The problem with MCQs is that if you think that the answer is different from the majority opinion and you believe that you can convince the markers to accept your idea if you had the chance, you won't get the chance, because all you're allowed to do is shade one measly rectangle out of four. For example, for question 5 of today's chem MCQ, many people will probably put 107 degrees, because that is the correct bond angle for PH3. However, what I zoomed in on was that the question didn't ask for the correct bond angle, but the bond angle predicted by the VSEPR theory. In VSEPR, bond pair electrons and lone pair electrons are assumed to have the same repulsion, so the predicted bond angle would be the tetrahedral bond angle of 109.5 degrees, wouldn't it? Wouldn't that mean that the answer is C instead of B? Even here, it's mentioned that the VSEPR predictions may not be the same as the actual bond angles. If the question wanted the actual bond angle it would just ask for it instead of asking for what the theory would predict, right? Doesn't the weird phrasing of the question suggest that there's more than meets the eye? But it seems that absolutely nobody is convinced, and unless Cambridge and I think on the same wavelength this will end up as yet another case of me thinking too much.
Other than that, paper 1 was easier than papers 2 and 3, though that's actually not saying much. In fact I'd say that this year's paper 1 was still harder than that of previous years. Just hope that it'll be enough to tide me through the other horrendous papers to get a good overall grade.
OK, tomorrow is the dreaded physics + econs day, and I still have H3 maths the day after to prepare for while all the other people get to have a breather T_T So that's three papers and basically two days to prepare for them (since I'll be totally drained to the bone after tomorrow). I guess we'll see how it goes.
