Science
What you must know
Cover the basics of living things (parts of plants and animals, life cycles, needs of organisms), the human body and health (digestive, respiratory, circulatory systems; nutrition; hygiene), matter (solid, liquid, gas; changes of state), force and motion, energy (light, heat, sound, electricity), earth and space (weather, water cycle, day and night), and environment and conservation.
Traps to watch
- "Which is NOT" questions: three options fit the concept and one does not; read carefully.
- Distinguish observation (what you see, hear, measure) from inference (an explanation you add). "The ice melted" is observation; "the room was warm" is inference.
- States of matter: melting (solid → liquid), freezing (liquid → solid), evaporation (liquid → gas), condensation (gas → liquid). Do not swap evaporation and condensation.
- Cause and effect in nature: the Sun is the main source of light and heat; plants make food using sunlight (photosynthesis).
- Watch for "all," "always," "never" in choices; these are usually wrong because science statements often have exceptions.
Worked example
Question: A glass of cold water is left on a table. Water droplets appear on the outside. Why?
- Step 1: What is happening? Water vapor in the air touches the cold glass.
- Step 2: Which change of state? Gas → liquid, which is condensation.
- Step 3: Choose the option naming condensation, not evaporation. The droplets come from the air, not from leaking through the glass.
Rule of thumb
When a science question asks "why," name the process first, then the evidence. If the answer names the wrong process, it is wrong even if it sounds scientific.