Question 1

The table below provides some information on organisms X, Y and Z. A tick (✓) in the box indicates the presence of the characteristics.

Which one of the following statement(s) is/are correct?
A  X, Y and Z are plants.
B  X and Z contain chlorophyll.
C  Y and Z are non-flowering plants.

Accepted Answer

A. B only. Organism X can make its own food (has chlorophyll); Y can only reproduce from spores; Z can make its own food AND reproduce from spores. Statement A is wrong because not all are plants (Y cannot make food, so it is not a plant). Statement B is correct: X and Z make their own food, so they contain chlorophyll. Statement C is wrong because X (a food-maker) is not accounted for and Y being spore-reproducing does not make Y necessarily a plant; only Z is a non-flowering plant that reproduces from spores. Only B is correct.

Question 2

Tom caught organism P in the garden.

Which of the following method(s) could he use to determine if organism P is an insect?
A  Observe if organism P has 3 pairs of legs.
B  Measure the length of the body of organism P.
C  Examine organism P to find out if it has 3 body parts.

Accepted Answer

C. A and C only. An insect has 3 pairs of legs (6 legs) and 3 body parts (head, thorax, abdomen). Methods A and C both check defining characteristics of insects. Method B (body length) is irrelevant since insects vary in size. Therefore A and C only.

Question 3

The graph below shows the number of days for each stage of the life cycles of insects A and B.

Which one of the following shows the stages that insects A and B would be on the 11th day after the eggs have hatched?

Accepted Answer

D. Insect A: Pupa, Insect B: Larva. For insect A: larva lasts 10 days, then pupa (2 days). By day 11 (after hatching), insect A has finished the larva stage (day 1–10) and is in the pupa stage. For insect B: larva lasts 12 days, so on day 11 insect B is still a larva. Hence Insect A = Pupa, Insect B = Larva.

Question 4

Joelle placed an equal number of the same type of seeds in containers X and Y as shown below. He exposed Container X and Y to different conditions. After one week, she observed that only the seeds in Container Y germinated.

Which one of the following best describes the conditions which the seeds were exposed to in each container?

Accepted Answer

C. Container X: placed in the refrigerator, watered daily; Container Y: placed in a dark room, watered daily. Only container Y germinated. Seeds need water and a suitable (warm, not cold) temperature; they do not need light. In option C, X was in the refrigerator (too cold to germinate) while Y was in a dark room at room temperature with water — Y germinates and X does not. This correctly explains the observation.

Question 5

The diagram below shows how some substances are transported in the human body.

Which one of the following shows the body systems represented by X, Y and Z?

Accepted Answer

D. X: digestive system, Y: circulatory system, Z: respiratory system. X sends 'water and digested food' to Y and receives oxygen — X is the digestive system (supplies digested food). Y is the central system that exchanges with both, giving digested food and carbon dioxide to Z and receiving oxygen — Y is the circulatory system. Z supplies oxygen and takes carbon dioxide — Z is the respiratory system. Hence X = digestive, Y = circulatory, Z = respiratory.

Question 6

The diagram below shows the cross sections of a human female reproductive system, X, and a flower, Y.

Which one of the following shows where the female sex cells are found and produced in both X and Y?

Accepted Answer

D. X: A, Y: F. In the human female reproductive system, the female sex cells (eggs) are produced in the ovary, labelled A. In a flower, the female sex cells (ovules) are found and produced in the ovary at the base of the pistil, labelled F. Hence X = A and Y = F.

Question 7

Joan carried out an experiment on five fruits, A, B, C, D and E which were obtained from the same parent plant. She exposed the fruits to different temperatures and observed the fruits for 12 hours. She recorded her observations in the table below.

Based on the information above, which one of the following statements is correct?

Accepted Answer

D. The higher the temperature at which the fruit was exposed to, the shorter the time taken for it to split.. The table shows as temperature increases (20→40°C), the time to split decreases (did not split → 0.5 hours), so higher temperature means shorter time to split — statement D is correct. A is wrong (A did not split at all). B is wrong (20°C did not split, so it is not the minimum needed). C is wrong (4m was the observed distance, not necessarily the maximum possible).

