Question 1

The diagram shows an animal which curled up when Susan touched it. What characteristic of living things does the above diagram show?

Accepted Answer

D. Living things respond to changes in its surroundings.. The animal curled up in response to being touched, demonstrating that living things respond to changes (stimuli) in their surroundings.

Question 2

The diagram shows animal A. It is classified as an insect because ____.

Accepted Answer

B. B and D only. Insects are classified by having six legs and three body parts (head, thorax, abdomen). Statements B (six legs) and D (three body parts) are the defining characteristics of insects. Having no wings (C) is not a defining feature, and having a tail (A) is incorrect.

Question 3

The flowchart below shows how some animals are classified. Based on the flow chart above, which one of the following shows the correct identification of animals P, Q and R?

Accepted Answer

B. P: lizard, Q: cockroach, R: cat. R gives birth to young alive (mammal) → cat fits. Q does not give birth to young alive but has wings → cockroach fits. P does not give birth to young alive and has no wings → lizard fits.

Question 4

May found some plants in the garden and classified them in the table shown below. Which one of the following shows the correct headings for X and Y?

Accepted Answer

B. X: flowering plants, Y: non-flowering plants. Rose, tulip and hibiscus are flowering plants. Moss and bird nest fern are non-flowering plants. So X is flowering plants and Y is non-flowering plants.

Question 5

Which of the following statements describe bread mould correctly? A It is a type of fungi. B It reproduces by spores. C It can make its own food. D It needs air, food and water to survive.

Accepted Answer

C. A, B and D only. Bread mould is a fungus (A correct), reproduces by spores (B correct), and needs air, food and water to survive (D correct). It cannot make its own food because fungi lack chlorophyll, so C is incorrect.

Question 6

The diagrams below show the life cycles of Animal C and Animal D. Which animals below have a similar life cycle as animals C and D?

Accepted Answer

C. Animal C: mosquito, Animal D: hen. Animal C has a 4-stage life cycle (Egg → Larva → Pupa → Adult) like a mosquito, butterfly or mealworm beetle. Animal D has a 3-stage life cycle (Egg → Young → Adult) like a hen. Option C correctly matches mosquito to C and hen to D.

Question 7

The table below shows the number of days animals A and B spend in each stage of their life cycles. Both animals eat plants in their larval stage. Based on the information given above, four students come up with the following conclusions about animals A and B. Roy: Animal A eats more plants than animal B. Mary: Animal A spends more days as an adult than as a larva. Sally: Animal B eats more food in its pupal stage than animal A. Ali: Animal B spends most days as an adult than other stages in its life cycle. Whose statement(s) is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

C. Ali and Mary only. Animal A larva = 18 days, adult = 22 days, so Mary is correct (more days as adult than larva). Animal B adult = 35 days, the longest of all stages, so Ali is correct. Roy is wrong because Animal B spends more days as a larva (30) than A (18) eating plants. Sally is wrong because animals do not eat during the pupal stage.

Question 8

The following statements show the different stages in the life cycle of a plant. A The shoot grows upwards. B The root grows downwards. C The seedling develops its first leaves. D The young plant uses sunlight to make food. Which one of the following shows the correct stages of growth?

Accepted Answer

C. B → A → C → D. After germination, the root first grows downwards (B), then the shoot grows upwards (A). The seedling then develops its first leaves (C), after which the young plant can use sunlight to make food (D).

Question 9

The diagrams below show four set-ups, R, S, T and U. One seed is placed on each petri dish. Steven wants to investigate if water is needed for germination. Which of the two set-ups should he use?

Accepted Answer

B. S and U only. To test if water is needed, only the presence/absence of water should differ; all other variables (seed type, temperature) must be the same. Set-up S has a red bean seed on moist cotton wool in the room; Set-up U has a red bean seed on dry cotton wool in the room. They differ only in water, so S and U are correct.

Question 10

Study the diagram below. Which organ system does it belong to?

Accepted Answer

C. circulatory. The diagram shows the heart and blood vessels which are the main components of the circulatory system.

Question 11

Which two systems work together to enable our bodies to move? A skeletal B circulatory C muscular D respiratory

Accepted Answer

B. A and C. Movement is enabled by the skeletal system (bones) and the muscular system (muscles pull on bones to produce movement).

