Question 1

Observe the following picture. What characteristic of living things is shown by the picture above?

Accepted Answer

D. Living things respond to changes around them.. The picture shows a Mimosa (touch-me-not) plant. Before being touched, the leaves are open; after being touched, the leaves close. This shows the plant responding to a change (touch) in its surroundings, which is a characteristic of living things.

Question 2

Ali prepared four set-ups as shown below. Ali wanted to investigate the factors needed for the survival of the rat. Using the set-ups above, which factor(s) can he investigate?

Accepted Answer

B. Air and water only. To investigate a factor, two set-ups must differ only by that factor. Comparing the two top set-ups (air tight lid vs wire mesh, both with food only) isolates air. Comparing the two right set-ups (wire mesh, food vs food+water) isolates water. No set-up lacks food, so food cannot be investigated. Therefore only air and water can be investigated.

Question 3

A tick (√) in the table below describes the characteristics of animal groups J and K. Which one of the following best represents animal groups J and K?

Accepted Answer

A. J = amphibians, K = reptiles. J has moist skin, lives on land and in water, and reproduces by laying eggs — these are characteristics of amphibians. K has hard and dry scales and reproduces by laying eggs — these are characteristics of reptiles.

Question 4

Which of the following characteristic is found in both birds and humans?

Accepted Answer

C. Have two legs. Humans cannot fly and do not lay eggs, and humans have one main body (not three parts). Both birds and humans have two legs.

Question 5

The characteristics of living things A, B, C and D are given in the table below. Based on the characteristics given, which of the following is a bacteria?

Accepted Answer

C. C. Bacteria can reproduce (Yes), do NOT reproduce by spores (they reproduce by simple cell division — No), and can only be seen through a microscope (Yes). This matches column C (Yes, No, Yes).

Question 6

The diagram below shows a plant. Which one of the following best represents the functions of Parts P and Q respectively?

Accepted Answer

C. Part P: Makes food / Part Q: Holds the plant firmly to the ground. Part P points to the leaves which make food through photosynthesis. Part Q points to the roots which hold the plant firmly in the ground (and also absorb water and mineral salts). Option C is the only one that correctly pairs both functions.

Question 7

Study the picture below. It shows plant R growing on a tree trunk. Plant R is growing on the trunk of the tree to obtain more ____.

Accepted Answer

D. sunlight. Plants on the ground at the base of a large tree are shaded. By growing up the trunk of the tree, plant R is raised higher and reaches a position where it can obtain more sunlight, which it needs for photosynthesis.

Question 8

The diagram below shows the life cycle of an animal. Which animal has the life cycle as shown above?

Accepted Answer

D. cockroach. The diagram shows a 3-stage life cycle: egg → nymph → adult → egg. The 'nymph' stage indicates incomplete metamorphosis. Among the options, only the cockroach has a 3-stage life cycle with a nymph stage. Frogs and butterflies have 4-stage life cycles; chickens have an egg–chick–adult cycle but no nymph.

Question 9

The diagram below shows the developmental life cycle of a spider. Based on the diagram, the spider has a ____ - stage life cycle.

Accepted Answer

C. three. The labels 'egg sac', 'spiderlings hatch' and 'spider lays eggs' all represent the egg stage; 'young spider' is the young stage; 'adult spider' is the adult stage. That gives three distinct developmental stages: egg, young and adult.

Question 10

The diagram below shows a seed germinating into a seedling. There are two missing stages X and Y. Which one of the following shows the correct stages for X and Y?

Accepted Answer

C. X shows seed with root emerging (shorter shoot); Y shows seedling with longer shoot and small leaves. Germination follows the order: seed → root emerges first (X) → shoot grows up with small leaves (Y) → full seedling with leaves. Option C correctly shows the earlier stage at X (root just emerging) and the later stage at Y (shoot grown with small leaves).

Question 11

Mr Tan conducted an experiment on the germination of seeds using two containers, P and Q. Both containers are of the same size. Container P is made of wood but container Q is made of clear glass as shown below. He put four similar seeds in each of the containers on some damp cotton wool. Both containers had holes on them and were left in the garden. Based on the conditions for germination, which one of these is a possible observation after a few days?

