent heat.
  4. Dspecific heat capacity.

Question 17

Waves
Which property distinguishes longitudinal waves from transverse waves?
  1. Aability to be refracted
  2. Bamplitude of vibration
  3. Cperiod of oscillation
  4. Ddirection of vibration of particles

Question 18

Light
Which diagram shows the correct path of a light ray travelling from glass to air?
  1. AA
  2. BB
  3. CC
  4. DD

Question 19

Waves

The diagram shows a wave profile for sound, plotted as displacement in mm against distance in mm.

What cannot be obtained from the graph?

  1. Aamplitude
  2. Bwavelength
  3. Cloudness
  4. Dperiod

Question 20

Sound
When a tuning fork is struck in a vacuum, it
  1. Aproduces sound.
  2. Bproduces high pitch sound.
  3. Cproduces low pitch sound.
  4. Dproduces no sound.

Question 21

Light

The diagram shows a diverging lens. Parallel rays enter the lens and leave spreading apart, and the dashed backward extensions of the emerging rays all meet at the point P on the axis in front of the lens.

What name is given to point P?

  1. Aprincipal focus
  2. Bfocal length
  3. Cprincipal axis
  4. Dvirtual point

Question 22

Sound
In sound waves pitch is related to
  1. Aspeed.
  2. Bamplitude.
  3. Cfrequency.
  4. Dwavelength.

Question 23

Electricity
Which energy change takes place when electric current flows through a resistor?
  1. Achemical to heat
  2. Belectrical to heat
  3. Cchemical to electrical
  4. Dheat to electrical

Question 24

Electricity
Which fuse rating is suitable for an appliance rated 800 W, 240 V, to prevent overheating?
  1. A1 A
  2. B2 A
  3. C5 A
  4. D10 A

Question 25

Electricity
A wire of length 2.5 m and area 1.76 x 10-6 m2 has a resistance of 0.5 ohm.
What is its resistivity?
  1. A2.20x10-6 ohm m
  2. B3.52x10-7 ohm m
  3. C8.80x10-6 ohm m
  4. D7.10x105 ohm m

Question 26

Electricity
Which graph shows the variation of current, I, and potential difference, V, for an Ohmic conductor?
  1. AA
  2. BB
  3. CC
  4. DD

Question 27

Magnetism
Which part of a d.c motor reverses the direction of current to have rotation in one direction?
  1. Acoil
  2. Bsplit rings
  3. Cslip rings
  4. Dcarbon brushes

Question 28

Electronics
Which component is used to rectify a.c?
  1. Abuzzer
  2. Bthermistor
  3. Ccapacitor
  4. Ddiode

Question 29

Magnetism
Which device does not use the magnetic effect of current?
  1. Aswitch
  2. Belectric bell
  3. Cgenerator
  4. Dtransformer

Question 30

Electromagnetic induction
Which statement best describes the cause of induction in a transformer?
  1. Amovement of the primary and secondary coils
  2. Brelative motion between magnets and coil
  3. Cchange in magnetic fields
  4. Dchange in eddy currents

Question 31

Electromagnetic induction

The diagram shows two separate circuits containing solenoids. One holds a cell and a switch S, the other a galvanometer G, and the two solenoids lie side by side.

What happens to the galvanometer when S is closed?

  1. Adoes not deflect
  2. Brepeatedly deflects
  3. Cmomentarily deflects
  4. Ddeflects and gives a constant value

Question 32

Electronics
Hot filaments emit
  1. Aprotons.
  2. Bneutrons.
  3. Catoms.
  4. Delectrons.

Question 33

Magnetism
A magnet cannot be demagnetised by
  1. Aheating.
  2. Bhammering.
  3. Celectrical methods.
  4. Dstroking.

Question 34

Electromagnetic induction

The diagram shows a step down transformer with an input of 240 V, a primary of 1000 turns and a secondary of 200 turns.

What is Vout?

  1. A0.001 V
  2. B48 V
  3. C833 V
  4. D1200 V

Question 35

Electronics
In which circuit would the voltmeter record the highest reading during the night? A and B use a light dependent resistor, C and D a thermistor. In A and C the voltmeter is across the fixed resistor; in B and D it is across the sensor.
  1. AA
  2. BB
  3. CC
  4. DD

Question 36

Electronics
A diode is an electronic device that
  1. Aconducts current.
  2. Bhas high resistance.
  3. Callows conduction in one direction.
  4. Ddoes not allow conduction in one direction.

Question 37

Electronics

The diagram shows a potential divider circuit consisting of a thermistor and a resistor R across a 12 V supply, with the voltmeter connected across the thermistor.

What happens to the reading of the voltmeter when the thermistor is placed in hot water?

  1. Areduces to zero
  2. Bstays the same
  3. Cincreases to a maximum value
  4. Dreduces not getting to zero

Question 38

Radioactivity

The nuclide notation for Uranium-235 is 235/92 U.

Which row A, B, C or D shows an isotope of Uranium?

proton numbermass number
A92237
B93235
C23593
D23792
  1. AA
  2. BB
  3. CC
  4. DD

Question 39

Radioactivity

The diagram shows radiation through different media: three rays leave a radioactive source and pass in turn a sheet of paper, aluminium foil and a lead plate. A labels the region before the paper, B the region between the paper and the foil, C between the foil and the lead, and D beyond the lead.

Which one, A, B, C or D would be beta particles?

  1. AA
  2. BB
  3. CC
  4. DD

Question 40

Radioactivity

The diagram shows a decay curve of a radioactive isotope with a half-life of 5 years, starting at 500 and reading 250 at 5 years, N at 10 years and M at 15 years.

The values of N and M are

NM
A12563
B10033
C63125
D33100
  1. AA
  2. BB
  3. CC
  4. DD

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