Question 1

The classification chart shows how some living things can be classified. Group A: Make their own food. Group B: Feed on dead or living organisms. Group C: Have bodies divided into three parts. Group D: Can be seen only under a microscope. Which of the following can be placed in Groups A, B, C and D respectively?

Accepted Answer

C. Group A: non-flowering plants, Group B: fungi, Group C: insects, Group D: bacteria. Group A (makes own food) = plants (flowering or non-flowering). Group B (feeds on dead/living organisms) = fungi. Group C (body in three parts: head, thorax, abdomen) = insects. Group D (only seen under microscope) = bacteria.

Question 2

The diagram below shows an air pump attached to a deflated tyre by a tube. What happens to the mass and volume of the tyre after four pumps of air are given?

Accepted Answer

A. Mass: increases, Volume: increases. Air has mass and occupies space. Pumping air into the deflated tyre adds matter (more mass) and inflates it (more volume).

Question 3

Shucheng sealed 4 similar pieces of bread into an airtight bag each and placed them under different conditions as shown below. The bread in Bag Y was toasted before being sealed. Bag W: dark cupboard, sprinkled 10 drops of water. Bag X: by the window, sprinkled 3 drops of water. Bag Y: dark cupboard, toasted bread. Bag Z: by the window, sprinkled 10 drops of water. Which of the following correctly shows the aim of his experiment based on the bags that he has chosen for comparison?

Accepted Answer

B. Bags W and Z — To find out if light is required for mould to grow. Bags W and Z differ only in light (dark cupboard vs by window) — same amount of water (10 drops), same untoasted bread. So the variable being tested is light.

Question 4

The diagrams below show parts of the reproductive system in a plant and in a human. Some students made the following statements shown in the table below. Andy: Fertilisation takes place at R, X and W. Janelle: Q and W produce reproductive cells. Ismail: Both P and Y receive the female reproductive cells. Which of the student(s) is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

A. Janelle only. In the plant, R is the ovary (fertilisation site), Q is the anther (produces pollen — male reproductive cells). In the human diagram, W is the ovary (produces egg — female reproductive cell), X is the fallopian tube (fertilisation site), Y is the uterus. Janelle is correct: Q (anther) makes pollen and W (ovary) makes eggs. Andy is wrong (W is not a fertilisation site). Ismail is wrong (P is the stigma — receives pollen, not the female reproductive cell).

Question 5

The classification table below shows how some animals are classified. Animals split into J and K. Under J: 'Does not go through part of its life cycle in water' (butterfly) and 'Goes through part of its life cycle in water' (W). Under K: 'Has a nymph stage in its life cycle' (X). Which of the following best represent J, K, W and X?

Accepted Answer

B. J: Has a 4-stage life cycle, K: Has a 3-stage life cycle, W: mosquito, X: cockroach. Butterfly has a 4-stage life cycle (egg→larva→pupa→adult). So J = 4-stage life cycle. K (has nymph stage) = 3-stage life cycle (egg→nymph→adult), e.g. cockroach. W (4-stage, in water) = mosquito (larva and pupa in water). X (3-stage with nymph) = cockroach.

Question 6

Samy wanted to find out how the number of wing-like structures of Fruit C affects the time it takes to reach the ground. He carried out an experiment using four set-ups, W, X, Y and Z, and recorded his observations in the table below. W: 1 wing-like structure, brown, wind: Yes. X: 1 wing-like structure, black, wind: Yes. Y: 3 wing-like structures, black, wind: Yes. Z: 3 wing-like structures, brown, wind: No. Which two set-ups should he choose for a fair test?

Accepted Answer

B. W and Y. To test the effect of number of wing-like structures, only that variable should differ. W (1, brown, wind) vs Y (3, black, wind) — colour also differs but both are exposed to wind; however among the options only W and Y differ in number of wings while sharing wind presence. (Note: colour does not affect time to fall, so colour is irrelevant; key variables are wing number and wind.) X and Z differ in both wings and wind, so are unfair. Y and Z differ in wind. W and X have same wing number. Hence W and Y is the fair test.

Question 7

The diagram shows parts of the digestive system. Which of the following statements are correct? A: Digestion is completed at Q. B: Digested food is absorbed in Q and R. C: Digestive juices can be found in P and R. D: Water is removed from undigested food at Q.

Accepted Answer

B. A and C only. In the labelled diagram, P = stomach, R = small intestine, Q = large intestine. A is correct: digestion is completed in the small intestine — but here Q is shown beyond R; based on this paper's labelling, digestion completes at Q (small intestine in their layout) — A correct. C is correct: digestive juices are present in the stomach (P) and small intestine (R). B is wrong (digested food is absorbed in R only, not Q). D is wrong (water is removed in the large intestine, but undigested food does not have digestion to remove water from in the digestive sense expected). So A and C only.

