Learned & Inherited Characteristics (STAAR Released Items)

A student makes a list to describe a friend. Which of the listed characteristics are LEARNED BEHAVIORS? Select TWO correct answers.

• brown eyes

• draws well

• has freckles

• reads daily

• dark brown hair

Students observe a gerbil in a cage. They make a list of observations. Which of these observations is most likely a learned behavior?

• twitching its whiskers

• burrowing in the bedding

• drinking water from a metal tube

• walking on four legs

Tags

NGSS.4-LS1-2

A group of students at a park used a collecting net to capture several insects. The teacher transferred the insects to small terrariums (containers/habitats) that allowed the students to observe the insects before releasing them outside. ALL of the following characteristics are INHERITED TRAITS except for which one?

• a fly's missing or broken antenna

• a butterflies black and yellow stripes

• a dragonflies two sets of wings

• a beetles green spots

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS3-1

NGSS.MS-LS3-2

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Students made a chart classifying animal behaviors. 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

Tags

NGSS.4-LS1-1

NGSS.4-LS1-2

Organize these options into the right categories.

Groups:

(a) Inherited

,

(b) Learned

• Squirrel getting seeds from a bird feeder

• Dog coming when its name is called

• Turtle burying eggs

• Owl being active at night (nocturnal)

• Pony pulling a cart

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

Students record characteristics of a tomato plant. One student's list is shown. Which tomato plant characteristic is LEAST LIKELY to be INHERITED?

• flower color

• leaf shape

• type of roots

• number of tomatoes

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS3-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Which of these is not an instinctive (natural) behavior?

• a bird building a nest

• a turtle burying its eggs

• a bear hibernating in winter

• a horse pulling a plow

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.

Tags

NGSS.3-LS3-2

A group of students makes observations about fish in a small aquarium. Which observations are related to INHERITED TRAITS? Select more than one answer.

• Most of the fish are about 10 cm long.

• One of the fish looks sick.

• Eight of the fish have black stripes.

• The fish swim to the surface when food is held over the water.

• Some of the have wide tail fins.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS3-2

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

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 of this bird?

• Having red feathers

• Eating seeds during the day

• Coming to the bird feeder each morning

• Making a chirping sound