Rulang Primary School (RLPS) P3 SA1 Examination Paper Analysis

Introduction

Welcome back to our Examination Paper Analysis series!

In this article, we will be analysing a question on the topic of Animal Classification from the 2019 Rulang Primary School (RLPS) P3 SA1 Examination Paper.

Let’s Take A Look At This Question

Source: Rulang Primary School – 2019 P3 SA1 Examination Paper [Q7]

Let’s Analyse Part (A)

In part A, the question asks which animal group Y belongs to.

⭐ Tip In Answering Flowchart Questions ⭐

Whenever there is a flowchart question, it is good to prepare some highlighters or different coloured pens.

Since we need to identify which animal group Y belongs to, the first thing we must do is identify the characteristics that animal Y has.

But to see the characteristics clearly, I want you to highlight from Y all the way to the starting point of the flowchart. From the highlighted path in the diagram below, we can see clearly that there are three characteristics that animal Y has.

Source: Rulang Primary School – 2019 P3 SA1 Examination Paper [Q7]

To identify which animal group Y belongs to, we have to look at which characteristics are unique.

✨ What Are Unique Characteristics? ✨

To put it simply, unique characteristics are characteristics that can only be found in that specific animal group.

Source: Rulang Primary School – 2019 P3 SA1 Examination Paper [Q7]

Let’s take a look at Characteristic 1. We know that Y does not have wings. Is that unique to any animal group? No.

Many animal groups do not have wings. So, Characteristic 1 is not useful in determining which animal group Y belongs to.

For Characteristic 2, we know that Y does not give birth to its young alive. Is that a unique characteristic? No.

Many animal groups do not give birth to their young alive, so Characteristic 2 is not helpful as well.

Let’s now take a look at Characteristic 3. We know that animal Y has three body parts. Is this a unique characteristic? Yes!

Which is the only animal group that has three body parts? They are the insects.

Suggested Answer For Part (A)

Animal Y belongs to the insect animal group.

Let’s Analyse Part (B)

For part (b), the question wants us to write down one difference between animals X and Z.

Similar to part (a), the first thing you should do is to take out a different coloured pen and trace out a line from X to the starting point of the flowchart.

Let’s do the same for animal Z.

Source: Rulang Primary School – 2019 P3 SA1 Examination Paper [Q7]

Once we have highlighted the flowchart, we need to identify the difference between X and Z.

You might think that animal Z does not have three body parts, while animal X has three. Is this a difference? No.

If you look at the flowchart carefully, it is true that Z does not have three body parts. But from the flowchart, can we tell whether X has three body parts? No.

Hence, we cannot use this characteristic as a difference. Instead, which characteristic should we focus on?

If you look at the highlights for Animals X and Z, you will notice that their paths start to separate from each other from Characteristic 2.

To find the difference between these two animals, we should focus on this characteristic (Characteristic 2), which tells us if the animal gives birth to its young alive.

When we write down the difference, remember that there are certain keywords that examiners are looking out for.

⭐ Keywords To Use When Talking About Differences ⭐

When we talk about differences, we need to use keywords, such as the words “but”, “while” or “unlike”. These keywords tell the examiner that you are indicating a difference.

Suggested Answer For Part (B)

Animal X gives birth to its young alive while animal Z does not give birth to its young alive.

Conclusion

I hope you have enjoyed reading this article and that this article has helped you gain a better understanding of:

1. The steps to take when you see a question with a flowchart.
2. The unique characteristics of animal groups.
3. The keywords required to explain differences.

Check out our other articles on Animal Classification and stay tuned for more articles! 🙂