Electric Circuits & Electrical Safety (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Physics)

Exam Questions

3 hours43 questions
11 mark

This is the circuit symbol for which component?

q1-easy-mcq-4-3-electrical-circuits-cie-igcse-physics
  • A fuse

  • A buzzer

  • A transistor

  • A relay

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21 mark

Which of the following circuit symbols is for a thermistor?

q2-easy-mcq-4-3-electrical-circuits-cie-igcse-physics

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    31 mark

    Which of the circuit diagrams above shows a fuse which has been correctly connected?

    q3-easy-mcq-4-3-electrical-circuits-cie-igcse-physics

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      41 mark

      The diagram shows two resistors connected in parallel.

      q4-easy-mcq-4-3-electrical-circuits-cie-igcse-physics

      The total resistance of this combination will be:

      • The sum of 2.0 Ω and 4.0 Ω

      • Greater than 4.0 Ω

      • Between 2.0 Ω and 4.0 Ω

      • Less than 2.0 Ω

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      51 mark

      Extended tier only

      Which diagram shows the correct symbol for a diode, and the correct direction of current moving through it?

      4-3-5-e-diode-current

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        11 mark

        The plug for an electric lamp contains a 3 A fuse. The fuse’s job is to protect the lamp if too much current flows.

        Where is the fuse positioned, and what happens when the fuse does its job?

         

        Where is it positioned?

        What does it do?

        A

        live wire

        reduces the current to 3 A

        B

        neutral wire

        breaks the circuit

        C

        live wire

        breaks the circuit

        D

        neutral wire

        reduces the current to 3 A

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          21 mark

          Which of the diagrams below shows a fuse which has been correctly connected to a circuit?

          q2-medium-mcq-4-3-electrical-circuits-cie-igcse-physics

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            31 mark

            Both fuses and circuit breakers are devices which protect devices from high currents that could cause them to get too hot and catch fire.

            The diagram shows two possible positions where a fuse or a circuit breaker could be positioned.

            q3-medium-mcq-4-3-electrical-circuits-cie-igcse-physics

            Which location would be suitable for a fuse, and which would be suitable for a circuit breaker?

             

            fuse

            circuit breaker

            A

            P

            P

            B

            P

            Q

            C

            Q

            P

            D

            Q

            Q

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              41 mark

              The diagram shows two bulbs, which have been connected in parallel. A fuse has been included in the circuit.

              Each of the ammeters reads 1.2 A.

              q4-medium-mcq-4-3-electrical-circuits-cie-igcse-physics

              What fuse should be put in this circuit?

              • 1.0 A

              • 3.0 A

              • 5.0 A

              • 13.0 A

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              51 mark

              A surge of current in a kettle melts the 13 A fuse.

              What will happen to the kettle next time it is used if the fuse is replaced with a 3 A fuse?

              • The fuse will melt and the kettle will be damaged.

              • The fuse will not blow and the kettle will operate normally.

              • The fuse will melt, but the kettle will not be damaged.

              • The fuse will not melt, but the kettle will not work.

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              61 mark

              The diagram shows a toaster that has been wired up.

              Three fuses have been connected to the toaster, but only one or two have been connected correctly.

              q6-medium-mcq-4-3-electrical-circuits-cie-igcse-physics

              Which of the fuses has been positioned correctly?

              • Fuse X and fuse Y

              • Fuse X only

              • Fuse Z only

              • Fuse X and fuse Z

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              71 mark

              An oven is wired into somebody’s kitchen. The oven is protected by a fuse, and functions normally, but the owner notices that the wires that connect the oven to the mains electricity supply get quite hot.

              What could be done to reduce the temperature of the wires?

              • Add a circuit breaker to the circuit.

              • Put thicker insulation on the wires.

              • Replace the wires with thicker diameter wires.

              • Replace the wires with thinner diameter wires.

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              81 mark

              The diagram shows two resistors connected in series with a battery.

              q8-medium-mcq-4-3-electrical-circuits-cie-igcse-physics

              What is the current through the battery?

              • 1.5 A

              • 150 A

              • 0.67 A

              • 15 A

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              91 mark

              A book shop owner sets up the circuit below, but they find that the lamp is too dim.

              q9-medium-mcq-4-3-electrical-circuits-cie-igcse-physics

              What change can be made to the circuit to increase the brightness of the bulb?

