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Primary 3 Science Semestral Assessment 2 (End of Year) Paper 2
Free Kimi AI-generated P3 Science SA2 Paper 2 with questions, answers, and syllabus-aligned practice for Singapore students preparing for exams.
These static practice materials are generated from the site's syllabus and paper-generation workflow, with source and model context shown so students and parents can evaluate the material before use.
Questions
Primary 3 Science Quiz - Diversity
Name: ______________________________ Class: _______
Date: ______________________________ Score: _______ / 40
Duration: 40 minutes
Total Marks: 40
Instructions:
- Answer all questions.
- Write your answers in the spaces provided.
- For multiple-choice questions, circle the correct answer.
Section A: Multiple Choice (Questions 1–8)
8 marks
Choose the correct answer and circle it. Each question carries 1 mark.
1. Which of the following is a living thing?
- (A) A plastic flower
- (B) A clay pot
- (C) A sunflower plant
- (D) A wooden chair
Answer: _____________
2. Living things need air, food, and __________ to survive.
- (A) sunlight
- (B) water
- (C) soil
- (D) wind
Answer: _____________
3. Which characteristic shows that a kitten is a living thing?
- (A) It can be soft to touch
- (B) It can grow bigger over time
- (C) It can be painted with colours
- (D) It can be placed on a shelf
Answer: _____________
4. Which of these can reproduce to make young of their own kind?
- (A) A rock
- (B) A river
- (C) A butterfly
- (D) A mountain
Answer: _____________
5. Peter saw an object in the garden. It could not move by itself and did not need food. Is it living or non-living?
- (A) Living, because it is in the garden
- (B) Living, because it can be seen
- (C) Non-living, because it cannot move by itself
- (D) Non-living, because it does not need food
Answer: _____________
6. Which group does a frog belong to?
- (A) Birds
- (B) Fish
- (C) Amphibians
- (D) Reptiles
Answer: _____________
7. A mushroom is placed in the __________ group of living things.
- (A) plant
- (B) animal
- (C) fungi
- (D) bacteria
Answer: _____________
8. Which statement about non-living things is true?
- (A) They can grow by themselves
- (B) They can respond to changes around them
- (C) They do not need water, food, or air to survive
- (D) They can reproduce to make young of their own kind
Answer: _____________
Section B: Fill in the Blanks and Matching (Questions 9–14)
12 marks
Question 9 (4 marks)
The table below shows some objects. Tick (✓) the correct box to show whether each object is a living thing or a non-living thing.
<image_placeholder> id: Q9-fig1 type: table linked_question: Q9 description: A table with three columns: Object, Living thing, Non-living thing. Objects listed: a dog, a river, a mango tree, a glass bottle labels: dog, river, mango tree, glass bottle values: Four objects to classify must_show: Clear tick boxes or spaces for each object under correct category </image_placeholder>
| Object | Living thing | Non-living thing |
|---|---|---|
| A dog | ||
| A river | ||
| A mango tree | ||
| A glass bottle |
Question 10 (2 marks)
Match each characteristic in Column A with the correct example in Column B. Write the correct letter in the box.
Column A (a) Living things can grow (b) Living things can respond to changes
Column B
- (A) A vine climbs towards light
- (B) A baby monkey grows into an adult monkey
(a) _____________ (b) _____________
Question 11 (2 marks)
Look at the items below and write "Living" or "Non-living" in the boxes.
<image_placeholder> id: Q11-fig1 type: diagram linked_question: Q11 description: Four simple drawings arranged in a row: a goldfish in a bowl, a plastic toy fish, a real rose flower, a paper rose decoration labels: goldfish, toy fish, real rose, paper rose values: none must_show: Clear distinction between real and artificial versions of similar objects </image_placeholder>
(a) _____________ (b) _____________ (c) _____________ (d) _____________
Question 12 (2 marks)
Complete the sentence using words from the box.
[reproduce, grow, respond, breathe]
All living things can __________, which means they can produce young of their own kind.
Answer: _________________________________________________
Question 13 (1 mark)
True or False: A balloon gets bigger when air is pumped into it. This shows that the balloon is a living thing because it can grow.
Answer: _____________
Reason: _________________________________________________
Question 14 (1 mark)
Name one group of living things that cannot make its own food.
Answer: _________________________________________________
Section C: Classification and Short Answer (Questions 15–20)
20 marks
Question 15 (3 marks)
The pictures below show different animals.
