Question 1

A turtle hides itself in its shell when touched. This shows that the turtle is a living thing because it can

Accepted Answer

respond. Living things respond to changes in their surroundings. The turtle hiding in its shell when touched is a classic example of a response to a stimulus.

Question 2

Jason made the following statements about a living thing. It reproduces by spores. It does not make its own food. It is used to bake bread and cakes. Which group of living thing is Jason referring to?

Accepted Answer

fungi. Fungi reproduce by spores, are heterotrophic (do not make their own food), and some types of fungi (like yeast) are used in baking bread and cakes.

Question 3

Which organ system is shown in the diagram?

Accepted Answer

respiratory system. The diagram clearly illustrates the trachea, bronchi, and lungs, which are key organs of the human respiratory system responsible for breathing.

Question 4

The diagram below shows a young plant. The leaf helps the plant to

Accepted Answer

make food. Leaves are the primary sites where plants carry out photosynthesis, the process by which they make their own food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide.

Question 5

The diagram shows the life cycle of a plant. What is the stage marked X?

Accepted Answer

seed. In the typical life cycle of a plant, stage X, which precedes germination into a young plant, represents the seed.

Question 6

Which of the following is a source of light?

Accepted Answer

a candle flame. A source of light produces its own light. A candle flame emits light. The moon reflects light, and a flower and an apple do not produce light.

Question 7

The diagram below shows the growth of a young plant with two missing stages P and Q. Which one of the following shows the correct stages for P and Q?

Accepted Answer

P: (image of a seed), Q: (image of a germinating seed with a root). The plant life cycle typically progresses from a seed, through germination where the root emerges, to a young plant. In the given sequence, P represents the intact seed, and Q represents the seed undergoing initial germination with the radicle (root) emerging.

Question 8

Which of the following can be attracted by a magnet?

Accepted Answer

steel ball. Magnets attract ferromagnetic materials. Steel is an alloy of iron, which is a ferromagnetic material, and thus is attracted by a magnet. Plastic, rubber, and wood are non-magnetic.

Question 9

Nelly wants to measure the temperature of hot water in a beaker. Which one of the following diagrams shows the correct position of the thermometer when taking the temperature reading?

Accepted Answer

Diagram showing thermometer bulb suspended in the middle of the liquid.. For an accurate temperature reading, the thermometer bulb must be fully immersed in the liquid but suspended in the middle, ensuring it does not touch the bottom or sides of the container, as these surfaces might have a different temperature than the liquid itself.

Question 10

The diagram shows a painting hanging on a wall. Iron is used to make the nail because iron

Accepted Answer

is strong. Nails are used to bear weight and fasten objects, requiring the material to be strong to prevent bending or breaking under load. Iron is chosen for its strength.

Question 11

The diagram below represents the stages A, B, C and D of the life cycle of a living thing. Stage B represents the stage where the living thing is able to reproduce. At which stage would it eat a lot and moult?

Accepted Answer

D. In many life cycles, particularly those involving metamorphosis, the larval stage (which often corresponds to a stage where an organism grows rapidly by eating a lot and undergoing moulting) occurs before the reproductive adult stage. If B is the adult stage, then D would be the most likely larval stage.

Question 12

The diagrams below show the life cycles of two animals, X and Y. Which of the following statements correctly describes the similarities between the life cycles of Animals X and Y?
A Both animals have an egg stage.
B The young of both animals live in water.
C Both animals have the same number of life stages.
D The young of both animals do not look like their adult.

Accepted Answer

A and D only. Statement A is true as both butterfly (X) and mosquito (Y) life cycles start with an egg stage. Statement D is true because both animals undergo complete metamorphosis, meaning their young (larvae) are distinctly different from their adults. Statement B is false because only the mosquito young (Y) live in water. Statement C (both animals have the same number of life stages) appears true as both show 4 stages (egg, larva, pupa, adult), but it is not included in the correct option.

Question 13

Marion prepared four set-ups, P, Q, R and S, as shown in the table below. Which two set-ups should be used to find out if water is needed for the seeds to grow?

Accepted Answer

P and S. To test if water is needed, only the presence or absence of water should vary, while all other conditions (number of seeds, location/temperature) must be kept constant. Set-up P (120ml water) and Set-up S (0ml water) both use 5 seeds and are placed in the field, making water the only differing variable.

