Physics 30
Practice Diploma
Answer Key
This test consists of:
34 multiple choice questions worth 1 mark each
16 numerical response questions worth one mark each.
You have a total time of 2.5 hours to write this test.
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1
Select the best answer and mark it carefully on your scantron sheet for the multiple choice and on the
supplied answer sheet for numerical response. (1 mark each)
1.
Identify the list below that contains only vectors.
A.
speed, force, acceleration, electric field
B.
force, momentum, electric field, distance
C.
electric field, force, momentum, displacement
D. force, velocity, distance, time
Use the following information to answer the next question.
Four free-body diagrams for a charged oil drop that is between parallel plates are drawn below. Match the
appropriate free-body diagram with the description of motion in the questions that follow.
1
2
Fe
Fg
2.
3
Fe
4
Fe
Fg
Fg
Fg
A negatively charged oil drop is initially at rest within a uniform electric field. Identify the free-body
diagram(s) that best describes its motion as it begins to travel downwards at a rate of 5.0 m/s2.
A. 1
B. 2
C. 2 & 4
D. 4
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3.
A 250 g ball is travelling at 12.0 m/s to the south when it is hit by a bat and moves at 14.0 m/s to
the north. The ball’s impulse is:
A. 0.50 kg•m/s, north.
B. 0.50 kg•m/s, south.
C. 6.5 kg•m/s, north.
D. 6.5 kg•m/s, south.
4.
Identify the true statement regarding quantities conserved during a collision.
A. Kinetic energy and momentum are both conserved in inelastic collisions.
B. Only kinetic energy is conserved in elastic collisions.
C. Kinetic energy and momentum are both conserved in elastic collisions.
D. Only momentum is conserved in elastic collisions.
5.
Determine the spacing of the rulings on an interference grating if the third order maximum is
observed to deviate 24° from the central maxima using monochromatic light of 528 nm.
A. 1.75 × 10–6 m
B. 5.83 × 10–7 m
C. 1.30 × 10–6 m
D. 3.89 × 10–6 m
6.
Bungee jumpers jump off high platforms and are tied to ropes that have the ability to stretch
significantly in order to decrease the jumper’s maximum:
A. speed by increasing the time to slow down.
B. impulse by increasing the time to slow down.
C. momentum by increasing the time to slow down.
D. force by increasing the time to slow down.
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Use the following information to answer the next question.
Two point charges are arranged as shown in the
diagram. Charge A is –5.00 µC and charge B is
+7.00 µC.
6.00 cm
A
P
N
6.00 cm
B
Numerical Response
1.
.
The magnitude of the net electric field at point P expressed in scientific notation is
a.bc × 10d N/C. The values of a, b, c, and d are _____, _____, ______, ______.
(Record all four digits of your answer in the numerical response section on the answer sheet.)
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4
Use the following information to answer the next question.
A toy contains three different springs that cause the toy to come apart into three identical pieces that all
move along the floor as shown in the diagram below.
N
45°
1.0 m/s
2.0 m/s
7.
The direction travelled by the third piece of the toy is:
A. 74° S of E.
B. 87° W of N.
C. 13° N of W.
D. 74° N of E.
See scale diagram at end
of exam
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8.
A positively charged object is brought near the right side of a neutral metal sphere. Identify the
diagram that best describes the electrical state of the sphere.
A.
C.
B.
D.
+
+
+
+
+
+
Use the following information to answer the next two questions.
Three identical objects, A, B, and C, are brought into contact with each other at the same time. Before
contact, their charges are +6.00 µC, –4.00 µC, and +7.00 µC. After contact, objects A and B are
removed and the object C touches a neutral sphere, D. Objects C and D are now separated by a distance
of 40 cm.
9.
Identify the sign of the charges on sphere C and D.
C
D
A.
positive
negative
B.
positive
positive
C.
negative
positive
D.
negative
negative
Numerical Response
2.
.
When separated by a distance of 40 cm, the magnitude of the force between object C and D,
expressed in scientific notation is b × 10–w N. The value of b is ____.
(Record your two-digit answer in the numerical-response section on the answer sheet.)
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Use the information below to answers the next question.
The picture below shows a section of the components of a computer hard drive. The read-write head
(not shown) is attached to the end of the swing arm that moves when a current passes through the
wires that are close to a strong magnetic field.
copper wire
magnet
swing arm
10.
Calculate the force exerted on a section of wire 1.2 cm long carrying a 0.32 A current perpendicular
to a magnetic field of 0.42 T.
A. 0.16 N
B. 0.016 N
C. 0.91 N
D. 0.0091 N
Numerical Response
3.
