Nature of Science
Plant Reproduction
Life
Cycles
Cycles
Traits and Behaviors
Changes and Impacts of Plants and Animals
Food
Chains
Chains
100
Animals can move and live within a large geographic area. However, plants cannot move from place to place. What process helps plants live over a large geographic area?
A. pollination
B. fertilization
C. seed dispersal
D. seed germination
C. seed dispersal
100
The Eastern Lubber grasshopper is a common sight in Florida. This grasshopper can get as long as 7 cm. The female grasshopper lays eggs in the Spring, and these eggs hatch into nymphs. Nymphs look like small adults but without wings. Which of the following statements is true about the Eastern Lubber grasshopper?
A. This grasshopper does not go through reproduction.
B. This grasshopper can fly shortly after the eggs hatch.
C. This grasshopper goes through complete metamorphosis.
D. This grasshopper goes through incomplete metamorphosis.
D. This grasshopper goes through incomplete metamorphosis.
100
Some garter snakes in Northern Florida hibernate in the winter. What is most likely the cause for the hibernation of the garter snake?
A. It is a learned behavior.
B. It is an inherited behavior.
C. There is too much food to eat.
D. The animals are bored and decide to sleep.
B. It is an inherited behavior.
100
The Live Oak tree in Florida keeps its leaves for most of the year. The White Oak tree in Ohio loses its leaves during the fall and the tree remains bare throughout the winter. Which of the following statements is true about these oak trees?
A. The oak tree in Florida goes dormant in the summer.
B. The oak tree in Ohio dies when it loses its leaves.
C. The oak tree in Florida hibernates in the winter.
D. The oak tree in Ohio goes dormant in the winter.
D. The oak tree in Ohio goes dormant in the winter.
100
Ms. Strunk asks her students to work in groups to provide information so they can complete the table below. The students are to provide two facts about how each group of living things get their energy.
Which of the following statements has been placed in the table incorrectly?
A. They eat plants.
B. They are animals.
C. They make their own food.
D. They eat animals and plants.
A. They eat plants.
200
Mariana is interested in doing an investigation on magnets. She reads that she could turn an
iron nail into a magnet as shown in this illustration.
Mariana’s Set-up
What evidence will demonstrate that Mariana’s investigation worked to turn the iron nail into a
magnet?
A. The iron nail attracts some metal paper clips.
B. The copper wire becomes too hot to touch.
C. The copper wire conducts electricity.
D. The iron nail is too hot to touch.
A. The iron nail attracts some metal paper clips.
200
The Florida Skullcap is a flowering plant. Scientists carefully monitor this plant. In one area
alone, scientists observed a change in population from 2017 to 2018. The data is shown in the table below.
What is the most likely explanation for the increase in the number of Florida skullcaps?
A. a decrease in the rate of seed germination
B. an increase in the number of pollinators in the area
C. a decrease in the number of pollen grains released by an anther
D. an increase in the number of cones produced to protect the seeds
B. an increase in the number of pollinators in the area
200
The life cycles of all seed plants involve certain stages. The arrow is pointing to this lima
bean plant’s most recent stage.
Which stage will most likely be next for this lima bean plant?
A. sprouting
B. seedling
C. reproduction
D. germination
C. reproduction
200
People who visit an aquarium often enjoy seeing the dolphin show. The picture below shows
something a dolphin may do during one of these shows.
What type of behavior is this dolphin demonstrating?
A. neither hereditary nor learned
B. hereditary
C. instinctive
D. learned
D. learned
200
Each summer, Robin and his family take a vacation at an ocean cottage. This year, they learn that they cannot swim in the ocean because of an oil spill. What effect will the oil spill most likely have on the environment?
A. The air near the oil spill will develop smog.
B. The temperature of the water will increase.
C. The number of cloudy days at the shore will increase.
D. Fish and water birds will become coated with oil and not survive.
D. Fish and water birds will become coated with oil and not survive.
200
Carla wants to show how living things receive their energy. Which sequence is correct?
A. sunlight --> producer --> producer --> consumer
B. sunlight --> consumer --> consumer --> producer
C. sunlight --> consumer --> producer --> consumer
D. sunlight --> producer --> consumer --> consumer
D. sunlight --> producer --> consumer --> consumer
300
An agency lists the number of endangered mammals and birds for a given month.
Which statement is an observation that is based on the table?
A. There are more mammals and birds in the United States than there are in other countries.
B. There are more mammals and birds in other countries than there are in the United States.
C. There are more endangered mammals and birds outside the United States than there are inside the United States.
D. There are more endangered mammals and birds outside the United States because of laws that protect wildlife in these places.
C. There are more endangered mammals and birds outside the United States than there are inside the United States.
300
Reproduction in flowering plants involves several stages. Sometimes animals have a role in plant reproduction. In which two of these stages can animals play a role?
A. pollination and fertilization
B. pollination and seed dispersal
C. seed dispersal and fertilization
D. seed germination and seed dispersal
B. pollination and seed dispersal
300
The most common stick bug in Florida is the Two-striped Walkingstick. Stick bugs undergo
incomplete metamorphosis. What is the main difference between the life stages of stick bugs
and insects that undergo complete metamorphosis like butterflies?
A. Stick bugs do not lay eggs.
B. Stick bugs do not form pupae.
C. Stick bugs reproduce by giving birth to live young.
D. Stick bugs develop directly from an egg to an adult.
B. Stick bugs do not form pupae.
300
Ms. Leon asks Alicia to describe four things she did that morning. Alicia shares that she rode her bicycle to school, spoke Spanish with her friend, jumped when the fire alarm sounded, and finished her science and math homework. What does Alicia do that was most likely an instinctive behavior?
