Primary 4 Science syllabus: topics and practice questions
These are the topics and skills of Primary 4 Science in the MOE syllabus, with 72 original practice questions. Each topic below has a sample question: try it, then open the worked answer.
Systems
Plant system
6 practice questions
Parts of a plant and their functions (leaf, stem, root)
Sample question
Which part of a plant takes in water from the soil?
A Leaf
B Stem
C Root
D Flower
Show the answer and working
Answer: (C) Root
How: The roots grow in the soil, where the water is. They absorb water (and mineral salts) from the soil.
Why: The roots take in water and mineral salts from the soil and hold the plant firmly in the ground.
Human system
12 practice questions
Human body systems and their functions
Parts of the digestive system and their functions
Sample question
The flow diagram shows the path of food through the human digestive system.
Which part is shown by '?'
Show the answer and working
Answer: stomach
How: Food goes from the mouth, down the gullet, into the stomach, then into the small intestine and the large intestine.
Why: The gullet carries food to the stomach, where the food is mixed with digestive juices and digestion continues.
Cycles
Matter
12 practice questions
Matter has mass and takes up space; measuring mass and volume
Solids, liquids and gases: shape and volume
Sample question
The table shows the properties of three substances, J, K and L.
What state of matter is substance K?
Show the answer and working
Answer: liquid
How: K has a definite volume but no definite shape, so it is a liquid.
Why: Solids have a definite shape and volume; liquids have a definite volume only; gases have neither.
Energy
Light
12 practice questions
Light sources and how we see objects
Shadows: light travels in straight lines; what changes a shadow
Sample question
Jun Kai put a toy and a small bulb inside a closed box. He could switch the bulb on and off from outside. He looked into the box through a small peephole. His results are in the table.
Which conclusion can he make?
A The toy gives out its own light when the bulb is on.
B He can see the toy only when light from the bulb is reflected by the toy into his eyes.
C His eyes give out light that lets him see the toy.
D Light from the bulb passes through the toy and into his eyes.
Show the answer and working
Answer: (B) He can see the toy only when light from the bulb is reflected by the toy into his eyes.
How: With the bulb off, there was no light in the box and he could not see the toy. With the bulb on, light fell on the toy and was reflected into his eyes, so he could see it.
Why: An object that is not a light source can be seen only when light from a light source is reflected by the object into our eyes.
Heat
18 practice questions
Heat, temperature and heat flow from hotter to colder
Effects of heat gain and loss: expansion, contraction, change of state
Good and poor conductors of heat
Sample question
Look at Farid's graph again.
By how many degrees Celsius did the temperature of the water fall in the first 4 minutes?
Show the answer and working
Answer: 25
How: At 0 min the water was at 80 °C; at 4 min it was at 55 °C. 80 − 55 = 25 °C.
Why: The water lost heat to the cooler air, so its temperature fell.
Science practices
Investigating
12 practice questions
Fair tests and variables
Read tables and graphs and draw conclusions
Sample question
Xin Yi used a datalogger to record the temperature of her classroom during a school day.
By how many degrees Celsius did the temperature rise from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.?
Show the answer and working
Answer: 6
How: At 8 a.m. it was 27 °C; at 2 p.m. it was 33 °C. 33 − 27 = 6 °C.
Why: A datalogger with a temperature sensor records the temperature at regular times so changes can be compared.
Practise all 72 Primary 4 questions
With an account, practice adapts to your child: hints one step at a time, feedback on the mistake behind a wrong answer, review of older topics and a Primary 4 mock paper.