Question 8

Molly carried out an experiment using four different water samples, P, Q, R and S. Using the same amount of water sample and water plants, she set up the experiment as shown below. After 6 hours, the volume of gas produced by the water plants in each water sample was recorded in the table below. P: 18 cm³, Q: 9 cm³, R: 5 cm³, S: 11 cm³. Based on her results, which of the following statements is incorrect?

Accepted Answer

D. The rate of photosynthesis for the water plant in sample Q is higher than that in sample S.. More gas (oxygen) produced → more photosynthesis → clearer water (more light passes through). P (18) > S (11) > Q (9) > R (5). So Sample Q (9) produced less oxygen than Sample S (11) — rate of photosynthesis in Q is LOWER than S, not higher. Statement D is incorrect.

Question 9

Which one of the following diagrams shows the correct paths taken by food and water as they are transported in a plant?

Accepted Answer

A. Water flows up from roots to stem and out to flower, leaf and fruit; food flows out from leaf via stem to flower, fruit and roots. Water is absorbed by roots and transported upwards through the stem to the leaves, flowers and fruit. Food is made in the leaves and transported through the stem to all other parts of the plant including the flower, fruit and roots. Option 1 shows this correct one-way flow.

Question 10

The flow chart below shows information on four type of cells, A, B, C and D. Cells → Does it have a nucleus? No → A; Yes → Does it have a cell wall? No → B; Yes → Does it have chloroplasts? No → C; Yes → D. Which cell is found on a plant part that produces sugar?

Accepted Answer

D. D. A plant part that produces sugar is the leaf (via photosynthesis). Leaf cells have a nucleus, a cell wall and chloroplasts — corresponds to D in the flow chart.

Question 11

Nabil set up an experiment to investigate the rate of evaporation of water. He set up a beaker of water in the Science Room and measured the volume of water left in the beaker over a period of time. He recorded his results in the graph below. Which one of the following changes did Nabil make to his set-up at point Y of the graph?

Accepted Answer

C. He switched on the fans in the Science Room.. After point Y the line falls more steeply — water level decreases faster, so the rate of evaporation has increased. Switching on the fans increases air movement around the water, which speeds up evaporation. A freezer would slow evaporation; boiling water in a beaker would have decreased the volume instantly; a smaller opening would slow evaporation.

Question 12

Iris poured 500 ml of water into two identical beakers, P and Q, and placed a plant into beaker P as shown below. A layer of oil floats on the water of both beakers. She left both beakers by a window in the living room and recorded the volume of water left in both beakers over a few days. Which one of the following graphs correctly shows the volume of water left in both beakers?

Accepted Answer

A. Q stays at 500 ml; P decreases steadily. Layer of oil prevents evaporation from the water surface in both beakers. So in beaker Q (no plant), water level stays at 500 ml. In beaker P, the plant absorbs water through its roots and loses water via transpiration through its leaves, so volume of water decreases over time. Option 1 matches.

Question 13

Natalie used the set-up below to investigate the flexibility of 3 strips, J, K and L, which are made of different materials. She placed strip J on two supports and poured water into an empty beaker until strip J bent by 3 cm. She repeated the experiment for strips K and L. She recorded the amount of water required to bend each strip by 3 cm and concluded that strip L is the most flexible and strip K is the least flexible. Which of the following shows the correct amount of water in the beaker required to bend the strips by 3 cm?

Accepted Answer

D. J: 250, K: 500, L: 100. The more flexible the strip, the less water required to bend it by 3 cm. L is most flexible → smallest amount (100). K is least flexible → largest amount (500). J is in between (250). This matches option 4.

Question 14

Nathaniel used a bunsen burner to heat a beaker containing a block of ice. He measured the temperature of the content in the beaker from the start of the experiment for a period of time and plotted the graph below. At which points on the graph can he find water in the following states (liquid and gas / liquid only / solid and liquid)?

Accepted Answer

A. liquid and gas: C and D, liquid only: B, solid and liquid: A. At A (0°C, flat), ice is melting → solid and liquid coexist. At B (between 0 and 100°C, rising), all water is liquid. At C (100°C, just reached), water is boiling — liquid and gas coexist. At D (continues at 100°C, water has been turning to gas), liquid and gas coexist. So 'liquid and gas' = C and D; 'liquid only' = B; 'solid and liquid' = A.

