STAAR Organisms and Environments

Which pair of activities are examples of bumblebees interacting with living parts in their environment?

• A) Collecting pollen from flowers Building a nest on the side of a shed

• B) Drinking water from a water trough Staying underground during cold months

• C) Passing stored nectar from one worker to another worker Forming a nest in a hole in a tree

• D) Queen bee laying eggs Worker bees using wax to make a hive

Which sentence describes the interaction of a white-tailed deer with both living and nonliving parts of its ecosystem?

• The white-tailed deer hides behind a rock and uses the heat from the sun to stay warm.

• The white-tailed deer protects its fawn from predators and shows the fawn how to find food.

• The white-tailed deer rubs its antlers on a tree and eats leaves from the tree.

• The white-tailed deer eats grass in a field and drinks water from a pond.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

A teacher uses an aquarium to make a habitat for a frog. A list of student observations of the frog is shown.

Which student observations show the frog interacting with nonliving elements in its environment?

• 1 and 4

• 2 and 5

• 3 and 6

• 6 and 1

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Students study barracudas. They gather some observations of barracudas. A barracuda is shown.

Which observation describes barracudas interacting with the living elements of their ecosystem?

• Barracudas can travel quickly using surface ocean currents.

• Barracudas live around hard structures such as oil rigs and jetties.

• Barracudas are predators of other fish.

• Barracudas tend to live in warm waters.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

Two box turtles live in an area in a zoo's reptile house. Zoo visitors made a list of observations of the turtles. The list is shown.

Which observations best describe how box turtles interact with living parts of their environment?

• Observation 4 and observation 6

• Observation 2 and observation 5

• Observation 1 and observation 5

• Observation 3 and observation 4

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

The chart lists plants and animals interacting with parts of an environment.

Which statements describe an animal interacting with a living part of the environment?

• Statements 1, 4, and 6 only

• Statements 1, 3, and 5 only

• Statements 2, 5, and 6 only

• Statements 2, 3, and 4 only

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

A student’s model of a closed ecosystem is shown. The student plans to add land snails to the model in order to show how the snails interact with different parts of the ecosystem. What should the student add to the model so that the snails will survive?

• Fish to provide food

• Sticks to provide a place to hide

• Deep water to provide carbon dioxide

• Living plants to provide oxygen

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

A zookeeper sets up a habitat for a certain species of rabbit. Which answer choice describes the rabbit as it interacts with two nonliving parts of the rabbit’s habitat?

• The rabbit breathing air while running down a rocky path

• The rabbit licking its fur while feeding its young

• The rabbit hiding under plants from loud noises

• The rabbit nibbling on vegetation inside the habitat.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

A student observed and recorded some activities in an aquarium.

An interaction between two living parts of the environment is represented by —

• Observations 1 and 2

• Observation 3

• Observations 4 and 5

• Observation 6

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Students found a rock with fossils in a dry streambed. Which question can MOST LIKELY be answered by identifying the fossils in the rock?

• How deep was the water millions of years ago where the fossils are located?

• What types of organisms now live in the stream when it rains hard and fills with water?

• What was the environment like millions of years ago in the area of the dry streambed?

• How many different organisms are now living in the area of the dry streambed?

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1