Primary 3 Science Diversity Quiz

Primary 3 Science Quiz — Diversity

Answer Key

Section A: Multiple-Choice Questions (2 × 5 = 10 marks)

1. (c) A garden snail
Reasoning: A garden snail is an animal and is a living thing. A plastic cup, wooden chair, and rubber ball are non-living things.
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 need water to survive.
Reasoning: All living things need water, food, and air to survive. Not all living things can fly, are large, or make loud sounds.

3. (c) Fungus
Reasoning: Mushrooms belong to the Fungi kingdom. They are not plants because they do not make their own food using sunlight.

4. (b) A raindrop
Reasoning: A raindrop is water and is non-living. A caterpillar, hibiscus plant, and gecko are all living things.

5. (b) A butterfly
Reasoning: A butterfly is an insect (it has six legs, a three-part body, and wings). A sparrow is a bird, a frog is an amphibian, and a goldfish is a fish.

Section B: True or False (2 × 5 = 10 marks)

6. False
Reasoning: A toy car moves only when pushed or wound up by a person. It cannot move by itself, does not grow, does not reproduce, and does not need food, water, or air. Movement alone does not make something living.

7. True
Reasoning: All living things need air, water, and food to survive. This is one of the key characteristics of living things.

8. False
Reasoning: A mushroom is a fungus, which is a living thing. It can grow and reproduce. The fact that it does not move from place to place does not make it non-living. Living things do not need to move around to be considered living.

9. True
Reasoning: Birds are living things. They reproduce by laying eggs, which is a form of reproduction.

10. False
Reasoning: Non-living things do not grow on their own in the biological sense. A balloon getting bigger when inflated is not growth — it is being filled with air by an outside force. Growth in living things happens from within.

Section C: Short-Answer Questions (10 marks)

11. (2 marks)
Accept any two of the following (1 mark each):

• They need water to survive.
• They need food to survive.
• They need air to survive.
• They can grow.
• They can reproduce.
• They can move by themselves.
• They can respond to changes (stimuli) around them.

Marking note: Award 1 mark for each correct characteristic, up to a maximum of 2 marks. Do not accept vague answers like "they are alive" or "they breathe" without further context (though "they breathe" is acceptable as it relates to needing air).

12. (3 marks)
Award 1 mark for every two correct answers (rounded up). All 5 correct = 3 marks; 3–4 correct = 2 marks; 1–2 correct = 1 mark; 0 correct = 0 marks.

Marking note: The goldfish, orchid, and ant are living things. The pencil and teddy bear are non-living things.

13. (2 marks)
(b) They can reproduce.
Reasoning: Reproduction is a key characteristic of living things. The other options describe things that living things do NOT do — living things do need food, they do change (e.g., they grow), and they can respond to changes around them.

14. (1 mark)
(c) Reptile
Reasoning: Lizards are reptiles — they have dry, scaly skin and lay eggs on land. Mammals have hair/fur, birds have feathers, and amphibians have smooth, moist skin.

15. (2 marks)
Group: Plants (1 mark)
Reason: They can make their own food through photosynthesis using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide. (1 mark)
Accept: Any valid explanation that references photosynthesis or making food using sunlight.
Marking note: Award 1 mark for correctly identifying "plants" and 1 mark for a valid reason. Accept "They contain chlorophyll" or "They use sunlight to make food" as valid reasons.

Section D: Structured Questions (10 marks)

16. (2 marks)
(c) Plants
Reasoning: Both flowering and non-flowering plants belong to the Plant kingdom.

17. (2 marks)

(a) (1 mark)
Eagle or Penguin
Reasoning: Eagles and penguins are both birds. They have feathers and lay eggs.

(b) (1 mark)
Crocodile
Reasoning: A crocodile is a reptile (dry, scaly skin, lays eggs on land).
Marking note: If a student writes "Eagle" or "Penguin" for reptile, do not award the mark.

18. (2 marks)

(a) (1 mark)
Seashell
Reasoning: A seashell was once part of a living thing (a mollusc such as a snail or clam). The shell itself is non-living, but it was produced by a living organism.

(b) (1 mark)
Accept any one of the following:

Living thing: Crab
Characteristic shown: It can move by itself / It needs food and water to survive / It can grow / It can reproduce.

Living thing: Seagull
Characteristic shown: It can move by itself / It needs food and water to survive / It can grow / It can reproduce / It can respond to changes.

Living thing: Seaweed
Characteristic shown: It can grow / It can make its own food using sunlight / It needs water to survive / It can reproduce.

Marking note: Award 1 mark for a correct living thing paired with a valid characteristic of living things. The characteristic must match the organism (e.g., "the crab can move by itself" is valid; "the crab can fly" is not).

19. (2 marks) — 1 mark each
Accept any two of the following:

• It cannot grow on its own.
• It cannot reproduce.
• It does not need food, water, or air to survive.
• It cannot move by itself.
• It cannot respond to changes around it.

Marking note: Answers must relate to characteristics of living things that the plastic bottle lacks. Do not accept "it is made of plastic" alone without linking it to a characteristic.

20. (2 marks)

(a) (1 mark)
No
Reasoning: A burning candle is not a living thing.

(b) (1 mark)
Accept any one of the following:

• A candle cannot reproduce — it cannot make new candles by itself.
• A candle does not grow from within — it gets smaller as the wax melts, which is not growth.
• A candle does not need food, water, or air to survive.
• A candle cannot respond to changes around it the way living things do.
• A candle cannot move by itself.

Marking note: Award 1 mark for each valid reason. The key is that students must identify a characteristic of living things that the candle lacks.

End of Answer Key