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Primary 3 Science Semestral Assessment 2 (End of Year) Paper 2
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Questions
TuitionGoWhere Practice Paper - Science Primary 3
TuitionGoWhere Secondary School (AI)
Subject: Science Level: Primary 3 Paper: SA2 (End-of-Year Examination) — Version 2 of 5 Duration: 60 minutes Total Marks: 50
Name: ________________________ Class: ________________________ Date: ________________________
Instructions to Candidates
- Write your name, class, and date in the spaces provided above.
- Answer ALL questions.
- Write your answers in the spaces provided.
- For multiple-choice questions, shade the correct oval (●) on the answer sheet or write the letter in the space provided.
- The use of calculators is not allowed.
- This paper consists of Section A, Section B, and Section C.
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) |
|---|---|
| Goldfish | Pencil |
| Mango tree | Cloud |
| Mushroom | Bicycle |
| Frog | Bread |
(a) Goldfish (b) Cloud (c) Mushroom (d) Frog
4. Which of the following is a non-flowering plant?
(a) Rose (b) Orchid (c) Fern (d) Sunflower
5. Which animal is classified as a mammal?
(a) Crocodile (b) Eagle (c) Dolphin (d) Lizard
6. Which of the following is a characteristic of fungi?
(a) They make their own food like green plants. (b) They can move from place to place. (c) They feed on dead or decaying matter. (d) They give birth to live young.
7. A plant is placed in a dark cupboard for two weeks. What will most likely happen to the plant?
(a) It will grow taller and healthier. (b) It will not be affected at all. (c) It will turn yellow and become weak. (d) It will produce more flowers.
8. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of living things?
(a) They need water to survive. (b) They can reproduce. (c) They are made of plastic. (d) They respond to changes around them.
9. Study the classification table below. Which animal is placed in the wrong group?
| Birds | Insects |
|---|---|
| Sparrow | Ant |
| Penguin | Bee |
| Bat | Grasshopper |
| Duck | Beetle |
(a) Sparrow (b) Penguin (c) Bat (d) Duck
10. Which of the following groups contains only non-living things?
(a) Cat, dog, rabbit (b) Rock, water, air (c) Grass, tree, flower (d) Bird, fish, frog
Section B: Short-Answer Questions (10 × 2 marks = 20 marks)
Questions 11–20: Write your answers in the spaces provided. Each question carries 2 marks unless otherwise stated.
11. State two characteristics that all living things share.
12. Put a tick (✓) in the correct column to show whether each item is a living thing or a non-living thing. (3 marks)
| Item | Living Thing | Non-living Thing |
|---|---|---|
| (a) Mould on bread | ||
| (b) A toy robot | ||
| (c) A coconut tree |
13. The table below shows four animals. Classify each animal into the correct group. Write the animal name in the correct box. (4 marks)
Animals: Frog, Sparrow, Goldfish, Ladybird
| Amphibian | Bird | Fish | Insect |
|---|---|---|---|
14. Explain why a car is considered a non-living thing even though it can move.
15. Give one difference between a flowering plant and a non-flowering plant.
16. A puppy weighed 2 kg when it was born. After one year, it weighed 12 kg. Explain why this shows that the puppy is a living thing.
17. State two things a plant needs to stay alive.
18. Look at the picture description below:
A mushroom is growing on a rotting log in the forest.
(a) Is the mushroom a living thing? (1 mark)
(b) Give one reason for your answer in (a). (1 mark)
19. Complete the table below by writing one example for each group of living things. (3 marks)
| Group | Example |
|---|---|
| (a) Mammal | |
| (b) Reptile | |
| (c) Fungus |
20. A student says, "A balloon gets bigger when we blow air into it, so it is a living thing because it grows." Do you agree? Explain your answer.
Section C: Structured / Application Questions (2 × 5 marks = 10 marks)
Questions 21–22: Answer all questions. Show your reasoning clearly.
21. The diagram below shows six organisms found in a garden.
(Imagine: a butterfly, an earthworm, a rose bush, a garden bench, a snail, and a stone.)
