Maharashtra SSC March 2026 Science and Technology Part I Question Paper with Step-by-Step Solutions

1. Identify the nature of each process: cooking food, fruit ripening, and milk turning to curd are chemical changes involving new substance formation.
2. Identify that ice turning to water is a physical change (melting) where no new substance is formed.
3. Select the option that differs in nature from the others.

Answer: Ice turning to water

1. Recall that weight is a force, and the SI unit of force is the newton.
2. Therefore, weight is measured in newton (N).

Answer: newton (N)

1. Recall the anomalous expansion of water.
2. Water contracts when cooled from 0 °C to 4 °C.
3. Water expands when cooled below 4 °C.
4. Therefore, water has its minimum volume at 4 °C, not the largest.

Answer: False

1. Identify the function of a thermometer.
2. A thermometer is an instrument used to measure the temperature of a body or substance.
3. Match 'thermometer' with 'measuring temperature'.

Answer: Thermometer : Measuring temperature

1. Recall the visible spectrum formed by dispersion: VIBGYO.
2. Identify the position of violet light as the first color in the spectrum.
3. State the approximate wavelength range for violet light as 400 nm to 450 nm.
4. Select the standard approximate value used in textbooks, which is 400 nm.

Answer: 400 nm

1. A geostationary satellite orbits the Earth in the equatorial plane at a height of approximately 36,000 km.
2. Due to this equatorial orbit, the satellite remains fixed above a specific point on the equator.
3. Therefore, it cannot view or communicate with the polar regions (North or South Pole) because they are located at the extreme ends of the Earth, far from the equator.

Answer: Geostationary satellites orbit in the equatorial plane and remain fixed above the equator, so they cannot observe or communicate with the polar regions.

1. Vegetable oils are unsaturated fats containing carbon-carbon double bonds (C=C) which make them liquid at room temperature.
2. In the presence of a nickel catalyst and hydrogen gas, the double bonds undergo addition of hydrogen (hydrogenation).
3. This process converts the unsaturated fatty acids into saturated fatty acids.
4. Saturated fats have a higher melting point and solidify at room temperature, resulting in the formation of vanaspati ghee.

Answer: Hydrogenation converts unsaturated vegetable oils into saturated fats by adding hydrogen across double bonds, which increases the melting point and makes the oil solid (vanaspati ghee).

1. As we move down a group, the number of electron shells increases.
2. The outermost electrons are farther from the nucleus due to the addition of new shells.
3. The shielding effect of inner shells increases, reducing the effective nuclear pull on the outer electrons.
4. Hence, the atomic radius increases down a group.

Answer: Atomic radius increases down a group because the number of electron shells increases, placing outer electrons farther from the nucleus and increasing the shielding effect.

1. An alloy is a homogeneous mixture of two or more elements, where at least one element is a metal.
2. The properties of an alloy are different from those of its constituent elements.
3. Example 1: Brass (mixture of Copper and Zinc).
4. Example 2: Steel (mixture of Iron and Carbon).

Answer: An alloy is a homogeneous mixture of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal. Examples: Brass and Steel.

1. Oxidation is the process of addition of oxygen or removal of hydrogen from a substance.
2. Reduction is the process of removal of oxygen or addition of hydrogen to a substance.

Answer: Oxidation involves gaining oxygen or losing hydrogen, while reduction involves losing oxygen or gaining hydrogen.

1. Write the molecular formula of benzene as C₆H₆.
2. Describe the structural formula as a hexagonal ring of six carbon atoms with alternating single and double bonds, with one hydrogen atom attached to each carbon atom.

Answer: Molecular formula: C₆H₆; Structural formula: A hexagonal ring with alternating single and double bonds, each carbon bonded to one hydrogen atom.

