Primary 3 Science Practice Paper 4

TuitionGoWhere Practice Paper — Science Primary 3

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

Section A: Multiple Choice (10 marks)

1. (c) A garden snail (1)

• A garden snail is a living thing. It can grow, reproduce, move by itself, respond to changes, and needs water, food, and air to survive.
• Common mistake: Students may choose (b) wooden chair because wood comes from trees (living things), but the chair itself is non-living.

2. (b) They can grow. (1)

• All living things can grow. Flying, floating, and being made of metal are not characteristics shared by all living things.

3. (c) responds to changes (1)

• The plant stem bending towards light shows that the plant is responding to a change in its environment (direction of light). This is a characteristic of living things.

4. (c) A toy robot (1)

• A toy robot is non-living. It cannot grow, reproduce, or respond to changes on its own. Mould, butterflies, and goldfish are all living things.
• Note: Mould is a living thing (a type of fungus), which some students may not realise.

5. (c) sunlight (1)

• Living things need water, food, and air to survive. While many plants need sunlight, not all living things need sunlight directly (e.g., fungi, deep-sea animals). Sunlight is not a universal requirement for all living things.

6. (b) A wooden table (1)

• A wooden table was once part of a living tree. The tree was a living thing, but the table (made from wood) is now non-living.

7. (b) Cars cannot move by themselves without fuel or a driver. (1)

• Living things can move by themselves. A car needs an external source (fuel/driver) to move, so movement alone does not make something living.
• Common mistake: Students may choose (c) or (d), but these are not the best scientific reasons.

8. (b) Mushroom, yeast, mould (1)

• Mushroom, yeast, and mould are all fungi, which are living things. The other options contain only non-living things.

9. (c) They can reproduce. (1)

• Reproduction is a key characteristic of living things. The other options are incorrect statements about living things.

10. (c) No, because it cannot grow, reproduce, or respond to changes on its own. (1)

• A balloon getting bigger when inflated is not true growth. It cannot reproduce or respond to changes on its own, so it is non-living.
• Common mistake: Students may think inflating = growing, which is a common misconception.

Section B: True or False (10 marks)

11. True (1)

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

12. False (1)

• A teddy bear is non-living. Having eyes does not make something living, and being moved by a person is not the same as moving by itself.
• Common misconception: Toys that look like living things (with eyes, faces) are often mistaken for living things.

13. True (1)

• Mushrooms are fungi, which are living things. They can grow, reproduce, and respond to their environment.

14. False (1)

• Non-living things cannot grow (in the biological sense) or reproduce. These are key characteristics that distinguish living from non-living things.

15. True (1)

• Plants respond to sunlight by growing towards it. This is an example of living things responding to changes in their environment.

16. True (1)

• A rock is a non-living thing. It cannot grow, reproduce, move by itself, or respond to changes.

17. False (1)

• Not all living things can move from one place to another. For example, plants are living things but they do not move from place to place. However, plants can respond to stimuli (e.g., growing towards light).
• Common misconception: Students often think all living things must be able to move around like animals.

18. True (1)

• Yeast is a type of fungus and is a living thing. It can grow and reproduce.

19. False (1)

• A toy car that moves only when pushed is non-living. It cannot move by itself, grow, or reproduce.

20. True (1)

• Living things can respond to changes around them. For example, a plant grows towards light, and an animal moves away from danger.

Section C: Structured Questions (20 marks)

21. (4 marks)

(a) (2 marks)

• Award 1 mark for correctly classifying both living things.
• Award 1 mark for correctly classifying both non-living things.
• Accept: Squirrel and Butterfly in either order in the Living Things column; Park bench and Stone in either order in the Non-Living Things column.

(b) (1 mark)

• Accept any one valid characteristic of living things shown by the squirrel, e.g.:
  • 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) (1 mark)

• Accept any one valid reason, e.g.:
  • A stone cannot grow.
  • A stone cannot reproduce.
  • A stone does not need food, water, or air.
  • A stone cannot move by itself.
  • A stone does not respond to changes.

22. (4 marks)

(a) Fern (1)

• A fern is a plant (a non-flowering plant).

(b) Mushroom, mould, yeast (1)

• All three are fungi. Award the mark only if all three are listed.
• Partial credit: If only one or two are listed, do not award the mark.

(c) Ant, goldfish (1)

• An ant is an insect (animal) and a goldfish is a fish (animal). Award the mark only if both are listed.

(d) (1 mark)

• Accept any one valid characteristic shared by all living things, e.g.:
  • They can grow.
  • They can reproduce.
  • They need water/food/air to survive.
  • They respond to changes.

23. (4 marks)

(a) (2 marks)

• Award 1 mark for each valid observation/test, up to 2 marks. Accept any two of the following:
  • Observe if it grows over time.
  • Observe if it reproduces (produces new ones).
  • Check if it needs water or food.
  • Check if it responds to changes (e.g., touch, light).
  • Check if it moves by itself.
  • Observe if it breathes/needs air.

(b) (2 marks)

• The object is likely to be a living thing (1) because it showed growth (it got bigger) and reproduction (it produced tiny new objects) (1).
• Award 1 mark for stating "living thing."
• Award 1 mark for linking the observations (growth and reproduction) to characteristics of living things.

24. (4 marks)

(a) (2 marks)

• The cat and mango tree are living things because they can grow, can reproduce, and need water (2).
• Award 1 mark for identifying that they can grow and reproduce.
• Award 1 mark for identifying that they need water (or food/air).
• Accept: Any two valid characteristics from the table.

(b) (2 marks)

• The ice cube and bicycle are non-living things because they cannot grow, cannot reproduce, do not need water, and cannot move by themselves (2).
• Award 1 mark for identifying that they cannot grow or reproduce.
• Award 1 mark for identifying that they do not need water or cannot move by themselves.
• Accept: Any two valid reasons from the table.

25. (3 marks)

(a) Cindy (1)

• Cindy gave the best scientific reason because she used actual characteristics of living things (growth and reproduction) to support her answer.

(b) (1 mark)

• Growth and reproduction are scientific characteristics of living things. Cindy used evidence-based reasoning to determine that coral is a living thing.
• Accept: Any explanation that links growth and/or reproduction to the definition of living things.

(c) (1 mark)

• Ali's reason is not good because looking like a rock does not mean something is non-living. Appearance alone is not a reliable way to classify living and non-living things. Some living things (like coral) may look like non-living things.
• Accept: Any explanation that states appearance is not a valid scientific criterion for classification.

Total: 40 marks