.
Alison throws a 0.30 kg ball due east at 4.0 m/s. It collides head on with a 0.35 kg ball thrown by
Anna at 5.0 m/s, due west. After the collision the 0.30 kg ball is travelling 1.9 m/s, due west. The
speed of the 0.35 kg ball after the collision in scientific notation is b × 10–w m/s. The value of b
is ____.
(Record your two-digit answer in the numerical-response section on the answer sheet.)
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7
Use the information below to answer the next two questions.
An electron is accelerated from rest across a potential difference between two parallel plates separated by
8.0 cm as shown in the diagram below.
400 V
e–
0
11.
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
cm
Select the energies possessed by the electron at the 2.0 cm mark.
A.
Kinetic energy
(eV)
100
Electrical potential
energy (eV)
300
B.
300
100
C.
100
100
D.
400
0
Numerical Response
4.
.
The current produced when an electron travels from one plate to the other, expressed in scientific
notation is b × 10–w A. The value of b is ____.
(Record your two-digit answer in the numerical-response section on the answer sheet.)
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Numerical Response
5.
.
A 1.8 × 10–9 kg charged oil drop accelerates upwards in a vertical electric field of 600 N/C. When
its acceleration is upwards at 3.0 m/s2, the charge on the oil drop expressed in scientific notation is
b × 10–w C. The value of b is _____.
(Record your two-digit answer in the numerical-response section on the answer sheet.)
Use the following information to answer the next question.
Positrons, all with the same constant velocity, are introduced into the magnetic field of a mass
spectrometer. The strength of the magnetic field is varied and the resulting radii of the positrons’ paths
are measured.
12.
To analyze the results, a straight line is obtained by plotting radii on the y-axis. Identify what must
be plotted on the x-axis. Also identify the meaning of the slope of the straight line.
x-axis
slope
A.
B.
C.
B
D.
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Numerical Response
6.
.
Two charged objects, A and B, exert a force of 3.51 × 10–6 N on each other. If the distance
between A and B is doubled, and charge A is doubled, the force between the two charges
expressed in scientific notation, is a.bc × 10–d N. The values of a, b, c, and d are _____, _____,
______, ______.
(Record all four digits of your answer in the numerical response section on the answer sheet.)
Use the following information to answer the next question.
An alpha particle approaches an electric field and a magnetic field as shown in the two diagrams below.
Electric field
α
13.
Magnetic field
2+
α
2+
Identify the direction the force on the alpha particle while it is in each field.
Electric Field
Magnetic Field
A.
down
out of page
B.
up
up
C.
up
out of page
D.
down
into page
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Use the information below to answers the next question.
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN Switzerland is a high-energy particle accelerator built 100 m
underground. It has a circumference of 27 km. It was constructed at a cost of 10 billion dollars and
accelerates protons near the speed of light before colliding them together. By doing this, physicists can
better understand the internal structure of protons and neutrons. Just as a better understanding of the
role of electrons in atomic structure leads to advances in modern technology, it is hoped that a further
understanding of the structure of matter will lead to continued advances.
14.
High-energy particle accelerators are required to probe the internal structure of a proton because of
the:
A. proton’s small size.
B. electrostatic repulsive forces between two colliding protons.
C. strength of the strong nuclear force.
D. difficulty in isolating a proton from a nucleus.
15.
A proton is travelling due east when it enters a magnetic field that is towards the south. Identify the
direction of the magnetic force acting on the proton.
A. upwards
B. downwards
C. north
D. west
16.
Identify the situation below that would produce electromagnetic radiation.
A. a neutron accelerating from rest
B. an electron travelling at a constant speed
C. a proton travelling in a circle
D. a stationary electron
Numerical Response
7.
.
An eight-sided mirror is used to measure the speed of light. The first image (minimum frequency)
occurred when the mirror was rotating at 810 Hz. The separation distance between the rotating
mirror and the fixed mirror expressed in scientific notation is b × 10w m. The value of b is ____.
(Record your three-digit answer in the numerical-response section on the answer sheet.)
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17.
Select the list that contains sections of the EMR spectrum ordered from lowest to highest energy.
A. infra-red, violet, orange, X-rays
B. radio, yellow, blue, gamma
C. radio, ultraviolet, blue, infra-red
D. infra-red, green, red, gamma
18.
The focal length of a lens is dependent on the:
A. radius of curvature of the lens.
B. refractive index of the material the lens is made from.
C. shape of the lens and its refractive index.
D. location of the object used.
Use the following information to answer the next question.
i.
ii.
iii.
F
iv.
F
19.