1. Given: Voltage (V) = 220 V, Current (I) = 0.45 A, Time (t) = 10 h.
2. Calculate Power (P) using the formula P = V × I.
3. Substitute values: P = 220 × 0.45 = 99 W.
4. Convert Power to kilowatts: P = 99 / 1000 = 0.099 kW.
5. Calculate Energy (E) in units (kWh) using the formula E = P (in kW) × t (in h).
6. Substitute values: E = 0.099 × 10 = 0.99 units.

Answer: Power = 99 W; Energy consumed = 0.99 units

1. White sunlight enters a water droplet in the atmosphere and undergoes refraction at the air-water interface.
2. Inside the droplet, the white light undergoes dispersion, splitting into its constituent colours (VIBGYOR).
3. The dispersed light strikes the opposite inner surface of the droplet and undergoes total internal reflection.
4. The light then refracts again as it exits the droplet, further separating the colours.
5. This combination of refraction, dispersion, and total internal reflection by millions of droplets forms a rainbow.

Answer: A rainbow is formed when white sunlight undergoes refraction, dispersion, and total internal reflection inside water droplets in the atmosphere, splitting into seven colours.

1. Write Kepler's Third Law for a satellite orbiting a planet: T² ∝ 1/M, where T is the time period and M is the mass of the planet.
2. Since the orbital radius (r) remains constant at 35780 km above the earth, the ratio of the new period (T₂) to the initial period (T₁) is given by (T₂/T₁)² = M₁/M₂.
3. Substitute the given values: M₂ = 4M₁ and T₁ = 24 hours.
4. Calculate the ratio: (T₂/24)² = M₁/(4M₁) = 1/4.
5. Take the square root of both sides: T₂/24 = 1/2.
6. Solve for T₂: T₂ = 24 × (1/2) = 12 hours.

Answer: The period of the satellite would be 12 hours.

1. Sodium carbonate reacts with acetic acid to produce sodium acetate, water, and carbon dioxide gas.
2. The carbon dioxide gas is passed through lime water (calcium hydroxide solution).
3. Carbon dioxide reacts with calcium hydroxide to form insoluble calcium carbonate, which makes the lime water turn milky white.
4. The chemical equation for the reaction between sodium carbonate and acetic acid is: Na₂CO₃ + 2CH₃COOH → 2CH₃COONa + H₂O + CO₂.

Answer: (a) Carbon dioxide (CO₂); (b) Lime water turns milky white; (c) Na₂CO₃ + 2CH₃COOH → 2CH₃COONa + H₂O + CO₂

1. (a) Heat flows from the hot object to the cold object.
2. (b) This shows the Principle of Calorimetry.
3. (c) When two bodies at different temperatures are brought in contact, heat flows from the hotter body to the colder body until thermal equilibrium is reached, and the heat lost by the hot body is equal to the heat gained by the cold body.

Answer: (a) Hot to cold; (b) Principle of Calorimetry; (c) Heat lost by hot body = Heat gained by cold body.

1. Draw a rectangular coil ABCD placed between the poles of a U-shaped magnet.
2. Show the coil connected to a split ring commutator (two semicircular rings) which touches two stationary carbon brushes.
3. Connect the brushes to a battery and a switch in series to complete the circuit.
4. Indicate the direction of current flow through the coil and the direction of the magnetic field from North to South pole.
5. State the principle: An electric motor works on the principle that a current-carrying conductor placed in a magnetic field experiences a force, causing the coil to rotate.

Answer: The diagram shows a coil, commutator, brushes, battery, and magnet. The principle is the force on a current-carrying conductor in a magnetic field.

1. Count atoms on the reactant side (LHS): Na = 2, O = 6 (2 from 2NaOH + 4 from H₂SO₄), H = 4 (2 from 2NaOH + 2 from H₂SO₄), S = 1.
2. Count atoms on the product side (RHS): Na = 2, O = 5 (4 from Na₂SO₄ + 1 from H₂O), H = 2, S = 1.
3. Compare the counts: Na (2=2) and S (1=1) are balanced, but O (6≠5) and H (4≠2) are not balanced.
4. Conclusion: The equation is not balanced.

