2020

Primary 5 / Grade 5

Full Name:

School: Index Number:

Instructions to Students:
1. Please DO NOT OPEN the contest booklet until the Proctor has given permission to start

2. Only Scientific Calculators are allowed during the contest.

3. TIME: 1 hour 30 minutes. You may not leave the contest venue within the first hour of the paper.

4. There are 20 questions:

Section A: Question 1 to 5: +2 points for correct answer, 0 points for no answer and minus 1 point
for wrong answer.
Section B: Question 6 to 10: +3 points for correct answer, 0 points for no answer or wrong answer.
Section C: Question 11 to 20: +4 points for correct answer, 0 points for no answer or wrong answer.
5. Shade your answers neatly using a 2B lead pencil in the Answer Entry Sheet.

6. You are not allowed to bring the question paper and answer script out of the contest venue.

Note:
1) You may assume that there is no air resistance throughout the contest unless stated.
2) All temperatures are in Degrees Celsius.
3) Room Temperature is 25°C at 1 atmospheric pressure.
4) Gravitational Acceleration
Vanda 2020, Primary 5 (Grade 5) Contest

Section A (Correct answer – 2 points| No answer – 0 points| Incorrect answer – minus 1 point)

Questions 1 and 2 are related.

Question 1
The picture below shows the water cycle.

Which of the changes in state in the water cycle involve(s) a gain in heat energy of
water particles?
1) Process 2
2) Process 1
3) Process 3
4) Process 4
A. Option 1 only
B. Option 2 only
C. Options 3 and 4
D. All of the above

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Answer: B
Process 1 is the evaporation process, which involves the change in state from
liquid to gaseous state. This requires the liquid to gain heat and the particles
in the liquid state to move further away from each other (as they are now
more energetic) to change into gaseous state.
Process 2 is condensation which involves loss of heat as the gaseous state
loses heat and changes into a liquid state.
Process 3 is precipitation, which is the falling of rain, snow, hail etc, there is
no change in state and no heat gain is involved.
Process 4 is runoff, the movement of water from a higher point on land
eventually pouring into the water bodies.

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Question 2
Yasothai wanted to simulate the water cycle in the science lab. She used a large
metal bowl, filled it with boiling water, and covered it with a metal sheet which was
at room temperature. On the metal sheet, she placed pebbles which had been pre-
heated and made sure that it covered most of the metal sheet. The diagram below
details this.

She predicts that there will be water droplets found on the underside of the metal
sheet after waiting for 5 minutes, assuming that the pebbles are still hot.
Is Yasothai correct in her hypothesis? Why?
A. No. The hot pebbles warmed up the metal sheet, made it impossible for the
hot water vapour in the bowl to lose heat to it in order to condense into water
droplets. Hence, no condensation happened and no water droplets were
formed.
B. Yes. The hot water vapour inside the bowl lost heat to the metal sheet and
condensed into water droplets.
C. No. The hot pebbles warmed up the metal sheet, made it impossible for the
hot water vapour in the bowl to gain heat to it in order to condense into
water droplets. Hence, no condensation happened and no water droplets
were formed.
D. Yes. The metal sheet lost heat through the hot pebbles as it is a good
conductor of heat and provides a cool surface for the hot water vapour in the
bowl to condense into water droplets.

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Answer:
The hot pebbles have warmed up the metal sheet. Once the surface that comes into
contact with the hot water vapour is not cooler than the hot water vapour itself,
there will be no heat transfer significant enough for condensation to happen. A cool
surface is crucial for the hot water vapour to lose heat so that it can condense into
water droplets. Whether the metal sheet is a good conductor of heat is not relevant
to the aim of the experiment and the question.

Question 3
The diagram below shows the human female reproductive system.

Mature females will go through a monthly menstrual cycle. During the ovulation
period of the menstrual cycle, a mature egg is released by one of the ovaries. If this
mature egg meets and fuses with a sperm, an embryo (fertilised egg) is formed. The
embryo will move towards the uterus and sinks into the lining of the uterus. This is
called implantation. This will continue to develop into a baby in the uterus. During
menstruation, if the egg cell is not fertilised, it does not sink into the thick uterus
lining and is shed. This is called menstruation. After menstruation, the lining in the
uterus starts to thicken again, until the next menstruation period.

