Can YOU pass this Science SATs paper for a 14-year-old?

After British scientists spectacularly failed to launch a rocket into orbit this week, MailOnline is asking readers to challenge themselves with a series of science questions from a recent SATs exam for ninth graders.

Students as young as 14 take chemistry, biology and physics tests to track their progress in chemistry, biology and physics before taking their GCSEs in 10th grade — and the week that Virgin Orbit doesn’t managed to put the first satellite into orbit on British soil, we could use some scientific minds.

Adults shared math tests online this week after Rishi Sunak pledged to continue the subject for all children up to the age of 18.

So MailOnline asks… can you solve these ninth grade science exam questions and prove you can tell your blackheads from your black holes? (answers at bottom of page)

MailOnline challenges you to solve these ninth grade science exam questions and prove you can tell your blackheads from your black holes

Rishi Sunak last week announced plans that every schoolboy in England should learn some form of math by the age of 18 to help overcome the UK’s high number count.

Students are required to take “some form” of math courses offered through either new or existing qualifications such as A-levels, T-levels and core math.

Mr Sunak promised to equip children for the “jobs of the future” by ensuring they have good math skills when they leave school.

For most, the ride will likely involve hands-on skills rather than algebra.

Around eight million adults in England have only the numeracy skills expected of primary school children, according to the government.

And in this week’s science news, the failure of the first-ever space launch from British soil was caused by a premature rocket shutdown, operator Virgin Orbit revealed.

It had been deployed under the wing of a specially adapted 747 jumbo jet, which had taken off from Cornwall Spaceport, flown to a designated launch zone over the Atlantic and dropped a launch vehicle carrying nine satellites into space.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak this week announced his new plan that every schoolboy in England would learn some form of mathematics by the time they were 18. He is pictured today visiting Harris Academy in Battersea, south west London

However, organizers of the Start Me Up mission soon identified an “anomaly” and said Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket failed to reach its target orbit.

The rocket was lost, and footage later showed it burning in the atmosphere or shattering as it fell back to earth off the coast of Lanzarote.

In a statement released Thursday, Virgin Orbit said initial data indicated that the rocket’s first stage was performing as expected, that it was reaching space altitudes and that the upper stage’s stage separation and ignition were in line with the mission plan.

LauncherOne never reached its target altitude to launch a payload of nine satellites into orbit and was eventually lost – either burning up in Earth’s atmosphere or breaking up over the North Atlantic

Devastating: Britain’s historically first orbital space launch on British soil failed dramatically on Monday night after Virgin Orbit revealed an “anomaly” had prevented its rocket from reaching orbit. Pictured is the moment the rocket ignited

Later in the mission, at an altitude of approximately 111 miles (180 km), the upper stage experienced an anomaly that prematurely terminated the first burn.

Virgin Orbit said this ended the mission, with the rocket components and payload falling back to Earth within the approved safety corridor without ever reaching orbit.

Sir Richard Branson’s company has launched a formal investigation into the cause of the second stage failure but hopes to return to Spaceport Cornwall for more launches later this year.

Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart said: “We are all disappointed that we have not been able to achieve full mission success and provide the launch service our customers deserve.

“Once the anomaly was identified, our team immediately switched to a pre-planned investigation mode.”

He added that Virgin Orbit has launched an internal investigation into the causes of the outage.

The plane, named Cosmic Girl, took off from Cornwall Airport on Monday night with hundreds of spectators and more than 75,000 viewers watching a live stream of the event.

Named after the Rolling Stones’ 1981 hit, the mission included a converted Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 aircraft and Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket.

WHAT ARE THE ANSWERS?

1. (a) it is strong; it can be bent into shape; it is waterproof (b) rust, oxidation or corrosion; Pipes are weaker, there may be rust in the water, water may be undrinkable/dirty/contaminated; Pipes crumble or leak (c) Metals are good conductors; Heat moves or is absorbed by metal
2. (a) BEACD (b) All two from: same size pot, same size plant, same weather conditions, same temperature, made at the same time, same amount of soil (c) Indicator; blue – the soil is acidic/has a pH below 6; Add alkali (lime or any other alkali)
3. (a) gravitational potential, kinetic; chemical, kinetic; (b) light travels faster than sound; A: Drag (friction or drag); B: weight (gravity)
4. (a) Time how long the laundry takes to dry when there are puddles on the floor and when not (b) 1. how rainy/humid/windy it is or what the temperature is; 2. how spread out the clothes are, how wet they are or the material (c) it evaporates (d) B; A and B
5. (a) Everyone off: not having to build a rocket every time, each “launch” costs less than a rocket, less space debris, less CO2 emissions (b) 24 hours; Any two of: satellite television, weather monitoring, espionage, telecommunications, navigation, tracking animals, observing planets and stars (c) Carbon Dioxide (CO2) > Carbon (C) + Oxygen (O2) (d) Sharing costs, expertise, human technology or resources or building relationships; Language problems, arguments about workload, costs, etc.