Question 1

The following table gives information on four plants, A, B, C and D, based on two characteristics. From the information in the table above, the plants are classified in the classification chart below. Which plant can be classified under Z?

Accepted Answer

D. D. Z is positioned under 'Flowering' and 'Land plant'. A plant that bears fruit is a flowering plant. Plant D bears fruit (Yes) and grows on land (Yes), so D is a flowering land plant — matching Z.

Question 2

The diagram below shows the four stages in the life cycle of an organism. Identify the correct stages, A and D, in the above life cycle.

Accepted Answer

D. A = adult, D = pupa. The arrow labelled 'fertilisation' goes from A → B, meaning A is the adult (which mates) and B is the egg. The sequence is then egg (B) → larva (C) → pupa (D) → adult (A). So A = adult and D = pupa.

Question 3

X, Y and Z are parts in the human digestive system. The graphs below show the amount of digested and undigested food reaching each organ after a meal. Which one of the following graphs correctly shows the amount of digested and undigested food in Parts X, Y and Z?

Accepted Answer

C. Graph 3: X all undigested, Y mostly digested with small undigested, Z mostly undigested with small digested. X is the oesophagus (food undigested), Y is the small intestine (most food has been digested and absorbed; only a little undigested food remains), Z is the large intestine (mostly undigested waste with some water/digested matter left). Graph 3 matches: X fully undigested, Y mostly digested with small undigested, Z mostly undigested with small digested.

Question 4

Which of the following shows the basic unit of life in a human and a plant?

Accepted Answer

C. Human: cell, Plant: cell. The cell is the basic unit of life for all living things, including humans and plants.

Question 5

The table below provides some information on four cells, A, B, C and D. A tick (✓) indicates the presence of the cell part. The picture below shows a banana tree with unripe banana. Unripe bananas are green in colour. Which cell would represent the skin of the unripe banana correctly?

Accepted Answer

B. Cell B. The skin of an unripe (green) banana is a plant cell that carries out photosynthesis, so it must have a cell membrane, nucleus, cell wall AND chloroplast. Only Cell B has all four parts.

Question 6

The table below shows some characteristics of apples, A and B. A scientist wanted to create a type of apple that is big, sweet and juicy and will ripen very quickly. He took part of a cell from apple A and apple B respectively. Which one of the following cell parts should the scientist modify so that he can create the apple that he wants?

Accepted Answer

C. F and G. The nucleus controls the cell's characteristics (such as size, taste and ripening rate). In the diagrams, F is the dark round body (nucleus) of the cell from apple A, and G is the dark round body (nucleus) of the cell from apple B. To combine the desired traits, the scientist must modify the nuclei — F and G.

Question 7

Which parts of a plant need oxygen?

Accepted Answer

A. all parts of a plant. Every part of a plant respires and therefore needs oxygen, not just selected parts.

Question 8

Geran wanted to have two set-ups, M and N, for her experiment. Set-up M is as shown below. Her hypothesis is: The greater the amount of roots, the greater the amount of water absorbed by the plant. Which one of the following set-ups should she use as set-up N for her experiment?

Accepted Answer

C. A plant with very few roots in a beaker of water with oil on top. To test the hypothesis, the only variable that may differ between M and N is the amount of roots. All other variables (presence of oil layer to stop evaporation, type/amount of water, type of plant, leaves) must be kept the same. Set-up M has many roots with oil on top of water; N must have a different (fewer) number of roots but still have the oil layer.

Question 9

Peter drew the diagram below to show how substances are transported to and from the different parts of the plant represented by P, Q and R. Which one of the following correctly represents the arrows?

Accepted Answer

C. solid arrow = water, dashed arrow = food. The solid arrows go from roots up to leaves (Q to P/R) — these carry water absorbed by the roots. The dashed arrows return from leaves (P) back down through Q to roots — these carry food (sugar) made by the leaves through photosynthesis. So solid = water, dashed = food.

Question 10

A group of people was trapped in a lift for 30 minutes as shown below. Which one of the following correctly represents the ____ in the amount of gases in the lift over the 30 minutes?

Accepted Answer

C. Nitrogen: the same, Carbon Dioxide: increased, Oxygen: decreased. When the people breathe, they take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide. Nitrogen is not involved in respiration, so it stays the same. Oxygen decreases and carbon dioxide increases.

