Inherited Versus Learned

The shape of the needles on a tree is 

• Learned 
• Inherited 

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Fox squirrels live in the trees of city parks in Texas.  Each spring they build nests of twigs and leaves in the tops of trees.   They are also often found near park benches, waiting to be fed by visitors.    
For fox squirrels, which of these is  a learned behavior?  

• Having brown fur 
• Taking food from people
• Having a long bushy tail 
• Having sharp claws 

A person that is wearing a mohawk hairstyle is 

• Learned 
• Inherited 

A scientist observes a sea otter using rocks to break open clamshells.  
Which of these investigations would best help the scientist determine whether this skills is learned or inherited? 

• Determining what size and kinds of rocks the otters use 
• Determine whether shellfish are important to their diet 
• Raise young sea otters away from adult otters and see if they still use rocks to break open clamshells 
• observe families of sea otters over time to see whether adults that use rocks have offspring that also use rocks.  

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS3-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

The caterpillars of monarch butterflies eat milkweed leaves.   Milkweed leaves contain sap that is toxic to many animals but not to Monarch butterflies.   This sap makes the monarch butterfly caterpillars toxic to predators and protects them from being eaten.  
Which of these is an inherited trait of Monarch butterfly caterpillars? 

• The size of the leaves that they eat
• The ability of the caterpillars to eat toxic leaves without being harmed 
• The number of milkweed leaves they eat each day
• The number of leaves on the milkweed plants 

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Which of these is a learned behavior of a dog?  

• Begging for food 
• drinking water 
• panting when it is hot 
• chewing on a bone 

A group of students made observations about the size, shape, and appearance of their hands.   Which one is an inherited trait? 

• 6 students are wearing rings 
• 4 students have scars on their hands 
• 5 students have pointer fingers and middle fingers that are the same length
• 3 students have painted fingernails

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

A dog fetching a ball and returning it to you is a 

• Learned behavior 
• Inherited behavior 

A bird singing a song is a 

• Learned behavior
• Inherited Behavior 

A farmer keeps bees to pollinate his crops. The farmer makes several observation about the bees.    Which of these describes a LEARNED behavior?  

• Bees have dark eyes and black and yellow stripes.  
• Bees make return trips to drink sugar water from a bowl placed near their hive 
• Bees produce honey from the nectar they collect 
• Bees will sting when threatened or disturbed