Madeley High School

Radiation and the Universe C Questions

Q1.

Name:__________________________________________

To gain full marks in this question you should write your ideas in good English. Put
them into a sensible order and use the correct scientific words.
Explain briefly how stars like the Sun are thought to have been formed.
...............................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................
(Total 2 marks)

Q2.

The diagram represents an atom of beryllium.

(a)

Complete the following statements by writing one of the letters, J, K or L, in each

box.
Each letter should be used only once.
The particle with a positive charge is
The particle with the smallest mass is
The particle with no charge is
(2)

(b)

Give the reason why all atoms have a total charge of zero.
........................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................ (1)

(c)

Complete the following sentence.

There are several isotopes of beryllium. Atoms of different beryllium
isotopes will have different numbers of ........................................................

(d)

(1)

What happens to the structure of an atom to change it into an ion?

........................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................ (1)
(Total 5 marks)

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Q3.

In the early part of the 20th century some scientists

investigated the paths taken by positively charged alpha
particles into and out of a very thin piece of gold foil. The
diagram shows the paths of three alpha particles.
Explain the different paths A, B and C of the alpha
particles.
To gain full marks in this question you should write
your ideas in good English. Put them into a sensible
order and use the correct scientific words.

.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(3)
(Total 3 marks)

Q4.

(a)
The graph shows how the count rate from a sample containing the radioactive
substance cobalt-60 changes with time.

(i)

What is the range of the count rate shown on the graph?

From .................... counts per second to .................... counts per second. (1)

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(ii)

How many years does it take for the count rate to fall from 200 counts per second to 100
counts per second?
Time = .................................................. years
(1)

(iii)

What is the half-life of cobalt-60?

(b)

The gamma radiation emitted from a source of cobalt-60 can be used to kill the bacteria
on fresh, cooked and frozen foods. Killing the bacteria reduces the risk of food poisoning.

Half-life = .................................................. years (1)

The diagram shows how a conveyor belt can be used to move food past a cobalt-60 source.

(i)

Which one of the following gives a way of increasing the amount of gamma
radiation the food receives?
Put a tick (

) in the box next to your answer.

Increase the temperature of the cobalt-60 source.

Make the conveyor belt move more slowly
Move the cobalt-60 source away from the conveyor belt
(1)

(ii)

To protect people from the harmful effects of the gamma radiation, the cobalt-60 source
has thick metal shielding.
Which one of the following metals should be used?
Aluminium

copper

lead
(1)
(Total 5 marks)

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(a)
A doctor uses the radioactive isotope technetium-99 to find out if a patients
kidneys are working correctly.

Q5.

The doctor injects a small amount of technetium-99

into the patients bloodstream.
Technetium-99 emits gamma radiation.
Give two reasons why an isotope that emits
gamma radiation is injected into the patient rather
than an isotope that emits alpha radiation.

1......................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................
2......................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................
(2)

(b)

If the patients kidneys are working correctly, the technetium-99 will pass from the
bloodstream into the kidneys and then into the patients urine.
Detectors are used to measure the radiation emitted from the kidneys.
The level of radiation emitted from each kidney is recorded on a graph.

(i)

How do the graphs show that technetium-99 is passing from the bloodstream
into each kidney?
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
(1)

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(ii)

By looking at the graphs, the doctor is able to tell if there is a problem with the
patients kidneys.
Which one of the following statements is correct?
Put a tick (

) in the box next to your answer.

Only the right kidney is working correctly.

Only the left kidney is working correctly.

Both kidneys are working correctly.

Explain the reason for your answer.

...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
(3)

(c)

The patient was worried about having a radioactive isotope injected into their body.
The doctor explained that the risk to the patients health was very small as
technetium-99 has a short half-life.
(i)

What does the term half-life mean?

...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
(1)

(ii)

Explain why it is important that the doctor uses an isotope with a short half-life
rather than an isotope with a long half-life.
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
(2)
(Total 9 marks)

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Q6.

The pie chart shows the sources of the background radiation and the radiation doses
that the average person in the UK is exposed to in one year.
Radiation dose is measured in millisieverts (mSv).

(a)

(i)

What is the total radiation dose that the average person in the UK receives?
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
Total radiation dose = .................................................. mSv
(1)

(ii)

A student looked at the pie chart and then wrote down three statements.
Which one of the following statements is a correct conclusion from this data?
Put a tick (

) in the box next to your answer.

