Question 1

Some animals are classified into three groups as shown below.

Group A: cat, sheep
Group B: duck, eagle
Group C: lizard, crocodile

They are grouped according to ____.

Accepted Answer

C. their outer body covering. Group A (cat, sheep) are mammals covered in fur/hair. Group B (duck, eagle) are birds covered in feathers. Group C (lizard, crocodile) are reptiles covered in scales. They differ by outer body covering, not by habitat, movement or reproduction.

Question 2

Which of the following statements about the life cycles of a chicken and a grasshopper are correct?

A. Both life cycles have a nymph stage.
B. The young in both life cycles look like the adult.
C. Both animals go through their life cycles on land.
D. The young in both life cycles go through moulting.

Accepted Answer

C. B and C only. A chicken hatches from an egg as a chick that already looks like the adult; a grasshopper hatches as a nymph that also resembles the adult — so B is correct. Both animals spend their entire life cycles on land — so C is correct. Only the grasshopper has a nymph stage and moults, so A and D are wrong.

Question 3

Divya observed some mosquitoes, butterflies and frogs living in her garden. The number of days needed for their eggs to hatch is shown below.

Mosquito: 2 days; Butterfly: 3 days; Frog: 5 days.

On day 10, what would Divya most likely find in the pond of her garden?

Accepted Answer

B. mosquito larvae and tadpoles. Mosquitoes and frogs lay eggs in water (pond), while butterflies lay eggs on land plants. By day 10, mosquito eggs (2 days to hatch) would have become larvae and frog eggs (5 days to hatch) would have become tadpoles. Caterpillars live on land plants, not in a pond.

Question 4

Moss is a tiny non-flowering plant. It grows well at the bottom of tree trunks in forests.

Suresh wants to grow moss in his garden. How can he help the moss grow well?

Accepted Answer

A. Water the moss daily.. Moss is a non-flowering plant that does not produce flowers, fruits or seeds, so bees and insects for pollination/dispersal are not useful. Moss thrives in damp, shaded places like the bottom of tree trunks, not in bright sunlight. Watering daily keeps the conditions moist, helping it grow well.

Question 5

Old car tyres can be tied together and used to form a wall along racing tracks. This helps to protect racers and spectators when accidents happen.

Which properties of the material used to make the old car tyres help to ensure safety?

Accepted Answer

A. Strong and flexible.. Tyres are made of rubber. They must be strong so they do not break on impact, and flexible so they can absorb and cushion the impact when a race car crashes into the wall, protecting racers and spectators.

Question 6

Study the flowchart below.

Starting from 'Cells', Question A: 'No' → cheek cell; 'Yes' → Question B. Question B: 'No' → root cell; 'Yes' → leaf cell.

What are questions A and B?

Accepted Answer

B. A: Does the cell have a cell wall? B: Does the cell have chloroplasts?. A cheek cell is an animal cell that lacks a cell wall, while root and leaf cells are plant cells with cell walls — so Question A distinguishes them ('Does the cell have a cell wall?'). Both root and leaf cells are plant cells, but only leaf cells have chloroplasts for photosynthesis — so Question B is 'Does the cell have chloroplasts?'.

Question 7

Study the cell as shown below.

Labels: X is a region inside the cell, Y is the outer boundary, Z is a small dark structure inside.

Which of the following statement(s) is/are true?

A. X is a jelly-like substance.
B. Y gives the cell its fixed shape.
C. Z contains genetic information of the cell.

Accepted Answer

B. A and C only. X labels the cytoplasm, which is a jelly-like substance — A is correct. Y labels the cell membrane (no cell wall shown, so the cell does not have a fixed shape) — B is wrong. Z labels the nucleus, which contains the genetic information — C is correct.

Question 8

The diagram below shows a human reproductive system with parts labelled.

Labels: S points to the upper inner area; T points to the lower passage; U points to the side structure.

Which of the following statement(s) are true?

A. Ovules can be found in U.
B. T contains female reproductive cells.
C. S is where the fertilised egg attaches itself to grow.

Accepted Answer

B. C only. The diagram shows the female human reproductive system. U labels the ovary, which contains eggs/ova (not 'ovules' — ovules are found in plants), so A is wrong. T labels the vagina, which does not contain female reproductive cells, so B is wrong. S labels the uterus, which is where the fertilised egg implants and develops, so C is correct.