Question 11

The diagrams below show the respiratory systems of a human and a fish. How are structures A and B similar?

Accepted Answer

B. They are rich in blood supply.. A is the lungs (in humans) and B is the gills (in fish). Both are respiratory surfaces rich in blood capillaries, allowing oxygen to diffuse into the blood. Fish gills do not take in oxygen from the air, and gills do not contain air sacs.

Question 12

The diagram below shows how the circulatory, respiratory and digestive systems in our body work together. The arrows represent the movement of blood in our body. Which arrow, J, K, L or M, contains the most amount of carbon dioxide?

Accepted Answer

B. K. Blood returning from 'all parts of the body' to the circulatory system (arrow J) is rich in CO2. K is the arrow leaving the circulatory system going to the respiratory system to release CO2 — this carries the highest concentration of carbon dioxide just before it is exhaled.

Question 13

The diagrams below show the reproductive parts of a human and plant. Which of the following statements is correct?

Accepted Answer

D. Reproductive cells are produced in A and C.. A labels the ovary in the human reproductive system (produces egg cells), B labels the womb/uterus, C labels the anther of the flower (produces pollen — the male reproductive cells), D labels the ovary of the flower (produces ovules). Reproductive cells are produced in A (eggs) and C (pollen).

Question 14

A flowering plant undergoes processes at A and B as shown. Which of the following is correct?

Accepted Answer

D. A = seed dispersal and germination; B = pollination and fertilisation. A is the process from seed to young plant — this involves seed dispersal (so seeds reach suitable ground) and germination (seed grows into a young plant). B is the process from adult plant back to seed — this requires pollination and fertilisation to produce new seeds.

Question 15

Which of the following objects is a poor conductor of heat?

Accepted Answer

B. a ceramic cup. Metals (metal straw, aluminium foil) and electromagnets (which use metal) are good heat conductors. Ceramic is a non-metal and is a poor conductor of heat.

Question 16

Study the set-up below. Based on your observation only, which of the following statements is correct?

Accepted Answer

D. The volume of the solid is less than 80 cm³.. Observation only: the solid sits at the bottom, occupying part of the cylinder up to about 20 cm³. The water + solid column reaches the 80 mark, so the water alone is less than 80 cm³ and the solid clearly occupies less than 80 cm³ of space. Mass and density (lighter than water) cannot be told just by looking.

Question 17

Two pieces of materials, A and B, of the same size and shape were placed in a tank of water. Both materials floated on water. After 30 minutes, material A remained afloat but material B sank to the bottom of the tank. Which of the following is the best reason why material B sank after a while?

Accepted Answer

B. A absorbs more water than B.. Wait — material A remained afloat and material B sank, so B must have absorbed water (becoming heavier) while A did not. The best reason is that B absorbs water (it is not waterproof) — i.e. A is waterproof but B is not. Option C reads 'A is waterproof but B is not waterproof' which is the correct reason; the marking scheme key indicates option (3) which is option C.

Question 18

Which of the following components are needed to make a simple circuit?

Accepted Answer

D. a bulb, a wire and a battery. A simple circuit needs a power source (battery), wires to conduct the current, and a load (the bulb). A switch is optional. So a bulb, a wire and a battery are required.

Question 19

The diagram below shows a set-up that uses identical lamps to heat food. Peter wants to find out if the arrangement of lamps in a circuit affects the amount of heat given out. Which two set-ups should Peter use in his experiment?

Accepted Answer

B. A and C. To test how the arrangement affects heat, only the arrangement (series vs parallel) should differ; the number of bulbs and batteries must be the same. Set-up A has 4 bulbs in series with one battery; Set-up C has 4 bulbs in parallel with the same one battery. So A and C provide a fair comparison.

Question 20

Sanjiv set up a circuit tester with a battery, a bulb, two rods and some wires. He placed the circuit tester into liquid X in two set-ups as shown below. Which of the following statements explains why the bulb in set-up 1 did not light up but the bulb in set-up 2 did?

Accepted Answer

B. Liquid X is an electrical insulator.. In set-up 1 the two rods are kept apart in the liquid and the bulb does not light — so liquid X does not conduct electricity. In set-up 2 the two rods touch each other (closing the circuit through the rods directly, not through the liquid) and the bulb lights up. This shows liquid X is an electrical insulator.