Accepted Answer

C. Seeds in both containers, P and Q, germinated.. Seeds need water, air and warmth to germinate. Light is NOT required for germination. Both containers have damp cotton wool (water), holes (air) and are in the garden (warmth), so seeds in both containers will germinate, regardless of whether the container is opaque (wood) or transparent (glass).

Question 12

Study the classification table below. Which of the following best describes J, K and L?

Accepted Answer

C. J = reproduce by spores, K = grasshopper, L = mosquito. J groups ferns and is the sister to 'Reproduce by laying eggs', so J = 'Reproduce by spores' (ferns reproduce by spores). K is an egg-laying animal with a 3-stage life cycle (egg, nymph, adult) — grasshopper fits. L is an egg-laying animal with a 4-stage life cycle (egg, larva, pupa, adult) — mosquito fits.

Question 13

Study the flow chart below. Which of the following represent questions R and S?

Accepted Answer

C. R: Does it have a 4-stage life cycle? / S: Does the young resemble the adult?. Butterfly has a 4-stage life cycle while grasshopper and frog do not, so Question R = 'Does it have a 4-stage life cycle?' separates butterfly (Yes) from the others (No). Then to separate grasshopper (Yes) from frog (No), Question S = 'Does the young resemble the adult?' works — a young grasshopper (nymph) resembles the adult, while a tadpole does not resemble a frog.

Question 14

The graph below shows the number of days each stage lasts in the life cycle of Organism P. Based on the graph, which of the following statements about the life cycle of Organism P is true?

Accepted Answer

D. One complete life cycle of organism P takes about 18 days.. Organism P has a 3-stage life cycle (egg, nymph, adult — 'adult male' and 'adult female' are not separate stages). The graph cannot tell us about moulting. The full developmental cycle from egg to adult takes egg (4 days) + nymph (14 days) = about 18 days, so option D is true.

Question 15

The diagram below shows a piece of surgical face mask. Which material is most suitable to make part Y?

Accepted Answer

D. Fabric. Part Y points to the ear-loop/strap of a surgical face mask. The strap must be soft, flexible and stretchy so it can be looped around the ear comfortably. Fabric (elastic fabric) is the only suitable choice; wood, metal and glass are all too rigid.

Question 16

Which one of the following is a source of light?

Accepted Answer

D. a television that is turned on. A source of light produces its own light. A mirror only reflects light, a fan does not produce light, and the moon only reflects sunlight. A switched-on television produces its own light from its screen, so it is a source of light.

Question 17

Study the picture below. Which one of the following shows why Amos can see the bowl?

Accepted Answer

A. Arrow showing light travelling from the lamp down to the bowl, then reflecting from the bowl to Amos's eye.. Amos can see the bowl because light from the lamp (the light source) travels to the bowl, bounces off the bowl, and then enters Amos's eyes. The correct arrow diagram shows this path: lamp → bowl → eye.

Question 18

Four different materials A, B, C and D of equal length and thickness were used in an experiment set-up shown below. A light sensor was used to measure the amount of light that can pass through each material. The results are as shown in the table below. Based on the picture below, which material A, B, C or D is most suitable for making part M of a face shield?

Accepted Answer

D. D. Part M is the transparent visor of a face shield, so the user must be able to see clearly through it. The best material allows the most light through. With no material the sensor reads 5000 units; material D allows 4800 units, the closest to 5000 and far higher than A (25), B (390) or C (2500), so D is the most transparent and most suitable.

Question 19

Study the diagram below. There are two light sources shining on the pole. They are placed at different positions K, L, M, N or P. Based on the diagram above, which are possible positions for the two light sources?

Accepted Answer

C. L and M. A single shadow of the pole is shown on the ground angled to one side. For only one shadow to be visible, both light sources must produce shadows that overlap in the same direction. Light from M (directly above the pole) casts a shadow straight down at the base, and light from L (upper-left of the pole) casts an angled shadow on the same side, so the two shadows can overlap and appear as one.

Question 20

Jayden carried out the experiment as shown below in a dark room. He placed materials A, B, C and D in a straight line. A triangle was cut out from material A as shown below. When the light source is switched on, a bright patch of light in the shape of a triangle was seen only on material C. Based on the information, which of the following statement is definitely true?

Accepted Answer

B. C does not allow light to pass through it.. A bright triangular patch of light is seen on material C, which means light is projected onto C's surface and stops there. This shows that C is opaque — it does not allow light to pass through it. (A only lets light through the triangular hole, B must be transparent for the triangle to reach C, but only C is definitely shown to block light.)