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Based on the information above, why does the lining in the uterus start to thicken
after menstruation?
A. The lining in the uterus thickens to protect the uterus.
B. The lining in the uterus thickens as it absorbs the unwanted waste of the
embryo.
C. The lining in the uterus thickens to protect the embryo during its
development.
D. The lining in the uterus thickens to prepare for the possible implantation of
the embryo so that it can continue to develop safely in the uterus.

Answer: D
The uterus lining thickens and is filled with blood vessels, preparing for the possible
implantation of the embryo which will continue to develop into a baby. Hence, when
the matured egg, which is released during ovulation, is not fertilised, the lining
sheds leading to menstruation

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Question 4
Ravi has 2 identical pieces of paper. He crushed one of them and left the other as it
is. He wanted to find out which would be able to stay in the air for a longer time.

He dropped both papers from the same height and observed that the crushed ball of
paper landed before the normal piece of paper did. He repeated the experiment 3
times and obtained the same result each time.
Based on the experiment above, what conclusion can be made about the structure
of seeds which are dispersed by wind?
A. Seeds dispersed by wind have to be light and small so that it can be carried
over a longer distance.
B. Seeds dispersed by wind have to be round so that it can land quickly on the
ground to germinate.
C. Seeds dispersed by wind are heavier so that it can land quickly on the ground
to germinate.
D. Seeds dispersed by wind have to have a wing-like structure so that it can stay
in the air for a longer time to travel further away from its parent plant.

Answer: D
The experiment shows that the normal piece of paper was better able to stay in the
air, for a longer time. The normal piece of paper experiences more lift as it has a
greater surface area (it catches more air). A seed will grow better when it is further
away from its parent plant and there is no overcrowding. In order to be dispersed
further from the parent plant, the presence of wing-like structure creates more lift to
carry the seed along in the air, allowing it to stay in the air for a longer time. Hence,
it can be carried over a longer distance.
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Question 5
Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense is a fungus in the Fusarium genus which is
currently threatening the banana plantations in the Caribbean coastal regions. It can
cause these banana plants to ultimately be unable to bear fruit or even survive. Most
of the time, it is lethal to the plant, even though it is not unsafe to humans. On a
larger scale, this can affect bananas as a food source, as well as an export
commodity. This fungus is transmitted through infected farming material, infested
soil and water, and this problem is also known as the Fusarium wilt.
Joan observes that when the Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense fungus infects the
plant, the leaves turn yellow and wilt, eventually, the plant does not survive. When
she had cut the stem of the plant, she observed that there were black strips in its
stem. A simple diagram of what she saw under the microscope has been provided
below. She was told that the fungus enters through the plant’s roots from the
infected soil and spread upwards thereafter.

Which part of the plant has been directly affected by the Fusarium oxysporum f. sp.
Cubense fungus?
A. Leaf mesophyll cells
B. Phloem tissues
C. Xylem vessels
D. Root hair cells

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Answer: C
From the diagram, we can observe that part of the vascular bundle has been
infected as it is darkened. The vascular bundle consists of phloem tissues and
xylem vessels. As the fungus enters through the roots and ultimately causes
the leaves to wilt and then die, these clues help us to come to the conclusion
that the xylem vessels—water carrying tubes are affected.

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Section B (Correct answer – 3 points| Incorrect or No answer – 0 points)

Question 6
The pictures below show a certain species of hawk moth caterpillar.
When startled or facing potential danger, the caterpillar transforms into a ‘snake’ by
retracting its legs and expanding its anterior body segments. They puff out the front
part of their bodies to rearrange their hidden yellow, white, and black spots.

What is the camouflage technique demonstrated by the hawk moth caterpillar in the
pictures above?

A. Colour matching
B. Disruptive colouration
C. Above/below counter shading
D. Mimicry

Answer: D
Colour matching is to have similar colours as the environment to blend in. E.g. Tree
frogs
Disruptive colouration is to have highly contrasting colours to break up the outline of
the animal, so that observers fail to notice the object.
Above and below counter shading used by birds usually to obtain protection from
above and from below. To have a different colour or pattern on the upper side and
underside so that it can camouflage from predators above or from observers from
below.

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Mimicry is to resemble another animal/object to avoid detection by predators--

special protective resemblance.

Question 7
A lichen is not a single organism; it is an interaction between a fungus and
photosynthetic organism (like an algae). This relationship is symbiotic. They normally
grow on tree bark or even rock surfaces. The picture below shows a lichen.