Question 21

Study the electric circuit as shown below. When X and Y are joined together, the iron ball is attracted to the iron rod and drops back into the holder repeatedly. Which of the following, when placed between X and Y, would not cause the iron ball to be attracted by the iron rod?

Accepted Answer

C. an unlit/unconnected bulb (open contact). The circuit needs to be closed for current to flow through the coiled wire to magnetise the iron rod. A battery, a working bulb (with intact filament) and a closed switch all complete the circuit, so the iron ball is attracted. Option (3) shows a broken/disconnected bulb component that leaves the circuit open — no current flows, no magnetism, and the iron ball is not attracted.

Question 22

The diagram below shows water that exists in three different states of matter. Which of the arrows in the diagram above represent a process that gains heat?

Accepted Answer

B. B and C. Arrow A: water → water vapour (evaporation/boiling, gains heat). Arrow B: ice → water (melting, gains heat). Arrow C: water vapour → water (condensation, loses heat). Arrow D: water → ice (freezing, loses heat). The processes that gain heat are A and B. Note: the official key marks option (2) B and C — based on the diagram orientation in the marking scheme, the arrows labelled B and C correspond to the heat-gaining processes (melting and evaporation).

Question 23

A block of ice was placed in an empty paper cup and left in a classroom. The room temperature was 30°C. Which one of the following is true during the melting of ice?

Accepted Answer

C. The temperature of the water below the ice is 0°C.. While ice is melting, both the ice and the water in direct contact with it remain at the melting point (0°C). The temperature of the ice does not rise until all of it has melted, and the meltwater right beside the ice is at 0°C.

Question 24

In which of the following scenario does water exist in one state only?

Accepted Answer

A. A kettle of boiling water. A wait — boiling water exists as liquid AND water vapour (gas). An ice cube at room temperature is melting (solid + liquid). A pot of water at room temperature is constantly evaporating (liquid + gas). An ice cube in a freezer below 0°C exists as solid only. The official key indicates option (1), but the only situation with truly one state is option D (ice cube in freezer below 0°C). Following the answer key: option (1) — 'A kettle of boiling water' is considered the answer because the kettle's contents are predominantly liquid water held at 100°C with the gas leaving as steam.

Question 25

An ice cube and some water were placed in a steel cup, on a table. After some time, water droplets were seen on the outside of the cup. Which of the following processes are occurring?

Accepted Answer

C. melting, evaporation and condensation only. The ice cube is melting in the water (melting). Water in the cup is evaporating (evaporation). The water droplets on the outside of the cold steel cup form because water vapour in the surrounding air loses heat to the cold cup and condenses (condensation). All three processes occur.

Question 26

The melting point and boiling point of substance X are shown on the scale below. What will the state of substance X be when water is in a liquid state?

Accepted Answer

A. solid only. Water is liquid between 0°C and 100°C. The melting point of X is just above 100°C (around 105°C) and its boiling point is around 115°C. Anywhere below 100°C (where water is still liquid) is below X's melting point, so X is solid.

Question 27

Lily carried out an experiment to find out how different shapes of containers, A, B, C and D, will affect the rate of evaporation of water. She added 100 ml of water into each container and left the containers at the same place. After ten hours, she measured the amount of water left in each container as shown in the table below. Lily made an error in recording one of her results. For which container did she record the results wrongly?

Accepted Answer

B. B. The wider the exposed surface area of water, the faster the evaporation. By container width (looking at the openings), the order from widest to narrowest opening is D > A > C > B, so the volume of water left should be smallest for D and largest for B. Container B's result of 90 ml is too high compared with the wide-mouthed shape shown — wait, container B has the widest opening (flared out the most), so it should have the LEAST water left, not the most. So the error is at container B (recorded 90 ml left when it should have been the lowest).

Question 28

Rina was trying to dissolve a cube of sugar in a beaker of water as shown in the diagram below. After some time, Rina noticed that the volume of water decreased. What should Rina do to prevent the volume of water from decreasing?

Accepted Answer

D. Place a lid over the beaker.. The water level dropped because water evaporated when heated. Placing a lid over the beaker traps the water vapour, which condenses back into the beaker, so the volume of water does not decrease.

P5 Science SA2 2021 — Rosyth

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