P5 General Studies Practice Paper: Healthy Living, Natural Phenomena and Community Facilities
- 2026-11-05
P5 General Studies – 12 questions – 100 marks – 50 minutes
P5 General Studies practice paper: 12 questions, 100 marks, 50 minutes on healthy living, the water cycle, weather, energy and community facilities, with marking points and PDFs.
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Paper details P5 General Studies practice paper with 12 questions on healthy living, the water cycle, weather, energy use, recycling and community facilities, 100 marks in 50 minutes.
Section A: Healthy Living
Answer all questions in complete sentences and show your working.
| # | Question | Answer and marking notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Department of Health advises primary pupils to drink about 6 glasses of water a day, each of about 250 mL. (a) What is the recommended daily intake in mL, and in litres? (b) Wah has drunk only 4 glasses today. How many mL short of the recommendation is he? (c) Give one correct way to replace water in hot weather. | Answer: (a) 6 x 250 = 1500 mL, that is 1.5 L. (b) He is 2 glasses short: 2 x 250 = 500 mL. (c) For example, drink water in small amounts after exercise and avoid large amounts of sugary or iced drinks at once. Marking: 2 marks each for mL and L, 2 marks for the working and answer in (b), 2 marks for a specific practice; no marks for simply saying drink more water. |
| 2 | Mei has a resting heart rate of 72 beats per minute. After skipping for 5 minutes it is 132 beats per minute. (a) By how many beats per minute is the rate higher after exercise? (b) What percentage of the resting rate is this increase, to one decimal place? (c) Explain why the heart beats faster during exercise. | Answer: (a) 132 – 72 = 60 beats. (b) 60 / 72 x 100% = 83.3%. (c) Working muscles need more oxygen and nutrients and produce more carbon dioxide, so the heart pumps faster to deliver oxygen and carry waste away. Marking: 2 marks in (a), 3 marks in (b) for the working and the percentage, 1.5 marks each for oxygen demand and transport in (c). |
| 3 | Correct hand washing means rubbing the hands with soap for at least 20 seconds. Ling washes her hands 8 times a day and rubs for 20 seconds each time. (a) How many seconds does she spend rubbing her hands in a day? (b) How many minutes and seconds is that? (c) Name two parts of the hand that are most often missed when washing. | Answer: (a) 8 x 20 = 160 seconds. (b) 160 seconds is 2 minutes 40 seconds. (c) The spaces between the fingers, the thumbs, the wrists or the fingertips. Marking: 2 marks in (a), 2 marks for the conversion, 2 marks for each part named up to 4 marks in (c); no marks for the palm only. |
| 4 | The Department of Health advises children aged 6 to 12 to sleep 9 to 11 hours a day. Ming goes to bed at 22:00 and gets up at 07:00 the next morning. (a) How many hours does he sleep? (b) Does his sleeping time meet the advice? (c) Give two effects of too little sleep on primary pupils. | Answer: (a) 2 hours from 22:00 to midnight plus 7 hours is 9 hours. (b) Yes, 9 hours is within the advised 9 to 11 hours. (c) For example poor concentration in class, weaker memory, tiredness, mood swings or lower immunity. Marking: 3 marks in (a), 2 marks for the judgement and reason in (b), 1.5 marks for each effect in (c). |
Section B: Weather, the Water Cycle and Energy
Answer all questions and state the units in calculations.