In the future, more people will be exposed to a greater proportion of radon gas.
People that have never had an X-ray get 50% of their radiation dose from radon gas
The radiation dose from natural sources is much greater than from artificial sources
(1)

(b)

The concentration of radon gas inside a home can vary from day to day. In some homes,
the level can build up to produce a significant health risk. It is estimated that each year
1000 to 2000 people die because of the effects of radiation from radon gas.
(i)

It is not possible to give an exact figure for the number of deaths caused by
the effects of radiation from radon gas. Why?
...............................................................................................................
(1)

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The table gives data for the radiation levels measured in homes in 4 different parts of the UK.
The radiation levels were measured using two detectors, one in the living room and one in the
bedroom. The measurements were taken over 3 months.
Area of
the UK

Number of
homes
in the area

590 000

160

15

81

484 000

130

18

92

221 000

68 000

162

10 000

318 000

35 300

95

6 900

(ii)

Number of
homes
in the sample

Average
radiation
level in
Bq/m3

Maximum
radiation
level in
Bq/m3

Give one reason why the measurements were taken over 3 months using
detectors in different rooms.
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
(1)

(iii)

Use information from the table to suggest why a much higher proportion of
homes were sampled in areas C and D than in areas A and B.
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
(2)
(Total 6 marks)

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Radiation and the Universe C Questions Mark scheme

M1.
The answer to this question requires ideas in good English in a sensible order with correct
use of scientific terms. Quality of written communication should be considered in crediting points in
the mark scheme.
Maximum of 1 mark if ideas not well expressed
any two from:
dust and gas or remnants of a super nova
accept hydrogen for dust and gas
do not accept hydrogen burns
pulled together by (force of) gravity
nuclear fusion starts
although candidates may include more detail these points
are essential to score the credit
[2]

M2.

(a)

J
K
all 3 in correct order = 2 marks
1 or 2 correct
=1 mark

(b)

number of electrons = number of protons

(c)

neutrons

(d)

loses / gains electron(s)

accept amount for number

this answer only

1
1
1

[5]

M3.
correct use of terms underlined in B or C
describes 3 tracks correctly for
describes 2 or 1 track correctly for

1
2 marks
1 mark

A alpha particle passes straight through the empty space of the atom
or it is a long way from the nucleus
B alpha particle deflected / repelled / repulsed by the (positive) nucleus
C alpha particle heading straight for the nucleus is deflected / repelled /
repulsed backwards
do not accept hits the nucleus
do not accept answers referring to refraction
do not accept answers in terms of reflected backwards
unless qualified in terms of repulsion
mention of difference in charge on nucleus negates that
track
max 2

[3]

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M4.

(a)

(i)

200 to 50

accept either order

(ii)

5.3

accept values between 5.2 and 5.4 inclusive

(iii)

5.3
accept values between 5.2 and 5.4 inclusive
Or their (a)(ii)

(b)

(i)

Make the conveyor belt move more slowly

(ii)
(c)

lead
Exposure increased the content of some types of vitamin.

1
1
1

[6]

M5.

(a)

gamma will pass through the body

it refers to gamma
oralpha will not pass through the body
answers must relate to the body
accept skin for body
1

gamma is only slightly ionising

accept gamma causes less damage to cells / tissue
or
alpha is heavily ionising
do not accept gamma causes no damage to cells
less harmful is insufficient
1

(b)

(i)

(both graphs show an initial) increase in count-rate

accept both show an increase
1

(ii)

only the right kidney is working correctly

1

any two from:

if incorrect box chosen maximum of 1 mark can be awarded
reference to named kidney can be inferred from the tick box

count-rate / level / line for right kidney decreases (rapidly)

it decreases is insufficient

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count-rate / level / line for left kidney does not change

it does not change is insufficient

radiation is being passed out / into urine - if referring to right kidney

radiation is not being passed out - if referring to the left kidney

2

(c)

(i)

time taken for number of nuclei to halve

or
time taken for the count-rate to halve
1

(ii)

short half-life the level of radiation (in the body) decreases rapidly
it refers to short life isotope
1

to a safe / very small levelora long half-life the radiation remains in the body
/ for a long time
level of radiation remains high
answers in terms of damage eg cancer are insufficient
1

[9]

M6.

(a)

(i)

2.5
1

(ii)

The radiation dose from natural sources is much greater

than from artificial sources.
1

(b)

(i)

other factors may be involved

accept a specific suggestion
eg they may be exposed to other types of radiation
accept cannot be sure (in many cases) that the cause of
death is radon (poisoning)
1

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(ii)

any one from:

different concentrations in different rooms

to average out daily fluctuations

accept to find an average
accept to make the result (more) reliable / valid
do not accept to make more accurate on its own
1

(iii) average level (much) higher (in C and D)

accept converse
1

some homes have very high level (in C and D)

accept maximum level in A and B is low
ormaximum level in some homes (in C and D) is very high
accept higher radiation levels (in C and D) for 1 mark
1

[6]

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