Question 9

The picture below shows two parts, X and Y, taken from a plant.

Which of the statement(s) is/are correct?

A. X helps to disperse Y.
B. Y is developed from an ovary.
C. X and Y are formed from flowers.

Accepted Answer

C. A and C only. X is a dry, wing-like structure (leaf-like attachment) that helps disperse the fruit Y by wind — A is correct. Y is a fruit that develops from the ovary of a flower (the seeds inside come from ovules, not the fruit from an ovary alone — but here Y develops from the ovary). B is partly correct, but option C matches the school answer: both X and Y are formed from the flower (the dry wing and the fruit both develop after flowering). The marking key gives C.

Question 10

The diagram shows the life cycle of a flowering plant.

adult plant → A → seed → B → young plant → adult plant

Which of the following correctly represent the processes, A and B?

Accepted Answer

C. A: pollination and fertilisation; B: dispersal and germination. From adult plant to seed (A), the flower undergoes pollination followed by fertilisation to form seeds. From seed to young plant (B), the seed is first dispersed and then germinates to grow into a young plant.

Question 11

The diagram below shows how food and water are transported to different parts of a plant.

B is at the top; A is on the left connected to central C; C also connects to 'fruits' on the right. Dashed arrows = food; solid arrows = water.

Which of the following best represent the parts of the plant, A, B and C?

Accepted Answer

B. A: roots, B: leaves, C: stem. Water is absorbed by the roots (A) and transported up through the stem (C) to the leaves (B) where food is made. Food is then transported from the leaves (B) down through the stem (C) to the roots (A) and fruits for storage/use.

Question 12

The diagram below shows the seed dispersal patterns of plants C, D, E and F.

Key: Filled symbols = parent plant; matching outline symbols = seedling. Plant C parent (filled circle) and seedlings (open circles) are spread across both sides of the river. Plant D parent (filled triangle) and triangles (open) are clustered on the left side of the river upwind. Plant E parent (filled square) and squares (open) are spread out widely across the area. Plant F parent (filled cross) and crosses (open) are clustered around the parent.

Which of the following characteristics of the fruits correctly match to the seed dispersal method of plants C, D, E and F?

Accepted Answer

D. C: fibrous husk, D: hook-like, E: wing-like, F: pod-like. Plant C's seedlings are on both sides of the river → water dispersal → fibrous husk. Plant D's seedlings are scattered by animals (clustered moderate distance) → hook-like. Plant E's seedlings are widely spread across the area in the wind direction → wind dispersal → wing-like. Plant F's seedlings are clustered around the parent → self/explosive dispersal → pod-like.

Question 13

Joseph cut the stalk of a celery into two equal parts and placed them into two containers with equal amount of water but different coloured dye added.

After a while, he observed that some parts of the celery stalk turned red, some turned blue, while the rest remained green.

What could Joseph conclude from his observations?

A. The food made by the plant was red and blue in colour.
B. The water-carrying tubes transported the different coloured water to the leaves.
C. There were no water-carrying tubes in the parts that remained green.

Accepted Answer

B. B only. The coloured water travelled up the stalk through the water-carrying tubes (xylem) to the leaves, turning those parts red and blue — so B is correct. The green parts simply did not have coloured water in them; the tubes still exist there (so C is wrong). The colours came from the dye, not from food made by the plant (so A is wrong).

Question 14

P, Q, R, S and T are organs in the digestive system. The graph below shows the amount of digested food in each organ after a meal.

The bar chart shows: P low, Q very high, R high, S near zero, T low.

Which of the following is correct?

Accepted Answer

D. Mouth: P, Gullet: T, Stomach: R, Small Intestine: Q, Large Intestine: S. After a meal, most digestion happens in the small intestine — so the organ with the highest amount of digested food is the small intestine (Q). The stomach (R) has the second highest as food is being broken down. The mouth (P) has a small amount as it starts digestion. The gullet (T) has very little as food just passes through. The large intestine (S) has almost no digested food because mainly water is absorbed there.

Question 15

Timothy placed a packet of tea into a mug. None of the tea overflowed out, as shown in the picture below.

Which of the following about the packet of tea is correct?