Question 8

The graph below shows the amount of undigested food in different parts of the human digestive system just before it travels to the next part of the system.

Which one of the following correctly identifies organs X, Y and Z?

Accepted Answer

B. X: stomach, Y: large intestine, Z: gullet. As food travels through the digestive system, more of it becomes digested, so the amount of undigested food generally decreases from mouth to small intestine, then in the large intestine only undigested matter remains (high). The graph shows X medium, Y low, Z very high. This matches X = stomach (some digested), Y = large intestine... however the marked answer is option 2. In the official key Z (highest undigested) = gullet where food is barely digested, X = stomach, Y = large intestine — matching option B (stomach, large intestine, gullet).

Question 9

The diagram below shows a flow chart.

Based on the flowchart, which one of the following correctly identifies A, B and C?

Accepted Answer

D. A: leaves, B: stem, C: roots. 'Does it make its own food? Yes → A' identifies A as the leaves (site of photosynthesis). Of the remaining, 'Does it keep the plant upright? Yes → B' identifies B as the stem. The final part, C, is the roots (does not make food and does not keep the plant upright). Hence A = leaves, B = stem, C = roots.

Question 10

The diagrams below show four different types of cells.

Which one of the following correctly identifies the cells?

Accepted Answer

B. Animal Cells: A and D; Plant cells: B and C. Cell A (spindle-shaped, no cell wall) and cell D (nerve cell with branches) are animal cells. Cell B (guard cells with chloroplasts) and cell C (root-hair cell with a rectangular cell wall and projection) are plant cells. Hence animal cells = A and D; plant cells = B and C.

Question 11

Tony filled three identical containers with an equal amount of water and placed different amount of algae and fishes into each container as shown below. All the containers were placed in a dark room. He recorded the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water in container Y from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. at every three hour interval in the table below.

Which one of the following shows the correct amount of dissolved oxygen in the water in container X and Z at 3 a.m.?

Accepted Answer

C. X: 8.0, Z: 6.5. In the dark, plants (algae) do not photosynthesise; both fish and algae respire and use up oxygen, so dissolved oxygen falls over time. Container X has fewer fish and less algae than Y, so it uses less oxygen — its level at 3 a.m. stays highest (8.0). Container Z has more fish and more algae, so it uses the most oxygen — lowest level (6.5). Container Y (medium) fell from 8.0 to 7.0. Hence X = 8.0 and Z = 6.5.

Question 12

The adults of butterfly B feed on the nectar of flowers of plant A in a garden. When a certain type of pesticide was sprayed in the garden, all the caterpillars of butterfly B were killed immediately. The pesticide did not harm or kill the adults of butterfly B and plant A.

Which one of the following graphs correctly shows how the numbers of butterfly B and the fruits of plant A are affected before and immediately after the pesticide was sprayed at point P?

Accepted Answer

A. Graph 1. Immediately after spraying, the caterpillars die but the adult butterflies are unharmed, so the number of adult butterfly B stays roughly the same right after P (it does not drop immediately). Since adult butterflies still pollinate plant A, the number of fruits of plant A also continues at about the same level. Graph 1 shows both lines rising then levelling off (staying steady) immediately after P, matching 'no immediate change'.

Question 13

The graph below shows the number of fishes in a pond over a period of time. Some organisms P were added into the pond at point X as shown in the graph.

Which one of the following is/are true about Organisms P?
A  They are aquatic plants.
B  They are prey for the fishes.
C  They are predators of the fishes.
D  They are infected with a disease.

Accepted Answer

C. C and D only. The graph shows the fish number rising up to X, then falling after organisms P are added. A fall in fish numbers means P harmed the fish. This fits P being predators of the fish (C) or P carrying a disease that infects and kills the fish (D). It does not fit A (aquatic plants would provide food/oxygen) or B (prey would increase fish numbers). Hence C and D only.

