3rd Grade Science : 3rd Grade Science
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for 3rd Grade Science
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Example Questions
Example Question #3 : Explain How Trait Variations Give Reproduction Advantages
In the cold tundras, ice and snow cover the ground for most of the year. Animals have to have strong traits to survive long enough to find a mate and reproduce. Female animals only want the strongest males with the best characteristics to pass on to their offspring.
Which animal would be LESS likely to live long enough to reproduce in this type of environment?
All of the answer choices are correct
All of the answer choices are correct
All of the animals would be most likely to live long enough in the cold tundra to reproduce. Polar bears have thick fur, a layer of fat, white fur to blend with the snow. The arctic fox even changes its fur color to brown in the summer months when there is no snow. A penguin can swim in the icy waters and has thick layers of fat to stay warm. These animals are suited to this environment and would be most likely to reproduce.
Example Question #2 : Explain How Trait Variations Give Reproduction Advantages
Why would a cactus be more likely to reproduce in the desert than other species of plant?
Cacti are adapted to the dry desert conditions, so they are more likely to survive and reproduce.
Cacti have broad leaves that collect more sunlight than other plants so they can produce more food for reproduction.
Cacti are not more likely to reproduce in the desert than other species of plants.
Cacti are tall, so they are closer to the sun for the process of photosynthesis.
Cacti are adapted to the dry desert conditions, so they are more likely to survive and reproduce.
A cactus is more likely to reproduce in the desert than other plant species because they have variations in their traits that make them an ideal plant species for the conditions that they live in. Thick stems help cacti store water, widespread root systems allow the plants to absorb water from the dry soil, and thorns help to deter the predators who might try to steal the water from the plant. These variations allow the cactus to survive and reproduce.
Example Question #1 : Use Fossils As Evidence Of Environments Organisms Lived In
What do fossils show about environments of long ago?
Fossils show scientists what the exact temperature of an environment was.
Fossils show scientists what the weather was like on the day the fossil was made.
Fossils show scientists how environments have changed over time.
Fossils do not show scientists anything about environments of long ago.
Fossils show scientists how environments have changed over time.
Fossils give scientists lots of valuable information about not only the organism but the environment in which it lived. From fossils, scientists can see how an environment has changed over time. If the fossil is found on a tall hillside, but it is the remains for an aquatic animal, scientists now know the area used to be underwater. If a plant was only found in desert areas but is now found in the middle of grassland, scientists can see how that area has changed over the years.
Example Question #1 : Use Fossils As Evidence Of Environments Organisms Lived In
Gordon Hubbell and a crew of fossil hunters were digging holes in the desert of Peru in 1988. This desert is one of the driest places on Earth. It gets almost no rain. Hubbel was digging and found jawbones and more than 200 sharp teeth. He is an expert in fossilized sharks, so he recognized the teeth right away. They were shaped like triangles and came to a very sharp point. They belonged to a distant relative of the great white shark!
What did these fossils tell scientists about the environment in which they were found?
This desert area used to be a tropical rainforest.
This desert area used to be underwater.
This desert area was always a desert.
This desert area used to be a freezing tundra.
This desert area used to be underwater.
These fossils were a fascinating find for Hubbell's team and scientists in general. Finding shark teeth in what is now a desert tells researchers that this environment has changed over the years. For sharks to live there, it would have been underwater during their time period. Scientists can now study how, when, and why the area is now a desert.
Example Question #2 : Use Fossils As Evidence Of Environments Organisms Lived In
Antarctica is the coldest place on our planet. Temperatures can reach -120oF, and winds can be powerful. There are no plants or animals that can make their homes permanently in central Antarctica. Scientists were exploring a place called the Dry Valleys and found fossils of moss and small animals. They were discovered in ancient lakebeds. When researchers found the age of the fossils, they were about 14.1 million years old. Scientists realized that shrubs grew around the lakes, and insects lived there too. For insects and plants to survive this area, it had to be warmer and more welcoming to life than it is today.
Which two sentences are evidence that there was a change in the environment over time?
Antarctica is the coldest place on our planet. Temperatures can reach -120oF, and winds can be powerful.
They were discovered in ancient lakebeds. When researchers found the age of the fossils, they were about 14.1 million years old.
There are no plants or animals that can make their homes permanently in central Antarctica. Scientists were exploring a place called the Dry Valleys and found fossils of moss and small animals.
Scientists realized that shrubs grew around the lakes, and insects lived there too. For insects and plants to survive this area, it had to be warmer and more welcoming to life than it is today.
Scientists realized that shrubs grew around the lakes, and insects lived there too. For insects and plants to survive this area, it had to be warmer and more welcoming to life than it is today.
This short passage includes a lot of information and details about the fossils found in Antarctica. The passage explains that there was a change in the environment. Currently, Antarctica is freezing and not hospitable for life year-round, but there was evidence of moss and small animals that were found in fossils. This tells readers that at one point, it must have been warmer than it is today to support life. The sentences that include this evidence are, "Scientists realized that shrubs grew around the lakes, and insects lived there too. For insects and plants to survive this area, it had to be warmer and more welcoming to life than it is today.".
