Question 1

The picture shows animal R. The diagram shows a classification chart. Based on the information given, which organism best represents animal R?

Accepted Answer

D. T. Animal R is a rat. Rats do not make their own food (they are consumers) and do not have feathers. Following the classification chart: 'Does not make its own food' → 'Does not have feathers' → T. The answer key shows option 4, which corresponds to T.

Question 2

A lizard detaches and drops its tail when attacked. Which characteristic of living things does this show?

Accepted Answer

C. Living things respond to changes.. The lizard's behaviour of detaching its tail is a response to the threat of being attacked. Responding to stimuli (changes in the environment) is a key characteristic of living things.

Question 3

The diagram shows two types of cells, M and N. Lisa made the following statements to compare the cells shown above. A Both cells have some common parts. B Both cells contain genetic information. C Both cells belong to the same organism. Which of the above statements are correct?

Accepted Answer

A. A and B only. Cell M (rectangular with a cell wall) is a plant cell; Cell N (round) is an animal cell. Both have common parts (nucleus, cytoplasm, cell membrane) and both contain genetic information in their nuclei. They do not necessarily belong to the same organism since one is a plant cell and the other is an animal cell. So statements A and B are correct.

Question 4

The diagrams show the male and female reproductive systems in humans. Which one of the following is correct?

Accepted Answer

C. Egg produced at A, Fertilised egg develops at B, Sperm produced at E. In the female reproductive system: A is the ovary (where eggs are produced), B is the uterus/womb (where the fertilised egg develops), C is the vagina. In the male reproductive system: E is the testis (where sperm is produced), D is the sperm duct. Therefore eggs produced at A, fertilised egg develops at B, sperm produced at E.

Question 5

The diagram shows the different parts of a flower. The black dots in the diagrams below represent pollen grains. Which of the above flowers have been pollinated?

Accepted Answer

B. A and C only. Pollination occurs when pollen grains land on the stigma of a flower. In diagrams A and C, the pollen (black dots) are on the stigma, indicating pollination has occurred. In B and D, the pollen is still on the anthers (not yet transferred).

Question 6

Compare the two fruits shown in the diagrams below. Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct? A Fruit Y is dispersed by wind. B Both fruits have fleshy edible parts. C Fruit X clings onto the body covering of animals.

Accepted Answer

D. A and C only. Fruit X has hooks, which cling onto the body covering of animals for dispersal (statement C correct). Fruit Y has wing-like parts, which help it to be dispersed by wind (statement A correct). Neither fruit has fleshy edible parts (statement B incorrect).

Question 7

The diagram below shows a plant in a pot with wet soil. Which of the following statement(s) is / are correct? A The roots help the plant to hold onto the soil. B The roots help to take in water and minerals. C The roots make food for the plant.

Accepted Answer

B. A and B only. Roots anchor the plant in the soil (A correct) and absorb water and minerals from the soil (B correct). Roots do not make food — food is made in the leaves through photosynthesis (C incorrect).

Question 8

Kayden learnt about the following in school: Bees and butterflies are pollinators. Butterflies have good vision but a poor sense of smell. Bees have a good sense of smell. Bees are able to see the colours, blue and yellow, but not red. Kayden found three different plants, X, Y and Z, in the garden and made the following observations. Based on the information given, what can he conclude about plants X, Y and Z? A Flowers on plant Y do not have a sweet-smelling scent. B Flowers on plant Z have large, red petals. C Flowers on plant X have a sweet-smelling scent

Accepted Answer

C. A and C only. Plant X has bright red flowers attracting bees. Since bees cannot see red, they must be attracted by scent — so plant X has a sweet-smelling scent (C correct). Plant Y attracts butterflies with huge red petals; butterflies have poor sense of smell so are attracted by sight — Y may not need scent (A correct). Plant Z attracts both bees and butterflies, but we cannot conclude its flowers are large and red (B incorrect).

Question 9

Four seeds, A, B, C and D, are sown under different conditions as shown in the table below. A (✓) tick represents the presence of the condition(s). Which seed is most likely to germinate?

Accepted Answer

D. D. Seeds need air, warmth, and water to germinate (sunlight is not required for germination). Seed D has air, warmth, and water present (only sunlight absent), so it will germinate. Seed A lacks water, B lacks air and warmth, C lacks air.

Question 10

Which one of the following groups of animals has a 4-stage lifecycle?

Accepted Answer

A. mosquito, beetle and butterfly. A 4-stage life cycle (egg → larva → pupa → adult) is shown by insects undergoing complete metamorphosis: mosquito, beetle and butterfly. Cockroaches and grasshoppers have a 3-stage life cycle (incomplete metamorphosis: egg → nymph → adult).

