NATURAL SCIENCE AB 4

Answer key
UNIT 1 Life processes

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1.
Nutrition is the process which provides your body with all the energy and nutrients that are
necessary for life.

2.
A. stomach, small intestines
B. heart; blood vessels
C. trachea, lungs
D. kidneys

a. digestive system
b. circulatory system
c. respiratory system
d. excretory system

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1.
a. excretion
b. respiration
c. digestion
d. circulation
e. stomach
f. heart
g. lungs

2.
the digestive system: intestines; absorb nutrients.
the circulatory system: heart; pumps blood around the body.
the respiratory system: lungs; breathe in air.
the excretory system: kidneys; expel waste.

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1.
Nervous system: brain and nerves.
Locomotor system: skeletal system and muscular system.

2.
left column, top to bottom: humerus, ulna, radius, femur, tibia
central column, top to bottom: clavicle, ribs, pelvis, fibula
right column, top to bottom: deltoid, pectorals, abdominals, quadriceps

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3.
a. The process of reproduction allows you to have children similar to yourself.
b. People have sexual reproduction. Female reproductive organs and male reproductive
organs are different.
c. People are viviparous: new babies develop in the mother’s womb.

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1.
top to bottom
male: urethra, penis, testicles
female: ovaries, uterus, vagina, vulva

2.
A. During pregnancy the baby develops and becomes larger inside the mother’s uterus.
B. Newborn babies need constant attention from their mother. They drink their mother’s milk
or artificial milk.

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UNIT 2 Our senses

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1.
We use sight to distinguish the shape, colour, size and distance of objects.

2.
left, top to bottom:
cornea, pupil, iris, iris, pupil

right, top to bottom:

lens, optic nerve, retina, eyebrow, eyelid, eyelashes

3.
a. Light enters the eye through the cornea.
b. The pupil is the hole in the centre of the iris.
c. The iris is a coloured ring.
d. The lens helps the eye focus.
e. The retina captures the light.

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1.
a. pinna
b. small bones
c. cochlea
d. ear canal
e. eardrum
f. auditory nerve

2.
outer ear:
pinna,
ear canal.

middle ear:
small bones,
eardrum.

inner ear:
cochlea,
auditory nerve.

3.
The ear captures the sound and sends it to the cochlea. (1)
The cochlea sends the sound through the auditory nerve to the brain. (2)
The brain interprets the information. (3)

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1.

The sense organ of touch is the skin. We distinguish different sensations through our touch
receptors. Our fingertips and lips are very sensitive. The sense of touch allows us to
distinguish whether something is hot or cold.

2.
a. True.
b. True.
c. True.
d. False.

left, top to bottom:

olfactory epithelium,
nostril.

right top to bottom:

nasal cavity,
olfactory nerve.

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1.
A. umami
B. umami
C. sweet
D. sour
E. sweet
F. sweet
G. salty
H. salty
I. sweet
J. bitter

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2.
Model Answer (M.A.).
A. Visit my paediatrician for an eye test. Don’t touch my eyes with dirty hands. Don’t look
directly at the Sun.
B. Visit my paediatrician if you have earache. Wash my ears daily in the shower or bath.
Don’t put objects in my ears.

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UNIT 3 People and health

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1.
top row:
a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being

bottom row, left to right:

Physical health means that our body works well.
Mental health means that our emotions are not a problem.
Social health means having good relationships with people.

M.A.
a. Physical health: Exercise regularly.
b. Mental health: Talk to people about your emotions.
c. Social health: Avoid conflicts and resolve them properly.

2.
Prevention refers to all the healthy habits that can help to maintain good health and avoid
illness. Health care is the prevention and treatment of illness.

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1.
healthy habits: Exercise regularly. Brush your teeth after every meal. Do leisure activities.

■ Sleep ten hours a day.

■ Keep your back straight when you are sitting.
■ Don’t spend too much time playing video games.

2.
a. It is important to sleep ten hours a day because if you sleep too little you can become
weaker and ill more easily.
b. Physical exercise is essential for good health because it makes you stronger.
c. If you have bad posture you can get back pain.