C
F
C
F
F
F
The systems that would produce a virtual image are:
A. i and ii.
B. i and iv.
C. ii and iv.
D. iii and iv.
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20.
The kinetic energy of photoelectrons is graphed as a function of frequency of incident light. Select
the properly matched quantities.
y-intercept
x-intercept
slope
A.
Planck’s constant
work function
threshold frequency
B.
work function
Planck’s constant
threshold frequency
C.
threshold frequency
work function
Planck’s constant
D.
work function
threshold frequency
Planck’s constant
Numerical Response
8.
.
Light having a wavelength of 420 nm is incident on a metal surface having a work function of 2.3 eV.
The kinetic energy of the photoelectrons, expressed in scientific notation is _____ eV.
(Record your two-digit answer in the numerical-response section on the answer sheet.)
Numerical Response
9.
.
The momentum of a photon having a wavelength of 4.25 × 10–10 m, expressed in scientific
notation is b × 10–w kg•m/s. The value of b is ____.
(Record your three-digit answer in the numerical-response section on the answer sheet.)
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Use the following information to answer the next question.
X-rays strike a metal plate causing the
ejection of electrons as shown in the
diagram.
scattered X-rays
metal
3.52 x 10
–11
m X-rays
foil
25.1°
e
–
21.
The wavelength of the scattered X-rays is:
A. 2.29 × 10–13 m.
B. 3.54 × 10–11 m.
C. 3.50 × 10–11 m.
D. 2.54 × 10–11 m.
22.
A major problem with Rutherford’s nuclear model of the atom is that:
A. a nucleus cannot exist in close proximity to electrons due to the strong nuclear force.
B. electrons must be treated as waves not as particles.
C. Thomson had proven that atoms are solid and therefore cannot contain a nucleus.
D. accelerating charges should produce EMR therefore creating an unstable atom.
23.
Determine the deBroglie wavelength of an electron at its maximum speed after it has been
accelerated from rest across a potential difference of 1600 V.
A. 1.29 × 10–18 m
B. 1.29 × 10–11 m
C. 3.07 × 10–18 m
D. 3.07 × 10–11 m
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Use the information below to answer the next question.
Electron capture is a decay mode for some unstable nuclei. It occurs when there isn’t enough energy to
emit a positron. In this type of radioactive decay, a proton in the nucleus attracts an orbiting electron.
The electron collides with the proton in the nucleus thereby transmuting into a neutron and producing a
neutrino.
Fe
+
e−
------->
Co +
24.
The conservation law that can not be seen to be followed in the above reaction is the law of
conservation of:
A. charge.
B. nucleons.
C. energy.
D. momentum.
25.
Identify the radiation that is most dangerous to living tissue.
A. ultraviolet
B. beta
C. alpha
D. gamma
26.
A nucleus of uranium-235 is hit with a low-energy neutron to produce barium-141 and krypton-92.
This process may be called:
A. radioactive decay.
B. fusion.
C. fission.
D. neutronic decay.
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Use the following information to answer the next three questions.
Mercury gas is used in compact fluorescent lights
(CFL). The mercury gas is placed in a sealed tubes
and a high voltage between an anode and cathode
causes the release of electrons. An electron
released from the cathode may collide with
another electron that is in the ground state of a
mercury atom, thereby causing the production of
a photon. Mercury gas is poisonous, so care must
be taken not to break the lights.
Some of the possible transitions for an electron in a mercury
atom are given in the energy level diagram shown on the right.
ionization
0 eV
n=6
–2.48 eV
n=5
–2.68 eV
n=4
n=3
–3.71 eV
–5.52 eV
n=2
–5.74 eV
n=1
ground state
–10.38 eV
A passing electron that has a kinetic energy of 7.10 eV contacts the
electron at ground state (n = 1) within a mercury atom.
Numerical Response
10.
.
When the maximum possible energy from the passing electron is absorbed, the electron within
the mercury atom undergoes a transition from ground (n = 1) to level ____. When this electron
returns to ground level a total of _____, different photons could possibly be produced.
(Record your two-digit answer in the numerical-response section on the answer sheet.)
Numerical Response
11.
.
Of all the photons that could be produced from the 7.10 eV passing electron the
photon with the longest wavelength is b × 10–w m. The value of b is ____.
(Record your two-digit answer in the numerical-response section on the answer sheet.)
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27.
Identify the type of spectra produced when the electrons collide with atoms of mercury to produce
photons.
A. continuous spectra
B. line-emission spectra
C. line-absorption spectra
D. blackbody radiation
Use the following information to answer the next question.
