Cambridge IGCSE™

* 8 8 0 2 2 7 8 3 9 0 *

COMBINED SCIENCE 0653/61

Paper 6 Alternative to Practical May/June 2020

1 hour

You must answer on the question paper.

No additional materials are needed.

INSTRUCTIONS
● Answer all questions.
● Use a black or dark blue pen. You may use an HB pencil for any diagrams or graphs.
● Write your name, centre number and candidate number in the boxes at the top of the page.
● Write your answer to each question in the space provided.
● Do not use an erasable pen or correction fluid.
● Do not write on any bar codes.
● You may use a calculator.
● You should show all your working and use appropriate units.

INFORMATION
● The total mark for this paper is 40.
● The number of marks for each question or part question is shown in brackets [ ].

This document has 16 pages. Blank pages are indicated.

DC (JC/CT) 188485/2
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1 A student investigates the rate of diffusion in model cells.

Agar is a type of jelly that allows substances to diffuse (move) into it. Cubes of agar are used to
represent cells of different sizes.

(a) • Cubes of agar are stained with universal indicator.

• The student records the colour of the agar cubes.

colour of agar cubes = blue-green

Fig. 1.1 shows the pH chart for the universal indicator used.

pH 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
colour red orange green blue purple

Fig. 1.1

State the pH of the agar cubes.

................................................... [1]

(b) The student cuts three agar cubes so that they are different sizes. The sizes of the cubes are
shown in Table 1.1.

Table 1.1

cube A cube B cube C

description length
length

length
20 mm each side 10 mm each side 5 mm each side

surface area / mm2 2400

............................ ............................

volume / mm3 8000

............................ ............................

surface area
/ mm–1 0.3 0.6 1.2
volume

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(i) Calculate the surface area for cube B and for cube C.

Use the equation shown and record your values in Table 1.1.

surface area = (length)2 × 6

[1]

(ii) Calculate the volume for cube B and for cube C.

Use the equation shown and record your values in Table 1.1.

volume = (length)3

[1]

(c) • Each cube is put into a separate beaker.

• Sufficient dilute hydrochloric acid is added to cover each of the cubes.
• The cubes gradually change colour from blue-green to red.
• The time taken for the cubes to change to a red colour is measured.

The times displayed on the stop-clock for the three cubes are shown in Fig. 1.2.

cube A cube B cube C

04:55 02:25 00:47

HOUR MIN. SEC. HOUR MIN. SEC. HOUR MIN. SEC.

Fig. 1.2

(i) Record in Table 1.2 these times in seconds. [2]

(ii) Complete the heading in Table 1.2.

Table 1.2

surface area
cube / mm–1
volume ......................... / ............

A 0.3 295

B 0.6

C 1.2

[1]
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surface area
(iii) Describe the relationship between the value of and the time taken for the
volume
agar to change colour.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(iv) Explain why the cubes completely changed to a red colour.

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [2]

(v) State one safety hazard in this investigation and explain how the risk from this hazard is
reduced.

safety hazard .....................................................................................................................

explanation ........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................
[1]

(d) The temperature of the acid affects its rate of diffusion through an agar cube.

A student calculates the rate of diffusion of acid, through agar cubes of the same size, at
different temperatures. The results are shown in Table 1.3.

Table 1.3

rate of diffusion
temperature / °C
/ mm per hour
10 10
20 18
30 25
40 29
50 33

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(i) On the grid, plot the rate of diffusion against temperature.

rate of diffusion
/ mm per hour

temperature / °C
[2]

(ii) Draw a curve of best fit. [1]

[Total: 13]

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2 A student investigates the reaction between aqueous sodium hydroxide and dilute hydrochloric
acid.

The equation for this reaction is shown.

hydrochloric acid + sodium hydroxide sodium chloride + water

The student uses methyl orange indicator.

This indicator is:

• red in dilute hydrochloric acid
• yellow in aqueous sodium hydroxide
• orange in a neutral solution.

(a) Procedure

The student:
• measures 25 cm3 of aqueous sodium hydroxide in a measuring cylinder
• pours this into a conical flask and adds the indicator
• fills a burette with dilute hydrochloric acid
• adds the dilute hydrochloric acid to the flask slowly until the indicator turns orange. If too
much acid is added the indicator turns red
• records in Table 2.1 the colour of the solution at the end of the experiment and the
volume of dilute hydrochloric acid added
• repeats the experiment three more times.

(i) Name a piece of apparatus for measuring the 25 cm3 of aqueous sodium hydroxide more
accurately.

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) Fig. 2.1 shows the burette readings for experiments 2 and 3.

Record these volumes in Table 2.1.

cm3 cm3

5 5

dilute
6 hydrochloric 6
acid

experiment 2 experiment 3

Fig. 2.1

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Table 2.1

volume of dilute
colour of indicator at
experiment hydrochloric acid added
end of experiment
/ cm3
1 red 8.8
2 red
3 orange
4 orange 5.1
[2]

(iii) The student wants to calculate the average volume of hydrochloric acid needed to just
react completely with the aqueous sodium hydroxide.

