Sound: past paper questions

Where the questions come from

• Question 19May/June 2026, paper 11Multiple choice1 mark

  Sound travels through air at a speed of $340\text{ m/s}$.

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• Question 23Oct/Nov 2025, paper 11Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  A siren is emitting a sound. As time passes, the sound becomes louder and higher pitched. What is happening to the amplitude and to the frequency of the emitted sound wave?

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• Question 23Oct/Nov 2024, paper 11Multiple choice1 mark

  The horn on a ship makes a sound. The captain on the ship hears an echo from a cliff 4.0 s later. The speed of sound is 340 m / s. How far away is the cliff from the ship?

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• Question 23Oct/Nov 2023, paper 11Multiple choice1 mark

  Dogs can hear sounds in the range from $100\text{ Hz}$ to $45\text{ kHz}$. Which statement is correct?

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• Question 25May/June 2026, paper 11Multiple choice1 mark

  The diagram represents a sound wave. Which changes are occurring to this sound wave?

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• Question 23Oct/Nov 2024, paper 12Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  Sound waves may cause an echo. What happens to sound waves to cause an echo and what is the nature of sound waves?

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• Question 23Oct/Nov 2023, paper 12Multiple choice1 mark

  Which statement about a sound that can be heard by a person with normal hearing is correct?

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• Question 19May/June 2026, paper 12Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  The speed of sound in water is $1500\text{ m/s}$. What is the wavelength in water of a sound of frequency $26\text{ kHz}$?

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• Question 25May/June 2026, paper 12Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  An audible sound wave and an ultrasound wave are travelling in air. The table shows information about properties of the waves. Which property gives possible correct information for both the audible sound wave and the ultrasound wave?

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• Question 17Oct/Nov 2023, paper 21Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  Two men, P and Q, stand close to a gap in a wall, as shown. Man P cannot see man Q but man P can hear man Q speaking. Which statement explains this?

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• Question 26May/June 2026, paper 12Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  The hearing ranges of four animals are shown.

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• Question 23Oct/Nov 2024, paper 22Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  The starter in an athletics race fires the starting pistol. There is a wall $60\text{ m}$ from the starter. Take the speed of sound as $330\text{ m / s}$.

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• Question 23Oct/Nov 2023, paper 21Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  The element mercury exists as a solid, a liquid or a gas. Which row gives a possible set of values of the speeds of sound through mercury?

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• Question 18Oct/Nov 2025, paper 22Multiple choice1 mark

  Which statement is correct?

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• Question 23Oct/Nov 2023, paper 22Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  Which row gives typical values for the speed of sound in a solid and in a gas?

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• Question 23Oct/Nov 2025, paper 22Multiple choice1 mark

  Sound travels through air as a series of compressions and rarefactions. Which statement correctly compares a compression with a rarefaction?

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• Question 6Oct/Nov 2024, paper 31Structured4 marksHas a diagram

  Fig. 6.1 shows some students near some rocky cliffs looking at a boat at sea. The students watch a firework display on the boat. One of the fireworks bursts and makes a loud sound.

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• Question 23Oct/Nov 2023, paper 23Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  Which row gives approximate values for the speed of sound in copper, water and air?

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• Question 23Oct/Nov 2025, paper 23Multiple choice1 mark

  Both the amplitude and the frequency of a sound wave decrease. What happens to the sound that is heard?

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• Question 5Oct/Nov 2024, paper 41Structured9 marksHas a diagram

  A loudspeaker produces a sound wave in air. The distance between the centre of a compression and the centre of a neighbouring rarefaction is 0.10 m. Calculate the wavelength of the sound wave.

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• Question 7Oct/Nov 2023, paper 32Structured7 marksHas a diagram

  A student can hear trains passing her house. Describe the motion that a sound wave gives to air particles.

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• Question 18May/June 2026, paper 21Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  When a person speaks, sound waves leave through the person's mouth and spread out in many directions. Which row states the physical process that causes the sound waves to spread out and the reason why this happens as the sound waves leave an open mouth?

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• Question 5Oct/Nov 2025, paper 41Structured8 marks

  A dolphin communicates with other dolphins underwater by emitting sounds in the range $7\text{–}15\text{ kHz}$. State the value of the speed of sound in air and state how the speed of sound in water differs from the speed of sound in air.

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• Question 6Oct/Nov 2024, paper 42Structured8 marksHas a diagram

  A student plays the violin near the doorway to a large room. Fig. 6.1 shows a young teacher standing where he can hear the sound but cannot see the student.

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• Question 9Oct/Nov 2023, paper 33Structured6 marksHas a diagram

  Describe what is meant by alternating current (a.c.).

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• Question 24May/June 2026, paper 21Multiple choice1 mark

  Which value is closest to the speed of sound in air?

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• Question 23May/June 2025, paper 11Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  The amplitude and the frequency of a sound wave both increase. What happens to the loudness and what happens to the pitch of the sound?

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• Question 8Oct/Nov 2024, paper 42Structured6 marksHas a diagram

  A fisherman uses high frequency sound waves to locate fish in the sea. Fig. 8.1 shows the sound waves emitted from the boat. State the name of sound waves which have a frequency greater than $20\text{ kHz}$.

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• Question 22May/June 2023, paper 11Multiple choice1 mark

  Student X fires a starting pistol which produces smoke and sound. Student Y is standing $100\text{ m}$ away and sees the smoke the instant it is produced. The speed of sound in air is $340\text{ m / s}$.

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• Question 24May/June 2025, paper 11Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  Which statements about sound and ultrasound are correct?

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