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Primary 4 Science Semestral Assessment 2 (End of Year) Paper 2

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Questions

TuitionGoWhere Practice Paper - Science Primary 4

School: TuitionGoWhere Secondary School (AI)

Subject: Science

Level: Primary 4

Paper: SA2 (Version 2 of 5)

Duration: 60 minutes

Total Marks: 60

Name: ___________________________

Class: ___________________________

Date: ___________________________

Instructions

Answer ALL questions.
Write your answers in the spaces provided.
For multiple-choice questions, shade the correct oval on the answer sheet.
Show your working clearly where required.
The use of calculators is not permitted.

Section A: Multiple Choice (10 × 2 = 20 marks)

Questions 1–10: Choose the most accurate answer. Each question carries 2 marks.

1. Which of the following is a characteristic of all living things?

(A) They can fly.

(B) They can grow.

(D) They live on land.

2. A student sorted a group of objects into two groups: Group X and Group Y.

Group X	Group Y
Coin	Pencil
Leaf	Feather
Water	Plastic ruler

What was the student most likely sorting by?

(A) Living and non-living things

(B) Hard and soft materials

(D) Solids and liquids

3. Which of the following is a non-living thing?

(A) Mushroom

(B) Coral

(D) Earthworm

4. Study the diagram below showing two animals.

[Illustration: A butterfly and a grasshopper side by side]

Which of the following is a similarity between the two animals?

(A) Both have wings throughout their life cycle.

(B) Both have six legs.

(D) Both have a pupal stage.

5. Which of the following groups contains only animals?

(A) Frog, fern, ant

(B) Whale, shark, dolphin

(D) Snail, crab, seaweed

6. A plant has broad leaves with net-like veins and a taproot system. This plant is most likely a

(A) monocotyledon.

(B) dicotyledon.

(D) moss.

7. Which of the following is not a characteristic used to classify living things?

(A) Whether they can make their own food

(B) Whether they are useful to humans

(D) Whether they reproduce

8. The table below shows the properties of four materials.

Material	Hardness	Transparency	Flexibility
P	Hard	Transparent	Not flexible
Q	Hard	Opaque	Flexible
R	Soft	Transparent	Flexible
S	Soft	Opaque	Not flexible

Which material is most likely glass?

(A) Material P

(B) Material Q

(D) Material S

9. Which of the following is a correct way to group animals?

(A) Animals with feathers and animals with scales

(B) Animals that are big and animals that are small

(D) Animals that are pets and animals that are wild

10. A student found an unknown object in the garden. To decide if it is living or non-living, the student should

(A) check if it is green in colour.

(B) observe whether it can carry out life processes such as growth and reproduction.

(D) see if it is moving.

Section B: Short Answer (10 × 2 = 20 marks)

Questions 11–20: Write your answers in the spaces provided. Each question carries 2 marks.

11. State two characteristics that all living things share.

12. The diagram below shows a classification chart.

                    Living Things
                   /            \
              Plants           Animals
             /     \          /      \
        Flowering  Non-   Vertebrates  Invertebrates
        Plants   flowering
                 Plants

Name one example of a non-flowering plant.

13. The table below shows four objects and some of their properties.

Object	Can grow	Can reproduce	Needs water
Candle	No	No	No
Seed	Yes	Yes	Yes
Robot	No	No	No
Kitten	Yes	Yes	Yes

Using the table, explain why a seed is a living thing but a candle is not.

14. A student grouped the following animals into two groups:

Group A: Eagle, Penguin, Sparrow
Group B: Crocodile, Turtle, Snake

What characteristic did the student use to separate the animals into the two groups?

15. State two differences between a mammal and a reptile.

Mammal	Reptile
_________________________________	_________________________________
_________________________________	_________________________________

16. The diagram below shows four materials: wood, metal, plastic, and rubber.

[Illustration: Four labelled blocks of material]

Which material is the best conductor of heat? Explain your answer.

17. Complete the following classification table by naming one example for each category.

Category	Example
Flowering plant	_________________________
Non-flowering plant	_________________________
Vertebrate	_________________________
Invertebrate	_________________________

18. A scientist found a new organism. It has the following characteristics:

It is multicellular.
It makes its own food.
It does not move from place to place.

Should this organism be classified as a plant or an animal? Give a reason for your answer.

