Common Entrance Basic Science
Past Questions

89+ verified Basic Science practice questions for Common Entrance. Step-by-step worked answers in 5 Nigerian languages.

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Basic Science topics (21)

Human Body
11 questions
Plants
11 questions
Matter
8 questions
Health
7 questions
Nutrition
8 questions
Solar System
7 questions
Magnetism
1 questions
Simple Machines
3 questions
Measurement
1 questions
Living Things
2 questions
Energy
4 questions
Light
3 questions
Sound
1 questions
Animals
7 questions
Electricity
2 questions
Environment
3 questions
Forces
2 questions
Technology
4 questions
Heat
1 questions
Weather
1 questions
Soil
2 questions

Sample Basic Science practice questions

1. How many teeth does a normal adult human have?

  • A. 32
  • B. 36
  • C. 28
  • D. 20

Answer: A

AI Explanation

Adults have 32 permanent teeth; children have 20 milk teeth.

2. Which organ pumps blood round the body?

  • A. kidney
  • B. heart
  • C. lungs
  • D. liver

Answer: B

AI Explanation

The heart is a muscular organ that pumps blood through the blood vessels.

3. Which part of the blood fights germs?

  • A. plasma
  • B. red blood cells
  • C. platelets
  • D. white blood cells

Answer: D

AI Explanation

White blood cells defend the body against infection.

4. Which of these is NOT needed for a seed to germinate?

  • A. water
  • B. air
  • C. sunlight
  • D. warmth

Answer: C

AI Explanation

Seeds germinate with water, air and warmth; sunlight is needed later by the seedling.

5. Green plants make their own food by a process called:

  • A. photosynthesis
  • B. germination
  • C. digestion
  • D. respiration

Answer: A

AI Explanation

Green plants use sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to make their own food.

6. Which gas do green plants take in to make food?

  • A. nitrogen
  • B. carbon dioxide
  • C. oxygen
  • D. hydrogen

Answer: B

AI Explanation

Plants take in carbon dioxide and give out oxygen during photosynthesis.

7. Which part of a plant absorbs water from the soil?

  • A. stem
  • B. flower
  • C. leaf
  • D. root

Answer: D

AI Explanation

Root hairs absorb water and mineral salts from the soil.

8. At sea level, pure water boils at:

  • A. 212 °C
  • B. 50 °C
  • C. 0 °C
  • D. 100 °C

Answer: D

AI Explanation

Pure water boils at 100 degrees Celsius at sea level (212 is the Fahrenheit value).

9. Water vapour changing into water droplets is called:

  • A. freezing
  • B. evaporation
  • C. condensation
  • D. melting

Answer: C

AI Explanation

When a gas cools and changes to a liquid, it is called condensation.

10. Ice changing into water is called:

  • A. condensation
  • B. melting
  • C. evaporation
  • D. freezing

Answer: B

AI Explanation

When a solid changes to a liquid by heating, it is called melting.

11. Malaria is spread by the:

  • A. housefly
  • B. tsetse fly
  • C. cockroach
  • D. female Anopheles mosquito

Answer: D

AI Explanation

The female Anopheles mosquito carries the malaria parasite.

12. Eating plenty of oranges, lemons and other citrus fruits helps to prevent:

  • A. goitre
  • B. scurvy
  • C. rickets
  • D. malaria

Answer: B

AI Explanation

Citrus fruits are rich in the vitamin that keeps gums and skin healthy; lack of it causes scurvy (bleeding gums).

13. Which class of food helps the body to grow and repair tissues?

  • A. carbohydrate
  • B. fats and oils
  • C. water
  • D. protein

Answer: D

AI Explanation

Proteins (beans, fish, meat, eggs) are body-building foods.

14. Which of these foods is rich in carbohydrate?

  • A. beans
  • B. egg
  • C. yam
  • D. fish

Answer: C

AI Explanation

Yam is an energy-giving (carbohydrate) food.

15. Which is the largest planet in the solar system?

  • A. Jupiter
  • B. Mars
  • C. Earth
  • D. Saturn

Answer: A

AI Explanation

Jupiter is the largest planet; Earth is the third planet from the Sun.

16. Which body is at the centre of the solar system?

  • A. Jupiter
  • B. the Moon
  • C. the Sun
  • D. the Earth

Answer: C

AI Explanation

The Sun is at the centre, and all the planets revolve round it.

17. A magnet will attract an object made of:

  • A. copper
  • B. plastic
  • C. iron
  • D. wood

Answer: C

AI Explanation

Iron is a magnetic material; wood, plastic and copper are not attracted by a magnet.

18. A see-saw is an example of a:

  • A. lever
  • B. wheel and axle
  • C. pulley
  • D. inclined plane

Answer: A

AI Explanation

A see-saw turns about a pivot (fulcrum).

19. Which instrument is used to measure body temperature?

  • A. barometer
  • B. rain gauge
  • C. stethoscope
  • D. clinical thermometer

Answer: D

AI Explanation

A clinical thermometer measures body temperature.

20. Which of these is a non-living thing?

  • A. mushroom
  • B. goat
  • C. stone
  • D. mango tree

Answer: C

AI Explanation

A stone does not grow, feed or reproduce.

21. Which of these is a mammal that can fly?

  • A. bat
  • B. eagle
  • C. butterfly
  • D. ostrich

Answer: A

AI Explanation

Bats are mammals because they feed their young with milk, and they can fly.

22. Which of these changes chemical energy into electrical energy?

  • A. switch
  • B. bulb
  • C. fan
  • D. dry cell

Answer: D

AI Explanation

A dry cell (battery) produces electricity from chemicals.

23. How many colours are there in a rainbow?

  • A. 7
  • B. 6
  • C. 8
  • D. 5

Answer: A

AI Explanation

A rainbow has 7 colours: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.

24. Sound cannot travel through:

  • A. a vacuum
  • B. steel
  • C. air
  • D. water

Answer: A

AI Explanation

Sound needs a material such as air, water or solids to travel; a vacuum has none.

25. How many legs does an insect have?

  • A. 6
  • B. 4
  • C. 10
  • D. 8

Answer: A

AI Explanation

Insects have six legs and three body parts: head, thorax and abdomen.

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