Question 1

Which of the following about all non-flowering plants and fungi are correct?

Accepted Answer

B. A and B only. Row A: non-flowering plants contain chlorophyll (Yes), fungi do not (No) — correct. Row B: non-flowering plants do not feed on decaying matter (No), fungi do (Yes) — correct. Row C is wrong because non-flowering plants (e.g. ferns) DO reproduce by spores, so 'No' is incorrect. Hence only A and B are correct.

Question 2

Charlie puts ten guppies into an aquarium and feeds them every day. He does not add in any more guppies into the aquarium. The graph below shows how the number of guppies in the aquarium changes over the next few months. Which characteristic(s) of living things is/are shown in the graph?
A Living things die.
B Living things grow.
C Living things reproduce.

Accepted Answer

C. A and C only. The number of guppies rises overall (from 10 to about 24) which shows the guppies reproduce, and there are dips where the number falls (e.g. around March) which shows some guppies die. The graph tracks population number, not body size, so growth (B) is not shown. Hence A and C only.

Question 3

One of the characteristics of living things is growth. Which one of the following statements best describes growth?

Accepted Answer

D. It is the process whereby cells divide and increase in numbers.. Growth is the process by which cells divide and increase in number, resulting in a permanent increase in the size of the organism. Increasing in size only (C) describes enlargement, not true growth.

Question 4

The diagram below shows a plant cell. In which part of the cell is sugar made?

Accepted Answer

A. R. Sugar (glucose) is made during photosynthesis, which takes place in the chloroplasts. Part R labels a chloroplast (the green oval bodies), so sugar is made in R.

Question 5

Study the diagram below. The arrows show the movement of mineral salts into a plant cell. Which of the following shows the correct order of the parts that the mineral salts have to pass through to reach the centre of the cell?

Accepted Answer

B. cell wall → cell membrane → cytoplasm → cell sap. Mineral salts enter from outside, so they pass the outermost cell wall first, then the cell membrane, then the cytoplasm, and finally reach the cell sap inside the vacuole at the centre.

Question 6

The diagram below shows some animals and plants sealed in a glass container. What must be supplied to keep the organisms alive for the longest possible time?

Accepted Answer

D. light. The container is sealed and airtight. With light, the plants can photosynthesise to produce oxygen (for the animals to breathe) and food, while the animals provide carbon dioxide for the plants. Light is the external input that keeps this cycle going longest.

Question 7

Rosy carried out an experiment to see how the amount of carbon dioxide affects the rate of photosynthesis. Which one of the following correctly shows the results if she had carried out a fair test?

Accepted Answer

A. Curve (1). As carbon dioxide increases, the rate of photosynthesis increases until another factor becomes limiting, after which it levels off. Curve (1) rises and then plateaus, correctly showing this relationship.

Question 8

The diagram shows an experiment to find out whether light is needed for photosynthesis. The set-up has a plant under a glass cover and a black cover, with light shining on it. Which one of the following is the most suitable control for the experiment?

Accepted Answer

B. A plant under a glass cover with light shining on it.. The variable being tested is light. The control must be identical to the experimental set-up in every way except that light is allowed to reach the plant. Option (2) keeps the glass cover but has no black cover, so the only difference is the presence of light.

Question 9

Four sealed glass containers of the same size were set up as shown. They were left in the sunlight for six hours. At the end of the experiment, which container of water would contain the least amount of carbon dioxide?

Accepted Answer

C. Container C. Container C has water plants (which use up carbon dioxide during photosynthesis in sunlight) together with a fish (which produces some carbon dioxide). With one plant taking in CO2 and only one fish releasing it, the net carbon dioxide is lowest. Container D has more plants but also a fish, while A (water only) and B (fish only) have no plants to remove CO2. The answer key indicates C.

Question 10

Leela carried out an experiment to find out if the number of leaves of a plant affects the rate of photosynthesis. Which two of the above set-ups should be used in the experiment?

