Question 1

The diagram below shows Plants A and B. Which one of the following correctly describes the similarity between the roots of plant A and plant B?

Accepted Answer

B. Both take in water and mineral salts.. The roots of all plants, whether growing in soil (Plant A) or partly in water (Plant B, a mangrove), perform the common function of absorbing water and dissolved mineral salts. Plant B's prop/breathing roots are above ground, so 'completely underground' is false; roots are not green and do not climb for support.

Question 2

3 pupils left plant X in a beaker of red-coloured water. 5 hours later, they cut a cross-section of plant X and observed that tube A had turned red but not tube B. Based on their observations, the pupils made the following statements: Julie — The plant depended on tube A to transport food to all its other parts. Mark — Tube A ensured that water from the roots was transported to all parts of the plant. Ravi — The plant depended on tube B to transport water from its roots to some parts of the plant. Which pupil(s) made the correct statement(s)?

Accepted Answer

C. Mark only. The red dye is carried up by the water-transporting tubes. Tube A turned red, so tube A transports water from the roots up the plant — this is Mark's statement. Tube A does not transport food (so Julie is wrong) and tube B did not carry the dye, so tube B is not the water-carrying tube (so Ravi is wrong).

Question 3

The diagram below shows how a flowering plant reproduces: pollen grains from a male flower → (Process P) → female flower → (Process Q) → ovule becomes R and ovary becomes S. Which of the following do P, Q, R and S represent?

Accepted Answer

C. P pollination, Q fertilisation, R seed, S fruit. Pollen first transfers from the male flower to the female flower (Process P = pollination). Fusion of the male and female reproductive cells then occurs (Process Q = fertilisation). After fertilisation the ovule develops into the seed (R) and the ovary develops into the fruit (S).

Question 4

Which of the following shows the characteristics of a flower that is pollinated by an insect?

Accepted Answer

B. scented, brightly-coloured petals, big petals. Insect-pollinated flowers attract insects by being scented, having brightly-coloured petals and large petals to be easily seen. Wind-pollinated flowers are typically unscented, dull and small.

Question 5

The diagram below shows a process being carried out by a green leaf on a plant. Which of the following do A, B, C and D represent?

Accepted Answer

D. A water, B sugar, C oxygen, D carbon dioxide. The process is photosynthesis. Sunlight and carbon dioxide (D, entering the leaf) plus water (A, moving up the stem) are used to make sugar/food (B, produced) and release oxygen (C, given out). Hence A water, B sugar, C oxygen, D carbon dioxide.

Question 6

Which of the following statements are correct about sexual reproduction in both plants and animals? A — Pollination takes place before fertilisation. B — The female egg cells are stored in the ovary. C — The male reproductive cells are called sperms. D — The male and female reproductive cells have to fuse for fertilisation to take place.

Accepted Answer

A. B and D only. B is true for both (female egg cells are in the ovary). D is true for both (reproductive cells must fuse during fertilisation). A is true only for plants (pollination is a plant process), not animals. C is true only for animals — in plants the male reproductive cells are in pollen grains, not called sperms. So only B and D apply to both.

Question 7

Luke sets up 4 containers of leaf litter, W, X, Y and Z, of the same size and left them in 4 different places. The table shows the condition in each container: W — under a tree, 25°C, damp; X — in the middle of the basketball court, 37°C, dry; Y — in the middle of the school field, 38°C, damp; Z — beside a window, 28°C, dry. In which container, W, X, Y or Z, will Luke find the greatest number of populations of animals after 2 months?

Accepted Answer

A. W. Small animals living in leaf litter thrive in cool, damp, shaded conditions. Container W (under a tree, lowest temperature 25°C, damp) provides the most favourable conditions — moisture and a cool, sheltered environment — supporting the greatest variety of animal populations.

Question 8

Betty carried out an experiment to find out the effects of carbon dioxide on 4 organisms, W, X, Y and Z living in a pond. Different concentrations of carbon dioxide were given to the 4 set-ups and she recorded the size of population. As carbon dioxide increased from 1 to 15 units: W 75→75→75→80; X 107→105→100→95; Y 99→95→86→80; Z 213→257→274→289. Which one of the organisms could most likely be water plants found inside the pond?

Accepted Answer

D. Z. Water plants use carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, so their population increases as carbon dioxide concentration increases. Only organism Z's population rose steadily (213 → 289) with rising carbon dioxide, so Z is most likely the water plant.