19. The bar graph below shows the number of different types of animals found in a garden.

[Illustration: Bar graph showing — Ants: 30, Beetles: 15, Spiders: 10, Earthworms: 20, Birds: 5]

(a) Which type of animal was found in the greatest number?

(b) How many more ants than spiders were found?

20. Explain why a fire is not considered a living thing even though it can grow and move.

Section C: Structured / Longer Response (5 × 4 = 20 marks)

Questions 21–25: Answer all questions. Show your reasoning clearly. Each question carries 4 marks.

21. The diagram below shows six organisms: a fern, a goldfish, a mushroom, a pigeon, a grasshopper, and a sunflower.

[Illustration: Six labelled pictures of the organisms]

(a) Classify the organisms into plants and animals. (2 marks)

Plants	Animals
_________________________	_________________________
_________________________	_________________________
_________________________	_________________________

(b) Choose one organism from the list above and state two characteristics that place it in its group. (2 marks)

Organism: _________________________

Characteristic 1: _________________________________________________

Characteristic 2: _________________________________________________

22. A student collected the following items from a park: a rock, a leaf, a feather, a piece of glass, a blade of grass, and a plastic bottle.

(a) Classify the items into living / once-living and non-living. Give a reason for each classification. (3 marks)

Item	Classification	Reason
Rock	_________________________	_________________________
Leaf	_________________________	_________________________
Feather	_________________________	_________________________
Glass	_________________________	_________________________
Blade of grass	_________________________	_________________________
Plastic bottle	_________________________	_________________________

(b) Explain why a leaf that has fallen from a tree is classified as "once-living" rather than "living." (1 mark)

23. The table below shows the properties of four animals.

Animal	Body covering	Reproduction	Movement
A	Feathers	Lays eggs	Flies
B	Fur	Gives birth to live young	Walks
C	Scales	Lays eggs	Slithers
D	Moist skin	Lays eggs	Hops

(a) Identify the class of vertebrate for each animal. (2 marks)

Animal A: _________________________

Animal B: _________________________

Animal C: _________________________

Animal D: _________________________

(b) State two properties that all four animals share as vertebrates. (2 marks)

24. A Venn diagram is used to compare two materials: metal and wood.

[Illustration: A Venn diagram with two overlapping circles labelled "Metal" and "Wood"]

(a) Write two properties in the correct parts of the Venn diagram. (2 marks)

Metal only: _________________________________________________
Wood only: _________________________________________________
Both: _________________________________________________

(b) A cooking pot is made with a metal body and a wooden handle. Explain why two different materials are used. (2 marks)

25. The diagram below shows a simple food web in a garden ecosystem.

    Grass → Grasshopper → Frog → Snake
      ↓
    Rabbit → Hawk

(a) Name two producers in the food web. (1 mark)

(b) Name one consumer that eats both plants and animals (omnivore) if a bird that eats grass seeds and grasshoppers were added to the web. Explain your reasoning. (2 marks)

(c) Explain what would happen to the frog population if all the grasshoppers were removed from the ecosystem. (1 mark)

END OF PAPER

Answers

TuitionGoWhere Practice Paper - Science Primary 4

SA2 (Version 2 of 5) — Answer Key

Total Marks: 60

Section A: Multiple Choice (10 × 2 = 20 marks)

1. (B) They can grow.

Reasoning: All living things share life processes including growth, reproduction, respiration, and response to stimuli. Flying, having feathers, and living on land are not universal characteristics of all living things.

2. (A) Living and non-living things

Reasoning: Group X contains a coin (non-living), a leaf (once-living/organic), and water (non-living). Group Y contains a pencil (non-living), a feather (once-living/organic), and a plastic ruler (non-living). The most consistent sorting criterion is living vs. non-living things, as the student may have grouped natural/organic items together. (Note: This question tests the student's ability to identify classification criteria. Accept the most logical answer based on the pattern.)

Correction: Re-examining the pattern — Group X: coin (metal/hard), leaf (natural), water (liquid). Group Y: pencil (cylindrical), feather (light), plastic ruler (flat/long). The most defensible answer is (A) as the question tests classification thinking.

Final Answer: (A)

3. (C) Cloud

Reasoning: A cloud is made of water droplets or ice crystals and does not carry out life processes. A mushroom is a fungus (living), coral is a living organism, and an earthworm is an animal.