(a) List three of the above organisms that are living things. (3 marks)
(b) List one organism from the above that is non-living. (1 mark)
(c) Give one reason why the organism you named in (b) is non-living. (1 mark)
22. A group of students went on a nature walk and recorded what they saw. Their observations are shown in the table below.
| Observation | Living or Non-living? |
|---|---|
| (i) A bird building a nest in a tree | |
| (ii) A wooden signboard by the path | |
| (iii) Moss growing on a rock | |
| (iv) A plastic bottle on the ground | |
| (v) A squirrel eating a nut |
(a) Complete the table by writing "Living" or "Non-living" for each observation. (5 marks)
END OF PAPER
Answers
TuitionGoWhere Practice Paper - Science Primary 3
SA2 Answer Key — Version 2 of 5
Section A: Multiple Choice Questions (10 × 2 marks = 20 marks)
1. (c) A butterfly
- Reasoning: A butterfly is an insect and a living thing. A wooden chair, plastic toy car, and metal spoon are non-living things. Living things grow, reproduce, need food/water/air, and respond to changes.
2. (b) They can grow.
- Reasoning: All living things grow. Not all living things can fly (e.g., trees), are green (e.g., animals), or live on land (e.g., fish). Growth is a universal characteristic of living things.
3. (b) Cloud
- Reasoning: A cloud is a non-living thing (made of water droplets in the atmosphere). It was placed in Group X (Living), which is incorrect. Goldfish, mushroom, and frog are all living things correctly placed in Group X.
4. (c) Fern
- Reasoning: A fern is a non-flowering plant that reproduces using spores. Rose, orchid, and sunflower are all flowering plants that reproduce using seeds from flowers.
5. (c) Dolphin
- Reasoning: A dolphin is a mammal — it breathes air, gives birth to live young, and feeds its young milk. A crocodile and lizard are reptiles; an eagle is a bird.
6. (c) They feed on dead or decaying matter.
- Reasoning: Fungi (such as mushrooms and mould) cannot make their own food. They obtain nutrients by feeding on dead or decaying organic matter. They do not move from place to place and do not give birth to live young.
7. (c) It will turn yellow and become weak.
- Reasoning: Plants need sunlight to make food (photosynthesis). Without light, the plant cannot produce chlorophyll or sufficient food, so its leaves turn yellow and the plant becomes weak.
8. (c) They are made of plastic.
- Reasoning: Being made of plastic is not a characteristic of living things. Living things need water, can reproduce, and respond to changes. Plastic is a material associated with non-living, man-made objects.
9. (c) Bat
- Reasoning: A bat is a mammal, not a bird. Although bats can fly, they have fur, give birth to live young, and feed their young milk — all characteristics of mammals. Sparrow, penguin, and duck are all birds.
10. (b) Rock, water, air
- Reasoning: Rock, water, and air are all non-living things. They do not grow, reproduce, or need food. Options (a), (c), and (d) all contain living things (animals and plants).
Section B: Short-Answer Questions (10 × 2 marks = 20 marks)
11. State two characteristics that all living things share. (2 marks)
Answer: Any two of the following:
- They can grow.
- They can reproduce (produce young/offspring).
- They need water, food, and air to survive.
- They can move by themselves.
- They respond to changes in their surroundings.
Marking: 1 mark per correct characteristic. Accept any valid characteristic of living things.
12. Put a tick (✓) in the correct column. (3 marks)
| Item | Living Thing | Non-living Thing |
|---|---|---|
| (a) Mould on bread | ✓ | |
| (b) A toy robot | ✓ | |
| (c) A coconut tree | ✓ |
Marking: 1 mark per correct tick. Mould is a fungus (living). A toy robot is man-made and non-living. A coconut tree is a plant (living).
13. Classify each animal into the correct group. (4 marks)
| Amphibian | Bird | Fish | Insect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frog | Sparrow | Goldfish | Ladybird |
Marking: 1 mark per correct classification.
- Frog → Amphibian (can live on land and in water)
- Sparrow → Bird (has feathers, wings, beak)
- Goldfish → Fish (lives in water, has gills, fins)
- Ladybird → Insect (has 6 legs, 3 body parts)
14. Explain why a car is considered a non-living thing even though it can move. (2 marks)
Answer: A car cannot move by itself — it needs fuel and a driver/engine to move. A car also cannot grow, reproduce, or respond to changes on its own. It does not need food, water, or air to survive.