Question 14

Jen has a 600 cm³ plastic container with a lid as shown in the diagram below. Which of the following matter can be totally placed into the plastic container and still allow Jen to close the container with the lid?
A Pour 500 cm³ of milk.
B Pump in 700 cm³ of air.
C Put in 6 glass marbles each with a volume of 100 cm³.

Accepted Answer

A and B only. A: 500 cm³ of milk (liquid) will fit as its volume is less than the 600 cm³ container capacity. B: 700 cm³ of air (gas) can be compressed to fit into the 600 cm³ container. C: 6 glass marbles each with a volume of 100 cm³ total 600 cm³ of solid material. While the volume matches, spheres do not pack perfectly, making it difficult to fully enclose them with a lid without leaving gaps or overfilling, so it's less suitable for 'totally placed in and still close'.

Question 15

Jonathan used some clay to make a cube. Then he moulded the same piece of clay into a cylinder as shown below. In what way(s) is/are the cube and the cylinder similar? Both have the same ____
A mass
B shape
C volume

Accepted Answer

A and C only. When the same piece of clay is molded into different shapes, its mass (amount of matter) and volume (space it occupies) remain constant. Only its shape changes.

Question 16

Ali carried out an experiment as shown in the diagram below. The volume of the ball is 300 cm³. He pumped an additional 50 cm³ of air into the ball using a hand pump. The size of the ball remained the same. Which of the following correctly describes the mass and volume of the ball after Ali did the above?

Accepted Answer

Mass of the ball: increase, Volume of the ball: remained the same. Pumping additional air into the ball adds more air particles, thereby increasing its mass. Since the external size of the ball remained the same, its overall volume (the space it occupies) also remained the same, as the air inside was compressed.

Question 17

The table below shows the properties of substances Q, R and S. Which of the following best represent substances Q, R and S?

Accepted Answer

Q: air, R: milk, S: pebble. Based on the properties: Q (no definite volume, no definite shape, can be compressed) is a gas (e.g., air). R (definite volume, no definite shape, cannot be compressed) is a liquid (e.g., milk). S (definite volume, definite shape, cannot be compressed) is a solid (e.g., pebble).

Question 18

Alexia wanted to find out the mass of a mango using the set-up shown below. She placed a mango and a wooden block on a balance. She repeated the experiment by replacing the wooden block with other wooden blocks of different masses. Based on the results above, which one of the following is most likely the mass of the mango?

Accepted Answer

more than 500 g. When the wooden block was 400g and 500g, side X (with the mango) tilted downwards, meaning the mango's mass is greater than 500g. When the wooden block was 600g, side W (with the block) tilted downwards, meaning the mango's mass is less than 600g. Therefore, the mango's mass is between 500g and 600g, so 'more than 500g' is the correct conclusion.

Question 19

Ben created a fishing toy using different materials. The fishing rod contains a magnetic strip that interacts with objects A, B and C as shown below. The table shows what happens to the toys when the fishing rod is brought closer to them. Based on the results above, which one of the following shows the material that the objects were made of?

Accepted Answer

A: iron, B: steel, C: ceramic. Objects A and B are attracted by the magnetic strip, so they must be made of magnetic materials like iron or steel. Object C has no interaction, meaning it is a non-magnetic material like ceramic, plastic, glass, or aluminium. Option (3) correctly assigns magnetic materials (iron, steel) to A and B, and a non-magnetic material (ceramic) to C.

Question 20

Hakim wanted to find out which rods, W, X, Y or Z, is the best material to make a cooking pot. He set-up the experiment as shown below. A pin was stuck at the end of each rod with a drop of wax before hot water was poured in the container. What can Hakim conclude from the results above?

Accepted Answer

Magnetic strength does not depend on the length of the magnet.. The experiment tested magnets of different lengths (2cm, 6cm, 5cm, 9cm) but found that all attracted the steel clip at the same distance X (3cm). This directly indicates that, based on these results, the magnetic strength (as measured by attraction distance) does not depend on the length of the magnet.