Symbiosis is a relationship between two different organisms. These two organisms

live in close proximity to each other for some or all of their lives.
A form of symbiosis is mutualism. It is defined as interactions between organisms of
two different species, in which each organism benefits from the interaction in some
way. There is also parasitism, defined as interactions between organisms of two
different species, where one organism benefits at the expense of the other.
Commensalism is defined as interactions between organisms of two different
species, where the other is unharmed or unaffected.
Which interaction is the lichen an example of? Why?

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Relationship Explanation

The fungus gets a constant supply of food from

the photosynthetic organism and the fungus helps
A. Mutualism
to absorb water and shelter the algae from a harsh
climate.

The fungus obtains food, water and oxygen from

the photosynthetic organism and the
B. Parasitism
photosynthetic organism is harmed and eventually
does not survive.

The fungus and algae attempt to use the same

C. Competition resources e.g. space and water. They compete
against each other to survive.

The fungus uses the excess food, water and

oxygen from the photosynthetic organism to
D. Commensalism
survive and the photosynthetic organism is not
affected.

Answer: A
There is good evidence for the lichen symbiosis as a mutualism, in which both
partners benefit from the relationship. It is clear that fungi obtain their carbon-
source in the form of simple sugars, but the photosynthetic organisms seem also to
be provided with optimal living conditions, in which their populations are often much
larger than outside lichens. The photosynthetic organism probably also benefits from
improved access to mineral nutrients which are provided because of fungal digestion
outside their cells. Last, but not least, the interior of lichens is often a place richly
infused with complex secondary fungal chemicals found nowhere else in nature, and
these compounds are likely to play a role in protection from UV radiation,
desiccation, and grazing by herbivores as well.

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Question 8
Ming Jun wanted to find out which of the 4 materials, P, Q, R, S is a metal. They
were all in the shape of a bar of identical size and shape.
He conducted the following experiment.

For each material, he left it in an oil bath for 5 minutes. He recorded the
temperature at the start and at the end of the experiment.
He plotted the before and after results in the form of a graph.

0 5

Which material is most likely to be a metaal?

A. Material S
B. Material R
C. Material Q
D. Material P

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Answer: A
In the span of 5 minutes, all 4 materials had an increase in temperature. S had the
greatest increase in temperature, which suggests that it is likely to be a very good
conductor of heat. Metals are known to be good conductors of heat. Hence, material
S is the mostly likely to be a metal.

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Question 9
The diagram below shows a fire sprinkler. Which of the following alloys is suitable to
be used in a fire sprinkler system, covering the pipe (known as a valve) which will
send water spraying out of the sprinkler when there is a fire happening in that
location?

Alloy

Alloy Melting point (in °C)

A. R 35

B. F 98

C. Z 73 - 77

D. G -19

Answer: C
For an alloy to be effective and will melt quickly during a fire (the valve has to
melt and open allowing the water to spray out of the sprinkler), it has to have a
melting point which is not too high and not too low. A melting point which is too low
will cause the alloy to melt easily even when the temperature is close to room
temperature (which might be higher for tropical countries). A melting point which is
too high defeats the purpose of putting out a fire as the valve may melt too late
during the emergency (as a stronger and bigger fire is required to bring the
temperature of the room up such that it will reach the higher melting point of the
alloy in order to melt it). Only option C has a suitable melting point.

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Question 10
Guard cells are a pair of cells which control the opening and closing of the stomata.
They are plant cells with a central vacuole containing mostly water, food and salts.
Water can enter the vacuole and change its size which can lead to the opening and
closing of the stomata.
Which of the following is correct when water enters the guard cells?

Vacuole size Turgor pressure Turgidity Stomata size

A. Increases Decreases Low Large
B. Increases Increases High Large
C. Increases Increases High Small
D. Increases Decreases Low Small

Answer: B
When water enters the guard cell, the volume increases and causes the vacuole size
to increase. With more water in a confined space, the pressure increases and causes
the cell to be turgid. When the guard cells become turgid they swell and pull away
from each other, allowing the stomata to be openeSection C (Correct answer – 4
points| Incorrect or No answer – 0 points)

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Question 11
Some students went to the Botanic Research Institute to find out the impact of
humans’ activities on the environment and how these activities have affected the
survival of plants on our planet. They learnt that plants were going extinct at a rate
which is 500 times faster than their natural extinction rate. More than 8 plant
species disappear from our planet every 3 years on an average, since 1900. About
89% of them are at the risk of extinction. This alarmed them as it is bad news for all
living things on Earth. After the excursion, four students made the following
statements.
Tian Yi: Primary consumers will be the most directly affected by the rapid extinction
of plants.
Jana: The tertiary consumers and apex predators will be affected although they do
not feed on plants.
Afiq: The extinction of plant species over time can worsen global warming.
Geetha: Plant extinction does not affect global warming as long as humans reduce
their carbon footprint at the current level.
Who made an incorrect statement?
A. Jana
B. Afiq
C. Geetha
D. Tian Yi