Answer: No, the equation is not balanced because the number of oxygen and hydrogen atoms differs on both sides.

1. (a) The metalloids in period 2 are Boron (B) and in period 3 are Silicon (Si).
2. (b) The non-metals in period 3 are Phosphorus (P), Sulfur (S), and Chlorine (Cl).
3. (c) Two elements with valency 4 are Carbon (C) and Silicon (Si).

Answer: (a) Boron, Silicon; (b) Phosphorus, Sulfur, Chlorine; (c) Carbon, Silicon.

1. Weight is the force of gravity acting on a body, so its SI unit is Newton (N). It changes from place to place because the value of g varies with location.
2. Acceleration due to gravity (g) is the acceleration gained by a body falling freely, so its SI unit is m/s². It becomes zero at the centre of the earth.
3. Gravitational constant (G) is a universal constant, so its SI unit is N m²/kg². It remains the same everywhere in the universe.

Answer: Weight: N, changes from place to place; Acceleration due to gravity: m/s², zero at the centre of the earth; Gravitational constant: N m²/kg², same everywhere in the universe.

1. A mirage is an illusion of water seen on a hot road or desert, caused by atmospheric refraction of light.
2. It is seen on hot days, when the air near the ground is much hotter (rarer) than the air above it.
3. Light from the sky or a distant object bends more and more as it passes into the hotter, rarer layers, until it is totally reflected and reaches the eye from below — we see an inverted image that looks like water.
4. Another example of atmospheric refraction: the twinkling of stars (or seeing the sun a little before it actually rises).

Answer: A mirage is an illusion of water caused by atmospheric refraction; it is seen when the air near the ground is much hotter than the air above. Another example: the twinkling of stars.

1. (a) Diagram: Draw a concave lens on a horizontal principal axis. Draw an object (upward arrow) on the left side, between the focal point (F) and the optical center (O). Draw three rays from the top of the object: 1. A ray parallel to the principal axis, which after refraction appears to diverge from the focal point on the left. 2. A ray passing through the optical center, which goes straight without deviation. 3. A ray directed towards the focal point on the right, which emerges parallel to the principal axis. Extend the refracted rays backwards (dashed lines) to the left side of the lens where they intersect.
2. (b) Nature of the image: The image formed is virtual, erect, and diminished (smaller than the object). It is formed on the same side as the object, between the optical center and the focal point.
3. (c) Given: Focal length (f) = -25 cm (negative for concave lens). Convert to meters: f = -25/100 m = -0.25 m. Formula for power: P = 1/f. Calculation: P = 1 / (-0.25). P = -4. Unit: Dioptre (D).
4. Final Answer for (c): The power of the lens is -4 D.

Answer: (a) Rays from the object diverge after the lens; their backward extensions meet on the object's side. (b) The image is virtual, erect and diminished, between F and O on the object's side. (c) P = 1/f = 1/(−0.25 m) = −4 D.

1. (a) Bauxite is concentrated and converted to pure alumina (Al₂O₃); the alumina is then electrolysed (dissolved in molten cryolite) in a steel tank lined with carbon, which is the cathode; graphite rods dipped in the melt are the anodes. Aluminium collects at the cathode: Al³⁺ + 3e⁻ → Al.
2. (b) Alumina melts at a very high temperature, above 2000 °C. Mixing it with cryolite (and fluorspar) lowers the melting point of the mixture to about 1000 °C, which saves energy.
3. (c) Oxygen is released at the graphite anodes. At that high temperature it reacts with the carbon to form carbon dioxide, so the anodes slowly burn away and must be replaced from time to time.

Answer: (a) Concentrate bauxite → pure alumina → electrolysis of alumina in molten cryolite; (b) above 2000 °C, lowered to about 1000 °C by cryolite and fluorspar; (c) the anodes are oxidised to CO₂ by the oxygen released at them.