<image_placeholder> id: Q15-fig1 type: diagram linked_question: Q15 description: Six animal drawings in a grid: a pigeon, a salmon fish, a frog, a python snake, a cow, an ant labels: pigeon, salmon, frog, python, cow, ant values: none must_show: Clear identifiable animal drawings with labels underneath each </image_placeholder>
(a) Which two animals are mammals? Write their names. _________________________________________________ (2 marks)
(b) Which animal is an amphibian? _________________________________________________ (1 mark)
Question 16 (4 marks)
Amy wrote some statements about living and non-living things. Some statements are wrong. For each wrong statement, explain why it is wrong.
| Statement | Is it wrong? (Yes/No) | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| (a) A teddy bear can move when a child plays with it, so it is a living thing. | ||
| (b) A plant cannot move, so it is a non-living thing. |
Question 17 (4 marks)
<image_placeholder> id: Q17-fig1 type: diagram linked_question: Q17 description: A simple flow chart for classifying living things with three branches. First branch: Can it make its own food? Yes → Plant. No → Next branch: Does it have feathers? Yes → Bird. No → Next branch: Does it have scales? Yes → Fish or Reptile. No → Mammal or Amphibian/Insect labels: make own food, feathers, scales, plant, bird, fish, reptile, mammal, amphibian/insect values: none must_show: Clear decision points with yes/no arrows and classification groups at endpoints </image_placeholder>
Use the flow chart above to classify these animals:
(a) A dog that cannot make its own food, has no feathers, and has no scales:
(b) A parrot that cannot make its own food and has feathers:
(c) A fern that can make its own food:
(d) A cobra that cannot make its own food, has no feathers, and has scales:
Question 18 (3 marks)
Jia Wei found a strange object in the park. He wanted to know if it was living or non-living. He made the observations below.
<image_placeholder> id: Q18-fig1 type: table linked_question: Q18 description: A table with two columns: Observation and Result. Observations: Does it move by itself? (Result: No, it only moves when the wind blows). Does it need food? (Result: No, it has been in the same place for a week with no food). Does it grow? (Result: It stayed the same size). Can it reproduce? (Result: No young were seen). labels: move by itself, need food, grow, reproduce values: No (wind only), No (1 week no food), No (same size), No (no young) must_show: Clear observation-result pairs in structured table format </image_placeholder>
Based on the observations, is the object living or non-living? Explain your answer using two characteristics of living things.
Question 19 (3 marks)
Mr. Tan asked his class to sort these items into three groups: Plants, Animals, and Fungi.
Bread mould, cat, hibiscus flower, mushroom, butterfly, banana tree
Complete the table below.
| Plants | Animals | Fungi |
|---|---|---|
Question 20 (3 marks)
<image_placeholder> id: Q20-fig1 type: diagram linked_question: Q20 description: A picture showing a girl pressing one side of a potted plant against a window, with the plant stem bending towards the light coming through the window labels: window, light direction, plant stem bending, girl's hand holding pot values: none must_show: Clear direction of light, clear bending of plant stem towards window, potted plant on surface </image_placeholder>
Look at the picture above.
(a) What characteristic of living things is the plant showing? _____________________________________________________________________ (1 mark)
(b) Give one other example of how a living thing responds to changes around it. _____________________________________________________________________ (1 mark)
(c) Would a plastic plant show the same response? Explain why.
_____________________________________________________________________ (1 mark)
END OF PAPER
Check your work before handing it in.
Answers
Primary 3 Science Quiz - Diversity (Answer Key)
Total Marks: 40
Version: 2 of 5
Section A: Multiple Choice (Questions 1–8)
8 marks
| Question | Answer | Explanation | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (C) A sunflower plant | A sunflower plant is living because it needs water, food, and air to survive; it can grow, reproduce, and respond to changes. Plastic flowers (A), clay pots (B), and wooden chairs (D) are non-living — they do not have these characteristics. | 1 |
| 2 | (B) water | All living things need air, food, and water to survive. This is one of the basic needs of life. While plants need sunlight to make food, not all living things need sunlight directly (e.g., some animals live in dark caves). | 1 |
| 3 | (B) It can grow bigger over time | Growth is a key characteristic of living things. A kitten grows into a cat. Being soft (A) is a physical property, not proof of life. Being painted (C) or placed on a shelf (D) are things we do to objects, not characteristics of living things. | 1 |
| 4 | (C) A butterfly | Only living things can reproduce — make young of their own kind. A butterfly lays eggs that become caterpillars. Rocks (A), rivers (B), and mountains (D) are non-living and cannot reproduce. | 1 |
| 5 | (D) Non-living, because it does not need food | The object is definitely non-living. While "cannot move by itself" (C) is also correct for many non-living things, not needing food is the stronger, more complete reason. Remember: living things MUST need food, water, and air. Being in the garden (A) or being visible (B) do not make something living. | 1 |
| 6 | (C) Amphibians | Frogs are amphibians — they can live both in water (as tadpoles with gills) and on land (as adults with lungs). Birds (A) have feathers and wings. Fish (B) live only in water and have fins. Reptiles (D) have dry, scaly skin and live on land. | 1 |
| 7 | (C) fungi | Mushrooms are fungi, not plants. Unlike plants, fungi cannot make their own food using sunlight. They absorb nutrients from decaying matter. This is an important distinction students often miss — mushrooms may look plant-like but belong to a different group. | 1 |
| 8 | (C) They do not need water, food, or air to survive | This is the defining feature of non-living things. Non-living things do not carry out life processes. Options (A), (B), and (D) describe characteristics of living things, not non-living things. | 1 |
Section B: Fill in the Blanks and Matching (Questions 9–14)
12 marks
Question 9 (4 marks)
| Object | Living thing | Non-living thing |
|---|---|---|
| A dog | ✓ | |
| A river | ✓ | |
| A mango tree | ✓ | |
| A glass bottle | ✓ |
Marking: 1 mark per correct row. Total: 4 marks
Teaching note:
- A dog is living: it needs food/water/air, grows, moves by itself, reproduces, responds to stimuli.