Accepted Answer

B. P and R. To test the effect of number of leaves, the number of leaves must be the only variable changed; light must be kept the same. Set-ups P and R are both left in a bright room (same light) but have different numbers of leaves, making it a fair test.

Question 11

Some pupils counted the birds that visited the field soon after the grass was cut. Which one of the following is a possible observation and explanation?

Accepted Answer

A. More birds visited the field. — The insects were exposed, making it easier for the birds to catch them.. After grass is cut, insects that were hidden in the long grass become exposed, so birds can spot and catch them more easily. This draws more birds to the field — a matching observation and explanation.

Question 12

The diagram below shows some vegetables and weeds growing in a plot of land. The presence of weeds prevented the vegetables from growing healthily. Which of the following do the vegetables need to compete with the weeds for?
A water
B oxygen
C space
D nutrients
E sunlight

Accepted Answer

A. A, C and D only. Plants compete with one another for water, space (for their roots) and nutrients in the soil. According to the answer key, the intended answer is water, space and nutrients (A, C and D only).

Question 13

Study the food web below. What is likely to happen to the population of H if the population of P is wiped out by a disease?

Accepted Answer

C. It will increase because H will have more food to eat.. In the food web L feeds into both P and K, and K is eaten by H. If P is wiped out, more of L (and the energy it represents) is available along the path leading to K and H, so H has more food and its population is likely to increase.

Question 14

The leopard gecko lives in the desert. The two line graphs below show the relationship between the activity level of the leopard gecko and the temperature changes of the desert in a day. What can you infer about the leopard gecko based on the graph shown above?
A Its activity increases as the temperature increases.
B It is most active in the night when the temperature is cooler.
C Its behavioural adaptation helps it to survive in the hot desert.
D It is structurally adapted to be active when the temperature is hot.

Accepted Answer

B. B and C only. The graphs show the gecko is most active at night when the desert is cooler, and least active when it is hot during the day — so A and D are wrong. Being active at night (avoiding daytime heat) is a behaviour, so it is a behavioural adaptation that helps it survive the hot desert. Hence B and C only.

Question 15

Steve set up the experiment below. He observed the behaviour of the fruitflies in the 2 set-ups at ten-minute intervals for one hour. The wire netting kept the fruitflies in while allowing air exchange. Which of the following is the aim for Steve's experiment?

Accepted Answer

D. To find out how temperature of the surrounding affects the activity level of fruitflies.. The only difference between the two set-ups is the temperature of the surrounding water (30°C vs 1°C), and Steve observes the fruitflies' behaviour/activity. So the aim is to find out how the temperature of the surroundings affects the activity level of the fruitflies.

Question 16

Anna cut out a square of dimension 1cm by 1cm from a piece of opaque paper and taped the paper to one end of a paper tube. A torch was fixed onto the other end of the paper tube. The torch was fixed at different distances, in front of a wall in a completely dark room and switched on as shown in the diagram below. A shadow was cast on the wall and Anna made the following statements.
A The shadow formed on the wall was bigger when the torch was nearer to the wall.
B The size of the shape formed on the wall was the same at 30cm and 60cm.
C At a distance of 60cm, the shape formed on the wall was smaller than at a distance of 100cm.
Which of the statement(s) about the shadow formed on the wall is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

B. C only. As the tube/torch moves further from the wall, the light spreads more and the bright shape on the wall gets larger. So nearer to the wall gives a smaller shape (A is wrong), the shapes at 30cm and 60cm are not the same (B is wrong), and at 60cm the shape is smaller than at 100cm (C is correct). Only C.

Question 17

In the diagram below, Jonny was standing behind a piece of cloth. He was not able to see the table. Which one of the following explains why Jonny was not able to see the table?

Accepted Answer

C. The cloth did not allow light to pass through.. We see the table because light from the lamp reflects off it and travels to our eyes. The opaque cloth between the table and Jonny blocks this reflected light from reaching his eyes, so he cannot see the table.

