Cambridge Past Paper Questions
Browse 23,045questions from 25 years of O-Level & A-Level exams. Click any question to practice.
Tensions between Northern and Southern states of the USA erupted into war in 1861.
In the years before 1914, relations between European powers grew increasingly tense.
The League of Nations faced many humanitarian and peacekeeping challenges.
Hitler established a clear set of aims for his foreign policy.
The outbreak of the Korean War tested the American policy of containment.
Objections in East European states to Soviet control met with resistance.
Both sides tried many ways to achieve a breakthrough on the Western Front.
The war had an impact on civilians in many different ways.
Germany faced difficult times in the aftermath of the First World War.
Germany's economy and society were put under strain as the Second World War progressed.
Despite rising discontent in the years up to 1905, the Tsarist regime survived.
Many factors contributed to Stalin's ability to achieve and maintain control over the USSR.
The boom brought advantages for some Americans but did not benefit all.
Although the New Deal attempted to address many problems, it faced criticism.
Hitler's conquest of most of mainland Europe was rapid.
Civilians across the world suffered as a result of war.
Option A: Nineteenth century topic Did Americans blame Spain for the sinking of the Maine? Study the Background Information and the sources caref...
Option B: Twentieth century topic What was the real purpose of the Marshall Plan? Study the Background Information and the sources carefully, and...
Option A: Nineteenth century topic Was Spain responsible for the sinking of the Maine? Study the Background Information and the sources carefully, ...
Option B: Twentieth century topic Did the blockade of Berlin ever have a chance of succeeding? Study the Background Information and the sources car...
Separate samples of 0.02 mol of calcium carbonate and 0.02 mol of barium carbonate are heated until completely decomposed to the metal oxide and ca...
[MnCl₄]²⁻ is a complex ion.
An excess of sodium iodide is added to a solution of copper(II) sulfate. Iodine and a white precipitate of copper(I) iodide are formed.
The structure of phenylethanoic acid is shown. [Figure X.X showing the structure of phenylethanoic acid]
Phenylamine, C₆H₅NH₂, and ethylamine, C₂H₅NH₂, can be distinguished by adding aqueous bromine.
Compound T is made by a three-stage synthesis. [Figure X.X showing the synthesis pathway for Compound T from phenylethanoic acid]
Valine (Val) and lysine (Lys) are amino acids. The structures of these amino acids can be found in the Data Booklet. The isoelectric point of an am...
Radium is a Group 2 element. The predicted lattice energy, ∆H°latt, of radium sulfide, RaS, is –2612kJ mol⁻¹. Some data relating to radium and sul...
Ethoxyethane, C₂H₅OC₂H₅, can dissolve both in water and in octan-1-ol. The expression and numerical value for the partition coefficient of ethoxyet...
Pure water is a very poor conductor of electricity. However, when hydrogen chloride gas is dissolved in water, ions are formed and a current flows ...
Separate samples of 0.01 mol of magnesium nitrate and 0.01 mol of strontium nitrate are heated until completely decomposed to the metal oxide, nitr...
Transition elements form complexes. (a) Molybdenum, Mo, forms an octahedral complex consisting of one Mo atom surrounded by carbon monoxide, CO, mo...
An excess of aqueous ammonia is added to a solution containing the complex ion [Co(H₂O)₆]²⁺. [Co(H₂O)₆]²⁺ + 6NH₃ ⇌ [Co(NH₃)₆]²⁺ + 6H₂O
The structure of benzene-1,3-dicarboxylic acid is shown. [Figure of benzene-1,3-dicarboxylic acid]
Alanine, H₂NCH(CH₃)CO₂H, and glutamic acid, H₂NCH(CH₂CH₂CO₂H)CO₂H, are two naturally occurring amino acids.
Butylamine, CH₃CH₂CH₂CH₂NH₂, can be synthesised from different organic compounds by using suitable reagents. Each reaction involves one step.
Complete the table to show the structure of the organic product from each reaction of phenol, C₆H₅OH. [Figure not explicitly referenced, but implie...
(a) Define the term electron affinity.
(a) [MnCl4]2- is a complex ion.
The structure of phenylethanoic acid is shown. [Figure of phenylethanoic acid structure, C₆H₅CH₂COOH]
Compound T is made by a three-stage synthesis. [Figure showing a synthesis pathway: phenylethanoic acid -> (stage 1) Compound R (C₆H₅CH₂COCl) -> (s...
Potassium hydrogencarbonate, KHCO3, decomposes when strongly heated to form potassium carbonate, K2CO3. 2KHCO3(s) → K2CO3(s) + CO2(g) + H₂O(I) A ...
The rate of reaction between calcium carbonate, CaCO3, and hydrochloric acid, HCl, can be followed by collecting and measuring the volume of carbon...
It is possible to measure the enthalpy change of combustion, ∆Hc, of ethanol, C2H5OH, using the following apparatus. [Figure 1.1] A student carries...
Halogenoalkanes undergo hydrolysis with aqueous sodium hydroxide to form alcohols. e.g. CH3CH2CH2CH2Br(l) + NaOH(aq) → CH3CH2CH2CH2OH(l) + NaBr(aq)...
Why is the first ionisation energy of phosphorus greater than the first ionisation energy of silicon?
Sodium peroxide, Na2O2, is used to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release oxygen in closed environments such as space capsules and s...
Calcium oxide and magnesium sulfide each react with acid. CaO(s) + 2H+(aq) → Ca²+(aq) + H2O(l) MgS(s) + 2H+(aq) → Mg2+(aq) + H2S(g) A mixture of ...
Two moles of VO2+ ions react with one mole of zinc atoms in the presence of dilute acid. The products include Zn2+ ions and an ion, Y. Ion Y contai...
The compound potassium bismuthate(V), KBiO3, is a powerful oxidising agent. What is the significance of the (V) in potassium bismuthate(V)?