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Primary 3 Science Semestral Assessment 1 (Mid-Year) Paper 1

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Questions

Primary 3 Science SA1 Examination 2026

TuitionGoWhere Practice Paper

Duration: 75 minutes
Total Marks: 100
Name: _________________________ Class: _______ Date: _________

Section A: Multiple Choice Questions (25 marks)

Choose the correct answer and write the letter (A, B, C, or D) in the brackets provided. Each question is worth 1 mark.

1. Which of the following is a living thing?

(A) Rock
(B) Water
(C) Mushroom
(D) Plastic bottle

( )

2. What do all living things need to survive?

(A) Sunlight, air and toys
(B) Air, water and food
(C) Food, shelter and television
(D) Water, sand and rocks

( )

3. Which of the following materials is waterproof?

(A) Paper
(B) Cotton cloth
(C) Rubber
(D) Cardboard

( )

4. A butterfly goes through four stages in its life cycle. What is the correct order?

(A) Egg → Caterpillar → Pupa → Adult butterfly
(B) Egg → Pupa → Caterpillar → Adult butterfly
(C) Caterpillar → Egg → Pupa → Adult butterfly
(D) Pupa → Egg → Caterpillar → Adult butterfly

( )

5. Which part of the plant absorbs water and minerals from the soil?

(A) Leaf
(B) Stem
(C) Root
(D) Flower

( )

6. Mei Ling placed a glass of water and a toy car on the table. Which statement is TRUE?

(A) Both the water and the toy car are living things
(B) Both the water and the toy car are non-living things
(C) The water is a living thing and the toy car is a non-living thing
(D) The water is a non-living thing and the toy car is a living thing

( )

7. Which of the following materials is flexible?

(A) Glass
(B) Ceramic
(C) Metal spoon
(D) Rubber band

( )

8. Ahmad observed a mealworm in the science lab. What does the mealworm change into during its life cycle?

(A) Caterpillar
(B) Beetle
(C) Butterfly
(D) Grasshopper

( )

9. What is the main function of the stem?

(A) To make food for the plant
(B) To absorb water from the soil
(C) To transport water and minerals to other parts of the plant
(D) To attract insects for pollination

( )

10. Which of the following is a characteristic of living things only?

(A) Can be found in water
(B) Can grow and reproduce
(C) Can be colourful
(D) Can move from place to place

( )

11. Siti tested different materials to see if they float or sink in water. Which material would FLOAT?

(A) Metal coin
(B) Wooden block
(C) Glass marble
(D) Stone pebble

( )

12. Which animal undergoes incomplete metamorphosis?

(A) Butterfly
(B) Beetle
(C) Cockroach
(D) Mosquito

( )

13. The picture below shows a plant.

    [Flower]
       |
    [Leaves]
       |
    [Stem]
       |
    [Roots]

Which part of the plant is responsible for making food?

(A) Flower
(B) Leaves
(C) Stem
(D) Roots

( )

14. Which of the following correctly groups living and non-living things?

Living Things	Non-living Things
(A) Bird, rock	Water, air
(B) Fish, plant	Sand, chair
(C) Toy car, insect	Paper, pen
(D) Fungus, water	Stone, bird

( )

15. What property allows a sponge to soak up water?

(A) Flexibility
(B) Hardness
(C) Absorbency
(D) Transparency

( )

16. A frog's life cycle begins with which stage?

(A) Tadpole
(B) Egg
(C) Froglet
(D) Adult frog

( )

17. Which part of the plant holds the plant firmly in the ground?

(A) Stem
(B) Leaf
(C) Root
(D) Flower

( )

18. Ravi wants to make a window for his art project. Which material should he use so that light can pass through?

(A) Cardboard
(B) Plastic sheet (transparent)
(C) Aluminium foil
(D) Cloth

( )

19. Which of the following animals does NOT go through a larval stage?

(A) Mosquito
(B) Chicken
(C) Butterfly
(D) Beetle

( )

20. Plants need sunlight to __________.

(A) absorb water
(B) make food
(C) reproduce
(D) transport minerals

( )

21. Which of the following is an example of a man-made material?

(A) Cotton
(B) Wood
(C) Plastic
(D) Silk

( )

22. The diagram shows the life cycle of a mosquito. Which stage comes after the larva?

(A) Egg
(B) Pupa
(C) Adult
(D) Nymph

( )

23. Why do plants have brightly coloured flowers?

(A) To make the plant look beautiful
(B) To attract insects for pollination
(C) To absorb more sunlight
(D) To store food

( )

24. Which property of metal makes it suitable for making cooking pots?

(A) Flexibility
(B) Ability to conduct heat
(C) Absorbency
(D) Transparency

( )

25. A young plant is called a __________.

(A) seed
(B) seedling
(C) flower
(D) fruit

( )

Section B: Short Answer Questions (45 marks)

Answer all questions in the spaces provided.

