Primary 4 · Science · Diversity: Living & Non-living
Diversity: Living & Non-living questions for Primary 4 Science
9 questions to work through online, 2 of them written out the way the paper asks. Answer and you get the working straight away, then a score at the end. No sign-up, and you can retake it as often as you like.
- Once-living things
- Things that seem alive
- Reading a tick table
- Reading a key
- Machines that respond
- Characteristics of living things
- Naming the category
- Naming a characteristic
- Reasoning about the hard cases
| Object | Gets bigger | Reproduces | Needs food | Responds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Q | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| R | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Answers and explanations for all 9 questions
Every answer with the reasoning behind it. Worth reading after you have tried the set — or on its own, if you are a parent marking it.
Which of these is best described as once-living rather than living or non-living?
Answer: a leather belt
Leather is made from the skin of an animal. It is not alive now, but it was once part of something that was.
Which two of these are NOT living, even though they seem to be?
Answer: A and B only
Flames and crystals get bigger, but neither feeds, reproduces or responds. Getting bigger on its own is not enough to be alive.
Based on the table above, which statement is correct?
Answer: Only P is living; Q and R each show one characteristic but not the rest.
A living thing shows all the characteristics together. One on its own proves nothing: a crystal grows and a machine responds.
Based on the key above, which of these would be sorted as K?
Answer: a wooden chair
K is reached by answering no, then yes: not living now, but once part of a living thing. Wood comes from a tree, so a wooden chair fits.
A security light switches on when someone walks past. Why is it not a living thing?
Answer: It responds, but it does not grow, feed or reproduce.
Responding is only one characteristic. A living thing shows all of them, and the lamp never grows, feeds or produces young lamps.
Which two of these are true of every living thing, including plants?
Answer: A and B only
Every living thing reproduces and responds. Moving about is something many animals do, and making food is something plants do — neither is true of all.
A cotton shirt is not alive, but the cotton came from a plant. Such a thing is best described as ______ -living. (One word.)
Answer: once
Something that is not alive now but came from a living thing is once-living.
A cat produces kittens, and a mango tree produces seeds that grow into new mango trees. Which characteristic of living things do both of these show?
Answer: reproduction
Producing young of their own kind is reproduction.
A pupil argued that a car is living because it needs fuel, moves, and makes a noise when you turn the key. What is the strongest reason it is not living?
Answer: A car cannot produce young cars of its own kind.
Needing fuel and moving both look convincing, which is why this is a good trap. Reproduction is the one no machine manages: cars are built, not born.