What does the temperature of a body tell you?
Based on: DSE Phys Compulsory I(a) Temperature, heat and internal energy
HKDSE Physics · HKDSE Physics
Free HKDSE Physics practice questions (all five compulsory topics and all four electives)
Eighteen multiple-choice questions, two from each of the five compulsory topics and each of the four electives, so one sitting tells you which topic is weakest rather than just how many you got right. Every question is original, written to the topic framework in the Curriculum and Assessment Guide, with an explanation and a topic reference under each, and every calculation shows its working. The full topic framework is on the HKDSE Physics topics page; the full bank of 580 questions, the flashcards and the topic notes, in English, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, are in the revision app.
Practice
Free practice questions
Which of the following quantities is a vector?
Based on: DSE Phys Compulsory II(a) Position and movement
A wave travels along a long stretched rope from one end to the other. What does the wave carry along the rope?
Based on: DSE Phys Compulsory III(a) Nature and properties of waves
A polythene rod is rubbed with a dry cloth and ends up negatively charged. What has happened?
Based on: DSE Phys Compulsory IV(a) Electrostatics
What is an alpha particle?
Based on: DSE Phys Compulsory V(a) Radiation and radioactivity
The astronomical unit (AU) is defined as which distance?
Based on: DSE Phys Elective VI(a) The universe as seen in different scales
In the alpha particle scattering experiment, a small fraction of the alpha particles were deflected through angles greater than 90°. What did Rutherford conclude from this observation?
Based on: DSE Phys Elective VII(a) Rutherford's atomic model
What quantity does the kilowatt-hour measure?
Based on: DSE Phys Elective VIII(a) Electricity at home
In a normal eye, at which surface does light entering the eye bend the most?
Based on: DSE Phys Elective IX(a) Making sense of the eye and the ear
The internal energy of a body is:
Based on: DSE Phys Compulsory I(a) Temperature, heat and internal energy
An object moving at 4 m s-1 accelerates uniformly at 2 m s-2 for 6 s. What is its final speed?
Based on: DSE Phys Compulsory II(a) Position and movement
A wave has a frequency of 250 Hz. What is its period?
Based on: DSE Phys Compulsory III(a) Nature and properties of waves
Electric field strength at a point is defined as
Based on: DSE Phys Compulsory IV(a) Electrostatics
A source faces a detector. When a single sheet of paper is placed between them, the count rate drops to the background level. Which radiation does the source emit?
Based on: DSE Phys Compulsory V(a) Radiation and radioactivity
Which of the following is the largest distance?
Based on: DSE Phys Elective VI(a) The universe as seen in different scales
An alpha particle passing close to a gold nucleus is deflected. Which force causes the deflection?
Based on: DSE Phys Elective VII(a) Rutherford's atomic model
A flat uses 5 kWh of electrical energy in a day. The tariff is $1.20 per kWh. What is the cost of that energy?
Based on: DSE Phys Elective VIII(a) Electricity at home
Why does each eye have a small blind spot?
Based on: DSE Phys Elective IX(a) Making sense of the eye and the ear
How to use eighteen questions properly
Not as a score. Two questions per topic is far too few to tell you how good you are at Physics and exactly enough to tell you where to look next. Read it as a map: the topic where you miss both, or get one right for the wrong reason, is the topic to open first. That is why the questions are spread two per topic rather than concentrated on the compulsory part, even though the compulsory part is what everyone sits.
Concept first, one-step calculations, working shown
Most of these questions test a definition, a physical meaning, a proportionality, the shape of a graph read in words, a unit or a formula, or reasoning about an experiment. Roughly one in four is a calculation, and each of those is one formula and one substitution with numbers clean enough that no calculator is needed. The explanation then writes out the formula, the substitution, the result and the unit, because the point is to see how the answer was reached rather than to confirm you matched an option. That discipline is a boundary as much as a feature: it is what a four-option question can honestly do.
Read the explanation even when you were right
In Physics the distractors are usually the specific misconception the topic produces, not a random number: the gradient of the wrong graph, the mass read as a weight, the temperature read as internal energy. The explanation says why each wrong option is wrong, so a right answer held for the wrong reason does not survive the page. Every question in the app is written the same way.
The English terminology problem, and units
Many Hong Kong candidates understand Physics in Chinese and answer in English, and in this subject the naming problem comes with a units problem attached. 動量 is momentum, 內能 is internal energy, 比熱容量 is specific heat capacity, 屈折率 is refractive index, 電勢差 is potential difference, and a right number carrying the wrong unit loses the mark anyway. The questions on this page are in English because the paper is; in the app the same question, explanation and flashcard switch between English, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese at a tap.
What this page will not tell you
How many questions Paper 1 Section A has, how long the papers run or how the marks are split. Those are not stated because they are not verified against a current official document, and the assessment framework fixes the weighting rather than a count. Confirm the assessment framework with the HKEAA and with your school. What this page does state, the nine topics and what sits inside each, comes from the published Curriculum and Assessment Guide.
Not affiliated with the HKEAA or the EDB
RiverMap Learning is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, the Education Bureau or the Curriculum Development Council. Every question here is original and written to the published topic framework; no past paper question, marking scheme or textbook content is reproduced. Practice results are not a grade.
| Compulsory part | Elective part | |
|---|---|---|
| How many topics | Five | Four exist, each school enters candidates for two |
| Who studies it | Every candidate | Depends on the school's pairing |
| What it covers | Heat and gases, force and motion, waves, electricity and magnetism, radioactivity | Astronomy, the atomic world, energy use, medical physics |
| Relationship | The base every elective applies | Compulsory physics applied to one field |
| In our question bank | All five | All four, so a change of pairing costs you nothing |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How many free HKDSE Physics questions are on this page?
Eighteen, two from each topic: the five compulsory topics of Heat and Gases, Force and Motion, Wave Motion, Electricity and Magnetism, and Radioactivity and Nuclear Energy, plus the four electives, Astronomy and Space Science, Atomic World, Energy and Use of Energy, and Medical Physics. Each carries an explanation and the topic it maps to. The full bank of 580 questions is in the app.
Are these real HKDSE Physics past paper questions?
No, and deliberately not. Every question is written from scratch by RiverMap Learning to the topic framework in the publicly available Physics Curriculum and Assessment Guide. No HKEAA past paper question, marking scheme or textbook content is reproduced. Physical facts are not copyrightable; the published framework is used only to align coverage.
How many elective units of HKDSE Physics do you have to study?
Two of the four. The electives are Astronomy and Space Science, Atomic World, Energy and Use of Energy, and Medical Physics, and a school normally enters its candidates for two of them. Which two is the school's decision rather than the candidate's, which is why our bank carries all four.
Do the questions include calculations?
Roughly one in four. Each calculation is a single step, one formula and one substitution, with numbers clean enough to do without a calculator, and the explanation writes out the formula, the substitution, the result and the unit. Multi-step written solutions are not what a four-option question can test, so those stay with your exercise book and your teacher.
How many multiple-choice questions are in HKDSE Physics Paper 1 Section A?
This page does not state a number. The assessment framework fixes the weighting of Section A, not a question count, so figures quoted online are usually one year's actual paper rather than a rule that binds the next sitting. Check the framework published by the HKEAA and confirm with your school.
Does the app cover the investigative study?
No. The school-based investigative study is laboratory and project work assessed at school rather than written-paper knowledge, so it is outside what a question bank can honestly help with. The app covers the nine written-paper topics; the investigative study belongs to your teacher and your school.