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CIE iGCSE Co-Ordinated Science C11.3 Fuels Exam Style Questions Paper 2

CIE iGCSE Co-Ordinated Science Paper 2 - All Chapters

Question

Petroleum is separated into fractions by fractional distillation. Information about uses of some fractions and positions in the fractionating column where they are collected is shown.

Which rows are correct?

A. \(1\) and \(2\)  
B. \(1\) and \(4\)  
C. \(2\) and \(3\)  
D. \(3\) and \(4\)

▶️ Answer/Explanation
Naphtha, collected below gasoline, is correctly used as the raw material for making chemicals (statement \(3\)).
Refinery gas, the lightest fraction, is correctly collected at the top of the column and used for heating/cooking (statement \(4\)); statements \(1\) and \(2\) mismatch gasoline and bitumen.
✅ Answer: (D)

Question

Naphtha is obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum.

Which statements about naphtha are correct?

  1. It burns to form carbon dioxide and water.
  2. It is a mixture of hydrocarbons.
  3. It is present in bottled gas.
  4. The main component of naphtha is methane.

A. 1 and 2  
B. 1 and 4  
C. 2 and 3  
D. 3 and 4

▶️ Answer/Explanation
Naphtha is a hydrocarbon fraction, and like all hydrocarbons it burns completely to form carbon dioxide and water.
It is a mixture of hydrocarbons (not a single compound like methane), and it is not the fraction present in bottled gas (that is the more volatile refinery gas fraction).
✅ Answer: (A)

Question

Which fraction obtained from petroleum is used as a feedstock for making chemicals?

A. bitumen
B. gasoline
C. naphtha
D. refinery gas

▶️ Answer/Explanation
Each petroleum fraction has a defined main use: refinery gas for heating/cooking, gasoline for car fuel, and bitumen for road-making.
Naphtha, however, is the fraction specifically used as a chemical feedstock, providing starting materials for the petrochemical industry (e.g. to make alkenes and polymers).
This makes naphtha the correct answer for a chemical feedstock fraction.
✅ Answer: (C)

Question

Petroleum is a mixture of hydrocarbons which is separated into fractions by fractional distillation.

Which statements describe the fraction collected at the bottom of the fractionating column?

  1. It contains the smallest molecules.
  2. It has the weakest forces between molecules.
  3. It is the most viscous.
  4. It is the least flammable.

A. 1 and 2
B. 1 and 3
C. 2 and 4
D. 3 and 4

▶️ Answer/Explanation
The bottom fraction contains the largest hydrocarbon molecules, which have the strongest intermolecular forces, so statements 1 and 2 are incorrect.
Larger molecules make the fraction thick and syrupy (most viscous), and their strong intermolecular forces mean they need more energy to vaporise, making them harder to ignite (least flammable).
This means statements 3 and 4 correctly describe the bottom fraction.
✅ Answer: (D)

Question

Gasoline and diesel oil are fractions obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum. Which row about gasoline and diesel oil is correct?

▶️ Answer/Explanation
Diesel oil is collected at a higher temperature than gasoline because it has larger molecules with stronger intermolecular forces. Larger molecules have higher boiling points, so they condense lower down the fractionating column.
✅ Answer: (C)
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