Accepted Answer

B. The shape of the tea changed but the volume did not.. Tea is a liquid. Liquids take the shape of the container they are in, so the shape changed (from the shape of the packet to the shape of the mug). However, liquids have a fixed volume, so the amount of tea is the same — volume did not change.

Question 16

A measuring cylinder is used to measure the volume of an object. The diagram below shows a measuring cylinder filled with water.

The volume of an object can be found by putting it into the measuring cylinder and observing the change in water level.

The table below shows the properties of four objects, P, Q, R and S.

Object P: floats in water — No, waterproof — Yes, allows light through — Yes.
Object Q: floats — Yes, waterproof — No, allows light through — Yes.
Object R: floats — Yes, waterproof — Yes, allows light through — No.
Object S: floats — No, waterproof — No, allows light through — No.

The volume of object ____ can be found using the above method described.

Accepted Answer

A. P. To measure the volume using water displacement, the object must (1) sink in water so it fully displaces water, and (2) be waterproof so it does not absorb water (which would give an inaccurate reading). Only object P satisfies both: it does not float (sinks) AND is waterproof.

Question 17

Ruyi tested three types of string J, K and L by hanging weights on each string. She added more weights to each string until it broke. The maximum amount of weight that each string could hold before breaking is shown in the diagrams below.

String J broke at 3 kg. String K broke at 6 kg. String L broke at 9 kg.

Ruyi decided to hang the weights all in a row, attached at a single point to the top.

Which one of the following arrangements would be possible?

Accepted Answer

C. From top: L holds 2 kg + (K holds 3 kg + (J holds 3 kg)). L total = 2+3+3 = 8 kg; K total = 3+3 = 6 kg; J total = 3 kg.. Each string supports the weight below it plus all weights further down. Limits: J ≤ 3 kg, K ≤ 6 kg, L ≤ 9 kg. Option C: J supports 3 kg ✓ (≤3), K supports 3+3 = 6 kg ✓ (≤6), L supports 2+3+3 = 8 kg ✓ (≤9). All limits are met. Option A: K supports 4+2 = 6 kg ✓ but L supports 4+4+2 = 10 kg ✗. Option B: K supports 4+3+2 = 9 kg ✗ (>6). Option D: K supports 3+4+2 = 9 kg ✗ (>6).

Question 18

Which one of the following statements is true?

Accepted Answer

D. Evaporation can take place at any temperature.. Steam is invisible water vapour (gas), not droplets — A wrong. Melting requires gaining heat — B wrong. Temperature stays constant at 0 °C during melting — C wrong. Evaporation can take place at any temperature (unlike boiling which only occurs at boiling point) — D is correct.

Question 19

The table below shows the freezing points and boiling points of three unknown substances, P, Q and R.

Substance P: freezing point 40 °C, boiling point 95 °C.
Substance Q: freezing point 32 °C, boiling point 120 °C.
Substance R: freezing point 28 °C, boiling point 80 °C.

Which of the substances, P, Q and R is/are liquid at 85 °C?

Accepted Answer

C. P and Q only. A substance is liquid when the temperature is above its freezing point and below its boiling point. At 85 °C: P (40 < 85 < 95) is liquid ✓. Q (32 < 85 < 120) is liquid ✓. R (28 < 85 but 85 > 80 boiling point) — R has already become gas, so it is not liquid.

Question 20

In some buildings, water mist systems are used to cool the surrounding air.

Which of the following explains how mist can cool the surrounding air?

Accepted Answer

C. Warm surrounding air loses heat to the water droplets.. The water droplets in the mist evaporate. Evaporation requires heat, which is taken from the surrounding air. So the warm surrounding air loses heat to the water droplets, causing the air to cool.

Question 21

Which of the following is a possible effect on the water cycle when the temperature of the environment decreases?

Accepted Answer

A. Evaporation of water decreases resulting in less rain.. Lower temperature reduces the rate of evaporation, so less water vapour enters the air, leading to less cloud formation and less rain.

Question 22

Study the electrical circuit below.

Bulb A is connected via wires to the battery. Bulb B and bulb C are connected through an aluminium nail. Bulb D is connected through an iron clip and a wooden ruler.

Which bulbs will not light up?

Accepted Answer

B. Bulbs C and D only. A circuit lights up only if it is closed and all conductors are present. Bulbs A and B are in a closed circuit through the aluminium nail (a conductor) — they light up. Bulbs C and D are in a circuit that includes a wooden ruler — wood is a non-conductor, so the circuit is open and neither C nor D will light.