1 air
v1 = 3.00 x 108 m/s
θ
2 liquid
v2 = ?
Sine of refracted angle as a
function of sine of incident angle
Sine of refracted angle
Aaron conducts an experiment to determine the speed
of light in a liquid by using the principles of refraction.
Using a red pen laser he manipulates the angle of
incidence and records the angle of refraction.
θ
28.
Sine of incident angle
The speed of light in the liquid may be determined using:
A.
B.
C.
D.
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Use the following information to answer the next 7 questions.
Alberta is part of the Pacific Northwest electrical energy grid that includes BC, Washington state,
California and Mexico. A 500 kV line (along with a few smaller ones) goes through Crowsnest Pass,
allowing electrical power to be shared between Alberta and BC. Electric power produced at a generating
station cannot typically be stored; if Alberta is producing too much power we sell it to another area on
the grid that had a shortage. When Alberta is experiencing a power shortage other areas on the grid sell
us power. However, a problem on one part of the grid may cause problems on the other parts. When a
power surge is detected, the generating stations must shut down before they are damaged or destroyed by
the electrical surge.
Problems can occur when either too much power or too little
power is experienced in a part of the grid. Defective
equipment, solar flares, and other factors may all contribute to
the problems. The cosmic rays generated by solar flares consist
of many different-charged subatomic particles travelling close
to the speed of light.
Solar activity, such as the generation of sunspots and solar
flares, can have important implications to power grids. A solar
storm on March 13, 1989 caused a transformer to overload
and burn out. This plunged the province of Quebec into a
blackout for nine hours and damaged other electrical
equipment throughout North America.
The Sulphur Mountain Cosmic ray station was built in 1956 to
study cosmic rays generated by solar flares. It was shut down
in 1978.
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Use the following additional information to answer the next question.
Carbon dating is used to determine the age of plants and animals that used to be alive and is reliant on
knowing the level of carbon-14 in the atmosphere at the time the organism was alive. This is dependent
on the activity of the Sun. Cosmic rays are responsible for the production of carbon-14 in the
atmosphere through the reaction below. This carbon-14 eventually enters living systems.
n
29.
+
N -------->
C
+
p
The carbon-14 produced eventually decays into nitrogen-14, _____ and ______.
A.
+
B.
+
C.
+
D.
+
Numerical Response
12.
.
A 1.0 g sample of a living tree is analyzed for carbon-14 and found to emit 30.8
counts/minute on a Geiger counter. A 1.0 g sample from an artifact found at an ancient
campsite is analyzed and found to emit 7.7 counts/minute. The half-life of carbon-14 is 5730
years. According to the radiocarbon data, the age of the artifact should be b × 10w years. The
value of b is _____.
(Record all four digits of your answer in the numerical response section on the answer sheet.)
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Use the following additional information to answer the next four questions.
Protons that form part of the cosmic rays may collide with an electron from a nitrogen molecule in the
atmosphere, producing a neutron and various secondary rays as shown in the diagram below. Pions (π)
can be neutral, positive or negative; they have a short life; and some may change into two gamma
photons that change into an electron and a positron in a process called pair production.
proton
Proton collides with an
electron in a nitrogen
molecule
ii
iii
i
π
π
π
n
e–
31.
−
anti
neutrino
Gamma photons
30.
µ
e+
e+
e–
The charges on the pions are i _____, ii _______, and iii ____.
i
ii
iii
A.
positive
neutral
negative
B.
neutral
positive
negative
C.
negative
neutral
positive
D.
positive
negative
positive
Some of the pions decay into gamma ray photons which then change into an electron and a
positron as shown in the diagram. From this information it can be determined that the
minimum possible mass of a pion (π) is:
A. 1.022 MeV/c2.
B. 2.044 MeV/c2.
C. 9.11 × 10–31 kg.
D. 1.67 × 10–27 kg.
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32.
The wavelength of each gamma photon created through the decay of a pion is
A. 1.22 × 10–12 m.
B. 2.43 × 10–12 m.
C. 4.43 × 10–12 m.
D. 3.43 × 10–12 m.
33.
Free neutrons have a short half-life. A neutron that is part of the cosmic rays decays to produce a
beta-negative particle,
A. udd quarks and a neutrino.
B. uud quarks and an electron.
C. udd quarks and an antineutrino.
D. uud quarks and an antineutrino.
Use the following information to answer the next question.
A photograph was taken showing the tracks of three subatomic particles from cosmic rays in a
bubble chamber. The tracks are produced from a proton and an electron and positron as
a result of pair production.
v
Particles
enter from
here.
34.
