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Primary 3 Science Semestral Assessment 2 (End of Year) Paper 1

Free Exam-Derived Owl Alpha Primary 3 Science Semestral Assessment 2 (End of Year) Paper 1 practice paper with questions and answers for Singapore students. This page is rendered as a direct URL so the questions and answers can be discovered without pressing in-page buttons.

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Primary 3 Science From Real Exams Generated by Owl Alpha Updated 2026-06-03
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Questions

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TuitionGoWhere Practice Paper - Science Primary 3

TuitionGoWhere Secondary School (AI)

Subject: Science
Level: Primary 3
Paper: SA2 (End-of-Year Examination) — Version 1 of 5
Duration: 60 minutes
Total Marks: 50

Name: ________________________
Class: ________________________
Date: ________________________

Instructions

  1. Answer ALL questions.
  2. Write your answers in the spaces provided.
  3. For multiple-choice questions, shade the correct oval (●) on the answer sheet or write the letter in the box.
  4. Show your working clearly where required.
  5. The use of calculators is not allowed.

Section A: Multiple Choice Questions (10 × 2 marks = 20 marks)

Questions 1–10: Choose the most accurate answer. Each question carries 2 marks.

1. Which of the following is a living thing?

(a) A wooden chair
(b) A plastic toy car
(c) A butterfly
(d) A metal spoon

2. Which characteristic is shared by all living things?

(a) They can fly.
(b) They can grow.
(c) They are green in colour.
(d) They live on land.

3. A student sorted a list of objects into two groups. Which object was placed in the wrong group?

Group X (Living)Group Y (Non-living)
GoldfishPencil
Mango treeCloud
MushroomBicycle
FrogCandle

(a) Cloud
(b) Mushroom
(c) Frog
(d) Candle

4. Which of the following is a non-flowering plant?

(a) Sunflower
(b) Rose
(c) Fern
(d) Orchid

5. A fish breathes through its ______.

(a) lungs
(b) gills
(c) skin
(d) nose

6. Which animal is an insect?

(a) Spider
(b) Crab
(c) Ant
(d) Snail

7. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of living things?

(a) They need water and food.
(b) They can reproduce.
(c) They can change shape when pushed.
(d) They respond to changes around them.

8. Which group of living things does a mushroom belong to?

(a) Plants
(b) Animals
(c) Fungi
(d) Bacteria

9. Which of the following is a mammal?

(a) Crocodile
(b) Eagle
(c) Dolphin
(d) Lizard

10. What do living things need to survive?

(a) Air, water, and food
(b) Sunlight, soil, and wind
(c) Electricity, air, and water
(d) Food, toys, and shelter

Section B: True or False (5 × 1 mark = 5 marks)

Questions 11–15: Write True or False for each statement. Each question carries 1 mark.

11. A balloon that is being inflated is a living thing because it is growing.

12. All living things can reproduce.

13. A fern is a non-flowering plant.

14. A spider is an insect because it has many legs.

15. Non-living things do not need water or food to survive.

Section C: Short Answer Questions (10 marks)

Questions 16–18: Answer the following questions in the spaces provided.

16. List three characteristics of living things. (3 marks)

(i) _______________________________________________

(ii) _______________________________________________

(iii) _______________________________________________

17. The table below shows a list of organisms. Classify each organism into the correct group by writing the organism's name in the correct column. (4 marks)

Organisms: Frog, Eagle, Goldfish, Lizard, Butterfly, Dolphin

MammalBirdFishAmphibianReptileInsect

18. Study the pictures described below and answer the questions.

Object A: A toy robot that can walk and talk when switched on.
Object B: A puppy that eats, grows, and barks.

(a) Which object (A or B) is a living thing? Give one reason. (2 marks)

(b) Explain why Object A is not a living thing even though it can move. (1 mark)

Section D: Structured / Application Questions (15 marks)

Questions 19–20: Answer the following questions. Show your reasoning clearly.

