PPSC Everyday Science Past Paper 2018 Solved MCQs with Answers
Solved Everyday Science MCQs from the PPSC 2018 past paper, each with the correct answer and a clear explanation. Ideal practice for PPSC, FPSC, NTS, CSS and PMS. All questions are extracted from the actual 2018 paper and verified before publication.
Gas commonly used to extinguish fire:
Carbon dioxide smothers a fire, being heavier than air and not supporting combustion.
Used to cut very hard substances:
Silicon carbide, or carborundum, is used to cut and grind very hard materials.
Element common to all acids is:
Every acid contains hydrogen, which it releases as H+ ions in solution.
Biogas is mainly composed of:
Biogas is mainly methane with carbon dioxide, produced by bacteria digesting organic waste without air.
The most malleable and ductile metal is:
Gold is the most malleable and ductile metal. A single gram can be drawn into a wire over two kilometres long.
Which is a non-metal that is liquid at room temperature?
Bromine is the only non-metal that is liquid at room temperature.
Which metal is liquid at room temperature?
Mercury is the only metal liquid at ordinary room temperature.
Radium is obtained from:
Radium is obtained from pitchblende, the uranium ore from which the Curies first extracted it.
Laughing gas is chemically:
Laughing gas is nitrous oxide, N2O, used as a mild anaesthetic.
Red phosphorus is used in:
Red phosphorus is used on the striking surface of safety matches.
Stainless steel mainly contains iron and:
Stainless steel is iron with chromium, which forms an invisible oxide layer that resists rust.
An amalgam is a mixture of mercury with:
An amalgam is an alloy of mercury with another metal, as used in dental fillings.
Which is NOT an ore of aluminium?
Azurite is a copper ore. Bauxite, cryolite and corundum are all aluminium minerals.
Non-stick pans are coated with:
Non-stick pans are coated with Teflon, polytetrafluoroethylene.
Sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃) is also called:
Sodium carbonate is washing soda. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate and caustic soda is sodium hydroxide.
Mica is a poor conductor of:
Mica is a poor conductor of electricity, which is why it is used as an insulator in electrical appliances.
Lead pencils contain:
Pencil leads are graphite mixed with clay. They contain no lead at all.
Filament in incandescent bulb is made of:
Bulb filaments are tungsten, which has the highest melting point of any metal.
Bleaching powder is also known as:
Bleaching powder is calcium hypochlorite, also called chloride of lime.
Transistors are made from:
Transistors are made from the semiconductors silicon and germanium.
Gas usually filled in electric bulbs is:
Electric bulbs are filled with an inert gas, commonly nitrogen or argon, to stop the filament burning away.
Heavy water contains:
Heavy water is deuterium oxide, its hydrogen being the heavier isotope deuterium.
Welding gases are:
Oxygen and acetylene are burnt together in welding, giving a flame hot enough to melt steel.
Potassium nitrate (KNO₃) is used in:
Potassium nitrate, saltpetre, is a component of gunpowder along with charcoal and sulphur.
Purest form of iron is:
Wrought iron is the purest commercial form of iron, with less than 0.1 per cent carbon.
Marsh gas is also called:
Marsh gas is methane, given off by rotting vegetation in marshes.
Galvanised iron is iron coated with:
Galvanised iron is coated with zinc, which corrodes in place of the iron beneath it.
Brass is an alloy of:
Brass is copper and zinc.
Bell metal is mainly:
Bell metal is a bronze, copper with a high proportion of tin, which gives it its ringing tone.
Photo films contain:
Photographic film carries silver halides, which darken on exposure to light.
Green flame in fireworks is due to:
Barium salts give the green colour in fireworks. Strontium gives red and sodium yellow.
Element forming greatest number of compounds:
Carbon forms more compounds than any other element, because its atoms bond readily to one another in chains and rings.
First organic compound synthesised in lab:
Friedrich Wohler synthesised urea in 1828, the first organic compound made from inorganic material, which overturned the idea of a vital force.
Rayon is chemically:
Rayon is regenerated cellulose, commonly made as cellulose acetate.
Vulcanisation of rubber uses:
Vulcanisation uses sulphur, which cross-links the rubber chains and makes it hard-wearing.
Raw materials of cement:
Cement is made from limestone, clay and a little iron ore, heated in a kiln.
First commercially successful synthetic polymer:
Bakelite, made in 1907, was the first commercially successful fully synthetic polymer.
Pyrex glass is resistant to:
Pyrex is borosilicate glass, resistant to heat and to chemical attack.
Glass is mainly made from:
Glass is made mainly from sand, that is silica, with soda and lime.
Which oxide gives glass an emerald-green colour?
Chromic oxide gives glass an emerald green colour.
Blue-violet glass colour is due to:
Cobalt oxide gives glass a deep blue-violet.
Red glass colour is due to:
Gold chloride gives glass its ruby red colour.
Soaps are sodium/potassium salts of:
Soaps are the sodium or potassium salts of higher fatty acids, made by boiling fat with alkali.
Detergents contain:
Detergents are sulphonates, which is why they work even in hard water where soap forms a scum.
Optical fibres are mainly used in:
Optical fibres carry telecommunications, sending signals as pulses of light.
18-karat gold contains gold percentage:
18 karat gold is 18 parts in 24, that is 75 per cent gold.
About the PPSC Everyday Science Past Paper 2018
Every MCQ above is taken from the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) Everyday Science papers held in 2018, with the correct answer and a written explanation for each. Past-paper practice is the most dependable way to prepare for PPSC, FPSC, NTS, CSS and PMS, because these papers repeat their themes, and often the questions themselves, from one year to the next.
Questions were checked against reliable sources before publication. Where a circulating source sheet carried a factual or wording error, we corrected it rather than reproducing the mistake. For chapter-wise preparation, work through our Everyday Science MCQs hub, which also lists every other year’s paper. Further reading: Pakistan Movement and the PPSC official website.
How to Use This Paper
Attempt the full quiz before looking at any answer, then read the explanation for every question you got wrong, including those you guessed correctly. A past paper is only useful if you close the gaps it exposes. Pro members can download the complete paper as a PDF with all answers and explanations for offline revision.