Question 11

The diagram shows a flowering plant. Which part, (1), (2), (3) or (4), helps the plant to grow straight up to obtain sunlight?

Accepted Answer

C. Part (3) — the stem. The stem (part 3) supports the plant and holds it upright so the leaves can be exposed to sunlight for photosynthesis. Roots anchor the plant but do not help it grow upward toward sunlight.

Question 12

Study the classification table given below carefully. M and N represent common characteristics observed among three types of animals. A (✓) tick represents the presence of the characteristic. Which of the following best represents the headings M and N?

Accepted Answer

D. M: Have scales, N: Lays eggs. Fish and reptiles have scales; amphibians do not — so M = 'Have scales'. Fish, reptiles and amphibians all lay eggs — so N = 'Lays eggs'. Option 4 matches.

Question 13

The diagram shows part of the human digestive system. Based on the diagram given above, which of the following is correct?

Accepted Answer

D. Digestion does not occur at E and H; digested food absorbed at G; water absorbed at H. E is the oesophagus (no digestion), F is the stomach (digestion occurs), G is the small intestine (digested food absorbed), H is the large intestine (water absorbed, no digestion). Therefore digestion does not occur at E and H, digested food absorbed at G, water absorbed at H.

Question 14

Study the classification chart below. In which group should the windpipe be placed under?

Accepted Answer

C. Group C. Group A (stomach, small intestine) is the digestive system. Group B (blood, blood vessels) is the circulatory system. Group C (nose, lungs) is the respiratory system. The windpipe is part of the respiratory system, so it belongs in Group C.

Question 15

The picture shows two bumper cars at an amusement park. Players bump their cars at part W. Which of the following gives a property of the material used to make part W and explains why it is suitable?

Accepted Answer

C. strong — W will not break easily when hit.. The bumper part W is repeatedly hit by other bumper cars, so it must be strong so it does not break or get damaged easily upon impact.

Question 16

A beaker contained three powders F, G and H mixed together. These powders cannot be dissolved in water. The properties of the three powders are given in the table below. Which of the following steps can be used to separate the three powders? A Adding water B Adding a battery C Using a magnet

Accepted Answer

B. A and C only. Adding water (A) separates G (floats) from F and H (sink). Using a magnet (C) separates H (magnetic) from F (non-magnetic). Adding a battery (B) does not physically separate powders. Hence A and C only.

Question 17

The melting point of substance R is 115°C. Its boiling point is 444°C. Which of the following correctly describe the properties of substance R at 120°C? A It has a fixed shape. B It has no definite volume. C It cannot be compressed. D It does not have a fixed shape.

Accepted Answer

D. C and D only. At 120°C (between melting point 115°C and boiling point 444°C), substance R is a liquid. Liquids have no fixed shape (D correct) and cannot be compressed (C correct) but they do have a definite volume (B incorrect) and no fixed shape (A incorrect).

Question 18

Zara conducted an experiment using a beaker of warm water. She measured the temperature of the water, at various times, throughout the experiment. The changes in the temperature are shown in the graph below. Which one of the following correctly describes the changes taking place in the beaker of water during the experiment?

Accepted Answer

D. D to E — Yes change in state, Heat gained. From the graph: A to B (temperature falls) — water cools, no change in state, heat lost (not gained, so option 1 wrong). B to C (temperature constant at low) — water freezing (change of state, heat lost). C to D (temperature rises from low to 100°C) — ice melting and water heating up (heat gained, not lost). D to E (constant at 100°C) — water is boiling (change of state from liquid to gas, heat is gained from the heat source). Option 4 is correct.

Question 19

Joseph placed some ice cubes into a trough of water at room temperature. What is likely to happen after 20 minutes? A The water in the trough would freeze. B The ice cubes would be melting. C The temperature of the water would decrease. D The amount of water in the trough would decrease.

Accepted Answer

B. B and C only. The ice cubes (colder) gain heat from the surrounding water and start melting (B correct). The water in the trough loses heat to the ice, so its temperature decreases (C correct). The water would not freeze (room-temperature surroundings continue to supply heat), and the total amount of water actually increases as ice melts into water — so it does not decrease.

Question 20

The diagrams show a kettle with boiling water and the natural water cycle. Which of the following statements are correct? A X and Y are made up of water vapour. B X and Y are made up of water droplets. C X was formed as a result of condensation. D Y was formed as a result of condensation.

Accepted Answer

C. B, C and D only. X (the white steam from a kettle) is made up of tiny water droplets — water vapour from the kettle has condensed in the cooler air. Y (clouds in the water cycle) is also made up of tiny water droplets formed by condensation of water vapour. So both X and Y are made of water droplets (B correct) and both formed by condensation (C and D correct). Statement A is wrong (they are droplets, not vapour).