A. Alicia rides her bicycle to school.
B. Alicia speaks Spanish with her friend.
C. Alicia jumps when the fire alarm sounded.
D. Alicia finishes her science and math homework.
C. Alicia jumps when the fire alarm sounded.
300
During the winter, Purple finches are often seen in Florida. During the summer, Purple finches are rarely seen in Florida. Which of the following statements best explains the reason for this change?
A. The birds reproduce in Florida during the summer.
B. The birds migrate to Florida during the winter.
C. The birds raise their young during the summer.
D. The birds hibernate during the winter.
B. The birds migrate to Florida during the winter.
300
Matt creates the food chain below.
What is NOT accurate with the food chain that Matt draws?
A. Plants are producers, which means they do not get energy from other living things.
B. Plants are producers, which means they get energy from only other plants.
C. There cannot be more than one animal in a food chain.
D. There should not be any plants in a food chain.
A. Plants are producers, which means they do not get energy from other living things.
400
Students in Zoe’s class measure the time it takes for a marble to roll down a ramp. Why should Zoe compare her data to other students’ data?
A. to see if her data matches other students’ data
B. to see if she needs to change her data
C. to decide why the car moved slowly
D. to choose the best time to record
A. to see if her data matches other students’ data
400
Avion’s class performs a flower dissection for the students to observe the different structures of a flower on a flowering plant. The teacher asks Avion to find the petals on his flower and to identify the function of the petals. 
What answer does Avion give his teacher about the function of the petals?
A. The petals attract the pollinators to the flower.
B. The petals provide water and nutrients for the flower.
C. The petals absorb water and nutrients for the rest of the flower.
D. The petals help the other flower structures perform fertilization.
A. The petals attract the pollinators to the flower.
400
Our Florida orange trees flower in the Spring. Soon after the flowers bloom, the fruit develops on the trees. Which of the following describes the life cycle stage that occurs after the flowers bloom and while the fruit develops?
A. embryo
B. germination
C. seeds are developing
D. the seedling is growing
C. seeds are developing
400
Hurricanes in Florida damage trees. If a pine tree loses half of its branches, what will its offspring most likely look like?
A. They will have half the normal number of branches.
B. They will have the normal number of branches.
C. They will have twice as many branches.
D. They will have no branches.
B. They will have the normal number of branches.
400
Mercury is a poison that can affect a person’s health. Mercury gets into the environment in several ways. One way is by dumping industrial wastes into rivers and lakes. Once it is in the water, mercury can enter a food chain. The mercury builds up as it works its way through a food chain. The organisms at the end of the food chain will have the highest level of mercury. The picture below shows mercury being dumped into a lake.
Which organism in the picture will have the highest level of mercury?
A. large fish
B. small fish
C. all the plants
D. the person fishing
D. the person fishing
400
In the following food chain - which describes the flow of energy from a consumer to a consumer?
A. perch to shrimp
B. shrimp to perch
C. algae to shrimp
D. shrimp to algae
B. shrimp to perch
500
Mrs. Larrabee places the students into five teams with four students in each team. Each team is given 50 seeds to place on a damp paper towel under the window sill. After one week, each team counts how many of their seeds have germinated. They notice there are differences in the data each team has collected. Which of the following reasons explains why some teams had more seeds germinate than the other teams?
A. They each used a different procedure.
B. They each chose a different location.
C. They each have different students.
D. They each used different seeds.
D. They each used different seeds.
500
During the flower dissection, Avion and his partner make some observations. Their recorded
observations are listed below.
1. There are pollen grains on the tip of the pistil.
2. The ovary can be broken into two halves.
3. The ovary has tiny white eggs inside.
4. The eggs are arranged like corn kernels on a corn cob.
Which of the following processes would most likely have happened next if the flowering plant
was still alive?
A. seed dispersal
B. pollination
C. germination
D. fertilization
D. fertilization
500
The Spotted Bass is a fish that is found in the streams and rivers of the Panhandle region of Florida. It feeds on small organisms such as frogs, crustaceans, and insects. 
What life cycle stage does the Spotted Bass have in common with its food sources (frogs,
crustaceans, and insects)?
A. egg
B. larva
C. pupa
D. tadpole
A. egg
500
The students at McInnis Elementary School have been making observations about the spinach plants growing in Mrs. Larrabee’s garden. Each type of vegetable is growing in its own row. They observe that some of the spinach plants are being covered by the big leaves of the collard greens growing in the next row. 
Which of the following will most likely happen to the spinach plants as a result of being covered by the collard greens?
A. The spinach plants may not grow as tall.
B. The shape of the spinach leaves may change.
C. The plants will change from being spinach to collard greens.
D. The spinach plants will produce more seeds than the collard greens.
A. The spinach plants may not grow as tall.
500
In some parts of the Florida Everglades, sawgrass can grow thick enough to block the flow of water. Alligators make nests out of sawgrass and also make travel lanes through the grass. This helps the water flow easily It also keeps the sawgrass from being completely underwater, which can damage the sawgrass. What relationship is demonstrated by the alligators and sawgrass in the Everglades?
A. Alligators destroy sawgrass.
B. Alligators feed on sawgrass.
C. Sawgrass helps the alligators travel.
D. Sawgrass and alligators depend on each other.
D. Sawgrass and alligators depend on each other.
500
In an ocean environment, there are many different kinds of producers. Phytoplankton is an example of a producer found in an ocean ecosystem. The food chain below shows phytoplankton, krill, and whale.
Which link in the food chain receives energy from the phytoplankton’s?
A. The sun B. The krill
C. The phytoplankton D. The whale
B. The krill