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1.
a. Eat a variety of foods to get all the nutrients you need.
b. Reduce fats of animal origin and so eat less bacon, butter and red meat.
c. Eat products of plant origin because they contain fibre.
d. Reduce sugar because it can cause obesity and health problems.

■ A diet is everything a person normally eats and drinks every day. A healthy diet is
sufficient and balanced.

2.
M.A.
A. Eat five meals a day.

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B. Pay attention to food hygiene.
C. Pay attention to food preservation.

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1.
school accident prevention: a, c, e.

home accident prevention: b, d, f.

2.
The boy is not wearing a helmet, knee or elbow pads.
The children are running across the road.
The boy is crossing on a red man.
The boy is not keeping his back straight when lifting a heavy object.

■ Wear a helmet, knee and elbow pads when riding a bike.

■ Walk carefully across the road.
■ Pay attention to traffic lights before crossing the street.
■ Keep your back straight when lifting heavy objects.

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Unit 4 Classifying living things

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1.
A. algae;
B. bacteria;
C. plants;
D. animals;
E. fungi

2.
Left column (top to bottom, left to right):
vertebrates
mammals, birds,
reptiles, amphibians,
fish.

Right column (top to bottom, left to right):

invertebrates
sponges, cnidarians,
worms, molluscs,
echinoderms, arthropods.

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1.
M.A.
a. Molluscs: snail and clam (invertebrate).
b. Amphibians: newt and toad (vertebrate).
c. Echinoderms: starfish and sea urchin (invertebrate).
d. Fish: cod and shark (vertebrate).
e. Birds: penguin and sparrow (vertebrate).
f. Arthropods: spider and centipede (invertebrate).
g. Reptiles: turtle and lizard (vertebrate).

2.
a. fish
b. arthropods
c. molluscs
d. fish
e. arthropods
f. molluscs

3.
a. They only live in water: algae
b. They make their own food: both
c. Most of them can be seen with the naked eye: both
d. They cannot move about: plants

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Page 18

1.
A. fungi: Many of them have an umbrella shape.
B. yeast: These can only be seen with a microscope.
C. mould: These grow on some types of decaying food.

2.
Bacteria are the smallest and simplest living things. They can only be seen with a
microscope.
Some bacteria make their own food. Others feed on other living things.
Some bacteria are helpful and others can cause illnesses.

3.
a. True.
b. False. No bacteria can be observed with the naked eye.
c. False. Plants and algae make their own food.

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1.
A. Starfish (echinoderm), fish (fish), algae (algae)
B. Frog (amphibian), mushroom (fungi)
C. Lion (mammal), vultures (birds)
D. Snail (mollusc), grasshopper (arthropod)

2.
a. Animals feed on other living things and most of them can move about.
b. Plants make their own food, they cannot move about and most live on land.
c. Algae make their own food and some of them can only be observed with a microscope.
d. Fungi feed on other living things and they cannot move about.
e. Bacteria can only be observed using a microscope.

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UNIT 5 Plants

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1.
Open Answer (O.A.)
The roots in picture A and D store food for the plant.

2.
left to right
type: woody stem; herbaceous stem
characteristics: hard, rigid, short; soft, flexible, usually green
example: daisy (M.A.); rose bush (M.A.)

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1.
B. walnut
Edge: lobed
Shape: ovate

C. eucalyptus
Edge: smooth
Shape: lance-shaped

2.
a. Deciduous: Plants lose their leaves in autumn.
b. Evergreen: Plants have green leaves all year round.

3.
top row: sunlight, water

bottom row: carbon dioxide, minerals

Plants absorb water and mineral salts through their roots. The mixture is called raw sap. It
travels up the stem to the leaves. Plants absorb carbon dioxide through their leaves. In the
leaves, raw sap mixes with this gas and turns into elaborated sap with the help of sunlight.

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1.
During the day plants breathe and perform photosynthesis: they take carbon dioxide and
release oxygen.