Example Question #1 : Use Fossils As Evidence Of Environments Organisms Lived In
In the Arctic, there are large sheets of ice. Scientists have found palm branches fossilized in the ice.
This tells researchers that the environment may have changed. What might this environment have been in the past?
May have been underwater
May have been a forest
May have been a tropical island
There was no change in the environment over time.
May have been a tropical island
Scientists or researchers study fossils to learn about the environment and any changes that may have occurred over time. In this example, a palm branch was found under a sheet of ice in the Arctic, which is not typical for what we know of the environment today. When thinking about where palm branches are usually found, scientists could see that this area used to be a tropical island. To support the plant's basic needs, it was once much warmer in this location.
Example Question #1 : Use Fossils As Evidence Of Environments Organisms Lived In
Researchers were digging in the desert when they came across a fossilized cactus leaf buried in the sand.
Environments can change over time. Some places stay the same. What might this environment have been in the past?
The environment has not changed since the fossil was formed.
The environment used to be a grassland.
The environment used to be a tropical island.
The environment used to be underwater.
The environment has not changed since the fossil was formed.
Many environments change over time, and fossils tell researchers what those changes are. In this example, the scientists are digging in the desert and found a cactus leaf. A cactus would most likely be found in the desert, so the environment has not changed over time. If a seashell were found or an aquatic plant, researchers would know there had been a shift over the years from a wet area to very dry.
Example Question #163 : 3rd Grade Science
Gordon Hubbell and a crew of fossil hunters were digging holes in the desert of Peru in 1988. This desert is one of the driest places on Earth. It gets almost no rain. Hubbel was digging and found jawbones and more than 200 sharp teeth. He is an expert in fossilized sharks, so he recognized the teeth right away. They were shaped like triangles and came to a very sharp point. They belonged to a distant relative of the great white shark!
Why is Hubbell's discovery surprising?
The crew was digging in the desert and found shark teeth. This means that sharks had, at one point, lived on land rather than in the water.
None of the answer choices are correct.
There is nothing surprising about Hubbell's discovery. Scientists find fossils in deserts all the time so there isn't anything special about this finding.
The crew was digging in the desert and found shark teeth. This means the desert of Peru had water with sharks living in it at some point.
The crew was digging in the desert and found shark teeth. This means the desert of Peru had water with sharks living in it at some point.
These fossils were a surprising find for Hubbell's team and scientists in general. Finding shark teeth in what is now a desert tells researchers that this environment has changed over the years. For sharks to live there, it would have been underwater during their period. Scientists can now study how, when, and why the area is now a desert. What is currently a dry, hot desert was once an ocean, sea, or large body of water. This is a surprising find and development.
Example Question #1 : Use Fossils As Evidence Of Environments Organisms Lived In
Antarctica is the coldest place on our planet. Temperatures can reach -120oF, and winds can be powerful. There are no plants or animals that can make their homes permanently in central Antarctica. Scientists were exploring a place called the Dry Valleys and found fossils of moss and small animals. They were discovered in ancient lakebeds. When researchers found the age of the fossils, they were about 14.1 million years old. Scientists realized that shrubs grew around the lakes, and insects lived there too. For insects and plants to survive this area, it had to be warmer and more welcoming to life than it is today.
What did scientists discover that led them to believe Antarctica was once a very different place?
Fossils of moss
All of the answer choices are correct
None of the answer choices are correct
Fossils of small animals
Lakebeds
All of the answer choices are correct
This short passage includes a lot of information and details about the fossils and lakebeds found in Antarctica. The passage explains that there was a change in the environment. Currently, Antarctica is freezing and not hospitable for life year-round, but there was evidence of moss and small animals that were found in fossils in ancient lakebeds. This tells readers that at one point, it must have been warmer than it is today to support life.
Example Question #1 : Fossils As Evidence
High up in the Himalaya Mountains, fossils of fish and other aquatic sea animals have been found. These mountains are hundreds of miles away from the closest sea. They are snow-capped at the tip, and the land is dry and brown. The layered rocks of the Himalayas are rich with not only fossils of aquatic creatures but also fossils of coral reef remnants and marine plants.
What does this information tell researchers or scientists?
The mountains have moved over the years from an ocean area to where they are now.
The environment has changed in this region over time.
None of these answer choices are correct.
Fish and other aquatic creatures used to live on the sides and tops of mountains.
The environment has changed in this region over time.
Scientists or researchers study fossils to learn about the environment and any changes that may have occurred over time. In this example, aquatic plants, animals, and coral reef fossils were found in the rock layers of the Himalaya Mountains, which is not typical for what we know of the environment today. When thinking about where these types of fossils are usually found, scientists could see that this area used to be underwater.
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