Question 18

Study the flowchart below. The flowchart starts with 'Matter', asks 'Does it have a definite shape?' (Yes → P), then asks Q (Yes → carbon dioxide), then asks 'Does it have a definite volume?' (Yes → R). Which of the following represents P, Q and R?

Accepted Answer

C. P: brick, Q: Can it be compressed?, R: milk. P has a definite shape → a solid → brick. The remaining matter has no definite shape (liquid or gas). Q must separate the gas: 'Can it be compressed?' → Yes → carbon dioxide (a gas). What is left has no definite shape but a definite volume → a liquid → R is milk.

Question 19

Sunny balanced two identical glass containers, P and Q, each containing 250ml of water on a balance as shown in the diagram below. Through a special hole in the cap of the containers, Sunny pumped in an additional 50ml of air into container P only. Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct?
A The volume of air in container P increased.
B The side of the balance with container P moved downwards.
C The mass of air in container P remained the same.

Accepted Answer

B. B only. Pumping 50ml more air into the same sealed container does not change the container's fixed internal volume, so the volume of air does not increase (A wrong). The extra air adds mass, so the mass of air increases (C wrong) and side P becomes heavier and moves downwards (B correct). Only B.

Question 20

Air was blown into a balloon to inflate it partially as shown in the diagram below. The partially inflated balloon was placed into a basin of hot water. After 30 minutes, it was observed that the balloon was bigger than before. Which one of the following best explains the observation?

Accepted Answer

A. Heat flowed from the hot water to the air inside the balloon.. The hot water is warmer than the air inside the balloon, so heat flows from the hot water through the balloon material to the air inside. The air gains heat, expands, and the balloon becomes bigger.

Question 21

Martin filled a beaker with water at 80°C. A piece of ice in a cylinder was placed into the beaker of water as shown below. The experiment was conducted in a room where temperature was 28°C. Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct about his observation 20 minutes later?
A The ice had melted as it lost heat to the water in the beaker.
B The ice had melted as it gained heat from the water in the beaker.
C The temperature of water increased as the ice in the cylinder lost heat to the water.
D The temperature of water decreased as it had lost heat to the ice in the cylinder.

Accepted Answer

D. B and D only. Heat flows from the hotter water to the colder ice. The ice gains heat and melts (B correct, A wrong), while the water loses heat and its temperature decreases (D correct, C wrong). Hence B and D only.

Question 22

The table below shows the freezing and boiling points of substances X, Y and Z. Which of the substances X, Y and Z is/are in the liquid state at 81°C?

Accepted Answer

C. X and Y only. A substance is liquid when the temperature is above its freezing point and below its boiling point. At 81°C: X (freeze 39, boil 93) is liquid; Y (freeze 3, boil 120) is liquid; Z (freeze 19, boil 79) is above its boiling point of 79 so it is a gas. Hence X and Y only.

Question 23

Ahmad poured 1000 ml of water into each container, A, B, C and D, as shown in the diagram below. The 4 containers were each placed under a fan moving at a constant speed. After 6 hours, Ahmad measured the amount of water left in each container and recorded the results using a bar graph. Based on the information above, which one of the following graphs shows the correct results?

Accepted Answer

B. Graph (2). Evaporation is faster when the exposed water surface area is larger. Container B is widest/shallowest (largest surface area) so it loses the most water and has the least left; the tall narrow containers (A) have the smallest surface area and keep the most water. Graph (2) shows B with the least water left and A with the most, matching the surface-area order.

Question 24

Study the two diagrams below. How are the clouds in the sky and the mist formed around the spout of a kettle of boiling water similar?
A Both are made up of water vapour.
B Both are made up of water droplets.
C Both are formed by water evaporating into the surrounding air.
D Both are formed by water vapour losing heat to the surrounding air.

Accepted Answer

D. B and D only. Both clouds and the mist at a kettle spout are made of tiny water droplets (not invisible water vapour), formed when water vapour loses heat to the cooler surrounding air and condenses. Hence B and D only.

