PSLE Science: Key Terms & Concepts
A complete PSLE Science revision deck covering 50 must-know terms, definitions, and concepts from the Singapore Primary 5 and 6 syllabus. Spans the highest-weightage topics — energy and photosynthesis, forces, the water cycle, plant reproduction, food webs, and materials. Ideal for quick daily revision and last-minute exam prep.
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#1
Q:What is photosynthesis?
- A:The process by which green plants make food (sugar) using water, carbon dioxide and light energy.
#2
Q:Which gas do plants take in during photosynthesis?
- A:Carbon dioxide.
#3
Q:Which gas do plants give out during photosynthesis?
- A:Oxygen.
#4
Q:What green substance in leaves traps light for photosynthesis?
- A:Chlorophyll.
#5
Q:What is respiration in living things?
- A:The process of releasing energy from food, using oxygen and giving out carbon dioxide.
#6
Q:What is the main source of energy for almost all living things?
- A:The Sun.
#7
Q:What is potential energy?
- A:Stored energy due to an object's position or condition (e.g. a stretched spring or a raised object).
#8
Q:What is kinetic energy?
- A:The energy a moving object has.
#9
Q:Name one example of energy conversion in a torch.
- A:Chemical (electrical) energy in the battery is converted to light and heat energy.
#10
Q:What is a force?
- A:A push or a pull that can change the shape, speed or direction of an object.
#11
Q:What is gravity?
- A:A force that pulls objects towards the centre of the Earth.
#12
Q:What is friction?
- A:A force that opposes (resists) motion between two surfaces that are in contact.
#13
Q:Give one way to reduce friction.
- A:Use lubricants (oil), use rollers/wheels, or make surfaces smoother.
#14
Q:What is a magnet able to do?
- A:Attract magnetic materials such as iron, steel, nickel and cobalt.
#15
Q:What are the two poles of a magnet called?
- A:The north pole and the south pole.
#16
Q:What happens when like poles of two magnets are brought together?
- A:They repel (push away) each other.
#17
Q:What is elastic spring force?
- A:The pulling or pushing force in a stretched or compressed spring.
#18
Q:What is evaporation?
- A:The process by which a liquid changes into a gas (water vapour).
#19
Q:What is condensation?
- A:The process by which water vapour (gas) changes into liquid water.
#20
Q:What drives the water cycle?
- A:Heat energy from the Sun.
#21
Q:What are the three states of matter?
- A:Solid, liquid and gas.
#22
Q:What is the freezing point of water?
- A:0 degrees Celsius.
#23
Q:What is the boiling point of water?
- A:100 degrees Celsius.
#24
Q:What is melting?
- A:The change of a solid into a liquid when it gains heat.
#25
Q:What is pollination?
- A:The transfer of pollen grains from the anther (male) to the stigma (female) of a flower.
#26
Q:What part of the flower produces pollen?
- A:The anther (part of the stamen).
#27
Q:What is the female part of a flower called?
- A:The pistil (made up of stigma, style and ovary).
#28
Q:What develops into a seed after fertilisation?
- A:The ovule.
#29
Q:Name two ways seeds are dispersed.
- A:By wind, by water, by animals, or by splitting/explosive action.
#30
Q:What feature helps a seed be dispersed by wind?
- A:Wing-like structures or being light and feathery (e.g. hairs).
#31
Q:What is germination?
- A:The process by which a seed grows into a young plant (seedling).
#32
Q:What three things does a seed need to germinate?
- A:Water, air and a suitable temperature (warmth).
#33
Q:What is a food chain?
- A:A diagram showing how energy/food passes from one living thing to another.
#34
Q:What is a producer in a food chain?
- A:A green plant that makes its own food through photosynthesis.
#35
Q:What is a consumer?
- A:A living thing that eats (consumes) other living things for food.
#36
Q:What is a food web?
- A:Several interlinked food chains showing feeding relationships in a habitat.
#37
Q:What is a herbivore?
- A:An animal that eats only plants.
#38
Q:What is a carnivore?
- A:An animal that eats only other animals.
#39
Q:What is an adaptation?
- A:A special feature or behaviour that helps a living thing survive in its environment.
#40
Q:What is the purpose of classifying living things?
- A:To group them according to their shared characteristics so they are easier to study.
#41
Q:Give one characteristic shared by all mammals.
- A:They have hair/fur and give birth to live young (and feed them milk).
#42
Q:What is an electric circuit?
- A:A complete (closed) path through which electric current can flow.
#43
Q:What is a conductor of electricity?
- A:A material that allows electric current to pass through it (e.g. copper, metals).
#44
Q:What is an insulator of electricity?
- A:A material that does not allow electric current to pass through it (e.g. plastic, rubber).
#45
Q:What happens to a bulb if the circuit is open (broken)?
- A:The bulb does not light up because no current can flow.
#46
Q:What is a property of a material?
- A:A characteristic of the material, such as being flexible, waterproof, strong or transparent.
#47
Q:Why is glass used to make windows?
- A:Because it is transparent, allowing light to pass through.
#48
Q:In a fair test (experiment), what must you keep the same?
- A:All variables except the one you are testing (keep the others constant).
#49
Q:What is a variable in an experiment?
- A:A factor or condition that can be changed, kept the same, or measured.
#50
Q:What is a prediction in science?
- A:A statement of what you expect to happen, based on what you already know.