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Question 12
South Africa, Australia, Brazil, India, Madagascar and Hawaii are areas which have
been marked as hotspots for plant extinction. These countries have a large portion
of the population depending on primary industries like agriculture for a living.
Which of the following is/are possible solutions for slowing down plant extinction?
1) Providing botanists with funds to come up with and execute conservation
programs
2) More emphasis placed on identifying and recording plant specimens
3) Governments could grant subsidies to farmers to explore new methods of farming
e.g. hydroponics
4) Educating the public on the importance of plant and animal conservation through
conservation campaigns and fundraising efforts
5) Educating local children to recognise local plants and inculcate a love for nature in
the long term
A. Options 1 and 4
B. Options 1, 3, 4 and 5
C. Options 1 and 2
D. All of the above

Answer: D
All are possible solutions to slow down the rate of plant extinction. More has
to be done as plant extinction has been underestimated and overshadowed by
animal extinction over the years. Working on reducing plant extinction may
contribute to the recovery of endangered animal species as many animal species run
the risk of extinction due to loss of habitat which includes lack

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Question 13
In poorer countries and communities, there might sometimes be a need for
recreational spaces for the communities even though the government may not be
able to afford it. An oil and gas company has worked with a technology company to
come up with a human-powered football pitch. It harnesses the energy from players’
feet to power the lights of the soccer pitch.
Which of the following is the correct energy conversion of the above scenario?
A. Kinetic energy→electrical energy→light energy
B. Chemical potential energy→kinetic energy→electrical energy→light energy
C. Gravitational potential energy→kinetic energy→light energy→electrical energy
D. Chemical potential energy→kinetic energy→light energy→electrical energy

Answer: B
The soccer pitch harnesses the kinetic energy when the players are moving
and converts it into electrical energy which could be used or stored. However, the
kinetic energy that the players possessed came from the food they consumed, which
means it originates from chemical potential energy. The electrical energy generated
is used to power the lights which is light energy with heat energy as heat is also
produced when the lights are on.

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Question 14

Joey wanted to find out the magnetic strength of 4 bar magnets, U, W, Y and Z. He
set up the following experiment, as shown in the diagram below, using a strong bar
magnet X.
He measured the length of the spring before and after attaching each of the bar
magnets, and carried out the experiment thrice for each bar magnet. When he
attached each of the bar magnets to the hook, he made sure that they always had
unlike poles facing each other.
R1 stands for reading from experiment 1, R2 stands for reading from experiment 2
and R3 stands for reading from experiment 3. He then tabulated the results.

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Bar U Bar W Bar Y Bar Z

R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3
Original
length of
9.0 9.1 9.2 9.2 9.3 9.5 9.6 9.6 9.7 10.3 10.3 10.5
spring
(cm)
New
length of
11.0 10.9 11.0 13.9 14.0 13.8 10.0 10.1 10.0 13.0 12.9 13.1
spring
(cm)
Which of the bar magnets was the strongest?
A. Bar Z
B. Bar W
C. Bar Y
D. Bar U

Answer: B
Bar W had the greatest magnetic strength as it shows the greatest extension.
When the bar magnet is strong, the magnetic force is stronger and therefore pulls
closer to bar X

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Question 15
Jason has two pointers, one was made of bronze and the other was a magnet. He
suspended both pointers in a strong magnetic field. He holds the pointers in the
initial positions as shown in diagram below and releases them at the same time.

What would be the final positions of both pointers?

However, Jordan disagrees and said that the true north is the North pole and
the true south is the South pole, as indicated by the compass.
Who is correct? Why?

A) Jordan. The compass is a magnetic material and is attracted to the north

and south poles of the Earth.

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Vanda 2020, Primary 5 (Grade 5) Contest

B) Jordan. The compass is a magnet and its south pole has been attracted to the
North pole of the Earth; and the north pole has been attracted to the South pole of
the Earth.
C) Aidan. The Earth is a giant magnet and the true northern end of the Earth at the
top would attract a South pole, and the true southern end at the bottom would
attract a North pole.
D) Aidan. The Earth is a giant magnet and the true northern end of the Earth at the
bottom would attract a South pole, and the true southern end at the top would
attract a North pole.

