3rd Grade Science : Life Science
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for 3rd Grade Science
All 3rd Grade Science Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #5 : Explain How Trait Variations Give Reproduction Advantages
Why would a camouflaged animal be more likely to reproduce?
An animal with camouflage is attractive, so it will get more mates.
A camouflaged animal would not be more likely to reproduce.
It blends in better, so it is more likely to survive to have offspring.
The animal is harder to find so it would have less opportunity to find a mate.
It blends in better, so it is more likely to survive to have offspring.
A camouflaged animal is more likely to reproduce because it will have a longer lifespan than something easily spotted by predators. If the animal has a longer lifespan, it has more opportunity to find a mate and have offspring. The offspring will inherit these genetics and be more likely to pass them on later in life as well. This type of trait variation and reproductive advantage keeps species alive and well.
Example Question #5 : Explain How Trait Variations Give Reproduction Advantages
Some animals have variations in their behaviors and physical traits that give them reproduction advantages. Male peacocks will spread their tail feathers and shake them while courting potential mates. Female peacocks will choose the males with the most ornate and beautiful tail feathers. How do traits like peacock tail feathers give their offspring an advantage?
The males with the best tails will be able to teach their offspring how to groom their tails to attract mates.
There is no advantage for the offspring of animals with these variations in traits.
The offspring of the selected males will know their father was the best, so they will be more confident.
Females will choose the males with the best feathers so that those genes will be passed to their offspring.
Females will choose the males with the best feathers so that those genes will be passed to their offspring.
The male peacocks that are selected for reproduction by female peacocks will most likely have the best genes. Female peacocks are looking for the flashiest tails and strongest peacocks when they look for a mate. The offspring will inherit these genetics and be more likely to pass them on later in life as well. This type of trait variation and reproductive advantage keeps species alive and well.
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 #1 : 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 tall, so they are closer to the sun for the process of photosynthesis.
Cacti are not more likely to reproduce in the desert than other species of plants.
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 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 : Fossils As Evidence
What do fossils show about environments of long ago?
Fossils show scientists how environments have changed over time.
Fossils show scientists what the exact temperature of an environment was.
Fossils do not show scientists anything about environments of long ago.
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 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 #2 : Fossils As Evidence
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 underwater.
This desert area used to be a freezing tundra.
This desert area was always a desert.
This desert area used to be a tropical rainforest.
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 #3 : 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?
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.
Antarctica is the coldest place on our planet. Temperatures can reach -120oF, and winds can be powerful.
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 #3 : Fossils As Evidence
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?
There was no change in the environment over time.
May have been a tropical island
May have been a forest
May have been underwater
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 #4 : Fossils As Evidence
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 tropical island.
The environment used to be underwater.
The environment used to be a grassland.
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 #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!
Why is Hubbell's discovery surprising?
None of the answer choices are correct.
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.
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.
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