26. Look at the table below showing different organisms. (4 marks)

Organism	Living or Non-living?
Coral
Seaweed
Seashell (empty)
Crab

(a) Complete the table by writing "Living" or "Non-living" for each organism. (2 marks)

(b) Give one reason why coral is classified as a living thing. (2 marks)

27. Priya collected the following items: wooden ruler, metal spoon, plastic cup, glass jar, rubber eraser. (6 marks)

(a) Which TWO items are transparent or translucent? (2 marks)

(b) Which item is the most flexible? (1 mark)

28. Study the life cycle diagram of a butterfly below. (6 marks)

Stage A (small round object) → Stage B (long segmented creature) → Stage C (oval hanging object) → Stage D (winged insect)

(a) Name stages A, B, C and D. (4 marks)

Stage A: _____________

Stage B: _____________

Stage C: _____________

Stage D: _____________

(b) At which stage does the organism eat the most food? Why? (2 marks)

29. The diagram shows a plant. (6 marks)

        🌸 (Part W)
         |
        🍃🍃 (Part X)
         |
        || (Part Y)
         |
       /\/\ (Part Z - underground)

(a) Name parts W, X, Y and Z. (2 marks)

Part W: _____________ Part X: _____________

Part Y: _____________ Part Z: _____________

(b) Which part makes food for the plant? (1 mark)

30. Wei Ming investigated different materials to see which ones are waterproof. He poured water on each material and recorded his observations. (5 marks)

Material	Observation
Newspaper	Water soaked through
Plastic bag	Water stayed on top
Cotton T-shirt	Water soaked through slowly
Raincoat fabric	Water stayed on top

(a) Which materials are waterproof? (1 mark)

(b) Why is it important for raincoats to be made of waterproof material? (2 marks)

31. Study the life cycle of a cockroach below. (5 marks)

Egg → Nymph → Adult Cockroach

(a) How is the cockroach's life cycle different from a butterfly's life cycle? (2 marks)

(b) What type of metamorphosis does the cockroach undergo? (1 mark)

Similar: _________________________________________________________________

Different: ________________________________________________________________

32. Sarah planted a bean seed in a pot. She placed it near a window and watered it regularly. After two weeks, she observed changes. (6 marks)

(a) What conditions does a seed need to germinate? (2 marks)

(b) Describe what happens when a seed germinates. (2 marks)

33. Look at the Venn diagram comparing two animals: butterfly and chicken. (7 marks)

Complete the Venn diagram by writing the characteristics in the correct sections.

Characteristics: Lays eggs, Has wings, Goes through 4 stages, Has feathers, Goes through 3 stages, Undergoes complete metamorphosis, Young looks like adult

Butterfly Only	Both	Chicken Only

(a) Fill in the table above with the correct characteristics. (5 marks)

(b) Both butterfly and chicken reproduce by laying eggs. Give one other similarity between them. (2 marks)

Section C: Word Problems (30 marks)

Answer all questions in the spaces provided. Show your working where necessary.

34. Arun conducted an experiment to find out which material is the strongest. He hung weights on strips of different materials until they broke. Here are his results: (8 marks)

Material	Number of weights before breaking
Paper strip	2
Plastic strip	8
Cloth strip	5
Rubber strip	10

(a) Which material is the strongest? Which is the weakest? (2 marks)

Strongest: _________________________ Weakest: _________________________

(b) Based on the results, which material would be best for making a shopping bag that needs to carry heavy items? Explain your answer. (3 marks)

(d) Suggest why paper bags are still used in some shops even though paper is not as strong as plastic. Give TWO reasons. (2 marks)

35. Mei Ling observed a pond in the Singapore Botanic Gardens over several weeks. She recorded the life cycle of a frog. (8 marks)

Observation Journal:

Week 1: Found jelly-like eggs in the water
Week 3: Small creatures with tails hatched from eggs
Week 6: Creatures developed back legs
Week 8: Creatures developed front legs and tails became shorter
Week 10: Young frogs with very short tails were seen on lily pads

(a) What is the name of the creature that hatches from a frog's egg? (1 mark)

(b) Why do frog eggs need to be in water? (2 marks)

Change 1: ___________________________________________________________________

Change 2: ___________________________________________________________________

(d) Compare the frog's life cycle with a chicken's life cycle. State ONE similarity and ONE difference. (3 marks)

Similarity: ________________________________________________________________

Difference: ________________________________________________________________

36. The school gardener at Rosyth Primary School wants to grow more vegetables in the school garden. He needs to understand plant parts and their functions. (8 marks)