| # | Question | Answer and marking notes |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | On one day the observatory records a maximum temperature of 31.2 degrees and a minimum of 26.4 degrees, with relative humidity at 85%. (a) What is the temperature difference that day? (b) When humidity is so high, sweat evaporates slowly. How does the body feel? (c) Give one way to prevent heat stroke in hot weather. | Answer: (a) 31.2 – 26.4 = 4.8 degrees. (b) Sweat evaporates slowly, so the body loses heat slowly and the felt temperature is higher than the actual temperature, making the air feel muggy. (c) For example avoid outdoor activity at midday, drink more water, wear light loose clothing and rest in the shade. Marking: 3 marks in (a), 1.5 marks each for evaporation and heat loss in (b), 3 marks for a specific method in (c). |
| 6 | A glass holds 200 mL of water and stands by a window for three days, losing 15 mL to evaporation each day. (a) How much water evaporates in three days? (b) How much water is left in the glass? (c) Where does the evaporated water go? Name the next two stages of the water cycle. | Answer: (a) 15 x 3 = 45 mL. (b) 200 – 45 = 155 mL. (c) The water is heated, turns into water vapour and rises; it cools and condenses into droplets that form clouds; the droplets grow and fall as rain or snow, and the water returns to the sea through rivers. Marking: 3 marks in (a), 2 marks in (b), 2 marks each for condensation and precipitation in (c). |
| 7 | Rainfall in June, July and August is 420 mm, 380 mm and 450 mm. (a) What is the total rainfall for the three months? (b) What is the mean monthly rainfall, to one decimal place? (c) Which season do these three months belong to in Hong Kong, and which weather systems affect it? | Answer: (a) 420 + 380 + 450 = 1250 mm. (b) 1250 / 3 = 416.7 mm to one decimal place. (c) These are summer months; Hong Kong is then affected by typhoons (tropical cyclones) and the southwest monsoon, so rain is concentrated. Marking: 3 marks in (a), 3 marks in (b) and deduct 1 mark if not given to one decimal place, 1 mark for the season and 2 marks for the weather systems in (c). |
| 8 | A 9 W LED lamp and a 60 W filament lamp are each used 5 hours a day for 30 days. (a) Calculate the electricity used by each lamp in kWh. (b) What is the difference in electricity used? (c) Give one way to save electricity at home. | Answer: (a) LED: 9 x 5 x 30 / 1000 = 1.35 kWh; filament lamp: 60 x 5 x 30 / 1000 = 9 kWh. (b) 9 – 1.35 = 7.65 kWh. (c) For example switch off lights when leaving a room, use LED lamps and switch off appliances that are not in use. Marking: 3 marks for each electricity figure in (a), 2 marks in (b), 1 mark in (c). |
Section C: Community Facilities and Daily Life
Answer all questions and give at least two examples where asked.
| # | Question | Answer and marking notes |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | A community library is open from 10:00 to 19:00 every day except Wednesday. (a) How many hours a day is the library open? (b) How many hours a week is it open? (c) Name two services the library provides for the community. | Answer: (a) 19 – 10 = 9 hours. (b) The library opens 6 days a week, so 9 x 6 = 54 hours. (c) For example lending books, providing a study room, free computers and internet access, reading activities and reference materials. Marking: 2 marks in (a), 3 marks in (b) where Wednesday must be excluded, 1.5 marks for each service in (c). |
| 10 | Each household produces 1.2 kg of waste a day, of which 30% can be recycled. (a) How much waste does a household produce in a week of 7 days? (b) How much of it can be recycled? (c) Name two kinds of waste that should go into recycling bins. | Answer: (a) 1.2 x 7 = 8.4 kg. (b) 8.4 x 30% = 2.52 kg. (c) For example waste paper, aluminium cans, plastic bottles, glass bottles and metal tins. Marking: 3 marks in (a), 3 marks in (b) where the weekly total must be found first, 1 mark for each kind of waste in (c). |
| 11 | A bus route starts at 07:00 and a bus leaves every 12 minutes. (a) How many buses leave between 07:00 and 09:00? (b) At what time does the next bus leave after 08:00? (c) Give two safety rules when using public transport. | Answer: (a) 07:00 to 09:00 is 120 minutes; 120 / 12 = 10, and adding the first bus gives 11 buses. (b) A bus leaves at 08:00, so the next one is at 08:12. (c) For example queue up to board, hold the handrail and stand firm, keep hands and head inside the vehicle, and do not run in the carriage. Marking: 4 marks in (a) and only 2 marks if the first bus is not counted, 2 marks in (b), 1 mark for each rule in (c). |
| 12 | A 250 mL carton of juice states that 100 mL contains 9 g of sugar. (a) How much sugar is taken in by drinking the whole carton? (b) The World Health Organization advises less than 50 g of free sugar a day. What percentage of that limit does the carton provide? (c) Why is eating whole fruit healthier than drinking juice? | Answer: (a) 9 x 250 / 100 = 22.5 g. (b) 22.5 / 50 x 100% = 45%. (c) Whole fruit contains dietary fibre and must be chewed, so it is more filling and its sugar is absorbed more slowly, while juice has the fibre removed and its sugar is easy to take in quickly. Marking: 3 marks in (a), 3 marks in (b), 1 mark each for fibre and fullness in (c). |
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