Question 14

Some pupils counted the organisms found in their school garden. They recorded the findings in the table below. There were altogether 100 organisms in that habitat.

Four pupils made the following statements in their Science journal:
Ashley: There are at least 6 populations of organisms.
Bernice: There are more plants than animals in this community.
Peter: This garden community is made up of plants and animals only.

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

Accepted Answer

A. Ashley only. Ashley is correct: the table lists at least 6 different types (populations) of organisms. Bernice is wrong: plants = 20 + 25 = 45, animals = 10 + 30 + 10 = 50, so there are more animals than plants. Peter is wrong: the community also includes fungi, not only plants and animals. Hence only Ashley is correct.

Question 15

Lily conducted an experiment to study the conditions that worms prefer to live in. She placed 20 worms in each of two dishes, A and B. After 15 minutes, she counted the number of worms in each section of each dish and recorded her observations as shown below. Next, Lily placed 20 worms in another dish, C as shown below.

Which one of the following section of dish C would Lily observe the most worms after 15 minutes?

Accepted Answer

A. P. In dish A, 15 worms chose the damp side (versus 5 dry), so worms prefer damp. In dish B, 12 worms chose the dark side (versus 8 light), so worms prefer dark. In dish C, section P is 'damp and dark' — combining both preferred conditions — so the most worms would gather at P.

Question 16

Wallace wanted to find out whether the presence of moisture affects the rate of decomposition. He prepared four set-ups as shown below.

Which set-ups should he use for his investigation to ensure a fair test?

Accepted Answer

C. B and C only. To test the effect of moisture on decomposition, only the presence of moisture (water/water vapour) should differ; everything else must be kept the same. Set-up B absorbs water vapour (dry condition) and set-up C adds water (moist condition). These two differ only in moisture, making a fair test. A (absorbs oxygen) and D (absorbs carbon dioxide) change other variables, so B and C only.

Question 17

The diagrams below shows a type of hare found in a certain habitat during summer and during winter. The habitat consists of mainly green grass and rocks during summer and mainly snow during winter.

Which of the following is/are reason(s) for the change in the colour of the fur of the hare?
A  To keep itself warm in the cold weather.
B  To blend in with the surrounding to catch its prey more easily.
C  To blend in with the surrounding to avoid being spotted by its predators.

Accepted Answer

B. C only. The hare's fur turns brown in summer (to match grass/rocks) and white in winter (to match snow). This colour change is camouflage that helps it blend in and avoid being spotted by predators (C). A is wrong — fur colour does not keep it warm. B is wrong — the hare is a herbivore (prey), not a predator hunting prey. Hence C only.

Question 18

Which of the following actions are harmful to the environment?
A  Burning of forest to clear land for housing.
B  Oil spill during extraction of oil from seabed.
C  Recycling of used aluminium cans and plastic bottles.
D  Use of solar panels to provide electricity for lightings in a building.

Accepted Answer

A. A and B only. Burning forests (A) destroys habitats and releases pollutants; oil spills (B) pollute the sea and harm marine life — both are harmful. Recycling (C) and using solar panels (D) are environmentally friendly. Hence A and B only.

Question 19

Sarah used a swimming board at a swimming pool as shown below. The swimming board was made of material X.

Which of the following properties are important for consideration when choosing material X to make the swimming board?
A  Flexible
B  Waterproof
C  Easy to break
D  Float in water

Accepted Answer

B. B and D only. A swimming board must float in water (D) to support the swimmer and be waterproof (B) so it does not absorb water and become heavy/soggy. Being flexible (A) is not important and could be undesirable, and being easy to break (C) is a dangerous, unwanted property. Hence B and D only.

Question 20

The diagram below shows a container which has a capacity of 3000cm³. Three rubber balls, each of a volume of 200cm³, were placed in it.

What is the volume of air in the container after 500cm³ of air was pumped into the container?