Question 23

Samuel set up the circuit as shown below.

Four bulbs A, B, C and D are connected in parallel across the battery.

Which one of the bulbs, when fused, would allow the most number of bulbs in the circuit to remain lit?

Accepted Answer

B. Bulb B. In Samuel's circuit, bulbs A, C and D are on parallel branches; bulb B is on the diagonal. If bulb B (the diagonal) is fused, the outer rectangle loop with A, C and D remains a complete circuit, so three bulbs stay lit — the most. If any of A, C or D is fused, multiple branches become broken depending on layout, lighting fewer bulbs.

Question 24

Daniel set up an electrical circuit as shown below.

Circuit 1: Bulb X is connected in a simple circuit with a battery.
Circuit 2: A second bulb Y is added in parallel with X.

Which of the following graphs correctly shows how the brightness of bulb X changes when bulb Y was added to the electrical circuit?

Accepted Answer

B. Brightness of X stays the same in both circuits.. When bulb Y is added in parallel to bulb X, each bulb still receives the full voltage of the battery, so the brightness of X stays the same as in Circuit 1.

Question 25

Raj sets up an electric circuit as shown below. There are three bulbs, B1 to B3 and five switches in the circuit, S1 to S5. He uses identical switches, bulbs and batteries in his circuit.

Raj only wants the alarm in his circuit to sound. Which switches should be opened or closed?

Accepted Answer

C. S1: Close, S2: Close, S3: Open, S4: Close, S5: Open. To make the alarm sound while keeping all bulbs unlit, current must flow only through the alarm. S1 and S2 close the main loop with the battery. S4 closed and S5 open creates a path that bypasses B1, B2 and B3 but still reaches the alarm through the alternative branch. S3 open keeps B3's branch broken so B3 does not light.

Question 26

Aishah wanted to investigate how the number of batteries affects the number of paper clips attracted by a rod using the set-up below.

She placed the iron rod 3 cm away from the paper clips and found that it could attract some paper clips. When she added one more battery to the set-up, the number of paper clips attracted did not increase.

What could she do to attract the same number of paper clips when the iron rod was placed 6 cm away from the tray of paper clips?

Accepted Answer

C. Increase the number of coils of wire around the iron rod.. Adding more batteries did not increase the attraction because the electromagnet's strength had reached its limit with that number of coils. Moving the rod further away (6 cm) reduces attraction, so we must make the electromagnet stronger. Increasing the number of coils around the iron rod increases the strength of the electromagnet, allowing it to attract the same number of paper clips at the greater distance. Copper is not magnetic, so option B fails.

Question 27

The graph below shows the changes in the temperature of water over a period of time.

A to B (0–15 min): constant at 100 °C. B to C (15–33 min): temperature falls from 100 °C to 0 °C. C to D (33–48 min): constant at 0 °C. D to E (48–65 min): temperature rises from 0 °C to 55 °C. E to F (65–93 min): constant at 55 °C.

Which one of the following statements is true?

Accepted Answer

B. From D to E, water was gaining heat.. From D to E the temperature rises from 0 °C to 55 °C — the water is gaining heat. (A is wrong: water changes into ice from C to D as temperature stays at 0 °C, not 'only at D'. C is wrong: evaporation can occur whenever liquid water is present, not only from E to F. D is wrong: water is cooling from A to C, not freezing throughout.)

Question 28

Natasha set up the following experiment. She made a rectangular opening on each cardboard screen and lined them as shown in the diagram below.

A torch shines through a small vertical rectangular opening on the first cardboard, then through a small horizontal rectangular opening on the second cardboard, onto a grey screen behind.

She then switched on the torch and observed the light on the grey screen.

Which of the following would Natasha observe on the grey screen?

Accepted Answer

A. A small square of light in the centre of an otherwise dark screen.. Light travels in straight lines. Only light rays that pass through BOTH openings reach the screen. The vertical slot on the first cardboard limits the light to a vertical strip; the horizontal slot on the second cardboard further limits it to a horizontal strip. The overlap is a small square/rectangle where the two slots cross — that is the only patch of light on the screen.

P5 Science SA2 2021 — Methodist Girls

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