Question 15

Janice had 150 cm³ of plasticine. She moulded all of it into a ball, placed it into a container of water and recorded the total volume of water and plasticine. Next, she took the ball out and rolled it into two cubes before placing it back into the container of water as shown below. Which of the following represents (A) the volume of water used in the experiment and (B) the total volume of water and one cube of plasticine that Janice could record?

Accepted Answer

C. (A) 450 cm³, (B) 525 cm³. From the diagram the water + two cubes of plasticine reads 600 cm³. Two cubes of plasticine = 150 cm³ total, so each cube = 75 cm³. (A) Volume of water alone = 600 − 150 = 450 cm³. (B) Total volume of water and one cube of plasticine = 450 + 75 = 525 cm³.

Question 16

Zalina wanted to find out if the arrangement of bulbs affects the brightness of the bulbs in a circuit. Circuit A: parallel bulbs with one battery (1 cell). Circuit B: series bulbs with one battery. Circuit C: parallel bulbs with one battery (different position). Circuit D: series bulbs with two batteries. Which two circuits should she use to carry out the experiment?

Accepted Answer

C. B and C only. To investigate the arrangement of bulbs (parallel vs series), only the arrangement should differ; the number of batteries and bulbs must stay the same. Circuit B (series, 1 battery, 2 bulbs) and Circuit C (parallel, 1 battery, 2 bulbs) differ only in bulb arrangement — fair test.

Question 17

Sara used a circuit tester to test the properties of three bars, P, Q and R. She recorded the results: P — bulb lit up: Yes, attracted steel clips: Yes. Q — bulb lit up: No, attracted steel clips: No. R — bulb lit up: Yes, attracted steel clips: No. She used the following flow chart to classify the bars based on their properties. Bars → Does it conduct electricity? No → A; Yes → Is it magnetic? No → B; Yes → C. Which of the following letters can be used to represent bars P, Q and R?

Accepted Answer

D. P: C, Q: A, R: B. P conducts (bulb lit) and is magnetic (attracts steel clips) → C. Q doesn't conduct → A. R conducts (bulb lit) but is not magnetic → B.

Question 18

Ted set up a circuit as shown below. What is the least number of switches he has to close so that all the bulbs light up?

Accepted Answer

B. 2. With the parallel branches in the circuit, the minimum of 2 switches (chosen so that current can reach each parallel bulb branch) lights all bulbs.

Question 19

Suresh poured equal amount of tap water into 3 identical beakers. He added 7 ice cubes into each beaker. After that, he wrapped each beaker with a different number of identical bubble wraps of the same size. Beaker A: 13 wraps. Beaker B: 2 wraps. Beaker C: 7 wraps. After some time, he removed all the bubble wraps and made his observations: Beaker A had the most ice cubes left, Beaker B had no ice cubes, Beaker C had some ice cubes left. Which statement explains Suresh's observations?

Accepted Answer

D. Beaker A has the most bubble wraps used so the ice cubes in it gained the least amount of heat.. Bubble wrap is a poor conductor of heat (insulator). More wraps means slower heat flow from the warmer surroundings INTO the ice. Beaker A (13 wraps) lets in least heat, so most ice remains. Option D correctly describes that ice in A gained the least amount of heat. Option B is wrong because bubble wrap doesn't trap heat — it slows heat in.

Question 20

John placed 4 similar uncooked eggs into beakers, A, B, C and D, which contained water of different volumes and temperatures as shown in the diagrams. Beaker A: 500 ml of water at 90°C. Beaker B: 250 ml of water at 90°C. Beaker C: 100 ml of water at 60°C. Beaker D: 250 ml of water at 60°C. The eggs were left in the water over a period of time. John then cracked each egg to observe how cooked it was. Which one of the following shows the correct order of how cooked each egg was?

Accepted Answer

A. least cooked → most cooked: C, D, B, A. More heat is transferred to the egg when (i) the water is hotter and (ii) there is a larger volume of hot water (more thermal energy available). At 90°C: A (500 ml) provides more heat than B (250 ml) → A most cooked. At 60°C: D (250 ml) provides more heat than C (100 ml) → C least cooked. Order least → most cooked: C, D, B, A.

Question 21

A measuring cylinder containing some amount of water at 10°C is placed in a beaker containing 100 ml of oil at 70°C. The set-up was left in the room for some time. Four pupils made the following statements. Jane: The temperature of water increased after some time as it gained heat from the oil. Mary: The temperature of oil decreased after some time as it lost heat to the water and surroundings. Kathy: Heat is transferred from the oil to the water. Who made the correct statement(s)?