Accepted Answer

A. 2400 cm³. The container capacity is 3000cm³. Three rubber balls take up 3 × 200 = 600cm³, leaving 3000 − 600 = 2400cm³ of space for air. Since air is compressible and the container is sealed and rigid, pumping in more air does not increase the volume the air occupies — it still fills the available 2400cm³. Hence 2400cm³.

Question 21

A plastic cube was placed in a beaker of water as shown in Diagram 1 below. Next, a metal ball was added to the same beaker, as shown in Diagram 2 below.

Which one of the following statements is true?

Accepted Answer

D. The total volume of the water and plastic cube is greater than the volume of metal ball.. In Diagram 1 the plastic cube floats and the level is 300cm³. In Diagram 2 the metal ball sinks and the level rises to 400cm³, so the metal ball displaces 400 − 300 = 100cm³, meaning the metal ball's volume is 100cm³ (so B and C are wrong). A is wrong because 300cm³ is the water + floating cube reading, not the water alone. The total volume of water plus plastic cube corresponds to the 300cm³ mark, which is greater than the metal ball's 100cm³. Hence D is true.

Question 22

Shania installed an electrical system in her room as shown below. R is an aluminium bar placed inside a coil of wire. X and Y are made of iron and are in contact with each other. X is fixed. Y is attached to a steel rod and can move sideways.

When Shania closed switches S1 and S2 at the same time, which one of the following observations would she make?

Accepted Answer

D. Both the fan and the air conditioner will be switched on.. When S1 and S2 are closed, the fan circuit is complete through contacts X and Y, so the fan switches on. Current also flows through the coil around aluminium bar R; however, since R is aluminium (not iron/steel), the coil does not become able to attract Y (aluminium is non-magnetic and the coil's magnetism does not pull the iron/steel contact away). The contact X–Y remains closed, so the air conditioner circuit stays complete too. Hence both the fan and the air conditioner are switched on.

Question 23

Claire set up a circuit card and a circuit tester as shown below. Paper clips P, Q, R and S are connected by 4 strips, W, X, Y and Z which are made of different materials. Claire connected the circuit tester to the various paper clips and recorded the results in the table below.

Based on the results above, which one of the following correctly matches W, X, Y and Z to their properties?

Accepted Answer

B. Conductor: W, X; Non-conductor: Y, Z. The strips connect: W between P–Q, X between P–S, Y between S–R, Z between Q–R. Q–S lit up (Yes): the path Q→P (W)→S (X) or Q→R (Z)→S (Y) conducts. P–R gave No, and Q–R gave No, indicating Z and Y do not both conduct. The results are consistent with W and X being conductors (Q–S via W then X lights up) while Y and Z are non-conductors (paths through them give No). Hence conductors = W, X; non-conductors = Y, Z.

Question 24

Tom hung a magnet and four other objects, A, B, C and D on a rod, as shown below.

Which one of the following best describes the four objects?

Accepted Answer

C. A: Magnetic material, B: Magnet, C: Magnet, D: Magnetic material. Objects A and B are attached together (touching), as are C and D, while the central magnet stands apart. Objects that stick together and to the magnet arrangement must be attracted. The consistent set is A = magnetic material, B = magnet, C = magnet, D = magnetic material (a magnet can hold a magnetic material, and the magnets attract each other/the magnetic materials). This is option C.

Question 25

The diagram below shows a metal ball which is hung from a support with a string. When the metal ball is released from point A, it swings to point B and then to point C.

Which of the following statement(s) is/are true?
A  There is no force acting on the metal ball at B.
B  Gravitational force acted on the metal ball from A to C.
C  More gravitational force acted on the metal at A than at B.

Accepted Answer

A. B only. Gravitational force acts on the ball at all points of its swing, including from A to C, so B is true. A is false — gravity (and the string tension) still act on the ball at B. C is false — the gravitational force (weight) on the ball is the same everywhere since its mass does not change. Hence only B is true.

Question 26

Kate hung a 100 g weight on a spring as shown in the diagram below. She added three more identical 100 g weights on the spring, one at a time, until four identical 100 g weights were hanging on the spring. The spring returned to its original length when all the weights were removed.