Identify from Table 2.1 the volumes the student should use to calculate the average
volume of dilute hydrochloric acid. Explain your choice.

volumes .............................................................................................................................

explanation ........................................................................................................................
[1]

(iv) Use the volumes in (a)(iii) to calculate the average volume of dilute hydrochloric acid
used.

average volume used = .................................................. cm3 [1]

(v) Predict the volume of dilute hydrochloric acid needed to just react completely with 75 cm3
of the same aqueous sodium hydroxide.

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(vi) State the type of reaction which occurs when dilute hydrochloric acid reacts with aqueous
sodium hydroxide.

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

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(b) Dilute hydrochloric acid and aqueous sodium hydroxide react in a 1:1 ratio.

(i) Suggest whether the dilute hydrochloric acid or the aqueous sodium hydroxide is more
concentrated. Explain your answer.

more concentrated solution ...............................................................................................

explanation ........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................
[1]

(ii) Calculate how many times more concentrated the solution you chose in (b)(i) is than the
other solution.

= ................ times more concentrated [1]

(c) The student:

• adds some dilute hydrochloric acid to some aqueous sodium hydroxide
• places half of the mixture into a test-tube and the other half into an evaporating basin
• heats the mixture in the evaporating basin until all of the water has evaporated
• adds nitric acid and aqueous silver nitrate to the mixture in the test-tube
• records her observations.

There is a white
powder in the
evaporating basin.

There is a white
precipitate in the
test-tube.

(i) Identify the anion that causes the white precipitate with aqueous silver nitrate.

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) Identify the white powder in the evaporating basin.

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

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(iii) Draw the assembled apparatus used to evaporate the mixture.

Label your diagram.

[2]

[Total: 13]

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BLANK PAGE

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3 A student investigates a ray of light travelling from glass into air.

(a) • She sets up the apparatus as shown in Fig. 3.1.

• She shines the ray of light through the glass block along the normal (a line at 90° to the
block at the middle of the straight edge).
• The light emerges at 90° to the straight edge of the block.

ray box

narrow ray of light

emerging through single slit

semi-circular glass
block placed
normal
centrally on white
paper

straight edge

Fig. 3.1

(i) Draw on Fig. 3.1 the ray of light as it emerges from the glass block. Label the line X. [1]

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(ii) • She varies the angle of incidence i of the light entering the glass block as shown in
Fig. 3.2.

ray box

incident ray

normal
semi-circular glass
block

r
refracted
ray

Fig. 3.2

• She measures and records the angle of refraction r for each angle of incidence i
shown in Table 3.1.
• If no refracted ray emerges from the block she records this as no refraction.

Table 3.1

angle of incidence i / ° angle of refraction r / °

10 14
20 30
30
40 74
50 no refraction
60 no refraction

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Fig. 3.3 shows the refracted ray for the light with an angle of incidence i = 30°.

incident ray

30°

r
refracted
ray

Fig. 3.3

Measure the angle of refraction r and record this value in Table 3.1. [2]

(b) Suggest one improvement that gives the student more confidence in her results.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

(c) A student predicts that doubling the angle of incidence i will always double the angle of
refraction r.

Suggest whether the results in Table 3.1 support this prediction. Justify your answer with
reference to the results in Table 3.1.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

(d) When no light emerges from the straight edge of the glass block, all the light has been
reflected back inside the block.
The smallest angle of incidence at which all the light is reflected back inside the glass is
called the critical angle.
Use your results in Table 3.1 to estimate a value for the critical angle.

estimate for critical angle = ....................................................... ° [1]

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(e) Suggest how this experiment could be improved to find a more accurate value for the critical
angle.

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [1]

[Total: 7]

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4 A student suggests that water waves will travel at different speeds in different depths of water.

Plan an investigation to find out how the speed of water waves varies with the depth of water they
are travelling in.

You are provided with:

• a tank of length 50 cm × width 20 cm × depth 20 cm

• a supply of water
• a piece of wood that fits the width of the tank and can be dipped into the water to make water
waves
• any other common laboratory apparatus that you need for the investigation.

In your plan, include:

• any additional apparatus

• a brief description of the method. You may include a labelled diagram if you wish.
• the values for any variables you will change
• the variables you will control
• the measurements you will make
• how you will process your results to draw a conclusion.

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.................................................................................................................................................... [7]

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reasonable effort has been made by the publisher (UCLES) to trace copyright holders, but if any items requiring clearance have unwittingly been included, the
publisher will be pleased to make amends at the earliest possible opportunity.

To avoid the issue of disclosure of answer-related information to candidates, all copyright acknowledgements are reproduced online in the Cambridge
Assessment International Education Copyright Acknowledgements Booklet. This is produced for each series of examinations and is freely available to download
at www.cambridgeinternational.org after the live examination series.

Cambridge Assessment International Education is part of the Cambridge Assessment Group. Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of the University of
Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which itself is a department of the University of Cambridge.

© UCLES 2020 0653/61/M/J/20