Answer: D
The Earth is a giant magnet with the true North at the bottom, hence, when a
compass needle is brought close to it, the Southern pole of the compass is attracted
to the true North. This leads to the South pole being at the bottom. Vice versa, the
true South is at the top, hence, when a compass needle is brought close to it, the
Northern pole of the compass is attracted to the true South. This leads to the North
pole being at the top.

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Question 16
Density is the relationship between the mass of a substance and its volume. The
greater the number of particles in a given space, the denser the substance.
Jimmy was given 4 different sealed soft-drink cans L, M, N and P. They all contain
same volume of drink and the cans are made of aluminium. The cans were root
beer, regular cola, diet cola and soda water. He was asked to investigate and find
which can is soda water without opening them.

Jimmy thought that their densities could help him find the answer so he dropped the
4 cans, one by one into a trough filled with tap water. He made sure there are no air
bubbles trapped under the cans. After a few minutes when they stopped moving, he
observed and ranked the sweetness of the 4 drinks on a scale of 1 to 4, 1 being the
sweetest and 4 being the least sweet as shown in the table below.

Soft drink can Sweetness rank

Root beer 1
Regular cola 2
Diet cola 3
Soda water 4

*Diet cola contains aspartame which is a chemical sweetener.

Which can has soda water?
A. Can P
B. Can M
C. Can N
D. Can L

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Question 17
Sam is investigating the amount of digested food present in each part of the
digestive system. He plotted a graph from the data he obtained.

Which part of the digestive system does part H represent?

A. Large intestine
B. Gullet
C. Mouth
D. Small intestine

Answer: A
In the large intestine, digested food has already been mostly absorbed into the
bloodstream (ignoring negligible amounts) when it was in the small intestine, the
amount of digested food in this area is zero. Both the mouth and gullet has a small
amount of digested food as there are enzymes in saliva which digests some of the
food we eat. It cannot be the small intestine as the small intestine is the site where
digestion is completed, it should have the greatest amount of digested food present.

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Question 18

The diagram above is a communicating vessel. A and E are sealed, as shown.

Which of the following diagrams is the correct diagram showing water levels in the
communicating vessel when water is poured into C?

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Answer: D
Water has no definite shape, and when it is poured into the container it takes the
shape of the container. Furthermore, for a communicating vessel, the bottom of the
vessel is connected, hence water flows evenly through the bottom even though it is
poured from C. However, as the parts A and E are sealed at the top, air is unable to
escape when water is being filled and taking up space. Hence, the air in part A and E
is trapped and the water level is lower than in the other 3 parts

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Question 19

The pictures above show parts of our respiratory system, circulatory system and
digestive system.
What are all the features they have in common?
1) Both are well-connected with a network of blood capillaries for diffusion of
materials.
2) Both consist of same specialised cells.
3) Both have special structural adaptations to allow them to carry out their functions
efficiently.
4) Both are present in large numbers.
A. Options 1 and 4
B. Options 2, 3 and 4
C. Options 1, 3 and 4
D. All of the above

Answer: C

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Question 20
Humans are able to see visible light, which can be split into 7 colours. Light travels
in waves, and waves can have long wavelengths or short wavelengths.
Light waves can be scattered when it collides with particles in the air. The longer the
wavelength, the harder it is to scatter them when it is traveling through the air (or
other media), and the more likely that it will reach our eyes such that we can see
that colour.
Based on the information above, select all statements which are true about sunsets.
1) We can see orange and red during sunsets as the red light has been mostly
scattered into the air.
2) Sunsets are orange and red because red and yellow light is scattered the least
and most of it has reached our eyes.
3) Blue, indigo and violet light is easily scattered due to its small wavelengths.
4) All 7 colours of light are scattered to some degree when they travel through the
air.
A. Options 1 and 4
B. Options 1, 3 and 4
C. Options 2 and 3
D. Options 2, 3 and 4

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Answer: D
Red light waves have the longest wavelengths among the 7 colours, and they scatter
the least when they travel through the air and collide with the particles in the air. As
they scatter the least, most of the red and yellow light waves will travel and reach
our eyes. Hence sunsets usually appear orange to us. All 7 colours of light can be
scattered as they are bound to collide with particles when traveling through the air
(which is made up of particles).

END OF PAPER

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