5.10AB Released STAAR Questions

Which animal behavior is NOT correctly classified?

• Bear looking for food in a trash can

• Owl being active at night

• Dog coming when its name is called

• Squirrel getting seeds from a bird feeder

Answer explanation

Bears did not inherit the knowledge that food was in a trash can. They learned that humans leave lots of food waste in trash cans that the bears can find and eat.

Tags

NGSS.4-LS1-2

Based on these adaptations, what kind of environment do you think Bird 4 would live in?

• Prairie

• Marsh

• Forest

• Pond

Answer explanation

Since Bird 4 has webbed feet, it most likely spends a lot of time swimming. Also, the bird's beak would help it filter small bits of food from the pond.

Tags

NGSS.3-LS4-3

Which tomato plant characteristic is least likely to be inherited?

• Flower Color

• Leaf Shape

• Type of Roots

• Number of Tomatoes

Answer explanation

The number of tomatoes the plant can grow would depend on how much sunlight, water and nutrients the plant received from the environment. The other choices are characteristics the plant would inherit through the genes it gets from its parents.

Tags

NGSS.3-LS3-1

Which statement does NOT describe how the body structures of these animals help them escape predators?

• Paws with long claws on flexible toes to help them climb trees.

• Sharp teeth allow them to catch prey on land or in water.

• Long tails allow them to balance on branches in trees.

• Good eyesight helps them to see at night.

Answer explanation

Since the animals use sharp teeth to catch prey, it wouldn't help them avoid predators. Climbing trees is a good way to avoid predators and having good eyesight would help them avoid predators.

Tags

NGSS.4-LS1-1

A student raises a parrot from the time it hatches. Which of these behaviors did the parrot most likely learn from living in the student's home?

• The parrot flaps its wings while sitting on a perch.

• The parrot has a loud scream that hurts the student's ears.

• The parrot imitates the family dog barking.

• The parrot tucks its head under its wing when it sleeps.

Answer explanation

Parrots do not normally live around dogs in the wild, so it could only have learned to make the barking sound from living around a dog in the student's home. The other characteristics are behaviors the parrot inherited from its parents.

Tags

NGSS.3-LS3-2

Unlike humans, otters have special flaps that close off their nostrils and ears. These flaps help otters survive in an environment that is --

• terrestrial

• snowy

• windy

• aquatic

Tags

NGSS.3-LS3-2

NGSS.3-LS4-3

NGSS.4-LS1-1

Which observations are about inherited traits?

• Observations 1, 3 and 6

• Observations 1, 2 and 4

• Observations 2,3 and 5

• Observations 2, 5 and 6

Tags

NGSS.3-LS3-1

A bright-red male cardinal comes to a school bird feeder every morning. Like other cardinals, this bird makes a sharp chirping sound as it hops around the bird feeder.

Which of these is a learned behavior?

• Having red feathers

• Eating seeds during the day

• Coming to the bird feeder each morning

• Making a chirping sound

A family takes a group picture in a park where bluebonnets are blooming. The family notices that some of the blooms are white and others are blue.

The color of the blooms is most likely determined by --

• air temperature

• the age of the plant

• the type of consumers that eat the plant

• inheritance from the parent plants

Answer explanation

Think of the color of the flower as its hair color. Where did you get your hair color?

Well, if you didn't dye your hair, the color of it is determined by the genes you inherited from your parents.

Tags

NGSS.3-LS3-1

The leaves of both plants have different structures. What differences in the structure of the leaves of these plants likely help them survive in their environments?

• The pan-like shape of the giant water lily leaves help them catch rainwater. The slim shape of the mesquite leaves helps them avoid sunlight.

• The broad shape of the giant water lily leaves helps them stay on the water surface. The slim shape of the mesquite leaves helps them prevent water loss.

• The pan-like shape of the giant water lily leaves helps them attract small fish. The slim shape of the mesquite leaves helps them avoid herbivores.

• The broad shape of the giant water lily leaves helps them attract aquatic birds.The slim shape of the mesquite leaves helps them attract pollinators.

Answer explanation

Mesquite trees live in hot climates where the sun is very intense. The small leaves help them prevent water loss. The broad shape of the water lily leaf helps keep the leaf on top of the water so the plant can absorb sunlight better.

Tags

NGSS.3-LS4-2

NGSS.3-LS4-3