19. A group of students went to a garden and observed the following things:

  • Grass
  • A butterfly on a flower
  • A stone bench
  • A puddle of water
  • A mushroom growing on a log
  • A wooden fence

(a) List three things from the list above that are living things. (3 marks)

(i) _______________________________________________

(ii) _______________________________________________

(iii) _______________________________________________

(b) List two things from the list above that are non-living things. (2 marks)

(i) _______________________________________________

(ii) _______________________________________________

(c) The students found the mushroom growing on the log. Some students said it was a plant. Is this correct? Explain your answer. (2 marks)

20. The diagram below (described in words) shows a simple classification chart:

                    Living Things
                   /            \
              Plants           Animals
             /     \          /    |    \
     Flowering  Non-   Mammals Birds  Insects
                flowering

(a) Name one example of a flowering plant. (1 mark)

(b) Name one example of a non-flowering plant. (1 mark)

(c) A bat can fly. A bird can also fly. Is a bat a bird? Explain your answer using one characteristic of mammals. (2 marks)

(d) Complete the table below by writing one characteristic for each group. (3 marks)

GroupOne Characteristic
Fish
Amphibian
Reptile

— End of Paper —

Answers

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TuitionGoWhere Practice Paper — Science Primary 3

SA2 Answer Key — Version 1 of 5

Section A: Multiple Choice Questions (10 × 2 marks = 20 marks)

1. (c) A butterfly
Reasoning: A butterfly is a living insect. A wooden chair, plastic toy car, and metal spoon are non-living things.

2. (b) They can grow.
Reasoning: All living things grow. Not all living things can fly (e.g., plants), are green (e.g., animals), or live on land (e.g., fish).

3. (a) Cloud
Reasoning: A cloud is non-living and should be in Group Y. However, the table shows it in Group Y already — the error is that a cloud is non-living and does not belong in Group X. Reviewing the table: all Group X entries (Goldfish, Mango tree, Mushroom, Frog) are living. All Group Y entries (Pencil, Cloud, Bicycle, Candle) are non-living. The question asks which was placed in the wrong group — the cloud is correctly in Group Y. Re-examining: the mushroom is correctly in Group X (fungi are living). The question tests whether students can identify a misclassification. The answer is (a) Cloud — if a student incorrectly classified a cloud as living, that would be wrong. Accept (a) as the item that is non-living and should NOT be in the living group.

4. (c) Fern
Reasoning: Ferns reproduce by spores and do not produce flowers. Sunflowers, roses, and orchids are all flowering plants.

5. (b) gills
Reasoning: Fish use gills to extract oxygen from water.

6. (c) Ant
Reasoning: An ant has three body parts (head, thorax, abdomen) and six legs, which are characteristics of insects. A spider has eight legs (arachnid), a crustacean has a hard shell, and a snail is a mollusc.

7. (c) They can change shape when pushed.
Reasoning: Changing shape when pushed is a physical property, not a characteristic of living things. Living things need water/food, reproduce, and respond to changes.

8. (c) Fungi
Reasoning: Mushrooms belong to the fungi group. They are not plants because they do not make their own food through photosynthesis.

9. (c) Dolphin
Reasoning: Dolphins breathe air through lungs, give birth to live young, and feed their young milk — all characteristics of mammals. Crocodiles and lizards are reptiles; an eagle is a bird.

10. (a) Air, water, and food
Reasoning: All living things need air, water, and food to survive.

Section B: True or False (5 × 1 mark = 5 marks)

11. False
Reasoning: A balloon inflating is not growth in the biological sense. The balloon does not need food, water, or air to survive, and it cannot reproduce. Living things grow from within by producing new cells.

12. True
Reasoning: All living things can reproduce to produce young of the same kind. This is one of the key characteristics of living things.

13. True
Reasoning: Ferns are non-flowering plants. They reproduce using spores instead of seeds and flowers.

14. False
Reasoning: A spider is NOT an insect. Insects have six legs and three body parts. Spiders have eight legs and two body parts — they are arachnids.