Question 21

The diagram below shows 2 mirrors that were placed inside a connection pipe. Which of the following pair shows the correct position of an object which could be seen by the eye at the various positions?

Accepted Answer

Position of object: C, Position of the eye: A. The setup is a periscope, which uses two mirrors to see objects not in a direct line of sight. For an eye at position A to see an object, the light from the object must enter the top mirror, reflect downwards to the bottom mirror, then reflect horizontally to the eye. Thus, the object must be at position C.

Question 22

Xiaojun stood under a lamp as shown below. She walked from position F to E, and then to position G in a straight line. Which graph shows how the length of her shadow changed over this time?

Accepted Answer

Graph showing shadow length increasing, then decreasing, then increasing.. At position F (directly under the lamp), Xiaojun's shadow is shortest. As she walks from F to E, she moves away from the lamp, and her shadow lengthens. To then go to G (on the opposite side of F from E), she must walk back past F, where her shadow would again be shortest, and then walk towards G, where her shadow would lengthen again. This pattern of increase, decrease, then increase is represented by graph (2).

Question 23

Roger carried out an experiment to find out how the distance between object M and the torch affects the height of the shadow formed on the wall. He recorded the results of his experiment in the table below. Which of the following conclusions can Roger make based on his results?

Accepted Answer

The nearer object M is to the torch, the taller the shadow.. From the table, as the distance between object M and the torch decreases (e.g., from 14 cm to 3 cm), the height of the shadow on the wall increases (from 6 cm to 16 cm). This indicates that the nearer the object is to the light source (torch), the taller its shadow.

Question 24

Study the object below carefully. Which of the shadows shown below can be cast by the object?

Accepted Answer

B, C and D only. Shadows C and D represent side profiles of the vase, which are clearly possible depending on the angle of view and light source. Shadow B, a circular shape with a cut-out, could be formed from a top-down perspective or a slightly angled view of the opening and main body. Shadow A, a perfect solid circle, is unlikely for an object with distinct handles and a varying body shape.

Question 25

A spoon was placed in a cup of ice cream. The metal spoon became colder after a while because the

Accepted Answer

spoon lost heat to the ice cream.. Heat always flows from a warmer object to a colder object. The spoon, being warmer than the ice cream, transferred its heat to the colder ice cream. As the spoon lost heat, its temperature decreased, making it colder.

Question 26

Jen was unable to separate two bowls that were stuck to each other. Which of the following actions should Jen take to separate the two bowls?
A Pour hot water into bowl A.
B Add some ice cubes into bowl A.
C Wrap a towel that was soaked in ice water around bowl B.
D Wrap a towel that was soaked in hot water around bowl B.

Accepted Answer

B and D only. To separate stuck bowls (bowl A inside bowl B), the inner bowl (A) should contract, and/or the outer bowl (B) should expand. Action B (add ice cubes to bowl A) will cool bowl A, causing it to contract. Action D (wrap hot water around bowl B) will heat bowl B, causing it to expand. Both actions make separation easier. Actions A and C would make separation harder by expanding bowl A or contracting bowl B.

Question 27

300 ml of water at 90°C was added into 4 glasses made of different materials as shown below. The table below shows the temperature of water in the glasses after 15 minutes. Based on the information in the table above, which material would be most suitable to make a container to store ice cream?

Accepted Answer

A. A good container for storing ice cream should be a good insulator, preventing heat from the surroundings from reaching the ice cream. Glass A retained the most heat (temperature only dropped by 5°C to 85°C) after 15 minutes, indicating it is the best insulator among the materials tested, and thus most suitable.

Question 28

Fred connected two identical bottles using a glass tube which contained a drop of ink. He placed one bottle in basin J and the other bottle in basin K as shown in the diagram below. Basins J and K contain equal amounts of water at different temperatures. Which of the following shows the most likely result?

Accepted Answer

Temp J: 20°C, Temp K: 90°C, Direction of ink: K -> J. Air expands when heated and contracts when cooled. If Basin K is hotter than Basin J (e.g., K=90°C, J=20°C), the air in Bottle K will expand. This expansion will push the ink drop from Bottle K towards Bottle J. Option (4) correctly shows this scenario with a significant temperature difference, leading to a noticeable effect.

P4 Science SA2 2023 — Pei Hwa

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