Exam papers

Grade 12 Physics entrance exam, 2018 E.C. (2026), version 2

Real questions from the Grade 12 university entrance exam in Physics, as students sat it in 2018 E.C. Every question comes with the correct answer and a worked explanation. The 2018 E.C. exam went out in several versions. This page holds version 2; the others are listed further down.

Start practicing free Question paper

Natural science stream
Who sits it
2018 E.C. (2026), version 2
Exam year
55 questions with answers
In this set

Try questions from this paper

Answer each question yourself before opening the answer. The explanations point to the exact place in the textbook, so you know which page to reread when you miss one.

Question 1

A train moving in the east direction accelerates from rest to 36km/h in 20s. What is the average acceleration during that time interval?

A.1.8m/s² east
B.0.5m/s² east
C.18 m/s² east
D.5m/s² east

Show the answer and explanation

Answer: B 0.5m/s² east

Why

First put the speed in SI units:

36\ \text{km/h} = \frac{36000}{3600} = 10\ \text{m/s}

. The train starts from rest, so the change in velocity is

10\ \text{m/s}

toward the east. Average acceleration is that change divided by the time:

a = \frac{10}{20} = 0.5\ \text{m/s}^2

east. Option A comes from dividing 36 by 20 and forgetting to turn km/h into m/s.

Question 2

The motion of an object at constant speed in straight line is known as________?

A.Uniformly accelerated motion
B.Uniform motion
C.Accelerated motion
D.Decelerated motion

Show the answer and explanation

Answer: B Uniform motion

Why

Uniform motion means the velocity never changes: the same speed, and the same straight-line direction, in every second of the journey. That is exactly what the question describes. Uniformly accelerated motion in option A is different, because there the velocity has to change by a fixed amount each second.

Question 3

What does the slope of velocity–time graph indicates?

A.Displacement
B.Acceleration
C.Speed
D.Velocity

Show the answer and explanation

Answer: B Acceleration

Why

The slope of any graph is the rise divided by the run. On a velocity against time graph that is

\frac{\Delta v}{\Delta t}

, which is the definition of acceleration. Option A is tempting because displacement does come from a velocity-time graph, but it is the AREA under the line, not the slope.

Question 4

Work is defined as:

A.Force times distance in the direction of the force
B.Mass times acceleration
C.Energy transferred over time
D.Power times time

Show the answer and explanation

Answer: A Force times distance in the direction of the force

Why

Work measures how much a force moves something along its own line of action:

W = Fd\cos\theta

, where

\theta

is the angle between the force and the displacement. When the force and the movement point the same way, this is force times distance in the direction of the force. Option B, mass times acceleration, is the definition of force itself, not of work.

Question 5

If a machine does 200 J of work in 10 seconds, what is its power output?

A.20 W
B.50 W
C.100 W
D.200 W

Show the answer and explanation

Answer: A 20 W

Why

Power is the rate of doing work:

P = \frac{W}{t}

. Putting in the numbers gives

P = \frac{200\ \text{J}}{10\ \text{s}} = 20\ \text{W}

. Option D repeats the 200 from the question, which is the work done in total, not the work done per second.

Question 6

The work-energy theorem states that:

A.Work done on an object equals its change in momentum
B.Work done on an object equals its change in kinetic energy
C.Work done on an object equals its change in potential energy
D.None of the above

Show the answer and explanation

Answer: B Work done on an object equals its change in kinetic energy

Why

The work-energy theorem says the net work done on a body equals the change in its kinetic energy:

W_{net} = \frac{1}{2}mv_f^2 - \frac{1}{2}mv_i^2

. Push a body and it speeds up, and the energy you supplied is the extra kinetic energy it now carries. Option A confuses this with impulse, which is force times time and equals the change in momentum.

Download the whole paper as a PDF

All 55 questions in this set as a printed paper, and the answer key with 55 worked explanations as a second file. Print them or read them with no data.

Free, and it needs no account.

Question paper Answer key and explanations

Sit the full paper, timed and scored

A free Temari account gives you the whole Physics paper, and every other year, as timed mock exams with instant scoring. It works on any phone, even over a weak connection.

Start practicing free

Temari.et is also an Android app, free on Google Play.

About the Temari app

The other Physics papers of 2018 E.C.

2018 E.C. (2026)2018 E.C. (2026), version 1

Physics papers from other years

2017 E.C. (2025)2017 E.C. (2025), version 1 2017 E.C. (2025), version 2 2016 E.C. (2024)2016 E.C. (2024), Tigray 2016 E.C. (2024), round 1 2016 E.C. model exam 2015 E.C. (2023)2014 E.C. (2022)2013 E.C. (2021)2012 E.C. (2020)2011 E.C. (2019)2010 E.C. (2018)2009 E.C. (2017)2008 E.C. (2016)2007 E.C. (2015)2006 E.C. (2014)2005 E.C. (2013)

More papers like this one

All Grade 12 Physics papers All papers of 2018 E.C.Every subject and year

Revise Physics before you sit this paper

The Grade 12 Physics short notes hold 28 cards. Each one gives the rule, what its symbols stand for and the mistake that costs marks, chapter by chapter from the national textbook.

Open the Physics notes

Are these the real 2018 E.C. Physics entrance exam questions?

Yes. They come from the national university entrance exam in Physics that students sat in 2018 E.C. (2026). Our set holds 55 of its questions, each with its answer and an explanation that points back to the textbook.

How do I practice the full paper?

Create a free account with a phone number. The full paper runs as a timed mock exam with instant scoring, and the AI tutor upgrade at 199 ETB per month can walk you through anything you miss.

Can I download the Physics 2018 E.C. paper as a PDF?

Yes, and it is free. The question paper is one file and the answer key with its worked explanations is another, so you can attempt the paper first. Print them, or keep them on your phone for revision when there is no data.