Question 1

Which one of the following does not undergo cell division?

Accepted Answer

B. A ball. Only living things are made of cells and undergo cell division. A seed (dormant living), a goat and a fish are living things. A ball is a non-living object, so it does not undergo cell division.

Question 2

Natasha made the following observations of the characteristics of animal X.
• It produces milk.
• It has no feathers.
• It gives birth to its young alive.

Which one of the following is another characteristic of animal X?

Accepted Answer

C. It has hair for its body covering.. Producing milk, giving birth to live young and having no feathers are characteristics of mammals. Mammals have hair/fur as their body covering.

Question 3

Dylan placed a 20 kg box on Object X as shown below. He then increased the weight of the box and measured the distance Object X bends. The experiment is repeated with boxes of different weights. He recorded his results in a table as shown below.

Which property of Object X is James trying to test?

Accepted Answer

B. Flexibility. The box bends Object X by different distances depending on the weight placed on it. The ability of a material to bend without breaking is flexibility.

Question 4

The developmental stages of a frog are described as below.
A — The eggs are found in water.
B — Back limbs appear and the tail becomes shorter.
C — The tadpoles hatch from the eggs and swim to look for food.
D — Front and back limbs are developed fully and the tail disappears.

The developmental stages are not in order. Which of the following is the correct order?

Accepted Answer

B. A, C, B, D. The frog life cycle: eggs in water (A) → tadpoles hatch and swim for food (C) → back limbs appear and tail shortens (B) → limbs fully developed and tail disappears, adult (D). Order = A, C, B, D.

Question 5

James set up an experiment as shown below. He placed set-ups A and B in the light and set-ups C and D in the dark.

What was he trying to find out?
A To find out if seeds need light to germinate.
B To find out if seeds need water to germinate.
C To find out if seeds can germinate in cotton wool.
D To find out if seeds need water, light and cotton wool to germinate.

Accepted Answer

C. A and B only. Comparing A (light, dry) with B (light, damp) tests the effect of water; comparing (A,B in light) with (C,D in dark) tests the effect of light. So both statements A and B can be found out.

Question 6

Which one of the following graphs correctly shows the relationship between the mass of the seed leaves and the height of the seedling?

Accepted Answer

A. A line sloping downward (mass of seed leaves decreases as height increases). As a seedling grows taller, it uses up the stored food in the seed leaves, so the mass of the seed leaves decreases as the height of the seedling increases (a downward-sloping line).

Question 7

Janet conducted an experiment by planting one string bean seedling each in 5 identical pots A, B, C, D and E. She planted each seedling in the same amount of identical garden soil under various conditions as shown in the following table. She recorded their growth in height after two weeks, as shown below.

Based on the information shown, what conclusion can she draw from the experiment?

Accepted Answer

C. The plant grew faster when more fertilizer was added to the soil.. Water given is kept constant (55 ml) for all pots, so it is the controlled variable. As the amount of fertilizer increases, plant height increases (1g→10cm, 2g→15cm, 4g→20cm, 6g→30cm, 8g→45cm), showing the plant grew faster with more fertilizer.

Question 8

The table below shows information about the life cycles of organisms, X, Y and Z.

What can be deduced about organisms X, Y and Z from the table above?
A The habitats of organisms X and Z are likely near the water.
B The life cycles of organisms Y and Z are likely to be 3-stage cycles.
C The more eggs the organisms produced, the shorter the parents care for their young.

Accepted Answer

D. A, B and C. X (preyed on by sea birds) and Z (preyed on by crocodiles) likely live near water — A correct. Y (bird-like, cares for young) and Z (reptile-like) have 3-stage life cycles — B correct. X (2000-3000 eggs, no care) vs Y (1 egg, 1½ yrs care) shows more eggs = less parental care — C correct. All three are valid.

Question 9

The diagram below shows a plant cell with some parts, labelled P, S, T and U.

Which one of the following match the functions to the correct cell parts?

Accepted Answer

B. Surrounds/holds cytoplasm=P, Supports/gives shape=S, Controls activities=T, Traps light=U. P = cell membrane (surrounds and holds the cytoplasm), S = cell wall (supports and gives the cell its shape), T = nucleus (controls the activities of the cell), U = chloroplast (traps light energy to make food). This matches option B.

Question 10

The diagram below shows a cell from an organism. Which of the following is the cell likely to be found in?

Accepted Answer

A. Fish scale. The cell shown is rounded/irregular with no fixed rectangular shape and no cell wall — characteristics of an animal cell. Of the options, only a fish scale is animal tissue; apple skin, hydrilla leaf and mango seed are all plant parts.