(a) The gardener wants to grow carrots. Which part of the carrot plant do we eat? What is the function of this part? (2 marks)

Part we eat: _________________________

Function: _________________________________________________________________

(b) The gardener noticed that some plants had yellow leaves even though he watered them. Suggest ONE reason why the leaves turned yellow. (2 marks)

(c) The gardener planted some seedlings in a dark storeroom by mistake. Predict what will happen to the seedlings. Explain your answer. (2 marks)

(d) The gardener wants to grow more plants from one healthy tomato plant. Besides using seeds, suggest ONE other way he can grow new tomato plants. (2 marks)

37. Mrs Tan's Primary 3 class conducted an investigation to classify items in their classroom. They sorted items into different groups based on whether they are living, non-living, or once-living things. (6 marks)

Item	Classification
Wooden desk
Potted plant
Metal chair
Cotton curtains
Class pet hamster
Leather shoe

(a) Complete the table by writing "Living", "Non-living", or "Once-living" for each item. (3 marks)

(b) Explain why a wooden desk is classified as "once-living" instead of "non-living". (2 marks)

End of Paper

Remember to check your answers before submitting!

Answers

Primary 3 Science SA1 Examination 2026

TuitionGoWhere Practice Paper - ANSWER KEY

Duration: 75 minutes
Total Marks: 100

Section A: Multiple Choice Questions (25 marks)

Question	Answer	Topic
1	C	Diversity of Living and Non-living Things
2	B	Diversity of Living and Non-living Things
3	C	Diversity of Materials
4	A	Life Cycles
5	C	Plant Systems
6	B	Diversity of Living and Non-living Things
7	D	Diversity of Materials
8	B	Life Cycles
9	C	Plant Systems
10	B	Diversity of Living and Non-living Things
11	B	Diversity of Materials
12	C	Life Cycles
13	B	Plant Systems
14	B	Diversity of Living and Non-living Things
15	C	Diversity of Materials
16	B	Life Cycles
17	C	Plant Systems
18	B	Diversity of Materials
19	B	Life Cycles
20	B	Plant Systems
21	C	Diversity of Materials
22	B	Life Cycles
23	B	Plant Systems
24	B	Diversity of Materials
25	B	Plant Systems

Section B: Short Answer Questions (45 marks)

26. (4 marks)

(a) Table completion (2 marks - 0.5 mark each):

Organism	Living or Non-living?
Coral	Living
Seaweed	Living
Seashell (empty)	Non-living
Crab	Living

(b) Reason why coral is classified as a living thing (2 marks):

Coral can grow. (1 mark)
Coral can reproduce. (1 mark)
Accept: Coral needs food/water/air to survive / Coral responds to changes in its surroundings

27. (6 marks)

(a) TWO transparent or translucent items (2 marks):

Plastic cup and glass jar

(b) Most flexible item (1 mark):

Rubber eraser

Should NOT use the metal spoon (1 mark)
Metal is a good conductor of heat (1 mark)
The spoon will become very hot and may burn her hand (1 mark)

28. (6 marks)

(a) Names of stages (4 marks - 1 mark each):

Stage A: Egg
Stage B: Caterpillar / Larva
Stage C: Pupa / Chrysalis
Stage D: Adult butterfly

(b) Stage that eats the most food and reason (2 marks):

Stage B / Caterpillar stage (1 mark)
The caterpillar needs to eat a lot of food to store energy for the pupa stage when it cannot eat. / It needs nutrients to grow and develop into an adult butterfly. (1 mark)

29. (6 marks)

(a) Names of parts (2 marks - 0.5 mark each):

Part W: Flower
Part X: Leaves
Part Y: Stem
Part Z: Roots

(b) Part that makes food (1 mark):

Leaves / Part X

The roots absorb water from the soil. (1 mark)
The water is transported up through the stem. (1 mark)
The water reaches the leaves where it is used to make food. (1 mark)

30. (5 marks)

(a) Waterproof materials (1 mark):

Plastic bag and raincoat fabric

(b) Importance of waterproof raincoats (2 marks):

To keep the person dry when it rains. (1 mark)
Water cannot pass through the material, so it protects the person from getting wet. (1 mark)

Newspaper absorbs water / is not waterproof. (1 mark)
It will become wet and tear easily when it rains. (1 mark)

31. (5 marks)

(a) Difference from butterfly's life cycle (2 marks):

The cockroach has 3 stages (egg → nymph → adult) while the butterfly has 4 stages (egg → larva → pupa → adult). (1 mark)
The cockroach does not have a pupa stage. (1 mark)

(b) Type of metamorphosis (1 mark):