Question 21

The diagram shows an electrical circuit. All the batteries and light bulbs are identical and working. Which of the following observations will be made if bulb B fuses?

Accepted Answer

D. Brightness of bulb C remains unchanged.. Bulbs A and B are in parallel with each other; bulb C is in series with this parallel combination. If B fuses (breaks), the current still flows through bulb A and bulb C (A and C remain lit). The total resistance in A's branch is unchanged (only the parallel branch B is removed). With A in series with C, the brightness of C remains unchanged since the same current still passes through.

Question 22

The diagram shows a circuit with 2 rods, X and Y, dipped in liquid Z. The bulb lights up when the switch is closed. Which of the following correctly identifies Rod X, Rod Y and Liquid Z?

Accepted Answer

B. Rod X: metal, Rod Y: metal, Liquid Z: conductor of electricity. For the bulb to light up, electricity must flow completely through the circuit. Therefore both rods X and Y must be conductors (metal) and liquid Z must also conduct electricity. Option 2 correctly identifies all three as conductors.

Question 23

The diagram shows a circuit with three switches and four light bulbs. Jude closed all the three switches and all the four light bulb lit up. Which switch(es) can be opened without affecting the brightness of bulb 2?

Accepted Answer

D. P and R only. Bulbs 1, 2, and 4 are each in parallel branches with their own switches (P controls bulb 1, Q controls bulb 2, R controls bulb 4). Bulb 3 is in series with this parallel combination. Opening switch P only turns off bulb 1, opening switch R only turns off bulb 4 — neither affects the brightness of bulb 2 (still has full voltage across it). Opening Q would turn off bulb 2 itself.

Question 24

Three rings, P, Q and R, made of different metals are fitted together, as shown in the diagram below. The rings are of different sizes. Ring R fits into ring Q and ring Q fits into ring P. All three rings were then heated to 60°C. Ring R falls out of ring Q easily but ring Q still stay fitted in ring P. Which of the following best explains why the above happened?

Accepted Answer

B. Ring Q expands more than ring R when heated.. All metals expand when heated, but at different rates. Ring R fell out of ring Q, meaning Q's hole expanded more than R, i.e., Q expanded more than R, leaving a gap. Ring Q still fits inside ring P, meaning P did not expand much more than Q. So Q expanded more than R when heated.

Question 25

Three bar magnets AB, CD and EF and an iron bar GH are set up as shown in the arrangement below. Which one of the following diagrams shows a possible arrangement?

Accepted Answer

C. Diagram (3) — D...C | iron bar shaded | A...B. The original square arrangement shows magnets AB (top), CD (right) and EF (bottom) with iron bar GH on the left. For the magnets to attract each other and the iron bar to be magnetised at correct ends, the poles must be in specific orientations. Working through pole orientations, arrangement (3) shows DC magnet next to iron bar GH next to AB magnet — a valid arrangement where unlike poles touch.

Question 26

The set-up shown below is used to attract iron pins. Based on the set-up shown above, three students made the following predictions. Anne: More pins will be attracted if the iron rod is placed further away from the iron pins. Brian: More coils of wire around the iron rod will increase the number of iron pins attracted. Cody: Removing one battery from the set-up will decrease the number of iron pins attracted. Which student(s) is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

D. Brian and Cody only. Anne is wrong — moving the iron rod further away would attract fewer pins, not more. Brian is correct — more coils around the iron rod increases the strength of the electromagnet, so more pins are attracted. Cody is correct — fewer batteries reduces the current and hence the magnetism, attracting fewer pins. So Brian and Cody only.

Question 27

The diagram shows a glass of lemonade. Three children, Andy, Ben and Chris, made the following statements. Andy: The ice cubes gain heat from the glass. Ben: The lemonade gains heat from the ice cubes. Chris: The straw loses heat to the ice cubes. Whose statements is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

B. Andy and Chris only. Heat flows from warmer objects to colder ones. The ice cubes (coldest) gain heat from the warmer glass (Andy correct), warmer lemonade, and warmer straw (Chris correct). Ben is wrong — the lemonade loses heat to the ice cubes, not gains heat from them.

Question 28

While walking past a street lamp one night, Muthu noticed the length of his shadow change when he was at different locations as shown below. Which one of the following graphs shows correctly the length of his shadow at different locations?

Accepted Answer

C. Graph (3) — V-shape, lowest at B. At location B (directly under the lamp), the shadow is shortest (or zero). As Muthu moves away from the lamp (locations A, C, D), the shadow length increases because the angle of light becomes less steep. So the graph should have minimum at B and increase on both sides — a V-shape.

P5 Science SA2 2021 — Henry Park

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