Introduction
Organisms such as plants and animals have adaptations or features that allow them to survive in their environment.
In this article, we will be analysing a question on the topic of Adaptations from the 2015 Nanyang Primary School (NYPS) P6 SA2 Examination Paper.
We will be learning how to apply these tips in breaking down information in a table to help you save time during examinations:
- Analysing information in a step-by-step manner
- Writing down notes and keywords beside the given information
- Eliminating incorrect options
Let’s Take A Look At This Question
Source: Nanyang Primary School – 2015 P6 SA2 Examination Paper [Q6]
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Organism K
Before checking the options, let’s take a look at the information given for organism K.
Source: Nanyang Primary School – 2015 P6 SA2 Examination Paper [Q6]
From the information given, we know organism K has a weak stem and also has flowers pollinated by birds.
What do you notice about plants that have weak stems? If they have a weak stem, can they support and keep themselves upright? No.
They need to be able to climb higher because they want to reach upwards for more sunlight. This is so they can carry out photosynthesis to make more food.
Moreover, for organism K, the table also says that it has flowers pollinated by birds.
For the flowers to be pollinated by the birds, the flowers have to attract the birds.
We know the flowers must be able to attract birds to visit them. With this understanding, we can take a look at the options and see which are the correct adaptations for organism K.
For option (1), we can see it has climbing stems. Is that true? Yes, that is an example of having a weak stem, so this is possible.
Next is the presence of nectar. Is this important? Yes!
🌼 Nectar As Birds’ Source Of Food 🌼
Nectar is a source of food for birds.
If this flower has nectar, will birds want to visit the flower? Yes. The presence of nectar attracts birds to pollinate the flower. Because of that, is option (1) possible? Yes, but let’s move on to option (2).
For option (2), it says that organism K has climbing stems. Is that true? Definitely.
But it also says “Absence of nectar”. Is that true? No. If this plant doesn’t have nectar, do you think that the birds would want to visit it? No, so option (2) is wrong. Nectar should be present. Hence, we can cross out option (2).
What about option (3)? The question states that it has thorns on the stem.
Do the thorns on the stem tell us whether the organism has a weak stem? No, just because a plant has thorns does not mean that we can tell that it has a weak stem based on the information given.
Is option (3) possible then? No, let’s cross it out.
Lastly, for option (4), the question states that the plant has clasping roots. Do you know what kind of plants have clasping roots? They are plants like the money plant. Can the money plant grow upwards and support itself? No.
Money plants have to grow around a support. Unlike climbing stems, the money plant’s roots climb around the support instead.
The question here is, do the clasping roots help the plant to climb higher? Yes! Therefore, clasping roots is possible then!
Not only that, it also says that organism K has brightly coloured flowers, which can attract birds.
Would that explain why this flower is pollinated by birds? Yes, which means option (4) is also possible.
We only have option (1) and option (4) as our possible answers to the question.
Organism L
Source: Nanyang Primary School – 2015 P6 SA2 Examination Paper [Q6]
For organism L, we can see that it walks on sand and it also breathes on land and in water.
Option (1) says that the organism has thin, pointed legs. It also mentions the presence of gills as well as a gill chamber. Gills help the animal to breathe in water.
What about the gill chamber? The gill chamber is different. Do you know what kind of animals have gill chambers? They are animals like the crab.
❓What Is A Gill Chamber❓
The gill chamber is a space in the animal where it holds water that contains dissolved oxygen.
If the crab were to go out of the water and go on land, would this crab still have dissolved oxygen in the water for them to take in? Yes, the dissolved oxygen in the water is found inside the gill chamber.
What is the purpose of the gill chamber then? The gill chamber helps store water to allow the animal to breathe on land. That is why the gill chamber is important!
If you look at organism L, does it have a way to breathe on land and in water? Yes, that’s why option (1) is possible.
For option (4), we know the animal has padded feet and the presence of lungs. Are lungs used to breathe on land or in water? They are used to breathe on land. This tells us that the animal breathes on land.
But if you look at the adaptations, does it have any other adaptations to allow it to breathe in water? No, so this animal can only breathe on land.
Is that the information given for organism L? No, organism L has to breathe on land and in water. Therefore, we cannot choose option (4) as the answer.
Organism M
We only need to look at option (1), but let’s check organism M, so we can be sure of our answer.
Source: Nanyang Primary School – 2015 P6 SA2 Examination Paper [Q6]
For organism M, the table says that it feeds on small animals and hunts only at night.
Let’s take a look at option (1).
The information for organism M tells us that it has sharp claws. What kind of animals have very sharp claws? Animals like eagles!
Do you know why eagles need to have sharp claws? Is it to tear into the flesh of their prey? No! They need very sharp claws to grab the small animals they see on the ground. The eagles can then bring these animals to their nest to feed on them.
The sharp claws are to grab the animals to feed on. Is it possible for M to have this characteristic then? Yes, it helps organism M to feed on small animals.
The question also says that organism M has good night vision. Having good night vision means that you can spot animals in the dark more easily.
When organism M can spot animals in the dark more easily, does this explain why it can hunt at night? Yes, which means option (1) is the correct answer.
Suggested Answer For Part (A)
Option (1).
Conclusion
Digesting overwhelming information in MCQ options can cause you to panic and lose focus especially under time pressure.
Remember to analyse the information in a step-by-step manner, write down keywords, and cross out wrong options as we have discussed in this blog post. I trust that you will surely arrive at the correct answer faster!
Check out our other articles on Adaptations and continue to keep a lookout for more articles! 🙂
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