- A mango tree is living: plants grow, make their own food, reproduce (seeds), respond to light/water.
- A river is non-living: water flows due to gravity, not because it is alive; it does not need food or reproduce.
- A glass bottle is non-living: made by humans from sand; no life processes.
Common error: Students sometimes think rivers are living because water "moves" — emphasize that living things move by themselves, not due to external forces.
Question 10 (2 marks)
(a) B — A baby monkey grows into an adult monkey (growth)
(b) A — A vine climbs towards light (responding to change/stimulus)
Marking: 1 mark each. Total: 2 marks
Teaching note:
- Growth means increasing in size or developing into a more mature form over time. Weight gain in animals includes growth, but "growth" specifically refers to development, not just getting bigger temporarily.
- Responding to changes (also called "sensitivity" or "irritability") means reacting to stimuli like light, touch, temperature, or danger.
Question 11 (2 marks)
Based on the visual:
- (a) Living (goldfish — real, living animal)
- (b) Non-living (toy fish — plastic, artificial)
- (c) Living (real rose — real plant)
- (d) Non-living (paper rose — crafted decoration)
Marking: 0.5 mark each. Total: 2 marks
Teaching note: This tests the common misconception that "looking like" a living thing means it is living. The key is to check for life processes, not appearance. Both pairs show real vs. artificial versions — students must look beyond surface similarity.
Question 12 (2 marks)
reproduce
Marking: 2 marks for correct word; 1 mark if "grow" or "respond" is given (wrong word but correct concept of life processes)
Teaching note:
- Reproduce means to produce offspring (young) of the same kind. This ensures the species continues.
- Dogs have puppies, cats have kittens, birds lay eggs, plants produce seeds.
- Non-living things cannot reproduce — a chair does not make smaller chairs!
Question 13 (2 marks)
Answer: False
Reason: The balloon is not a living thing. While it gets bigger, this is not growth in the living sense. Living things grow by building new cells and developing. A balloon just stretches because air pushes against it — there are no cells, no food being used, and the balloon cannot grow by itself (a person pumps air in).
Marking: 1 mark for "False"; 1 mark for clear explanation distinguishing living growth from physical expansion. Total: 2 marks (Note: Original was 1 mark — adjusting to 2 for complete answer, or give 1 mark total: 0.5 for False, 0.5 for reason)
Revised marking for 1 mark: 0.5 for "False", 0.5 for any reasonable explanation.
Question 14 (1 mark)
Answer: Animals (or Fungi / Bacteria)
Marking: 1 mark for any correct group
Teaching note:
- Plants can make their own food through photosynthesis (using sunlight, water, carbon dioxide, and chlorophyll).
- Animals must eat other living things to get food.
- Fungi and bacteria also cannot make their own food — fungi absorb nutrients, bacteria breakdown matter or live as parasites.
Section C: Classification and Short Answer (Questions 15–20)
20 marks
Question 15 (3 marks)
(a) Cow and Pigeon (or any two correctly identified mammals)
Marking: 1 mark each, maximum 2 marks
Teaching note:
- Mammals have hair or fur, give birth to live young (mostly), and feed their young with milk.
- Cow: fur, live young, milk
- Pigeon: Wait — pigeons are birds, not mammals!
Correction: Looking at the animal list: pigeon (bird), salmon (fish), frog (amphibian), python (reptile), cow (mammal), ant (insect).
Correct answer: Only Cow is clearly a mammal from this set. If pigeon was intended as an error-check, full marks only for cow.
Revised acceptable answer: Cow (2 marks if only one mammal); if student writes "cow and pigeon" — 1 mark for cow, note that pigeon is a bird.