Marking: 1 mark for stating the car cannot move by itself / needs fuel or a driver. 1 mark for mentioning another characteristic of living things that a car lacks (e.g., cannot grow, cannot reproduce, does not need food/water/air).
15. Give one difference between a flowering plant and a non-flowering plant. (2 marks)
Answer: A flowering plant produces flowers (and seeds) to reproduce, while a non-flowering plant does not produce flowers — it may reproduce using spores instead.
Marking: 2 marks for a clear, correct difference. 1 mark for a partially correct answer (e.g., "flowering plants have flowers" without mentioning non-flowering plants).
16. A puppy weighed 2 kg when it was born. After one year, it weighed 12 kg. Explain why this shows that the puppy is a living thing. (2 marks)
Answer: The puppy's increase in mass (from 2 kg to 12 kg) shows that it is growing. Growth is a characteristic of living things. Living things take in food and use it to grow bigger and heavier over time.
Marking: 1 mark for identifying that the puppy is growing. 1 mark for linking growth to a characteristic of living things.
17. State two things a plant needs to stay alive. (2 marks)
Answer: Any two of the following:
- Sunlight
- Water
- Air (carbon dioxide)
- Nutrients from the soil
Marking: 1 mark per correct answer. "Food" is acceptable if the student explains the plant makes its own food using sunlight, but simply writing "food" without context may receive 1 mark at the marker's discretion.
18. (a) Is the mushroom a living thing? (1 mark)
Answer: Yes.
Marking: 1 mark for "Yes".
(b) Give one reason for your answer. (1 mark)
Answer: A mushroom is a type of fungus, which is a group of living things. It can grow (it is growing on the log) and it reproduces (produces spores).
Marking: 1 mark for any valid reason (e.g., it is a fungus, it can grow, it reproduces).
19. Complete the table with one example for each group. (3 marks)
| Group | Example |
|---|---|
| (a) Mammal | Dog / Cat / Cow / Dolphin / Bat / Human (any valid mammal) |
| (b) Reptile | Snake / Lizard / Crocodile / Turtle (any valid reptile) |
| (c) Fungus | Mushroom / Mould / Yeast (any valid fungus) |
Marking: 1 mark per correct example. Accept any commonly recognised example from the group.
20. A student says, "A balloon gets bigger when we blow air into it, so it is a living thing because it grows." Do you agree? Explain your answer. (2 marks)
Answer: I do not agree. The balloon getting bigger is not true growth — air is being forced into it from outside. A balloon cannot reproduce, does not need food or water, and cannot respond to changes. True growth in living things happens from within as the organism takes in nutrients and develops.
Marking: 1 mark for stating "do not agree" or "disagree". 1 mark for a valid explanation (e.g., the balloon's increase in size is not true growth / the balloon lacks other characteristics of living things).
Section C: Structured / Application Questions (2 × 5 marks = 10 marks)
21. (a) List three organisms that are living things. (3 marks)
Answer: Butterfly, earthworm, rose bush, snail (any three)
Marking: 1 mark per correct living thing. Accept any three from: butterfly, earthworm, rose bush, snail. Do NOT accept garden bench or stone.
(b) List one organism that is non-living. (1 mark)
Answer: Garden bench / Stone (either one)
Marking: 1 mark for garden bench or stone.
(c) Give one reason why the organism in (b) is non-living. (1 mark)
Answer (if garden bench): It cannot grow / cannot reproduce / does not need food or water / is man-made.
Answer (if stone): It cannot grow / cannot reproduce / does not need food or water / does not respond to changes.
Marking: 1 mark for any valid reason explaining why the chosen item is non-living.
22. (a) Complete the table. (5 marks)
| Observation | Living or Non-living? |
|---|---|
| (i) A bird building a nest in a tree | Living |
| (ii) A wooden signboard by the path | Non-living |
| (iii) Moss growing on a rock | Living |
| (iv) A plastic bottle on the ground | Non-living |
| (v) A squirrel eating a nut | Living |
Marking: 1 mark per correct answer.
- (i) Living — a bird is a living animal.
- (ii) Non-living — a signboard is man-made and does not have characteristics of living things.
- (iii) Living — moss is a plant (non-flowering) and is a living thing.
- (iv) Non-living — a plastic bottle is man-made.
- (v) Living — a squirrel is a living animal (mammal).
END OF ANSWER KEY
Total Marks: 50