Question 1

Which one of the following statements is not a characteristic of all living things?
(1) Living things reproduce.
(2) Living things respond to changes.
(3) Living things make their own food.
(4) Living things need air, food and water to survive.

Accepted Answer

(3) Living things make their own food.. Not all living things make their own food. Plants do, but animals and fungi obtain food from other sources. The other options are universal characteristics of living things.

Question 2

Study the classification table below.
Which of the following has been classified wrongly?

Accepted Answer

(1) car. The classification table appears to group non-living things in Group X (pen, ruler, book, scissors) and living things in Group Y (tree, chicken, bacteria). However, 'car' is listed in Group Y, but a car is a non-living thing. Therefore, 'car' is classified wrongly.

Question 3

Brenda conducted an experiment with two similar oranges, A and B. She placed A in the fridge and B on the kitchen table. After one week, she observed some dark patches growing on B as shown in the diagram below. Her mother told her that the dark patches were living things.
Based on Brenda's experiment, the living things needed ____ to grow.

Accepted Answer

(4) warmth. Orange A in the fridge (cold) did not grow patches, while orange B on the kitchen table (warmer) did. Assuming both oranges had access to air, food (the orange itself), and some water, the key difference in environment was temperature (warmth). Thus, warmth was needed for the living things (mold/fungi) to grow.

Question 4

Sumei listed the characteristics of animal X.
A X can swim.
B X breathes through gills.
C X reproduces by laying eggs.
D The body of X is covered with scales.
Which of the above characteristic helps Sumei to identify X as a fish?

Accepted Answer

(2) B. While other animals can swim, lay eggs, or have scales, breathing through gills is a defining characteristic of fish. This is the most specific feature among the given options to identify a fish.

Question 5

Study the classification chart below.
Which of the following correctly represents the headings K and L?

Accepted Answer

(4) K: Fungi, L: Plants. Group K contains yeast and mushroom, which are both types of fungi. Group L contains moss and bird's nest fern, which are both types of plants (specifically non-flowering plants). Therefore, K represents Fungi and L represents Plants.

Question 6

Halim found animal Y as shown below in a garden.
Which characteristic helps Halim to identify animal Y as an insect?

Accepted Answer

(3) Y has six legs.. Insects are characterized by having three body parts (head, thorax, abdomen) and six legs. While some other animals may lay eggs, have wings, or feed on plants, having six legs is a specific characteristic for identifying an insect among the given options.

Question 7

The graph below shows the number of bacteria G at different temperatures.
Based on the graph, which temperature is most suitable for bacteria G to grow?

Accepted Answer

(3) 40 °C. The bar chart shows that the highest bar, representing the largest number of bacteria G, is at 40 °C. This indicates that 40 °C is the most suitable temperature for bacteria G to grow.

Question 8

Part P of a cycling helmet protects a cyclist's head.
Which property of material should be considered when choosing a suitable material to make part P?

Accepted Answer

(1) strength. Part P of a cycling helmet is designed to protect the head from impact. Therefore, the material used must be strong to withstand forces and prevent injury.

Question 9

The table below shows some items which are classified based on the materials they are made of.
In which group does a metal can belong to?

Accepted Answer

(4) Group Z. Group W contains items made of fabric (sock, shirt). Group X contains items made of paper (textbook, newspaper). Group Y contains items made of rubber (rubber band, eraser). Group Z contains items made of metal (coin, needle). A metal can is made of metal, so it belongs to Group Z.

Question 10

Charlene listed the properties of four materials, A, B, C and D, as shown in the table below. A tick (✔) shows the presence of the property.
The diagram below shows a boy sitting on a swimming float.
Which material is most suitable to make the swimming float?

Accepted Answer

(1) A. A swimming float needs to be waterproof (to float), flexible (for comfort or inflation), and strong (to support weight). Based on the table:
- Material A: Strong (✓), Flexible (✓), Waterproof (✓). This material has all the required properties.
- Material B: Strong (✓), Flexible (✓), Waterproof (X). Not suitable as it's not waterproof.
- Material C: Strong (X), Flexible (✓), Waterproof (✓). Not suitable as it's not strong.
- Material D: Strong (✓), Flexible (✓), Waterproof (✓). This material also has all properties and is identical to Material A. Assuming there's only one unique best answer and option A is given as correct, Material A is the most suitable.

Question 11

Rods W, X and Y, have the same thickness but are made of different materials. A similar weight is hung on each rod as shown in the set-up below.
The diagram below shows how the three rods look like when the weight is hanging on it.
Which of the following statements is correct?

Accepted Answer

(3) Rod W is less flexible than rod Y.. The diagrams show the degree of bending, which indicates flexibility. Rod X bends the most, so it is the most flexible. Rod W bends the least, so it is the least flexible (most stiff). Rod Y bends moderately. Therefore, the order of flexibility from most to least is X > Y > W. 
- (1) and (2) cannot be determined as strength refers to resistance to breaking, not bending.
- (3) Rod W is less flexible than Rod Y (W bends less than Y), which is true.
- (4) Rod X is more flexible than Rod Y (X bends more than Y), which is also true. However, given that this is a single-choice question and option (3) is listed as the correct answer in the answer key, we select (3). In some cases, questions might have multiple technically correct statements, but only one is deemed the 'best' or 'intended' answer by the examiner.

Question 12

Study the flowchart below.
Which material, A, B, C or D, is most suitable for making the shower curtain so that the user will not be seen when showering?

Accepted Answer

(4) D. A shower curtain needs to be opaque (does not allow light to pass through), waterproof, and flexible. Following the flowchart:
1. 'Does it allow light to pass through?' For the user not to be seen, the answer must be 'no'. This leads to the next decision.
2. 'Is it waterproof?' A shower curtain must be waterproof, so the answer must be 'yes'. This leads to the next decision.
3. 'Is it flexible?' A shower curtain needs to be flexible to hang properly, so the answer must be 'yes'. This leads to Material D.
Therefore, Material D is the most suitable.

P3 Science CA1 2025 — Rosyth

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