Learned or Inherited
Inherited or Acquired
Instinct or Learned
From Parent to Offspring
A Mixed Bag of Fun
100
Which are inherited characteristics?
A. dimples, freckles, curly hair
B. height, freckles, liking vegetables
C. eye color, music preference, handedness
D. playing a musical instrument, eye shape, hair color
What is A? dimples, freckles, and curly hair are all inherited characteristics.
100
Jennifer wants to be a teacher when she grows up just as her mother and grandmother were. Which of the following is this most likely an example of?
A. an inherited characteristic, because Jennifer wants to be a teacher
B. a learned characteristic, because Jennifer went to school to study to become a teacher
C. an inherited characteristic, because all past generations of women in her family were teachers
D. a learned characteristic, because Jennifer saw the example her mother and grandmother set for her
What is D? - a learned characteristic, because Jennifer saw the example her mother and grandmother set for her
100
Skylar can roll his tongue and blow bubbles. He has dimples and a widow’s peak. Which is a learned characteristic?
A. Skylar has dimples.
B. Skylar can blow bubbles.
C. Skylar can roll his tongue.
D. Skylar has a widow’s peak.
What is B- Skylar can blow bubbles.
100
Which is a behavioral characteristic passed from parent to offspring in dogs?
A. barking
B. fetching
C. rolling over
D. sitting on command
What is A? A dog barking is passed from parent to offspring.
100
From whom may an animal inherit it's traits?
A- brothers and sisters
B- parents
C - other animals in the ecosystem
D - other animals in the population
What is B? - parents
200
Which characteristic is the best example of an inherited trait?
A. short hair
B. eye color
C. pierced ears
D. long fingernails
What is B? - eye color
200
Which of these traits is most influenced by a person’s environment?
A. ability to roll the tongue
B. blood type
C. weight
D. eye color
What is C? - weight
200
Which is an instinctive behavior?
A. a cat using a litter box
B. a dog begging for food
C. a chimpanzee using sign language
D. a grasshopper rubbing its legs together to attract mates
What is D? A grasshopper rubbing its legs together to attract mates - for funsies you should look up the "silent crickets of Hawaii"
200
Julia has long brown hair but her brother, mother, and father have short brown hair. Why is her hair different than the rest of her family?
A. Hair color is not inherited.
B. Length of hair is not inherited.
C. She can only wear her hair long.
D. She inherited her long hair from her aunt.
What is B - length of hair is not inherited.
200
Some people have a “hitchhiker’s” thumb that allows them to bend their thumbs more than other people. How do these people most likely get this trait?
A. They learn it from friends.
B. They get it as a result of an illness.
C. They get it as a result of their jobs.
D. They inherit it from their parents.
What is D? - They inherit it from their parents.
300
Which is an example of an inherited trait?
A. favorite food
B. reading fast
C. language
D. handedness
What is D? - handedness
300
Which is an example of a trait that is inherited?
A. dimples
B. intelligence
C. weight
D. favorite color
What is A? - dimples
300
Which of the following best describes an instinctive behavior?
A. A behavior that is acquired through experience and practice.
B. A behavior that is only exhibited in certain situations depending on environmental cues.
C. A behavior that is present from birth and does not require learning.
D. A behavior that is taught by other members of the species.
What is C - C. A behavior that is present from birth and does not require learning.
300
Which is most likely the reason parents and their children have similar physical traits?
A. They live in the same home.
B. They have similar genetic structures.
C. They are born in similar environments.
D. They have similar blood types.
What is B? They have similar genetic structures.
300
Which best describes a characteristic learned by an offspring?
A) a characteristic inherited from its father
B) a characteristic inherited from its mother
C) a characteristic influenced by its environment
D) a characteristic developed as the organism grows
What is C? - a characteristic influenced by its environment
400
A student has two hamsters that are brothers. One hamster is named Arnold, and the other is named Chester. Arnold gets a lot of exercise because the student puts Arnold in a cage with a hamster wheel. Chester does not exercise as much as Arnold because the student puts Chester in a different cage without a hamster wheel. After one month, the student notices that Arnold can run much faster than Chester. Which choice best summarizes the student’s observations?
A. Arnold inherited the ability to run faster by exercising.
B. Arnold acquired the ability to run faster by exercising.
C. Chester inherited the ability to run faster by exercising.
D. Chester acquired the ability to run faster by exercising
What is B? Arnold acquired the ability to run faster by exercising.