              • Putting another resistor in parallel with the battery.

              • Putting a resistor in parallel with the bulb.

              • Putting another resistor in series with the resistor.

              • Putting another resistor in parallel with the resistor.

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              101 mark

              A student sets up the circuit below, it contains four fuses and four bulbs.

              She finds that none of the bulbs are lit, but only one of the fuses has blown.

              Which fuse has blown?

              new-q10-medium-mcq-4-3-electrical-circuits-cie-igcse-physics

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                11 mark

                Extended tier only

                A homeowner buys a security light that switches on automatically when it gets dark.

                The security light contains the circuit, shown below.

                q1-hard-mcq-4-3-electrical-circuits-cie-igcse-physics

                When it gets dark, what happens to the resistance of the LDR, and what happens to the potential difference across the LDR?

                 

                Resistance of LDR

                p.d. across LDR

                A

                increases

                increases

                B

                decreases

                increases

                C

                increases

                decreases

                D

                decreases

                decreases

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                  21 mark

                  Extended tier only

                  Two resistors are connected in parallel.

                  q3-hard-mcq-4-3-electrical-circuits-cie-igcse-physics

                  What is the combined resistance of the combination?

                  • 20 Ω

                  • 4.8 Ω

                  • 0.21 Ω

                  • 1.5 Ω

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                  31 mark

                  Extended tier only

                  Two resistors are connected in parallel.

                  q4-hard-mcq-4-3-electrical-circuits-cie-igcse-physics

                  The current through the top resistor is 2.0 A.

                  What is the reading on the ammeter?

                  • 6.0 A

                  • 2.0 A

                  • 4.0 A

                  • 3.5 A

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                  41 mark

                  Extended tier only

                  A 10 Ω and a 30 Ω resistor are connected in series, as shown in the diagram below, making a potential divider circuit.

                  q5-hard-mcq-4-3-electrical-circuits-cie-igcse-physics

                  What would be the reading on the voltmeter?

                  • 2.0 V

                  • 6.0 V

                  • 4.0 V

                  • 8.0 V

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                  51 mark

                  Which of the following statements about the current in ammeters X, Y and Z is correct?

                  q6-hard-mcq-4-3-electrical-circuits-cie-igcse-physics
                  • The current through X equals the current through Y + the current through Z.

                  • The current through X is equal to the current through Z.

                  • The current through X is equal to the current through Y.

                  • The current through Y is greater than the current through Z.

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                  61 mark

                  Extended tier only

                  All the light bulbs in the diagrams above are identical. Each one is rated as ‘10 W, 230 V’.

                  In which of the diagrams are all the bulbs working at their normal brightness?

                  q7-hard-mcq-4-3-electrical-circuits-cie-igcse-physics

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                    71 mark

                    A student connects together some identical resistors in three different combinations, as shown in the diagram.

                    Which of the answers below shows the correct order of the combinations from the lowest resistance to the highest?

                    q8-hard-mcq-4-3-electrical-circuits-cie-igcse-physics
                    • P →  Q → R

                    • Q → P → R

                    • Q → R → P

                    • P → R → Q

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                    81 mark

                    A teacher writes a set of notes about two non-identical bulbs which are connected in parallel.

                    He makes one mistake. Which of the statements below is incorrect?

                    • They have the same current flowing through them.

                    • They have the same potential difference across them.

                    • They can be switched on and off individually.

                    • If one bulb blows, the other will continue to work.

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                    91 mark

                    A person wants to install a circuit breaker to protect themselves and their lawnmower from too much current.

                    Under normal operating conditions, the lawnmower carries 4 A of current.

                    The manufacturer provides the graph below with the circuit breaker.

                    q10-hard-mcq-4-3-electrical-circuits-cie-igcse-physics

                    What will happen when the current is 4 A, and what will happen if the current rises to 14 A?

                     

                    4 A

                    14 A

                    A

                    circuit does not break

                    circuit does not break

                    B

                    circuit does not break

                    circuit breaks quickly

                    C

                    circuit breaks quickly

                    circuit does not break

                    D

                    circuit breaks quickly

                    circuit breaks quickly

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