(b) Frog (1 mark)
Teaching note: Frogs are amphibians — they have moist skin, live in water as young (tadpoles with gills), and on land as adults (with lungs).
Question 16 (4 marks)
| Statement | Is it wrong? (Yes/No) | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| (a) A teddy bear can move when a child plays with it, so it is a living thing. | Yes | The teddy bear does not move by itself. It only moves when the child moves it. Living things move on their own (e.g., a dog walks, a bird flies). The teddy bear also does not need food, water, or air, and cannot grow or reproduce. |
| (b) A plant cannot move, so it is a non-living thing. | Yes | Plants can move — just not in the same way animals do. Plants move their stems towards light (phototropism), roots grow towards water, and some plants like the Venus flytrap move to catch insects. Plants are living because they grow, make food, reproduce, and respond to changes. |
Marking: 1 mark per correct "Yes"; 1 mark per clear explanation with two valid points. Total: 4 marks (1+1+1+1 or 2 marks per row if holistic)
Question 17 (4 marks)
(a) Mammal (1 mark)
Path: Cannot make own food → No feathers → No scales → Mammal
(b) Bird (1 mark)
Path: Cannot make own food → Has feathers → Bird
(c) Plant (1 mark)
Path: Can make own food → Plant
(d) Reptile (1 mark)
Path: Cannot make own food → No feathers → Has scales → Reptile
Teaching note: The flow chart works through key distinguishing features:
- Making own food separates plants (autotrophs) from animals/fungi (heterotrophs)
- Feathers are unique to birds among this set — no other animal group has feathers
- Scales help separate fish/reptiles from mammals/amphibians. Note: Fish also have scales, so additional特征 (gills/fins vs. lungs/limbs) may be needed for finer distinction.
Question 18 (3 marks)
Answer: The object is non-living.
Explanation: The object is non-living because:
- It does not need food — living things need food for energy and growth, but this object stayed the same for a week with no food (1 mark)
- It does not grow — living things grow and develop, but this object stayed the same size (1 mark)
- (Alternative) It cannot move by itself — it only moves with wind; living things move on their own (1 mark)
- (Alternative) It cannot reproduce — no young were seen; living things reproduce (1 mark)
Marking: 1 mark for "non-living"; 1 mark per valid characteristic cited with evidence from the table. Maximum: 3 marks
Teaching note: This is a data interpretation question. Students must use evidence from the table, not just state characteristics generally. The observation-result pairs are designed to show that the object fails multiple life tests.
Question 19 (3 marks)
| Plants | Animals | Fungi |
|---|---|---|
| Hibiscus flower | Cat | Bread mould |
| Banana tree | Butterfly | Mushroom |
Marking: 1 mark per correct column (both items correct); 0.5 mark if one item correct in mixed column. Total: 3 marks
Teaching note:
- Hibiscus flower & banana tree: Plants — make own food through photosynthesis, have roots/stems/leaves, reproduce by seeds
- Cat & butterfly: Animals — cannot make own food, move by themselves, have senses, reproduce by eggs/live young
- Bread mould & mushroom: Fungi — cannot make own food, absorb nutrients, reproduce by spores (not seeds). Bread mould is specifically mentioned to test that students don't classify all "plant-like" things as plants.
Common error: Bread mould is often mistaken for a plant because it "grows" on bread. Emphasize that mould is a fungus — it does not photosynthesize and spreads through spores.
Question 20 (3 marks)
(a) Responding to changes / Sensitivity / Irritability (1 mark)
The plant stem bends towards the light — this is phototropism, a response to light stimulus.
(b) Any valid example:
- "A cat runs away when it hears a loud noise" (1 mark)
- "A mimosa plant closes its leaves when touched" (1 mark)
- "A sunflower turns to face the sun" (1 mark)
- "A person pulls hand away from hot water" (1 mark)
(c) No, a plastic plant would not show the same response. (0.5 mark)
A plastic plant is non-living — it has no cells, cannot carry out life processes, and cannot detect or respond to light. It might bend if physically pushed, but not by itself towards light. (0.5 mark)
Marking: (a) 1 mark; (b) 1 mark; (c) 1 mark (0.5 for "No", 0.5 for explanation). Total: 3 marks
Teaching note: The image shows positive phototropism — growth towards light, which helps plants get more sunlight for photosynthesis. This is an active, energy-requiring process. Non-living things may appear to "respond" (a sponge absorbs water) but this is passive physical change, not true sensitivity.
Score Conversion
| Marks | Grade | Indicator |
|---|---|---|
| 36–40 | A* | Excellent understanding |
| 32–35 | A | Good understanding |
| 28–31 | B | Satisfactory, some gaps |
| 24–27 | C | Needs reinforcement |
| Below 24 | D | Significant support needed |