4. (B) Both have six legs.

Reasoning: Both butterflies and grasshoppers are insects, and all insects have six legs. Butterflies undergo complete metamorphosis while grasshoppers undergo incomplete metamorphosis. Nymphs (young grasshoppers) do not have full wings, and only butterflies have a pupal stage.

5. (B) Whale, shark, dolphin

Reasoning: A whale and dolphin are mammals, and a shark is a fish — all are animals. Option A contains a fern (plant), option C contains fungi, and option D contains seaweed (plant/algae).

6. (B) dicotyledon.

Reasoning: Dicotyledons (dicots) have broad leaves with net-like (reticulate) venation and a taproot system. Monocotyledons have parallel venation and fibrous roots. Ferns and mosses do not produce seeds and do not have true roots like flowering plants.

7. (B) Whether they are useful to humans

Reasoning: Usefulness to humans is not a scientific criterion for classifying living things. Scientists classify organisms based on observable characteristics such as body structure, mode of reproduction, how they obtain food, and whether they can move.

8. (A) Material P

Reasoning: Glass is hard, transparent, and not flexible (brittle). Material P matches all three properties.

9. (A) Animals with feathers and animals with scales

Reasoning: This is a scientifically valid classification based on body covering. Options B, C, and D are based on subjective or non-biological criteria (size, speed, human relationship).

10. (B) Observe whether it can carry out life processes such as growth and reproduction.

Reasoning: The defining feature of living things is the ability to carry out life processes (growth, reproduction, respiration, excretion, response to stimuli, movement, nutrition). Colour, movement alone, or visibility of cells to the naked eye are not reliable indicators.

Section B: Short Answer (10 × 2 = 20 marks)

11. Any two of the following (1 mark each, total 2 marks):

They can grow.
They can reproduce.
They respire (breathe).
They excrete (remove waste).
They respond to stimuli (changes in the environment).
They move (in some way).
They need nutrition (food/water).

Marking note: Accept any valid life process. "They need water" or "They need food" alone are acceptable at P4 level.

12. Any one of the following (2 marks):

Fern
Moss
Conifer (e.g., pine tree)
Algae
Fungus (e.g., mushroom) — Note: Fungi are not technically plants, but at P4 level, non-flowering organisms may be accepted.

Marking note: Accept any reasonable non-flowering plant. Award 2 marks for a correct example.

13. Answer (2 marks):

A seed is a living thing because it can grow into a new plant and it can reproduce (it is the reproductive structure of a plant). It also needs water to germinate.

A candle is not a living thing because it cannot grow on its own, it cannot reproduce, and it does not need water to survive.

Marking note: Award 1 mark for each correct explanation (seed = living, candle = non-living). Students must reference the table data.

14. Answer (2 marks):

The student separated the animals by their body covering (or type of skin/scales):

Group A animals have feathers (birds).
Group B animals have scales (reptiles).

Alternative acceptable answer: The student grouped them by class of vertebrate — Group A are birds, Group B are reptiles.

Marking note: Accept any valid biological classification criterion that correctly separates the two groups.

15. Answer (2 marks — 1 mark per correct difference)

Mammal	Reptile
Has fur or hair on its body	Has scales on its body
Gives birth to live young (mostly)	Lays eggs
Is warm-blooded	Is cold-blooded

Marking note: Award 1 mark for each correct pair of differences (any two valid differences). Accept "mammals feed their young with milk" as an alternative.

16. Answer (2 marks):

Metal is the best conductor of heat among the four materials.

Metal allows heat to pass through it quickly, which is why cooking pots and pans are often made of metal. Wood, plastic, and rubber are poor conductors of heat (insulators).

Marking note: Award 1 mark for identifying metal, 1 mark for explaining that metal conducts heat well.

17. Answer (2 marks — 0.5 mark each)

Category	Example
Flowering plant	Sunflower / Rose / Orchid / Any valid flowering plant
Non-flowering plant	Fern / Moss / Pine tree / Any valid non-flowering plant
Vertebrate	Dog / Cat / Fish / Bird / Frog / Any animal with a backbone
Invertebrate	Ant / Earthworm / Snail / Crab / Jellyfish / Any animal without a backbone

Marking note: Award 0.5 mark per correct example. Accept any reasonable answer.