Which one of the following graphs shows how the amount of weight attached to the spring affects the elastic spring force exerted by the spring and the gravitational force acting on the spring only?

Accepted Answer

C. Graph 3. As more weight is added, the gravitational force (weight) increases and the elastic spring force also increases proportionally. The question asks for the gravitational force acting on the spring only — the spring's own weight does not change as hanging weights are added, so the gravitational force line stays constant (horizontal), while the elastic spring force line increases with weight. Graph 3 shows a rising elastic-force line and a flat (constant) gravitational-force line.

Question 27

John conducted an experiment on cube P using the set-up shown below. John pulled the rubber band backwards, together with the cube to position A. When he released the cube, it moved across the table. John repeated the experiment with cube Q instead of cube P. The mass of cubes P and Q were 1kg and 2kg, respectively. Both cubes were wrapped with the same type of material and are identical in size. He observed that cube P travelled a greater distance than cube Q.

Which of the following statement(s) is/are true?
A  The surface of cube P is smoother than the surface of cube Q.
B  Less force is needed to move cube P than cube Q over the same distance.
C  The rubber band and cube P must be stretched further away than position A to reach the same distance as cube Q.

Accepted Answer

B. B only. Both cubes were wrapped in the same material and are identical in size, so their surfaces are equally smooth (A is false). Cube P is lighter (1kg vs 2kg), so less force is needed to move it the same distance (B is true). C is false — to make the lighter cube P travel the same (shorter) distance as heavier Q, the band would be stretched less, not further. Hence B only.

Question 28

Fatimah cut out different shapes, X, Y and Z, made of different materials, as shown below. Next, Fatimah shone light on the three shapes using the set-up below. The three shapes are places at different distances from the torch. The diagram below shows what was seen on the screen.

Which of the following statement(s) is/are true?
A  X allows some light to pass through it.
B  Y does not allow light to pass through it.
C  The further the shape is from the screen, the bigger the shadow cast.

Accepted Answer

C. A and C only. On the screen, the circle (X) appears as a lighter/grey shadow, showing X is translucent and allows some light through (A is true). The triangle (Z) shows as a clear dark shadow while Y (diamond) does not appear as its own dark shadow — so B (Y does not allow light through) is not supported. It is also true that the further an object is from the screen (nearer the light), the bigger the shadow it casts (C is true). Hence A and C only.

Question 29

Lauren carried out an experiment using set-ups A, B and C as shown below. The water levels in the 3 glass tubes in the 3 set-ups were the same at the start of the experiment. After Lauren heated each flask with different number of candles for one minute, she left the set-ups in the room for 10 minutes.

Which of the following observations would she make as the flasks were left to cool?
A  Bubbles would escape through all the glass tubes.
B  The water level in all the glass tubes would increase.
C  The water level in the glass tube in set-up A would be the highest after 10 minutes.

Accepted Answer

B. B only. During heating the air in each flask expands (bubbles would escape then). As the flasks cool, the air inside contracts, so water is drawn up and the water level in all the glass tubes rises (B is true). A is false — bubbles escape during heating, not while cooling. C is false — set-up A was heated with the fewest candles (least expansion), so it draws up the least water and would have the lowest, not the highest, water level. Hence B only.

Question 30

Izumi carried out an experiment using the set-up below to find out how the thickness of a rod of material X affects the conduction of heat through it.

Which of the following variables Izumi must keep constant to ensure a fair test?
A  length of the rods
B  material of the rods
C  thickness of the rods
D  time taken for the wax to melt

Accepted Answer

A. A and B only. The experiment tests how thickness affects heat conduction, so thickness is the variable being changed (C must NOT be kept constant). Time taken for the wax to melt is the measured result (D is not a controlled variable). To keep the test fair, the length of the rods (A) and the material of the rods (B) must be kept constant. Hence A and B only.

P6 Science SA1 2014 — Raffles Girls

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