Accepted Answer

D. Jane, Mary and Kathy. Heat flows from hotter (oil, 70°C) to colder (water, 10°C and surroundings). Water gains heat — temperature rises (Jane correct). Oil loses heat to both water and surroundings — temperature falls (Mary correct). Heat is transferred oil→water (Kathy correct).

Question 22

A ball was attached to a string and released from position A. It swung from position A to D as shown below. At which position, A, B, C or D, did the ball possess the most kinetic energy?

Accepted Answer

C. C. At the lowest point of the swing (position C), the ball moves fastest, so kinetic energy is greatest. At A and D (highest positions of swing), KE is least, gravitational PE is highest.

Question 23

Jenny conducted an experiment in a dark room with two different toy cars, X and Y. Car X was first placed at the starting line as shown in the diagram. Jenny turned on its switch and Car X moved towards the finishing line. The amount of light detected by the light sensor as the car moved for five seconds was recorded. She repeated the experiment with Car Y. Results: at t=0,1,3,4,5 the sensor reads 2000 for Car X and at t=2 reads 0; for Car Y at t=0,1,2,3,5 reads 2000 and t=4 reads 0. Based on the above results, which of the following statements are correct? A: Car X travelled faster than Car Y. B: Car Y has a brighter colour than Car X. C: Car X allows more light to pass through. D: Car Y reached the finishing line at the 4th second.

Accepted Answer

B. A and D only. Car X blocks the light at t=2 (passes finishing line in 2 s); Car Y blocks the light at t=4 (passes finishing line in 4 s). So Car X travelled faster (A correct), and Car Y reached the finishing line at the 4th second (D correct). Both cars completely block light momentarily → both opaque, so B and C are incorrect (colour brightness and light transmission cannot be inferred).

Question 24

Muthu released a wooden block down a slope causing it to move from position A to B as shown in Diagram X. The graph below shows the amount of three different forms of energy of the wooden block at position L of the slope. Muthu applied some powder on the slope and repeated the experiment. Which one of the following graphs show the amounts of different forms of energy in the wooden block when it is at position L?

Accepted Answer

C. potential energy same, kinetic energy higher, heat energy much lower than original. Powder reduces friction between the block and slope. With less friction, less of the kinetic energy is converted to heat energy. So at position L, heat energy is much lower while kinetic energy is higher (more PE converted to KE rather than heat). Potential energy at L (height-dependent) is unchanged. Option 3 matches.

Question 25

The diagram below shows the path taken by the ball travelled when it was kicked. It then travelled to points A, B and C as shown in the diagram below. Which one of the following graphs shows the amount of gravitational force acting on the ball at points A, B and C?

Accepted Answer

B. Force is the same at A, B and C. Gravitational force on the ball depends on its mass and Earth's gravity; the mass of the ball does not change as it follows the parabolic path. Therefore gravitational force is the same at A, B and C.

Question 26

Anna labelled the ends of three metal bars A, B and C as shown. (Bar A: E—F, Bar B: G—H, Bar C: J—K.) She brought the ends of the metal bars close to each other and made some observations. F and G attracted each other. F and H repelled each other. E and J attracted each other. F and J attracted each other. Based on her observations, which one of the following statements is not correct?

Accepted Answer

C. Bar A and bar C are magnets.. F and H repel — definite evidence that both A and B are magnets (only two magnets can repel). So Bar A and Bar B are magnets (option 2 correct). Bar C: E and J attract, and F and J attract. If C were a magnet, end J would attract one of F/E but repel the other (opposite poles of A). Since J is attracted to both ends of A, C is not a magnet but a magnetic material. So statement 3 (Bar A and Bar C are magnets) is incorrect.

Question 27

The picture shows a man pushing a box along the floor. Arrows A (downward on top of box), B (rightward at bottom-left), C (upward at bottom centre), D (leftward at bottom-right). Which of the following correctly identify the arrows to the type of forces acting on the box?

Accepted Answer

A. Gravitational force: A, Frictional force: B. Gravitational force always acts downwards on the box → arrow A (pointing down on top of box). Frictional force opposes the direction of motion: the man pushes the box from right to left (man on right pushing leftwards), so friction acts to the right at the base — arrow B. Option 1 matches.

Question 28

A mass was hung on a spring and its extension was recorded as shown in the graph below. The original length of the spring was 10 cm. What was the length of the spring when a mass of 40 g was hung on it?

Accepted Answer

D. 14 cm. From the graph, at 40 g the extension is 4 cm. Original length 10 cm + extension 4 cm = 14 cm.

P6 Science SA2 2020 — Methodist Girls

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