At night plants only breathe because there is no sunlight: they take oxygen and release
carbon dioxide.

2.
O.A.
a. Stamens are the male part of a flower.
b. The pistil is the female part of the flower.
c. Sepals protect the flower before it opens.
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d. Petals are brightly coloured to attract insects.
3.
1. Pollen reaches the pistil of a flower.
2. The flower starts to change and forms a fruit.
3. There are seeds inside the fruit.
4. The seed germinates and a little plant starts to grow.

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1.
a. Stolons
b. Rhizomes
c. Bulbs
d. Tubers

Order, left to right: b (rhizomes), a (stolons), d (tubers), c (bulbs)

2.
A. Group: flowering; Sub-group: angiosperms
B. Group: non-flowering; Sub-group: ferns
C. Group: non-flowering; Sub-group: mosses
D. Group: flowering; Sub-group: gymnosperms

■ M.A. Picture C shows moss.

■ It is a very small and simple plant with tiny stems and leaves.

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6. Wild plants and crops

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1.
The place where a plant lives is its habitat. This is where a plant can get what it needs to
survive. Plants need sunlight, water, minerals and carbon dioxide to make their own food.
This process is called photosynthesis.

2.
A. The roots are growing downwards in search of humidity.
B. The stem and the leaves are growing towards the sunlight.

3.
Some plants open their flowers during the day and close them at night.

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1.
top row, left to right:
annual plants
perennial plants

bottom row, left to right:

perennial grasses
trees and bushes

2.
A. annual plant
B. tree (perennial plant)
C. annual plant
D. perennial grasses (perennial plant)

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1.
a. Plants are affected by the climate, the relief, the humidity and the soil.
b. Vegetation is all the plants in an area, region or country.

2.
a. A desert is an area with arid soil and very little water.
b. Grassland is an area with long periods of drought.
c. Shrubland is an area with poor soil and low humidity.
d. A forest is an area with high humidity and fertile soil.

■ A. a forest. The trees grow close together.

■ B. shrubland. This are is dominated by bushes.
■ C. grassland. This are is dominated by grasses and trees and bushes are scarce.
■ D. a desert. There are cactuses and few plants.

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1.
a. For food, for example, cereals, fruit and vegetables.
b. To make other products for example, fabric, cosmetics and medicines.
c. To feed animals, for example, farmers grow hay for cows and sheep.

2.
top row, left to right:
6 (pruning); 1 (ploughing); 5 (fumigation); 3 (fertilizing).

bottom row, left to right:

7 (harvesting); 4 (irrigation); 2 (sowing).

a. Farmers use fertilizers because they contain mineral salts that help plants to grow.
b. The main irrigation methods are sprinkler, drip and flood irrigation.
c. Pruning is cutting branches from trees and bushes to help them grow.

3.
M.A.
The crops in picture A are dry crops and the crops in picture B are irrigated crops. Dry crops
only need rainfall but farmers have to water irrigated crops.

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UNIT 7 Forces and energy

Page 28

1.
a. Forces can make objects start moving.
b. Forces can make objects stop moving.
c. Forces can make objects change their shape.
d. Forces can make objects break.

2.
M.A.
a. Normally, forces act when two objects come into contact. For example, to move a tennis
ball, we must hit it.
b. Sometimes forces act when there is no contact between objects. For example, a magnet
can attract paper clips from a distance.

3.
The ball will fall towards the centre of the Earth.

Objects fall to the ground because they are attracted to the centre of the Earth. This is the
force of gravity.

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1.
a. natural gas
b. wind
c. uranium
d. coal
e. sunlight
f. petroleum
g. flowing water
h. plutonium

■ renewable energy sources: natural gas; wind; sunlight; flowing water.

■ non-renewable energy sources: uranium; coal; petroleum; plutonium.

2.
renewable
advantages: easily stored; easily transported; available at any moment; easy to use.
disadvantages: will run out; cause pollution; produce carbon dioxide; contribute to global
warming.

non-renewable
advantages: will never run out; are continually produced in nature; cause less pollution than
fossil fuels.
disadvantages: not continually available; difficult to use directly; difficult to store.

