2nd Grade Science : Life Science
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for 2nd Grade Science
All 2nd Grade Science Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #7 : Plan An Investigation To See Whether Plants Need Sun And Water
Jennifer wants to test whether plants can survive without sunlight and water. Which answer choice represents the BEST plan to investigate this?
Get two identical pots. Fill one with dirt from the yard and fill the other with soil from the store—plant three sunflower seeds in one and three lima bean seeds in the other. Place one in the window and one in a dark room. Water the plant in the dark room daily and record the plant growth and observations.
Get two identical pots. Fill one with dirt from the yard and fill the other with soil from the store. Plant three sunflower seeds in each container. Place them both in a dark room, water the plants daily, and record plant growth and observations.
Get six identical pots and fill each with the same amount of dirt—plant three sunflower seeds in each container. Place two in the window, two in a dark room, and two outside. Water all six plants daily and record plant growth and observations.
Get four identical pots and fill each with the same amount of dirt—plant three sunflower seeds in each container. Place two in a window and the other two in a dark closet. Water one of the plants in the window daily, water one of the plants in the dark closet daily—record plant growth and observations.
Get four identical pots and fill each with the same amount of dirt—plant three sunflower seeds in each container. Place two in a window and the other two in a dark closet. Water one of the plants in the window daily, water one of the plants in the dark closet daily—record plant growth and observations.
Jennifer is testing whether plants can survive without sunlight and water, so those are the only two variables that will change. Everything else in the investigation should remain the same. The same pots, same dirt, same amount of water each day, same type of seeds, and the same amount of sunlight or darkness should be maintained throughout the investigation. "Get four identical pots and fill each with the same amount of dirt—plant three sunflower seeds in each container—place two in a window and the other two in a dark closet. Water one of the plants in the window daily, water one of the plants in the dark closet daily—record plant growth and observations." is the most controlled and complete investigational plan.
Example Question #8 : Plan An Investigation To See Whether Plants Need Sun And Water
Andrew wants to investigate if plants need water to survive. Which data table set-up is most appropriate for this investigation?
The only test variable in this investigation is whether the plant gets water or not. Andrew is testing if water is needed for plants to survive. All of the test plants should be in the same location, and some should get water while others do not so they can be compared to one another. If all the plants get water, then Andrew will not know what would happen without water. If he has some plants in different locations, he won't know if it is the water or the area that stopped a plant from surviving.
Example Question #9 : Plan An Investigation To See Whether Plants Need Sun And Water
Morgan wants to investigate if plants need water AND sunlight to survive. Which data table set-up is most appropriate for this investigation?
Morgan has two test variables in her experiment. She wants to know if plants need water AND sunlight to survive. Morgan has to test both of these variables to see what plants need. The data table that best matches this investigation shows two plants in the sun and two plants in the dark. One plant from each group will get watered, and the other two will not. Morgan can collect information and observations about how the plants grow under each condition.
Example Question #1 : Sunlight, Water, And Plant Growth
What does it mean to investigate?
To place money into an account hoping to make more later
To discover, study, or research something
A hinged barrier used to close an opening in a wall or fence
A sleeveless, close-fitting waist-length garment worn over a shirt
To discover, study, or research something
To investigate something or to participate in an investigation means to discover, study, or research. When scientists have a question, they will come up with a plan to try and answer it. If someone wanted to investigate a plant's growth, they could test the type of soil, amount of water or sunlight, or the type of plant. They would collect data and make observations about the plants; this would be an investigation.
Example Question #1 : Investigate Whether Plants Need Sunlight And Water To Grow
Gary is investigating whether plants need and sunlight to grow. He experimented, and the data table shows his results. Based on this info, what can be concluded about the plants' need for water and sunlight?
Plants that got only sunlight did very well and had green leaves.
Plants that did not get both sunlight and water grew very well and got taller.
Plants that got both sunlight and water did not grow, and some did not survive.
Plants that did not get both sunlight and water did not grow, and some did not survive.
Plants that did not get both sunlight and water did not grow, and some did not survive.
Collecting data and making observations during an investigation provides the information necessary to draw a conclusion. Based on the information provided, only "Plant 1" received water and sunlight, and it was the only plant that grew and looked healthy. The conclusion "Plants that did not get both sunlight and water did not grow, and some did not survive." is supported by the evidence provided.
Example Question #1 : Investigate Whether Plants Need Sunlight And Water To Grow
Susan is investigating whether plants need and sunlight to grow. She experimented, and the data table shows her results. Based on this info, which plant seemed to do the best and why?
