Core Science - C1.1 - The atmosphere

Question 1

Explain how the growth of primitive plants changed the percentage of oxygen
and carbon dioxide in the Earth’s early atmosphere.
(2)

Answer 1

An explanation linking two of the
following points:
• decrease the percentage of
/removes / takes in carbon
dioxide (1)
• increase the percentage of
/produces / gives out oxygen
(1)
• photosynthesis (1)

Question 2

There was also a large amount of water vapour in the Earth’s early atmosphere.
There is a much smaller amount of water vapour in the atmosphere on Earth
today.
Explain how the amount of water in the Earth’s atmosphere decreased.
(2)

Answer 2

An explanation linking two of the
following points
• Earth cooled (1)
• {water (vapour) / steam}
condensed (1)
• {seas / oceans / rivers /
lakes} formed (1)

Question 3

Methane burns in air.
methane + oxygen carbon dioxide + water
This causes small changes in the amounts of some gases in today’s atmosphere.
Explain why burning methane changes the amounts of gases in the atmosphere.
(2)

Answer 3

An explanation linking two of the
following points
• amount of oxygen decreases
/ methane {uses / reacts
with / combines with}
oxygen (1)
• amount of carbon dioxide
increases / {produces
/forms /makes/lets
out/gives off /releases}
carbon dioxide(1)
• amount of water (vapour)
increases / {produces
/forms /makes/lets
out/gives off /releases}
water (vapour) (1)

Question 4

Apart from burning fossil fuels, state two other activities that affect the amounts
of gases in the atmosphere.
(2)

Answer 4

Any two from the following points
• farming / animals release
methane (1)
• deforestation / cutting down
trees (1)
• burning anything that is not
a fossil fuel eg wood /
rubbish / waste / plastic (1)
• living things {breathing /
respiration / taking in
oxygen and releasing carbon
dioxide} (1)
• plants {photosynthesising /
taking in carbon dioxide and
releasing oxygen} (1)
• {plants / animals}
{decaying / decomposing}
(1)
• rotting waste (in landfill) (1)
• processing limestone (1)

Question 5

State what produced the gases in the Earth’s early atmosphere.
(1)

Answer 5

volcanoes

Question 6

Describe how carbon dioxide from the atmosphere becomes calcium carbonate in
rocks.
(2)

Answer 6

a description including two of the
following points
• dissolves in oceans/seas
/water (1)
• (used to form) skeletons /
shells (of marine
organisms) (1)
• (these) formed sediments
(when the organisms died)
(which were then
compacted) (1)

Question 7

When primitive plants appeared on Earth, the amount of oxygen in the
atmosphere changed.
Explain why.
(2)

Answer 7

an explanation linking the
following points
• (plants) undergo
photosynthesis/absorb
carbon dioxide (1)
• gives off oxygen /
increases oxygen (in
atmosphere) (1)

Question 8

Candles are made of wax which contains octadecane.
Octadecane burns in air to form carbon dioxide and water only.
Write the word equation for this reaction.
(2)

Answer 8

octadecane + oxygen (1)→ carbon dioxide + water (1)

Question 9

When fuels are burnt, various gases can be given off including carbon monoxide,
carbon dioxide, water vapour and sulfur dioxide.
(a) Give the name of the element that burns, in oxygen, to form sulfur dioxide.
(1)

Answer 9

sulfur

Question 10

Sulfur dioxide dissolves in water in the atmosphere to form acid rain.
State two problems caused by acid rain.
(2)

Answer 10

any two of the following
• damages one of statues /
buildings / stonework
/limestone/marble/chalk/
iron / steel (1)
• damages one of
trees/plants/soil (1)
• specified water life affected
e.g. fish die (1)

Question 11

Explain how heated copper removes oxygen from the air.

2

Answer 11

An explanation linking
copper reacts with oxygen
(1)
to form copper oxide (1)

Question 12

Oxygen reacts with hydrogen in a fuel cell to produce energy.
(i) Give the name of the product formed when oxygen reacts with hydrogen.
(1)

Answer 12

water

Question 13

The Earth’s early atmosphere contained a larger percentage of water vapour
than the Earth’s atmosphere today.
Explain what happened to cause the percentage of water vapour in the Earth’s
atmosphere to decrease.
(3)

Answer 13

An explanation linking three of
the following
• {the Earth / atmosphere}
cooled (1)
• water vapour condensed
• {liquid/ water/ rain}
formed (1)
• produced {sea/oceans}(1)

Question 14

Give the name of the gas in air that is produced by photosynthesis.
(1)

Answer 14

oxygen

Question 15

The early Earth was hot and its atmosphere contained a lot more water vapour
than the atmosphere does now.
Explain how the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere decreased.
(2)

Answer 15

An explanation linking any two
of
• {Earth/atmosphere}
cooled (1)
• water vapour condensed /
forms rain / forms clouds
/ forms precipitation (1)
• {seas/ oceans} formed /
soaked into ground (1)

Question 16

Explain why cutting down forests affects the amount of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere.
(2)

Answer 16

An explanation linking any two
of
EITHER
• photosynthesis (1)
• which takes in/ absorbs /
removes carbon dioxide
(1)
OR
• wood burned / wood
decays (1)
THERFORE
• carbon dioxide increases
(1)