Question 9

Lily did a study on 3 animals, S, T and U. She placed a tick in the box when she made the observation. Observations: 'Young looks like the adult' — ticked for U; 'Gives birth to young alive' — ticked for U; '3 stages in the life cycle' — ticked for S; 'Moults several times at one stage in its life cycle' — ticked for T. Which of the following could be Animals S, T and U?

Accepted Answer

C. S frog, T butterfly, U dog. U has young that look like the adult and gives birth to live young — a mammal like a dog. S has 3 stages in its life cycle (egg → tadpole → adult) — a frog. T moults several times at one stage (the larva/caterpillar stage) — a butterfly. Option C (frog, butterfly, dog) fits all observations.

Question 10

All classified four organisms, tortoise, goldfish, swordtail and whale. He classified them according to the flowchart. The flowchart starts with all four organisms → Question P: No → tortoise; Yes → Question Q: No → whale path / then Question 'Does it have scales?': Yes → goldfish/swordtail, No → whale. What were the two questions, P and Q?

Accepted Answer

B. P 'Does it live only in water?', Q 'Does it lay eggs?'. Question P must separate the tortoise (which lives on land) from the others: 'Does it live only in water?' — tortoise = No. Question Q must then separate the whale (a mammal that does not lay eggs) from the egg-laying fish: 'Does it lay eggs?' — whale = No, goldfish and swordtail = Yes. Option B fits.

Question 11

What is the function of the large intestine in the human digestive system?

Accepted Answer

C. It absorbs water from the undigested food.. The large intestine reabsorbs water from the undigested food (leaving solid waste). Digestion occurs mainly in the stomach and small intestine, and digested food is absorbed into the blood at the small intestine, so those options are functions of other organs.

Question 12

Krishan completed several activities, G, H and L. The graph shows Krishan's average pulse rate during each activity: G has a low bar, H has the highest bar, L has a medium bar. Which of the following best describes the activities, G, H and L?

Accepted Answer

B. G reading, H running, L walking. Pulse rate rises with physical exertion. G has the lowest pulse rate (a restful activity = reading), H has the highest (most vigorous = running), and L is in between (moderate activity = walking). Option B matches the bar heights.

Question 13

5 pupils observed some plant and animal cells under the microscope. They recorded their observations and conclusions: Ali — cytoplasm, nucleus, cell membrane → animal; Meiling — nucleus, cell wall, cell membrane, chloroplasts → plant; Emily — cell membrane, nucleus, chloroplasts → animal; Ben — cell membrane, cell wall, nucleus → animal; Nancy — cell membrane, cell wall, nucleus, cytoplasm → plant. Which pupils made the correct conclusions?

Accepted Answer

B. Ali, Meiling and Nancy. A cell with a cell wall and/or chloroplasts is a plant cell; one without is an animal cell. Ali (no cell wall/chloroplasts → animal) correct. Meiling (cell wall + chloroplasts → plant) correct. Nancy (cell wall → plant) correct. Emily (has chloroplasts but concluded animal) wrong. Ben (has cell wall but concluded animal) wrong.

Question 14

The following table shows the number of animals in a particular community: spider 10, snail 12, butterfly 8, earthworm 5, caterpillar 5. How many populations of organisms are there in this community?

Accepted Answer

A. 4. A population is all organisms of the same species. The butterfly and caterpillar are the same species (the caterpillar is the young of the butterfly), so they form one population. Counting spider, snail, butterfly+caterpillar (one), and earthworm gives 4 populations.

Question 15

Which of the following statements correctly describes the structural and behavioural adaptations of some organisms?

Accepted Answer

D. Structural: uses stripes on the body to blend in with the surroundings; Behavioural: uses twigs to decorate its shells to blend in its surroundings. A structural adaptation is a body feature; a behavioural adaptation is an action/behaviour. Option D is correct: having stripes on the body is a structural feature, while decorating its shell with twigs is a behaviour. The other options mix up the two categories.

Question 16

In the early morning, lizards will lie on surrounding rocks to warm their bodies. At noon, the hottest part of the day, the lizards will hide under rocks to cool their bodies. Xiao Ling went to area X to observe the number of lizards she could spot. Which one of the following graphs correctly shows the number of lizards Xiao Ling spotted in area X throughout the day?

Accepted Answer

C. Number of lizards is high in the morning, dips to a low at 12 noon, then rises again. Lizards bask in the open in the morning and late afternoon (so many are visible then) but hide under rocks at noon when it is hottest (so few are visible). The graph must show a high count in the morning, a dip at noon, and a rise again toward evening — a U-shaped curve, option C.