Plant 3; this plant had wilted, brown leaves but it didn't die
Plant 2; the plant did not grow but it only had brown shriveled leaves and did not die
Plant 4; this plant died, but it used to be green
Plant 1; this plant was green and grew at the end of the investigation
Plant 1; this plant was green and grew at the end of the investigation
Collecting data and making observations during an investigation provides the information necessary to draw a conclusion. Based on the information provided, only "Plant 1" received water and sunlight, and it was the only plant that grew and looked healthy. The conclusion that Plant 1 did the best is supported by its appearance and the fact that it survived.
Example Question #3 : Investigate Whether Plants Need Sunlight And Water To Grow
Sharon is doing a school project to see if plants must have both water AND sunlight to grow. She decides to put some plants in a window and others in a dark closet. She waters one in the sunshine and one that is in the dark. Sharon forgets to write down her observations and measurements when she studies the plants each day. She makes up the day, a conclusion, and turns it into her teacher. Can we trust Sharon's outcome, why or why not?
Yes; Sharon set the investigation up correctly and was only missing the data portion which isn't even important
Yes; Sharon did most of the investigation correctly so that is good enough
No; Sharon's data was made up so her conclusion was not based on evidence
No; Sharon's teacher has the information, so there is no way to tell if we can trust it
No; Sharon's data was made up so her conclusion was not based on evidence
Sharon's conclusion cannot be trusted. She only did part of the investigation entirely, so she made up the data that she turned in and based her conclusion on. Conclusions need to be based on accurate and truthful data collection to be trusted. Sharon would have to repeat the investigation correctly to believe the new outcome.
Example Question #4 : Investigate Whether Plants Need Sunlight And Water To Grow
Keith forgot to water his new plant for almost a whole week. When he checked on it, the plant was wilted, and the leaves were turning brown. He had it in the sunlight as the directions said, but it didn't look right. What happened to Keith's plant, and why?
His plant needed more sunshine. Plants don't do well when they are in the shade so it was dying.
His plant needed less sunlight. His plant had everything else it needed but too much sunshine.
His plant needed water, and he did not provide it. The plant was dying because they must have sunlight and water to live.
His plant needed less water. The plant was dying because plants need sunlight and a tiny amount of water to live.
His plant needed water, and he did not provide it. The plant was dying because they must have sunlight and water to live.
Keith's plant was wilting and turning brown because it did not have any water for almost a whole week. Plants need both water and sunlight to grow and survive. His plant had sunshine and was still dying because plants must have BOTH to do well. Keith didn't mean to perform an investigation about this topic, but his real-world experience can help him to learn and answer a scientific question with evidence.
Example Question #1 : Investigate Whether Plants Need Sunlight And Water To Grow
Hannah's mother gave her a sunflower plant for her birthday. She put it in the living room in a shady corner and watered it every day. She noticed it drooping and turning brown but could not figure out why. What was the most likely reason the plant was not growing and green?
It needed less water.
It needed more sunlight.
It needed less sunlight.
It did not get watered.
It needed more sunlight.
Hannah's plant was not growing, was drooping, and turning brown because it was not getting enough sunlight. Plant leaves use sunlight to help make food so they can grow and survive. If it was in a shady corner, it couldn't get the sunlight it needed. She did an excellent job of watering the plant but was missing the sunshine piece for survival.
Example Question #6 : Investigate Whether Plants Need Sunlight And Water To Grow
Candy and Carly's mother gave them each a daisy plant to decorate their bedrooms. Candy put her plant on the windowsill, watered it every day, and checked for flowers and new leaves sprouting. Carly put her plant on a shelf in her room near the window and watered it once or twice a week. Candy's plant had beautiful white flowers and bright green leaves. Carly's daisy has no flowers, and the leaves were wrinkled. What was the most likely reason that Carly's plant had no flowers and had wrinkly leaves?
It needed more water.
It needed more sunlight.
It needed less water.
It needed less sunlight.
It needed more water.
Carly's plant did not have flowers and had wrinkly leaves because it did not have enough water. Plant leaves use sunlight to help make food so they can grow and survive. It was in the sunshine, so it was able to make its food. What was missing was the water it needed to absorb nutrients from the soil. Plant roots absorb nutrients from the water and the dirt, and because it did not have enough water, it could not grow properly.
Certified Tutor
Certified Tutor
All 2nd Grade Science Resources
