Primary 3 Science Practice Paper 3

TuitionGoWhere Practice Paper — Science Primary 3

Answer Key: Diversity (Living & Non-Living Things)

Paper: Practice Paper — Diversity Total Marks: 40

Section A: Multiple Choice (10 marks)

1. (c) A garden snail (1)

• A garden snail is a living thing — it grows, reproduces, moves, and needs food, water, and air.
• Common mistake: Students may pick (b) because toy cars can be moved, but they cannot grow or reproduce on their own.

2. (b) They need water to survive. (1)

• All living things need water (along with food and air) to survive.
• Not all living things can fly (e.g., plants), talk (e.g., plants, insects), or are made of metal.

3. (c) fungus (1)

• A mushroom is a fungus, not a plant. It does not make its own food through photosynthesis.
• Common mistake: Students often think mushrooms are plants because they grow in soil and do not move.

4. (c) A raindrop (1)

• A raindrop is non-living — it cannot grow, reproduce, or respond to stimuli.
• A caterpillar, rose plant, and puppy are all living things.

5. (c) A dolphin (1)

• A dolphin is a mammal — it breathes air, gives birth to live young, and feeds its young milk.
• A lizard is a reptile, a frog is an amphibian, and a goldfish is a fish.

6. (c) grow and reproduce (1)

• Non-living things do not grow (in the biological sense) or reproduce.
• Non-living things can have colour, shape, and take up space.

7. (c) Orchid (1)

• An orchid produces flowers. Ferns and mosses are non-flowering plants. A mushroom is a fungus, not a plant.

8. (b) It responds to changes. (1)

• Moving towards sunlight is a response to a stimulus (light). This shows the plant responds to changes in its environment.

9. (c) They are always big. (1)

• Living things can be very small (e.g., ants, bacteria). Size is not a characteristic of living things.

10. (b) insect (1)

• A butterfly is an insect — it has six legs, a three-part body, and undergoes metamorphosis.

Section B: True or False (10 marks)

11. True (1)

• A rock does not grow (biologically), reproduce, need food, or respond to stimuli. It is non-living.

12. False (1)

• Not all living things can move from place to place. For example, plants are living but do not move around. However, plants can respond to stimuli (e.g., growing towards light).
• Marking note: Award 1 mark for "False". Do not accept "True".

13. True (1)

• A fern reproduces using spores, not flowers. It is a non-flowering plant.

14. True (1)

• Bacteria are living things. They grow, reproduce, and need nutrients. They are simply too small to see without a microscope.

15. False (1)

• A toy robot is non-living. Although it can move and make sounds, it does not grow, reproduce, or need food, water, and air. It needs batteries, not food.
• Common misconception: Movement and sound do not make something living.

16. True (1)

• All living things need air, water, and food to survive. This is a key characteristic of living things.

17. False (1)

• A mushroom is a fungus, not a plant. It does not have roots, stems, or leaves, and it does not make its own food through photosynthesis.
• Marking note: Award 1 mark for "False".

18. True (1)

• A frog is an amphibian — it can live both in water and on land. It has moist skin and undergoes metamorphosis (tadpole → frog).

19. False (1)

• Non-living things CAN change. For example, ice melts into water, and a rusty nail changes colour. However, these are not biological growth or reproduction.
• Marking note: Award 1 mark for "False". Students should understand that non-living things can undergo physical or chemical changes.

20. True (1)

• The angsana tree produces flowers and is classified as a flowering plant.

Section C: Short Answer & Classification (20 marks)

21. (a) Classification table (5) — 1 mark per correct row.

• Note: A seashell is the empty shell left behind after the sea creature has died. By itself, it does not show characteristics of living things.

(b) Any ONE of the following: (1)

• It can move by itself.
• It can grow.
• It needs food/water/air to survive.
• It can reproduce.
• It responds to changes in its environment.

(c) The plastic bottle is non-living because it cannot grow, reproduce, or respond to stimuli (accept any one valid reason). (1)

• Accept also: It does not need food, water, or air to survive.

22. (a) Sorting table (6) — 1 mark per correct organism placed.

• Marking note: Award 1 mark for each correctly placed organism (6 organisms × 1 mark each). If an organism is placed in the wrong group, deduct that mark.

(b) Any TWO of the following: (2) — 1 mark each.

• They can grow.
• They can reproduce.
• They need water to survive.
• They need food/nutrients to survive.
• They need air to survive.
• They respond to changes in their environment.

23. (a) Any ONE of the following: (1)

• It can grow (e.g., new leaves appear, the stem gets taller).
• It needs water and sunlight to survive.
• It responds to light (e.g., grows towards the window).
• It can reproduce (e.g., produces seeds or new shoots).

(b) The toy car is not a living thing because: (2)

• It cannot grow on its own — it stays the same size unless someone changes it. (1)
• It cannot reproduce — it cannot make new toy cars by itself. (1)
• Accept also: It does not need food, water, or air. It needs batteries, which is not the same as food.
• Marking note: Award 2 marks for two valid reasons. Award 1 mark for one valid reason.

(c) Any ONE of the following: (1)

• Water
• Sunlight / light
• Air
• Food / nutrients

24. (a) Penguin (1)

• The penguin has feathers (bird characteristic) but the table shows it cannot fly.

(b) Crocodile (1)

• The crocodile has scales (reptile characteristic) and lives in water.

(c) Any ONE of the following: (1)

• Both have feathers.
• Both are birds.
• Both lay eggs.

(d) Reptile (1)

• The gecko has scales and does not have feathers, placing it in the reptile group.

Marking Summary

This practice paper was generated by TuitionGoWhere (AI) based on the MOE Primary 3 Science syllabus. It is designed for practice purposes and is not an actual past-year examination paper.