Question 25

The diver in the diagram below started her dive standing at point W. The arrow traces her path in the dive. Based on the diagram above, at which point in her dive was elastic potential energy converted to kinetic energy?

Accepted Answer

B. X. Standing on the springboard at W stores no spring energy. As the diver presses the board down (at X) the bent board stores elastic potential energy, which is released to launch her upward — converting elastic potential energy to kinetic energy at point X.

Question 26

The diagram below shows how a swing moves from the start position A to B and then to C. Which one of the following correctly shows the changes in potential energy and kinetic energy of the seat as the swing moves from position A to C?

Accepted Answer

D. Potential energy A to B: decreasing / Kinetic energy B to C: decreasing. From A (raised) down to B (lowest point), the seat falls, so its height and potential energy decrease. From B up to C (raised again), the seat rises and slows, so its kinetic energy decreases. Hence potential energy decreases (A→B) and kinetic energy decreases (B→C).

Question 27

Two pieces of metals, X and Y, are placed side by side as shown in the two experiments. In Experiment 1, ends Q and R are attracted (metal X has ends P–Q, metal Y has ends R–S). In Experiment 2, after flipping metal Y, ends Q and S are attracted. Based on the information given, which of the following statement(s) is/are true?
A Both metals X and Y are magnets.
B Q and R are definitely unlike poles.
C Both metals X and Y are made of magnetic materials.

Accepted Answer

B. C only. In Experiment 1, Q attracts R; in Experiment 2, the same end Q attracts the other end S of the same metal Y. A magnet's like poles would repel, so if Y were a magnet, Q could not attract both of Y's ends. Therefore at least one of them is just a magnetic material, not a magnet — so they are not both magnets, and Q/R cannot be 'definitely unlike poles'. What is certain is that both X and Y are made of magnetic materials (since they attract). Only C is true.

Question 28

Study the set-up shown below. A magnet hangs from a retort stand; a paper clip is held up below the magnet, and a string with a weight hangs from the paper clip. Which of the following force(s) is/are acting on the paper clip?
A magnetic force
B gravitational force
C frictional force

Accepted Answer

B. A and B only. The paper clip is pulled up by the magnet (magnetic force) and pulled down by its own weight (gravitational force). There is no movement and no surfaces rubbing, so there is no frictional force. Hence A and B only.

Question 29

Gabriel set up an experiment using four similar elastic bands to find out how the mass of the weights affects the extension of an elastic band. Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct about this set-up?
A The elastic band is exerting a downward force.
B The weights exert a downward force on the elastic band.
C When a mass of 24 g is hung on the elastic band, the extension of the elastic band is 6 cm.

Accepted Answer

C. B and C only. The weights pull the elastic band downwards (B correct). The elastic band stretches and pulls the weight upwards, so it exerts an upward (not downward) force (A wrong). Reading the ruler, the 24 g weight stretches the band to the 6 cm mark from its original position, giving an extension of 6 cm (C correct). Hence B and C only.

Question 30

Ling conducted an experiment using a similar wooden block and 4 ramps. The ramps have surfaces of different textures. She carried out the experiment with each set-up individually. She released the wooden block from the top of each ramp and measured the distance moved by the block before it came to a stop for each set-up. The distances recorded were: set-up A = 20 cm, B = 8 cm, C = 6 cm, D = 11 cm. Which one of the following most likely shows the material used for the surface of the ramp in each set-up?

Accepted Answer

A. A: glass, B: sandpaper, C: carpet, D: polished wood. The smoother the surface, the less friction, so the block travels further. Ordering distances from longest to shortest (least to most friction): A=20 (smoothest → glass), D=11 (polished wood), B=8 (sandpaper), C=6 (roughest → carpet). This matches option (1): A glass, B sandpaper, C carpet, D polished wood.

P6 Science SA1 2016 — Rosyth

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P6 Science SA1 2016 — Rosyth

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