Question 11

The diagrams below show the human reproductive systems. Which parts of the systems produce the reproductive cells?

Accepted Answer

C. B and C only. Reproductive cells are produced by the testes (B) in the male system and by the ovaries (C) in the female system. So B and C only.

Question 12

The diagrams below show the process of pollination. Which pair(s) of flowers is/are most likely to develop into fruits?

Accepted Answer

B. Pairs E and G only. A flower can develop into a fruit only when pollen is transferred from an anther (stamen) to a stigma (of a flower that has an ovary). In Pairs E and G the pollen reaches the stigma of a flower with an ovary, allowing fertilisation and fruit formation. Pairs F and H transfer pollen to flowers lacking an ovary, so no fruit forms.

Question 13

Study the diagram below. Which one of the following stages shows that the seed has germinated?

Accepted Answer

A. stage 2. Germination is shown when the young root (radicle) first emerges from the seed. In stage 3 the root has broken through, but the earliest sign of germination among the paired options given is when the root first appears — the answer key indicates stage 2, where the seed begins to change and the root starts to emerge.

Question 14

The flow chart below shows the reproduction process in flowering plants. Which one of the following correctly represents J, K and L?

Accepted Answer

A. J=Pollination, K=Fruit, L=Seed. Pollen grains reach the female flower through pollination (J). After fertilisation, the ovary becomes the fruit (K) and the ovules become the seeds (L).

Question 15

The table below shows some information on four organisms, W, X, Y and Z, based on 3 characteristics. A tick (✓) shows that the organism has the characteristics while a cross (x) shows that the organism does not have the characteristics.

The information above is used to classify the organisms according to groups A, B, C, D, E and F according to the diagram below.

In which groups do organisms W, X, Y and Z belong to?

Accepted Answer

B. W=C, X=B, Y=A, Z=F. W (flowering, makes food, on land) = plant living on land reproducing by seeds = C. X (not flowering, makes food, in water) = plant living in water reproducing by spores = B. Y (flowering, makes food, in water) = plant living in water reproducing by seeds = A. Z (not flowering, cannot make food, on land) = fungi living on land = F. This matches option (2).

Question 16

Sam placed a metal spoon and a plastic spoon on an ice block as shown below. Which of the following observations would Sam most likely make after some time?
A. Water would be formed around the ice block.
B. Water droplets would be formed on the spoons.
C The plastic spoon would feel as cold as the metal spoon.
D. The plastic spoon would feel warmer than the metal spoon.

Accepted Answer

D. A, B and D only. The ice melts, forming water around it (A). Water vapour in the air condenses on the cold spoons forming droplets (B). Metal conducts heat away from the hand faster, so the plastic spoon feels warmer than the metal spoon (D). C is wrong because plastic is a poorer conductor. So A, B and D.

Question 17

The diagram below shows a fire alarm. It was observed that the mercury pellet moves and completes the circuit to sound the alarm when there was a fire. Which of the following property of gas explains the above observation?

Accepted Answer

C. Gas expands when heated.. During a fire the gas in the glass container is heated and expands, pushing the mercury pellet along the tube until it completes the circuit and sounds the alarm.

Question 18

The table below shows the state of four substances P, Q, R and S, at different temperatures. Which of the following statements is correct?

Accepted Answer

A. Substance P has the lowest melting point.. Substance P is liquid at 10°C, 30°C and 50°C, so it has already melted below 10°C — it has the lowest melting point of the four substances. Q melts between 30°C and 50°C, R between 10°C and 30°C, and S stays solid throughout.

Question 19

Study the flow chart below. Which one of the following best represents water vapour in the flow chart?

Accepted Answer

B. Q. Water vapour is matter (Yes), does not have a definite shape (No), and does not have a definite volume (No) — a gas. Following the flow chart, 'No' at the definite-volume question leads to Q.

Question 20

Beaker A contains 30 cm³ of green beans. Beaker B contains 30 cm³ of fine sand. Beaker C contains 30 cm³ of water. What would be the possible volume if the contents of Beaker A, B and C are poured into a measuring cylinder?

Accepted Answer

B. 70 cm³. When the water and sand fill the air gaps between the green beans (and between the sand grains), the total volume is less than the simple sum of 90 cm³. A possible smaller volume is 70 cm³.

Question 21

The diagram below shows an experiment to find out if carbon dioxide is needed for photosynthesis. Which one of the following is a suitable control for the experiment?