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Page 30

1.
A. mechanical
B. mechanical
C. chemical
D. electrical

2.
A. chemical, mechanical
B. electrical, mechanical
C. electrical, thermal

3.
M.A.
a. remote controlled car
b. ferry
c. hairdryer
d. torch

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1.
a. In solar power plants, energy from sunlight transforms into electrical energy.
b. In wind farms, mechanical energy from wind transforms into electrical energy.
c. In thermal power plants, thermal energy from fuels transforms into electrical energy.
d. In nuclear power plants, nuclear energy from uranium and plutonium transforms into
electrical energy.
e. In hydroelectric power plants, mechanical energy from water transforms into electrical
energy.

2.
M.A.
I use energy from fuels to go to school in the car.

I use electrical energy to watch TV.

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UNIT 8 Heat and light

Page 32

1.
a. Temperature tells us how hot or how cold an object is.
b. We measure temperature with a thermometer.
c. Temperature is measured in degrees centigrade (ºC).
d. Water boils and changes to water vapour at 100ºC.
e. Water freezes and changes to ice at 0ºC.
f. The normal human body temperature is 36.5ºC.

2.
A. insulator
B. conductor
C. insulator
D. insulator
E. conductor

M.A.
■ good conductors: frying pan, toaster, oven.
■ good insulators: blankets, curtains, mug.

3.
left to right:
b. dilation
c. change of state
a. temperature increase

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1.
Light allows us to see objects around us.
Light comes from natural sources, for example the Sun, and from man-made sources, for
example a light bulb.

2.
True.
False. Light travels very fast.
False. Light travels in a straight line.
True.
False. Shadows form behind objects

3.
a. Light travels at 300,000 kilometres per second.
b. Shadows form when an object blocks light.
c. We see shadows because light cannot move around objects.

4.
Light travels very fast, in a straight line and in all directions.

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Page 34

1.
A. transparent
B. translucent
C. opaque

a. transparent
b. opaque
c. translucent
d. opaque
e. translucent
f. transparent

2.
The picture on the left shows refraction.

Refraction is when light bends as it passes from one material to another.

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1.
left:
Red.

right, top to bottom:

blue, white, green.

a. The primary colours of light are red, blue and green.

b. The primary colours of light mix to produce all other colours.
c. White light is made up of all colours.

2.
a. Light hits the car.
b. The car reflects the light.
c. The reflected light enters the boy’s eyes.

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UNIT 9 Machines

Page 36

1.
A. pulley: To lift heavy objects with a wheel and a rope.
B. lever: To lift heavy objects with a bar.
C. inclined plane: To move heavy objects from a lower to a higher plane.

2.
a. A rope wrapped around a wheel: pulley.
b. A bar that rests on a pivot: lever.
c. A ramp: inclined plane.

3.
A. pulley: it is used to collect water from a well.
B. lever: it is used to control traffic.
C. inclined plane: it is used to give people better access.

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1.
a. pulley
b. inclined plane
c. lever

2.
left to right:
A stapler is a third-class lever, the force is between the fulcrum and the load.
Pliers are a first-class lever, the fulcrum is between the load and the force.
A nutcracker is a second-class lever, the load is between the fulcrum and the force.

3.
laptop: complex.
mobile phone: complex.
seesaw: simple.
wheelchair: simple.
remote-controlled car: complex.

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1.
1. control components
2. cover
3. operating parts
4. structure

a. 3 (operating parts)
b. 1 (control components)
c. 2 (cover)
d. 4 (structure)

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2.

■ A mechanism is two or more operating parts that work together.

Page 39

1.
a. Two wheels in contact turn in different directions.
b. When the wheels have a different size, the smaller wheel turns faster and in a different
direction.
c. When the wheels are joined by a chain, they turn in the same direction.

2.
a.

b.

c.

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3.
a. belts, chains, axles and wheels.
b. Wheels a, b, c, d, g and e turn in the same direction as the motor.
c. Wheel f turns in the opposite direction.

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