Incomplete metamorphosis

Similar: The nymph looks like a smaller version of the adult cockroach. / Both have similar body shape. (1 mark)
Different: The nymph is smaller and does not have fully developed wings. / The nymph cannot reproduce. (1 mark)

32. (6 marks)

(a) Conditions for germination (2 marks):

Water (1 mark)
Warmth / suitable temperature (1 mark)
Accept: Air/oxygen

(b) What happens when a seed germinates (2 marks):

The seed absorbs water and swells. (1 mark)
A tiny root grows out of the seed first, followed by a shoot. (1 mark)
Accept: The seed coat breaks open / The seedling emerges

So that the plant can receive sunlight. (1 mark)
Sunlight is needed for the plant to make food through photosynthesis. / Sunlight is needed for the plant to grow healthily. (1 mark)

33. (7 marks)

(a) Venn diagram completion (5 marks):

Butterfly Only	Both	Chicken Only
Goes through 4 stages	Lays eggs	Has feathers
Undergoes complete metamorphosis	Has wings	Goes through 3 stages
		Young looks like adult

(1 mark for each correctly placed characteristic - up to 5 marks)

(b) Another similarity (2 marks):

Both need air, water and food to survive. (1 mark)
Both can reproduce / Both are living things / Both can grow. (1 mark)
Accept: Both have wings

Section C: Word Problems (30 marks)

34. (8 marks)

(a) Strongest and weakest materials (2 marks):

Strongest: Rubber strip (1 mark)
Weakest: Paper strip (1 mark)

(b) Best material for shopping bag and explanation (3 marks):

Rubber strip or Plastic strip (1 mark)
Rubber/Plastic can hold more weights without breaking. (1 mark)
This means it is strong enough to carry heavy items without tearing. (1 mark)

Flexibility / Elasticity / Stretchability

(d) Two reasons why paper bags are still used (2 marks):

Paper is biodegradable / better for the environment. (1 mark)
Paper bags are cheaper to produce. / Paper bags can be recycled easily. / Paper bags are made from natural materials. (1 mark)

35. (8 marks)

(a) Name of creature that hatches from frog's egg (1 mark):

Tadpole

(b) Why frog eggs need to be in water (2 marks):

Frog eggs do not have hard shells and will dry out if not in water. (1 mark)
The tadpoles that hatch breathe through gills and need water to survive. (1 mark)

Change 1: The tadpole develops legs. / Legs grow. (1 mark)
Change 2: The tail becomes shorter and disappears. / Gills are replaced by lungs. / It develops lungs to breathe air. (1 mark)

(d) Similarity and difference with chicken's life cycle (3 marks):

Similarity: Both frog and chicken lay eggs. / Both go through 3 stages. (1 mark)
Difference: The young frog (tadpole) looks different from the adult frog, but the young chicken (chick) looks similar to the adult chicken. (2 marks)
Accept: Frog eggs are laid in water while chicken eggs are laid on land. / Tadpoles live in water while chicks live on land.

36. (8 marks)

(a) Part of carrot we eat and its function (2 marks):

Part we eat: Root (1 mark)
Function: To absorb water and minerals from the soil. / To anchor the plant in the ground. / To store food. (1 mark)

(b) Reason for yellow leaves (2 marks):

The plant may not be getting enough sunlight. (1 mark)
Without enough sunlight, the plant cannot make food properly and the leaves turn yellow. (1 mark)
Accept: Lack of nutrients in soil / Overwatering / Disease

The seedlings will become weak, pale/yellow, and may die. (1 mark)
This is because they cannot get sunlight to make food. (1 mark)
Accept: The seedlings will grow tall and thin trying to reach light / etiolation

(d) Another way to grow new tomato plants (2 marks):

He can cut a healthy stem from the tomato plant. (1 mark)
Plant the stem cutting in soil and it will grow roots and become a new plant. (1 mark)
Accept: Using runners / Using grafting / Vegetative propagation

37. (6 marks)

(a) Classification table (3 marks - 0.5 mark each):

Item	Classification
Wooden desk	Once-living
Potted plant	Living
Metal chair	Non-living
Cotton curtains	Once-living
Class pet hamster	Living
Leather shoe	Once-living

(b) Why wooden desk is "once-living" (2 marks):

Wood comes from trees, which were once living things. (1 mark)
The wood was part of a living tree before it was cut down and made into a desk. (1 mark)

Accept any valid answer: Metal chair / Glass window / Plastic ruler / Metal scissors / Ceramic tiles / Rock paperweight / Whiteboard marker (metal/plastic parts)

Marking Summary

Section	Maximum Marks
Section A: MCQ	25
Section B: Short Answer	45
Section C: Word Problems	30
Total	100

End of Answer Key