Accepted Answer

B. Plant under a clear glass cover in light with no soda lime. The experiment has a plant under a glass cover in light with soda lime to remove carbon dioxide. A fair control must be identical except for the one variable being tested — so it should have a clear glass cover in light but NO soda lime (carbon dioxide present). That is option (2).

Question 22

Peter walks up a flight of stairs as shown in the diagram below. The graph below shows the relationship between X and Y as he walks up the stairs. Which one of the following shows the correct labels for X and Y respectively?

Accepted Answer

D. X=height, Y=potential energy. As Peter climbs higher, his gravitational potential energy increases. The graph curves upward, showing Y increasing with X. Since potential energy increases with height, X = height and Y = potential energy.

Question 23

Refer to the diagram of the burning-nut experiment. The cashew nut was carefully pierced through the end of a mounted needle. The nut is ignited using a Bunsen burner and immediately held about 1 cm below a test tube half-filled with water. When the nut stops burning, the temperature of the water was measured. The experiment was then repeated with a peanut and then an almond nut. The results were tabulated (peanut 35°C, almond nut 50°C, cashew nut 65°C).

What could you infer from the results of the experiment?
A. The three types of nuts are sources of energy.
B The three types of nuts are renewable sources of energy.
C Cashew nut produced more energy than peanut and almond nut.

Accepted Answer

C. A and C only. The nuts release heat energy that warms the water, so they are sources of energy (A). The cashew nut raised the water to the highest temperature (65°C), so it produced more energy (C). B is wrong — the data does not show they are renewable sources. So A and C only.

Question 24

Which one of the following variables should be kept constant to ensure a fair experiment?
A. Size of the needle
B Mass of the nut
C Intensity of the flame
D. Amount of water in the test tube

Accepted Answer

B. B and D only. To fairly compare the heat energy of the different nuts, the mass of the nut (B) and the amount of water heated (D) must be kept constant. The nut type is the variable being changed; the intensity of the flame is only used to ignite the nut and the needle size is not relevant. So B and D only.

Question 25

A cup of hot boiling water and a cup of ice-cold water were covered and left on the table as shown in the diagram below. Which one of the following will be observed after 5 minutes?

Accepted Answer

D. Droplets on top (outside) of cold-water cover and under (inside) the hot-water cover. For the hot water, water vapour rises and condenses on the underside (inside) of the cool metal cover. For the ice-cold water, water vapour in the surrounding warm air condenses on the cold outer top surface of the cover. Option (4) shows droplets on the outside top of the cold-water cover and on the underside of the hot-water cover.

Question 26

Peter carried out an experiment using set-up A and set-up B as shown. After three hours, she compared the amount of water left in each bowl. The amount of water left in the bowl in set-up B is ____.

Accepted Answer

D. more because the water evaporates slower. Set-up A has a fan blowing over the water, which increases the rate of evaporation. Set-up B has no fan, so its water evaporates slower and more water is left in the bowl.

Question 27

Which one of the following energy changes takes place when a metal spoon is rubbed on the table?

Accepted Answer

D. kinetic energy → heat energy + sound energy. Rubbing the spoon is movement (kinetic energy). Friction produces heat energy, and the rubbing also produces sound energy. So kinetic energy → heat energy + sound energy.

Question 28

A parachutist has opened his parachute and is falling to Earth at constant speed. What is the energy conversion taking place as he falls?

Accepted Answer

C. potential energy → kinetic energy. As the parachutist falls, his height decreases so gravitational potential energy decreases. Since he moves, this is converted to kinetic energy. (At constant speed the kinetic energy stays the same and the lost potential energy is dissipated, but among the options given the intended conversion is potential energy → kinetic energy.)

Question 29

The graph shows how the height of a bouncing ball changes with time. Which statement explains why the height of each peak decreases with time?

Accepted Answer

C. Some of the kinetic energy is converted to heat and sound energy at each bounce.. At each bounce some kinetic energy is converted to heat and sound energy, so less energy is available to raise the ball. The ball therefore rises to a lower height each time.

Question 30

The diagram below shows how energy can be converted from one form to another. Which set of activities best represents the conversion of energy as shown above?

Accepted Answer

D. A=Using an electric fan, B=Turning a wind turbine, C=Rubbing two hands together, D=Using an electric oven. A: Electrical → Kinetic = using an electric fan. B: Kinetic → Electrical = turning a wind turbine. C: Kinetic → Heat = rubbing two hands together. D: Electrical → Heat = using an electric oven. This matches option (4).

P6 Science SA1 2014 — Rosyth

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P6 Science SA1 2014 — Rosyth

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