Primary 3 Science Semestral Assessment 2 (End of Year) Paper 5

TuitionGoWhere Practice Paper - Science Primary 3 — Answer Key

Paper: SA2 (End-of-Year Examination) — Version 5 of 5 Total Marks: 60

Section A: Multiple Choice Questions (20 marks)

1. (c) A flowering plant

• Marking note: Living things grow, reproduce, and need air/water/food. A flowering plant is a living thing. Plastic toys, wooden chairs, and metal spoons are non-living.

2. (b) They need air, water, and food to survive.

• Marking note: This is a universal characteristic of all living things. Not all living things can fly (a), have four legs (b), or are green (d).

3. (b) Group X contains living things; Group Y contains non-living things.

• Marking note: Cat, mushroom, and fern are living. Balloon, cloud, and clock are non-living. Group X is not only animals (mushroom is a fungus, fern is a plant), so (a) is incorrect.

4. (c) Fern

• Marking note: Ferns reproduce by spores and do not produce flowers. Rose, sunflower, and orchid are flowering plants.

5. (c) Bat

• Marking note: Bats are mammals — they have fur/hair and feed their young with milk. Crocodile and lizard are reptiles; frog is an amphibian.

6. (c) Fungus

• Marking note: Mushrooms belong to the fungi kingdom. They are not plants (no chlorophyll), not animals, and not bacteria.

7. (b) All living things can move from one place to another by themselves.

• Marking note: This is the false statement. Plants are living things but cannot move from one place to another by themselves (though they can respond to stimuli, e.g., bending towards light).

8. (c) Snake

• Marking note: Snakes are reptiles — they have dry, scaly skin and lay eggs on land. Penguin is a bird; salamander is an amphibian; goldfish is a fish.

9. (c) No, because it does not grow by itself or reproduce.

• Marking note: The balloon appears to "grow" when air is pumped in, but this is not biological growth. It cannot reproduce, respond to stimuli, or carry out life processes on its own.

10. (c) Bougainvillea

• Marking note: Bougainvillea produces flowers. Moss, pine tree, and fern are non-flowering plants.

Section B: Short-Answer Questions (25 marks)

11. (2 marks — 1 mark each)

• Accept any two of the following:
  • They need air/water/food to survive.
  • They can grow.
  • They can reproduce.
  • They can respond to changes/stimuli.
  • They can move by themselves (animals/plants show movement in some form).
• Common mistake: Saying "they can breathe" — accept only if clarified as needing air/gases for survival.

12. (4 marks — 1 mark each)

• Marking note: Yeast is a single-celled fungus, not a plant or animal. Jellyfish are animals (cnidarians), not plants.

13. (2 marks)

• A car can move, but it cannot grow, reproduce, or respond to changes by itself. It does not need food, water, or air to survive in the biological sense. Movement alone does not make something a living thing.
• Marking note: Award 1 mark for stating that a car cannot grow/reproduce, and 1 mark for explaining that it does not carry out life processes on its own.

14. (2 marks — 1 mark each)

• Accept any two of the following:
  • Flowering plants produce flowers; non-flowering plants do not.
  • Flowering plants reproduce by seeds (in fruits); non-flowering plants reproduce by spores.
  • Flowering plants often have bright petals to attract pollinators; non-flowering plants do not.
• Common mistake: Saying "flowering plants have leaves but non-flowering plants don't" — this is incorrect; both have leaves.

15. (3 marks)

• Wrongly classified item: Bread
• Reason: Bread is a non-living thing (it is made from processed flour and does not grow, reproduce, or carry out life processes). It should be in the "Non-Living Things" column, not "Living Things."
• Marking note: Award 1 mark for identifying bread, and 2 marks for a clear explanation that it does not show characteristics of living things. Some students may argue bread contains yeast (living), but commercially baked bread has dead yeast — accept either reasoning if logically explained.

16. (4 marks — 1 mark each)

• Accept any valid example for each group:

• Common mistake: Whale, dolphin, and seal are mammals, not fish. Penguin is a bird, not a fish.

17. (1 mark)

• Bacteria are single-celled organisms, while plants are multi-celled (or: bacteria do not have chlorophyll/cannot make their own food, while most plants can).
• Marking note: Accept any valid structural or functional difference.

18. (1 mark)

• Responding to changes / stimuli (or: sensitivity to light).
• Marking note: The plant bends towards light (phototropism), showing it responds to environmental changes — a characteristic of living things.

Section C: Structured / Application Questions (15 marks)

19. (6 marks total)

19(a). (3 marks — 1 mark each)

• Accept any three of: butterfly, rose bush, snail, mushroom.
• Marking note: These are all living organisms. Rock, garden hose, and wooden bench are non-living.

19(b). (2 marks — 1 mark each)

• Accept any two of: rock, garden hose, wooden bench.
• Marking note: These do not show characteristics of living things.

19(c). (1 mark)

• Accept any valid characteristic: they both need food/water/air, they can both grow, they can both reproduce, they can both respond to changes, they can both move.
• Marking note: The answer must apply to both organisms.

20. (9 marks total)

20(a). (4 marks — 1 mark each)

• Marking note: Frog and goldfish are both animals but belong to different animal groups (amphibian and fish).

20(b). (1 mark)

• Accept any valid difference:
  • Frog is an amphibian (can live on land and in water); goldfish is a fish (lives only in water).
  • Frog has moist skin; goldfish has scales.
  • Frog breathes through lungs and skin; goldfish breathes through gills.
  • Frog can move on land; goldfish cannot.
• Marking note: The difference must be observable or factual.

20(c). (2 marks)

• Ferns are plants because they contain chlorophyll and can make their own food through photosynthesis. Mushrooms are fungi — they do not have chlorophyll and cannot make their own food; they absorb nutrients from decaying matter.
• Marking note: Award 1 mark for stating that ferns can make their own food (photosynthesis), and 1 mark for stating that mushrooms cannot (they are decomposers/absorbers).

20(d). (2 marks)

• The fern can make its own food.
• Explanation: Ferns are green plants that contain chlorophyll, which allows them to carry out photosynthesis using sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to produce food (glucose).
• Marking note: Award 1 mark for identifying the fern, and 1 mark for explaining photosynthesis or the role of chlorophyll. Frog, goldfish, and mushroom cannot make their own food — they are consumers or decomposers.

End of Answer Key