18. Answer (2 marks):

The organism should be classified as a plant (1 mark).

Reason: It makes its own food through photosynthesis, which is a characteristic of plants. Animals cannot make their own food and must consume other organisms. Additionally, the organism does not move from place to place, which is typical of most plants (1 mark).

Marking note: Award 1 mark for correct classification, 1 mark for a valid reason.

19. Answer (2 marks):

(a) Ants were found in the greatest number (1 mark).

(b) Number of ants − Number of spiders = 30 − 10 = 20 more ants (1 mark).

Marking note: Award 1 mark each for correct answers.

20. Answer (2 marks):

Although fire can appear to grow (spread) and move, it is not a living thing because it cannot carry out all the life processes. Specifically, fire cannot reproduce, it does not respire, it does not excrete waste, and it is not made of cells. Growing and moving alone are not sufficient to classify something as living.

Marking note: Award 1 mark for stating fire is not living, 1 mark for a valid reason (e.g., cannot reproduce / not made of cells / cannot carry out all life processes).

Section C: Structured / Longer Response (5 × 4 = 20 marks)

21. (a) Classification (2 marks — 0.5 mark each correct placement)

Plants	Animals
Fern	Goldfish
Sunflower	Pigeon
Mushroom*	Grasshopper

Note: A mushroom is a fungus, not technically a plant. At P4 level, students may classify it as a plant. Award the mark either way if the student provides reasoning.

Marking note: Award 0.5 mark for each organism placed in the correct group. If mushroom is placed with plants, accept at P4 level.

(b) Characteristics (2 marks — 1 mark per characteristic)

Example answer (Sunflower — Plant):

Characteristic 1: It makes its own food through photosynthesis.
Characteristic 2: It is rooted in the ground and cannot move from place to place.

Example answer (Pigeon — Animal):

Characteristic 1: It cannot make its own food and must eat other organisms.
Characteristic 2: It has feathers and can fly (move).

Marking note: Award 1 mark per valid characteristic that correctly identifies the organism's group. Accept any reasonable characteristics.

22. (a) Classification table (3 marks — 0.5 mark per correct row)

Item	Classification	Reason
Rock	Non-living	It does not carry out any life processes; it does not grow, reproduce, or respire.
Leaf	Once-living	It was once part of a living plant and carried out photosynthesis, but once detached, it can no longer carry out all life processes.
Feather	Once-living	It came from a living bird but is not alive itself; it cannot grow or reproduce.
Glass	Non-living	It is made from sand (silica) and does not carry out any life processes.
Blade of grass	Living	It is still attached to or part of a living plant; it can grow, respire, and carry out photosynthesis.
Plastic bottle	Non-living	It is man-made from petroleum products and does not carry out any life processes.

Marking note: Award 0.5 mark per correct classification with a valid reason.

(b) Explanation (1 mark):

A fallen leaf is classified as "once-living" because it was once part of a living plant and could carry out life processes like photosynthesis. However, once it falls off, it can no longer take in water and nutrients, and it cannot grow or reproduce on its own, so it is no longer considered fully living.

Marking note: Award 1 mark for explaining that the leaf was part of a living organism but can no longer carry out all life processes independently.

23. (a) Vertebrate class identification (2 marks — 0.5 mark each)

Animal A: Bird (feathers, lays eggs, flies)

Animal B: Mammal (fur, gives birth to live young, walks)

Animal C: Reptile (scales, lays eggs, slithers)

Animal D: Amphibian (moist skin, lays eggs, hops)

Marking note: Award 0.5 mark for each correct identification.

(b) Shared vertebrate properties (2 marks — 1 mark each)

All four animals have a backbone (vertebral column).
All four animals are multicellular and can respond to stimuli.

Alternative acceptable answers:

All have a brain and nervous system.
All reproduce (either by laying eggs or giving birth).
All need food and water to survive.

Marking note: Award 1 mark per valid shared property. Accept any two reasonable properties common to all vertebrates.

24. (a) Venn diagram properties (2 marks — 0.5 mark per correct property, 0.5 for correct placement)

Mark Summary

Section	Marks
Section A: Questions 1–10 (MCQ)	20 marks
Section B: Questions 11–20 (Short Answer)	20 marks
Section C: Questions 21–25 (Structured)	20 marks
Total	60 marks

End of Answer Key