Question 17

Salleh fully dipped 4 different fabric, R, S, T and U, of the same size into 4 containers containing the same amount of water. He recorded the amount of water in each container after dipping the fabric. Amount at beginning: all 200 ml. Amount at end: R 200 ml, S 80 ml, T 185 ml, U 145 ml. Based on the results above, which fabric should Salleh choose to make an umbrella?

Accepted Answer

A. Fabric R. An umbrella fabric should be waterproof — it should absorb the least water. Fabric R left the water level unchanged (200 ml → 200 ml), meaning it absorbed no water, making it the most waterproof and best for an umbrella.

Question 18

Ahmad set up 4 syringes as shown in the diagram below. The ends of the syringes were sealed with some wax. Which of the two plungers cannot be pushed inwards easily?

Accepted Answer

C. R and S. A plunger cannot be pushed in easily when the sealed syringe is filled with a liquid, because liquids cannot be compressed. The two syringes containing liquid (R and S) resist the plunger, whereas syringes containing air/gas can be compressed and pushed in easily.

Question 19

Bob had 3 bars, X, Y and Z. Their ends were labelled A, B, C, D, E and F respectively. He brought the ends of Bar X, Bar Y and Bar Z close to one another to find out if they would attract or repel. Results: A–C attract, A–D attract, A–E attract, A–F attract; B–C attract, B–D attract, B–E attract, B–F attract; C–E attract, C–F repel; D–E repel, D–F attract. Based on the results above, which of the following statements is/are correct? A — Bars X, Y and Z are magnets. B — Only Bars Y and Z are magnets. C — Only Bars X and Y are magnetic materials. D — Bars X, Y and Z are made of magnetic materials.

Accepted Answer

C. B and D only. Repulsion is the only sure test of a magnet. Bars Y and Z show repulsion between them (C–F repel, D–E repel), so Y and Z are magnets (statement B). Bar X only ever attracts, never repels, so X is a magnetic material but not confirmed a magnet. All three bars are magnetic materials (statement D). Hence B and D only.

Question 20

Johari attached a small ball to the base of an empty plastic cup as shown. He placed the plastic cup with the attached small ball into a basin of water and pushed the cup downwards. The water level inside the plastic cup stayed lower than the water level in the basin. Which one of the following statements best explains the difference in the water level inside the plastic cup and the water level in the basin?

Accepted Answer

C. Some air was trapped in the plastic cup and could not escape out of it.. When the inverted cup is pushed down into the water, air is trapped inside the cup and cannot escape. The trapped air occupies space and keeps water from rising fully inside the cup, so the water level inside the cup stays lower than in the basin.

Question 21

The light sensor in a datalogger measures the amount of light that it is exposed to. Which one of the following graphs shows how the reading of the datalogger changes as the light source is placed further away from the light sensor?

Accepted Answer

D. Amount of light detected decreases as distance increases. The further the light source is from the sensor, the less light reaches the sensor. So the reading (amount of light detected) decreases as the distance of the light source increases — a downward-sloping graph, option D.

Question 22

The diagram below shows a square metal frame with four drops of wax attached at P, Q, R and S. Zainal heated the metal frame at one of the points, A, B, C or D, and recorded the time taken for the drops of wax to melt: P 107 s, Q 24 s, R 56 s, S 97 s. At which point, A, B, C or D, did Zainal heat the metal frame?

Accepted Answer

A. A. Heat travels through the metal from the heating point. The wax drop nearest the heat source melts first (shortest time). Wax Q melted fastest (24 s), so the heating point is the one closest to Q. Point A is the arrow located nearest to Q, so the frame was heated at A.

Question 23

Jaspir heated 3 identical beakers containing equal amount of water with different number of identical heat sources as shown (Set-up A fewest, Set-up C most). He heated each beaker of water until it boiled. At the end of the experiment, he made 3 statements. A — The final temperature of water in all the 3 set-ups was the same. B — The water in set-up C reached the highest temperature in the shortest time. C — The water in set-up A was of a lower final temperature than the water in set-up B. Which statement(s) was/were correct?

Accepted Answer

C. A and B only. Water always boils at 100°C regardless of the number of heat sources, so all three set-ups reach the same final temperature (statement A correct, statement C wrong). Set-up C has the most heat sources, so it reaches its boiling temperature in the shortest time (statement B correct). Hence A and B only.