Fm
The direction of the magnetic field in the bubble chamber is:
A. into the page.
B. out of the page.
C. to the top of the page.
D. to the bottom of the page.
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Use the following information to answer the next question.
Two coils and two batteries are used to construct two
electromagnets as shown in the diagram.
35.
e-
P
The arrow that best represents the direction of the magnetic field at point P is:
A.
B.
C.
D.
Use the following information to answer the next question.
A conducting wire is forced to move into the page
through a magnetic field, as shown in the diagram.
36.
magnetic field
The direction of the induced electron flow through the wire is:
A. up.
B. down.
C. left.
D. right.
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Use the following information to answer the next two questions.
A beam of hydrocarbon ions are accelerated across a potential difference of 1080 V and then passed
perpendicularly through a magnetic field of 0.251 T. This results in a radius of curvature of 12.5 cm.
Use the following additional information to answer the next question.
Six out of the ten Physics principles from your data sheet are listed below.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Uniform motion (balanced forces)
Circular motion (unbalanced forces)
Work-energy theorem
Conservation of momentum
Conservation of energy
Conservation of charge
Numerical Response
13.
.
The two physics principles required to solve this problem (in the order used) are ______ and
_______.
(Record the two digits of your answer in the numerical response section on the answer sheet.)
Numerical Response
14.
.
The ion’s charge-to-mass ratio expressed in scientific notation should be a.bc × 10d C/kg.
The values of a, b, c, and d are _____, _____, ______, ______.
(Record all four digits of your answer in the numerical response section on the answer sheet.)
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MC 7 Drawing a scale diagram is a faster method to obtain an answer.
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Exam Stats
Question
Answer
% Correct
Question
Answer
1
C
19
C
2
B
20
D
3
D
21
B
4
C
22
D
5
D
23
D
6
D
24
D
7
D
25
D
8
D
26
C
9
B
27
B
10
B
28
B
11
A
29
A
12
D
30
A
13
C
31
B
14
C
32
A
15
B
33
D
16
C
34
A
17
B
35
B
18
B
36
A
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% Correct
25
Numerical Response
Question
Answer
1
2157
2
1.3
3
5.7
4
1.2
5
3.8
6
1766
7
2.31
8
6.6
9
1.56
10
46
11
5.6 or 5.7
12
1.1
13
25
14
2196
% Correct
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Exam Analysis – Multiple Choice
Question
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
Knowledge
A1.K, B2.1,
B2.2
B2.10k
A1.2k
A1.3k, A1.5k
C1.10k
A1.2k
A1.4k
B1.3k
B1.1k
B3.8k
B2.8k, B2.9k
B1.6k
B3.2k, B3.5k
D4.2k
B3.5k, B3.7k
C1.1k
C1.2k
C1.7k, C1.11k
C1.7k
C2.3k
C2.6k
D1.4k, D2.1k
D2.6k
D3.4k
C2.2k, D3.1k
D3.5k
D2.3k
C1.6k, C1.11k
D3.2k
D3.4k
D3.6k
D3.6k
D4.3k
D4.1k
B3
B3.9k
Skills
STS
B1.3s, B2.3s
A1.1sts
B1.3s
D4.3sts
C1.3s
B3.1sts
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Exam Analysis – Numerical Response
Question
Knowledge Skills
1
B2.6k
2
B1.6k
3
A1.4k
4
B2.7k
5
B2.10k
6
B1.6k
7
C1.5k
8
C2.4k
9
C2.6k
10
D2.4k
11
D2.5k,
C2.1k
12
D3.3k
13
B2.9k
14
B3.6k
D1.3s
STS
D1.1sts,
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Exam Analysis – By Unit
UNIT A
UNIT B
UNIT C
UNIT D
A1.K
A1.2K
A1.3K, A1.5K
A1.4K
A1.4K
A1.5K
B1.1K
B1.1K
B1.3K
B1.6K
B1.6K
B2.6K
B2.9k, B2.8k
B2.10k
B2.10k
B3.1k
B3.2k, B3.5k
B3.6k
B3.7k
B3.9k
B3
C1.10K
C1.1K
C1.2K
C1.3s
C1.4K
C1.5k
C1.6k
C1.7K
C1.7K
C1.11k
C2.2K,
C2.3K
C2.6K
C2.4K
C2.6K
D1.4k
D2.1k
D2.3k
D2.4k
D2.5k
D2.6k
D3.1k
D3.3k
D3.5k
D4.1k
D4.2k
D4.3k
Exam Analysis – Marks Comparison
Date
Exam Average
Class Diploma
Average
Provincial Diploma
Average
January 2010
June 2010
January 2011
June 2011
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