Electric Circuits & Electrical Safety (CIE IGCSE Physics: Co-ordinated Sciences (Double Award))

Exam Questions

3 hours34 questions
11 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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    21 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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    31 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 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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      21 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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      31 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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      41 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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      51 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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      61 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

        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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        21 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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        31 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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        41 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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          51 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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          61 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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          71 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.

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          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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