Question 12

Study the flowchart below. Which of the following represent A and B?

Accepted Answer

A. A: Protects the organs in the body, B: Breaks down food into simpler substances. If A is 'Yes', then the system is the skeletal system, whose function is to protect organs (and support the body). If B is 'Yes', the digestive system breaks down food into simpler substances. Option A matches both.

Question 13

The chart below shows the amount of digested food in various organs in the human digestive system at the end of the digestion process. Based on the graph above, which one of the following best represents A, B, C and D respectively?

Accepted Answer

B. A: mouth, B: small intestine, C: large intestine, D: stomach. Digestion begins at the mouth (small amount of digestion — A low bar). The small intestine completes digestion so it has the highest amount of digested food (B tallest). In the large intestine, the digested food has been absorbed already so C is zero. The stomach has a moderate amount (D medium bar). This matches option B.

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

A. make food. The main function of a leaf is to make food (photosynthesis) using sunlight, water and carbon dioxide.

Question 15

Which of the following are the functions of the stem of a plant? A Holds the plant upright B Takes in water from the soil C Takes in mineral salts from the soil D Transports food from the leaves to the other parts of the plant

Accepted Answer

A. A and D only. The stem holds the plant upright (A) and transports food/water (D). Taking in water and mineral salts from the soil (B and C) is the function of the roots, not the stem.

Question 16

Andy made two cuts in the stem of a plant as shown below. After the cuts were made on the stem, which of the leaves is/are still able to make food after some time?

Accepted Answer

B. C only. Leaves need water (from roots through water-carrying tubes) to make food. The upper cut only removed food-carrying tubes, so water still reaches leaves A and B from the roots — but the lower cut below leaf C removed both water-carrying and food-carrying tubes, blocking water flow to leaves A and B above it. Leaf C is below both cuts and still connected to the roots, so only leaf C continues to receive water and can make food.

Question 17

Ryan carried out an investigation. He placed two similar plants in the set-ups as shown below. The plant in set-up A had roots while the plant in set-up B had its roots removed. In his investigation, Ryan wanted to find out if ____.

Accepted Answer

B. plants need roots to take in water. The only difference between the two set-ups is the presence/absence of roots; both have a layer of oil on top of the water to prevent evaporation, isolating water uptake to the roots. Ryan is testing whether plants need roots to take in water.

Question 18

Some objects are grouped in the classification table below. Which of the following properties represent W and X?

Accepted Answer

A. W: Not waterproof, X: Waterproof. Cardboard and tracing paper are not waterproof (W). Copper sheet and iron sheet are waterproof (X). Tracing paper does allow light to pass through (so D is wrong), copper/iron sheets are flexible too (so B is wrong), and metals sink so C is wrong.

Question 19

Danny wanted to find out which material is most suitable to block out sound. He set up an experiment as shown below. Danny covered one side of the box using material F. The clock was set to ring at a fixed volume. Danny recorded the loudness of the sound from the clock with a sound sensor. He repeated the experiment using materials G, H and I, of the same thickness as F one at a time. The table below shows the results. Danny wanted to choose a material to block out sound from his music room most effectively. Which material, F, G, H or I, should he use for the walls of the music room?

Accepted Answer

B. G. The lower the loudness detected by the sound sensor, the better the material blocks sound. Material G recorded the lowest loudness (30 units), so it is the most effective sound blocker.

Question 20

Which one of the following properties is true for both air and a pencil?

Accepted Answer

B. They take up space.. Both air (a gas) and a pencil (a solid) take up space — that is, both have volume. Air cannot be seen and does not have a fixed shape or volume, so only B is true for both.

Question 21

David poured 250 ml of water into each of the three measuring cylinders. Then he placed three different objects, R, S and T, into the cylinders as shown in the diagram below. Based on his observations, which of the following conclusions are correct? A Object T has a greater volume than Object R. B Object S has a greater volume than Object R. C Objects S and T have the same volume.