Question 21

The diagram below shows two pieces of cardboard G and H. The two pieces of cardboard were arranged in a way to form a shadow on the screen as shown below. Which one of the following correctly shows where G and H were placed between the lit torch and the screen?

Accepted Answer

D. H then G placed with a gap between them (order: lit torch, H, G, screen). The shadow shows a plus shape (from H) that is larger than the circle shape (from G) underneath. An object closer to the light source casts a larger shadow, and an object closer to the screen casts a shadow closer to its actual size. So the plus (H) must be closer to the torch and the circle (G) closer to the screen, matching the order lit torch → H → G → screen.

Question 22

Study the object below. The object was placed between a torch and a screen in different positions. Which of the following cannot be a shadow formed by the object?

Accepted Answer

D. Silhouette of just the cup without any straw. The object is a metal cup with a metal straw attached to and protruding above the lid. From any viewing angle, the straw is part of the object and would always appear in the shadow (or together with the cup's silhouette). A shadow showing only the cup with no straw is not possible. The other shapes (cup + straw silhouettes, or the round circle from a top-down view that includes the straw within the projection) can all be formed.

Question 23

Mr Sim had parked his car with the headlight on as shown in the diagram below. His son waited for him in front of the car while he walked towards their house. Without looking back, Mr Sim was able to know that his son was walking towards their car by looking at the wall of the house. Which one of the following observations did Mr Sim make from the wall?

Accepted Answer

B. The size of the shadow was increasing.. The headlight (light source) and the wall of the house (screen) are both fixed. When the son walks towards the car, he moves closer to the light source and further from the wall. The closer an object is to the light source (and further from the screen), the larger the shadow on the screen. Therefore the shadow on the wall increases in size.

Question 24

Which of the following shows the correct arrangement of mirrors to see an object through a tube as shown below?

Accepted Answer

D. Both mirrors angled at 45° facing each other (top mirror tilts down to the right, bottom mirror tilts up to the right toward the eye). To see around a corner through a tube (like a periscope), two mirrors are needed, each tilted at 45°. Light from the object hits the top mirror, reflects vertically down the tube, hits the bottom mirror, and reflects horizontally into the eye. Only option D has both mirrors correctly tilted at 45° facing each other to redirect the light path along the bent tube.

Question 25

Which one of the following is not a matter?

Accepted Answer

B. Light. Matter is anything that has mass and volume. Air, water and a pebble all have mass and occupy space. Light has no mass and no volume, so it is not matter.

Question 26

In a cartoon, Daniel saw an elephant getting into a tub that is filled to the brim with water. Some water overflowed when the elephant got in as shown below. The above picture shows that the elephant ____. A: has mass; B: has volume; C: can increase the volume of water

Accepted Answer

B. B only. Water overflows because the elephant takes up space inside the tub, displacing water — this shows that the elephant has volume (B). The picture does not demonstrate the elephant's mass (overflow shows displacement, not weight), and the elephant does not increase the volume of the water itself (the water is just pushed out). Therefore only B is shown.

Question 27

The diagrams below show four measuring containers. Which is the best measuring container to measure 15 cm³ of water accurately?

Accepted Answer

C. C. To measure 15 cm³ accurately, the container must include the 15 cm³ level and have small, precise gradations. Beaker A is marked only at 50 and 100 — too coarse and too large. Beaker B is marked every 10 cm³ from 10–50 — still rough. Flask D is marked at 25, 50, 75 — too coarse. The measuring cylinder C has fine gradations from 0 to 50 cm³, allowing 15 cm³ to be read accurately.

Question 28

Joyce has three objects X, Y and Z as shown below. She then placed the three objects into three similar measuring cylinders, each containing 10ml of water. She also compared the masses of the three objects as shown using a lever balance. Which one of the following correctly states the objects with the smallest volume and mass?

Accepted Answer

D. Smallest volume: Y / Smallest mass: Z. Smallest volume is found from the measuring cylinder that shows the smallest rise in water level when the object is dropped in — this is the cylinder containing Y. Smallest mass is found from the lever balance: in both balances the side with Z and the side with X go up (lighter), and the comparisons show Z is the lightest of the three. So Y has the smallest volume and Z has the smallest mass.

P4 Science SA1 2021 — Rosyth

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