400
Alyssa is in the sixth grade. She and her mom share the same hair and eye color. They are planning a trip to Mexico. Alyssa’s mom can speak Spanish but Alyssa cannot. Why is Alyssa unable to speak Spanish?
A. Alyssa’s mom inherited the ability to speak Spanish, but Alyssa did not.
B. Alyssa only inherited the ability to speak English from her mom.
C. Alyssa cannot learn to speak Spanish because she is too young.
D. Alyssa’s mom learned to speak Spanish, but Alyssa did not.
What is D? - Alyssa’s mom learned to speak Spanish, but Alyssa did not.
400
Jeremy is visiting a zoo and notices that the zebras are herding together in their habitat. Jeremy wonders why the zebras, even the babies, do this. Which question would most likely help him understand this behavior?
A. Is it instinctual for zebras to herd together?
B. Is there a limit on how many zebras can herd together?
C. How many characteristics do the zebras in the herd share?
D. How many zebras in the herd have similar color patterns?
What is A? Is it instinctual for zebras to herd together?
400
Jennifer’s biological parents both lack widow’s peaks. Why was Jennifer born with a widow’s peak?
A. Jennifer’s aunt has a widow’s peak.
B. Jennifer’s cousin has a widow’s peak.
C. Jennifer’s brother has a widow’s peak.
D. Jennifer’s grandfather has a widow’s peak.
What is D? Jennifer's grandfather has a widow's peak and was passed down.
400
What are TWO likely reasons why the striped skunk has a much greater population in the wild than the giant
panda?
What are ... any of these!
The skunk eats more kinds of foods than the giant panda.
• The skunk is adapted to eating many different foods, while the panda is adapted (large molars) to eating only bamboo (or fewer kinds of food).
• The skunk can live close to humans, while the giant panda cannot.
• The skunk can live in a greater variety of habitats than the giant panda.
• The skunk produces more offspring than the giant panda.
• The skunk offspring leave their parents sooner than the giant panda offspring.
500
A student has two hamsters that are brothers. One hamster is named Arnold, and the other is named Chester. Arnold gets a lot of exercise because the student puts Arnold in a cage with a hamster wheel. Chester does not exercise as much as Arnold because the student puts Chester in a different cage without a hamster wheel. After one month, the student notices that Arnold can run much faster than Chester. Which choice best summarizes the student’s observations?
A. Arnold inherited the ability to run faster by exercising.
B. Arnold acquired the ability to run faster by exercising.
C. Chester inherited the ability to run faster by exercising.
D. Chester acquired the ability to run faster by exercising
What is B? Arnold acquired the ability to run faster by exercising.
500
A student was collecting seeds from a sunflower plant. The student observed that most of the leaves on the sunflower plant had holes made by chewing insects. The student planned to plant the seeds the following year. What question can be asked to find out whether the new sunflower plant will have the same acquired characteristics of the parent sunflower?
A. Will the sunflower have yellow petals?
B. Will the sunflower grow to the same height?
C. Will the sunflower have holes in its leaves?
D. Will the sunflower have the same shaped leaves?
What is C? Will the sunflower have holes in its leaves?
500
Which human trait is most likely inherited from parents?
A) reading
B) riding a bike
C) height
D) holding a spoon
What is C? - height
500
A mother rabbit has a litter. One of the babies is born with one long ear and one short ear. What most likely caused this one rabbit to be born with one short ear?
A. The mother rabbit had previously lost an ear in an accident.
B. The mother rabbit became sick before she gave birth.
C. A mutation occurred during the development of this one rabbit.
D. This one rabbit received less nutrition than the other rabbits before it was born.
What is C? - C. A mutation occurred during the development of this one rabbit.
500
Monarch butterflies can be found in North Carolina. The list shows some characteristics of monarch butterflies.
Characteristics of Monarch Butterflies
• are light green as caterpillars
• have orange wings, black stripes and white spots as adults
•as a defense, they taste bad to other animals
• migrates to and from Mexico at certain times of the year
From the characteristics above, which question can be asked to find out about characteristics of monarch butterflies that are instincts?
A. Why do monarch butterflies migrate?
B. What stages are in the monarch butterfly life cycle?
C. What colors are monarch butterflies?
D. How does a monarch butterfly defend itself from predators?
What is A? - Why do monarch butterflies migrate?