Accepted Answer

D. A, B and C. Object R (sphere) displaces the least water — appears to push water up only slightly. Objects S and T displace more water and to the same level, so they have the same (greater) volume than R. Statements A, B and C are all correct.

Question 22

Study the flow chart below. Which one of the following best represents A, B and C?

Accepted Answer

C. A: Shadow, B: Oxygen, C: Oil. A = no mass → not matter → shadow fits. B = has mass but no definite volume → a gas → oxygen fits. C = has mass and definite volume → a liquid or solid → oil fits (a liquid has a definite volume). Option C matches all three.

Question 23

Andy filled two similar syringes, X and Y, with the same volume of water and air as shown below. He covered each syringe with one finger. When he pushed in the plunger of each syringe, he observed that the plunger of syringe X could not move while the plunger of syringe Y could move in a little. Based on his observations, which of the following conclusions could Andy make? A Air cannot be compressed. B Water cannot be compressed. C Air has no fixed volume. D Water has no fixed volume.

Accepted Answer

C. B and C only. Syringe X (water) plunger cannot move — water cannot be compressed (B correct). Syringe Y (air) plunger can move a little — air can be compressed because it has no fixed volume (C correct). Statements A and D are wrong.

Question 24

The diagrams below show three containers, A, B and C, of different capacities. An air pump was connected to each container. Which of the following shows the final volume of air in each container after 200 cm³ of air was pumped into each container?

Accepted Answer

D. A: 1500, B: 1000, C: 700. Air takes the shape and volume of its container. No matter how much air is pumped into a sealed container, the final volume of air equals the container's capacity. So container A holds 1500 cm³, B holds 1000 cm³, and C holds 700 cm³.

Question 25

The diagram below shows the maximum number of paper clips magnets J, K, L and M attracted at their respective heights. Which of the following shows the strength of the magnets, arranged from the strongest to the weakest?

Accepted Answer

D. Strongest → Weakest: M, J, L, K. The magnet that attracts paper clips from the greatest height (and most clips) is strongest. From the diagram, M is highest (strongest), followed by J, then L, then K (lowest, weakest). The correct order strongest → weakest is M, J, L, K.

Question 26

Siti labelled the different parts of an iron rod, P, Q and R. She stroked the iron rod thirty times with a magnet in the direction as shown below. Siti observed that the iron rod was able to attract some steel paper clips. Which of the following is/are true about the iron rod after it has been stroked by the magnet? A Part P of the iron rod was the North pole. B Only part R of the iron rod was able to attract steel paper clips. C Part R of the iron rod was able to attract more steel paper clips than part Q.

Accepted Answer

B. C only. After magnetisation by stroking, the entire rod becomes a magnet but the strongest attraction is at the poles (ends P and R), not in the middle (Q). So part R attracts more paper clips than part Q (C correct). Both ends attract paper clips, so B is wrong. The pole identity depends on the stroking direction — we cannot conclude P is the North pole from the diagram alone (A wrong).

Question 27

Three magnets are arranged as shown below. Which one of the diagrams below shows the correct poles of the magnets?

Accepted Answer

A. Top-right magnet: S on top, N on bottom. Horizontal magnet: S–N (left to right). Bottom-left magnet: N on top, S on bottom.. Magnets attract each other when unlike poles face. The horizontal magnet's right end faces the top-right magnet's bottom; for attraction (N–S), the horizontal magnet's right end must be N and the top-right magnet's bottom must be N facing — wait actually unlike attract. Since the magnets are touching/attached, opposite poles must meet. Option A correctly shows N–S pairs at each junction.

Question 28

A piece of note was left on the door of the refrigerator. The note was held onto the door with the help of a magnet as shown below. Which of the following shows the correct properties of the note, refrigerator door and magnet that allowed the note to be held onto the door of the refrigerator by the magnet?

Accepted Answer

D. Note: non-magnetic, Door: magnetic, Magnet: magnetic material. The note (paper) is non-magnetic. The refrigerator door must be a magnetic material so the magnet can stick. The magnet itself is made of magnetic material. So the answer is non-magnetic / magnetic / magnetic material.

P4 Science SA1 2021 — Raffles Girls

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