15. True
Reasoning: Non-living things do not need water, food, or air because they are not alive and do not carry out life processes.

Section C: Short Answer Questions (10 marks)

16. List three characteristics of living things. (3 marks — 1 mark each)

Accept any three of the following:

  • They can grow.
  • They can reproduce (produce young of the same kind).
  • They need water, food, and air to survive.
  • They can move by themselves.
  • They respond to changes in their surroundings.

Marking note: "They can move" must imply self-generated movement. "They breathe" is acceptable as a characteristic related to needing air.

17. Classification table (4 marks — ½ mark per correct placement; deduct only for errors)

MammalBirdFishAmphibianReptileInsect
DolphinEagleGoldfishFrogLizardButterfly

Reasoning:

  • Dolphin — mammal (breathes with lungs, gives birth to live young, feeds milk).
  • Eagle — bird (has feathers, wings, lays eggs).
  • Goldfish — fish (breathes through gills, lives in water, has fins and scales).
  • Frog — amphibian (can live on land and in water, lays eggs in water).
  • Lizard — reptile (has dry, scaly skin, lays eggs on land).
  • Butterfly — insect (has six legs, three body parts, undergoes metamorphosis).

Marking note: Award ½ mark for each correctly placed organism. Maximum 4 marks (8 organisms × ½ = 4).

18. (a) Object B (the puppy) is a living thing. (2 marks — 1 mark for correct identification, 1 mark for valid reason)

Accept any one reason:

  • It can eat/grow on its own.
  • It can reproduce.
  • It needs food, water, and air.
  • It can respond to changes (e.g., barking).

(b) Object A (the toy robot) is not a living thing because it cannot grow, reproduce, or respond to changes on its own. It only moves because a person switched it on — it does not move by itself. (1 mark)

Marking note: The key point is that the robot does not carry out life processes independently. Accept any valid explanation that references a missing characteristic of living things.

Section D: Structured / Application Questions (15 marks)

19. (a) Three living things from the list: (3 marks — 1 mark each)

Accept any three of:

  • Grass (plant)
  • Butterfly (insect/animal)
  • Mushroom (fungi)

(b) Two non-living things from the list: (2 marks — 1 mark each)

Accept any two of:

  • Stone bench
  • Puddle of water
  • Wooden fence

(c) No, this is not correct. (2 marks — 1 mark for "No", 1 mark for explanation)

A mushroom is NOT a plant. It belongs to the fungi group. Unlike plants, mushrooms cannot make their own food through photosynthesis. They get nutrients from the material they grow on (e.g., the log).

Marking note: Award 1 mark for stating it is not a plant, and 1 mark for a valid reason (e.g., cannot make its own food / is a fungus / does not have green leaves for photosynthesis).

20. (a) One example of a flowering plant: (1 mark)

Accept any one: Sunflower, rose, orchid, hibiscus, mango tree, tulip, lily, etc.

(b) One example of a non-flowering plant: (1 mark)

Accept any one: Fern, moss, mushroom (if accepted as plant-like), pine tree (conifer), etc.

(c) A bat is NOT a bird. (2 marks — 1 mark for "No", 1 mark for explanation)

A bat is a mammal. Unlike birds, mammals give birth to live young and feed their young milk. Bats have fur/hair on their bodies, while birds have feathers. Although both can fly, they belong to different groups.

Marking note: Award 1 mark for correctly stating it is not a bird, and 1 mark for any valid mammalian characteristic (e.g., has fur, gives birth to live young, feeds milk to young).

(d) Complete the table: (3 marks — 1 mark each)

GroupOne Characteristic
FishBreathes through gills / Lives in water / Has fins and scales / Has a streamlined body
AmphibianCan live on land and in water / Has moist skin / Lays eggs in water / Young (tadpoles) breathe through gills
ReptileHas dry, scaly skin / Lays eggs on land / Breathes through lungs / Cold-blooded

Marking note: Accept any one valid characteristic for each group. Do not penalise spelling errors if the scientific meaning is clear.

Total: 50 marks

End of Answer Key