Question 24

Water changes from one state to another through some processes as shown: water vapour ↔ water (Processes V and Y) and water ↔ ice (Processes W and X). What do processes V, W, X and Y represent?

Accepted Answer

A. V condensation, W freezing, X melting, Y evaporation. Process V (water vapour → water) is condensation. Process Y (water → water vapour) is evaporation. Process W (water → ice) is freezing. Process X (ice → water) is melting. This matches option A.

Question 25

Sally set up a circuit with a battery and Bulb B and observed the brightness of Bulb B. She then connected another bulb at Position A (in series) and observed Bulb B. Then she removed the bulb at Position A and replaced it with a battery (in series) and made her observations again. All parts of the circuit were connected properly. Which of the following shows the correct observation of the brightness of Bulb B when another bulb or battery was connected at Position A respectively?

Accepted Answer

A. Bulb at Position A: dimmer; Battery at Position A: brighter. Adding another bulb in series increases the resistance, so less current flows and Bulb B becomes dimmer. Replacing it with an extra battery in series increases the voltage, so more current flows and Bulb B becomes brighter. Hence 'dimmer' then 'brighter' — option A. (Note: the official answer key left this item blank.)

Question 26

Ramesh set up 3 similar circuits P, Q and R with different objects made of materials X, Y and Z. Ramesh made the following observations: The bulb in circuit R did not light up. The bulbs in circuits P and Q lighted up. The bulb in circuit Q was brighter than the bulb in circuit P. What can Ramesh conclude about the materials X, Y and Z? A — Z is a metal. B — Z is a non-conductor of electricity. C — X is a better conductor of electricity than Y. D — Both X and Y are good conductors of electricity.

Accepted Answer

C. B and D only. Bulb R did not light, so material Z does not allow electricity to flow — Z is a non-conductor (statement B correct; A wrong). Bulbs P and Q lit, so X and Y are conductors (statement D correct). Q was brighter than P, so Y is the better conductor, not X (statement C wrong). Hence B and D only.

Question 27

Study the flowchart below. Start → 'Source of energy?' (No → K) → Yes → 'Possesses kinetic energy?' (Yes → L) → No → 'Always produces heat and light energy?' (Yes → M, No → N). What could L and M represent?

Accepted Answer

B. L running water, M sun. L is a source of energy that possesses kinetic energy (energy of movement) — running water is moving and is a source of energy. M is a source of energy that always produces heat and light — the sun always gives out heat and light. The moon (option D) is not a source of light, and coal/oil are not always producing heat and light. Option B fits.

Question 28

The diagram below shows the conversion of electricity to other forms of energy, A, B, C and D, by some household electrical appliances: ceiling fan converts electrical energy to A and B; electric iron converts to C; light bulb converts to C and D. Identify the forms of energy A, B, C and D.

Accepted Answer

B. A kinetic, B sound, C heat, D light. A ceiling fan converts electrical energy mainly to kinetic energy (A) and some sound energy (B). An electric iron converts electrical energy to heat (C). A light bulb converts electrical energy to heat (C) and light (D). So A kinetic, B sound, C heat, D light — option B.

Question 29

The diagram below shows a zipline in an adventure camp. 2 boys, A and B, started to slide down the zipline from 2 different heights. Which one of the following statements best describes the gravitational force possessed by the 2 boys of similar build and at similar starting point but different height?

Accepted Answer

D. Both boys have the same amount of gravitational force acting on them.. Gravitational force (weight) depends on the mass of the object, not on its height. Since the two boys are of similar build (similar mass), the same amount of gravitational force acts on both of them regardless of the different heights they start from.

Question 30

The diagram below shows two identical blocks, E and F, of the same material being pushed along the same surface. Block F was observed to travel a shorter distance. Which of the following statements is/are possible explanations for the observation? A — Block E and Block F are moving on ice. B — Block F has greater mass than Block E. C — A layer of oil was spread below Block E. D — A greater force was used to push Block E.

Accepted Answer

B. C and D only. F travels a shorter distance than E. C: oil under E reduces friction, so E slides further (F shorter) — valid. D: a greater force on E makes E travel further (F shorter) — valid. B is invalid because the blocks are stated to be identical (same mass), so F cannot have greater mass. A is invalid because ice under both would not explain the difference. Hence C and D only.

P6 Science SA1 2016 — Catholic High

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P6 Science SA1 2016 — Catholic High

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