4th Grade Science : Life Science

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for 4th Grade Science

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : 4th Grade Science

When a habit has limited resources, there is a struggle between organisms within the habit to survive. What can this be described as? 

Possible Answers:

Predation 

Prey 

Predator 

Competition 

Correct answer:

Competition 

Explanation:

In order to answer this question correctly, we need to understand the terms in the answer choices. 

Predation is when an organism hunts and kills another organism to eat. 

Prey: Within the process of predation, the prey is the organism that gets killed.

Predator: Within the process of predation, the predator is the organism that does the killing. 

Competition is when a habit has limited resources and there is a struggle between organisms within the habit to survive

The correct answer for this question is competition. 

Example Question #2 : 4th Grade Science

When an organism hunts and kills another organism, what is the organism called that gets killed? 

Possible Answers:

Competition

Prey 

Predation 

Predator 

Correct answer:

Prey 

Explanation:

In order to answer this question correctly, we need to understand the terms in the answer choices. 

Predation is when an organism hunts and kills another organism to eat. 

Prey: Within the process of predation, the prey is the organism that gets killed.

Predator: Within the process of predation, the predator is the organism that does the killing. 

Competition is when a habit has limited resources and there is a struggle between organisms within the habit to survive

The correct answer for this question is prey. 

Example Question #3 : 4th Grade Science

When an organism hunts and kills another organism, what is the organism called that does the killing? 

Possible Answers:

Competition

Prey

Predator 

Predation 

Correct answer:

Predator 

Explanation:

In order to answer this question correctly, we need to understand the terms in the answer choices. 

Predation is when an organism hunts and kills another organism to eat. 

Prey: Within the process of predation, the prey is the organism that gets killed.

Predator: Within the process of predation, the predator is the organism that does the killing. 

Competition is when a habit has limited resources and there is a struggle between organisms within the habit to survive.

The correct answer for this question is predator. 

Example Question #4 : 4th Grade Science

What is the process called when an organism hunts and kills another organism to eat?

Possible Answers:

Predator 

Competition 

Predation 

Prey 

Correct answer:

Predation 

Explanation:

In order to answer this question correctly, we need to understand the terms in the answer choices. 

Predation is when an organism hunts and kills another organism to eat. 

Prey: Within the process predation, the prey is the organism that gets killed.

Predator: Within the process predation, the predator is the organism that does the killing. 

Competition is when a habit has limited resources and there is a struggle between organisms within the habit to survive

The correct answer for this question is predation. 

Example Question #1 : Describe How Animals Respond To Information

Wolves have an incredible sense of smell used for hunting, marking territories, social relationships, and more. Wolves are territorial animals that mark the areas in which their pack resides. Every 100 yards or so, the dominant wolves will mark their territory to make other packs aware they are present. A wolf can smell another animal from up to almost two miles downwind. When wolves smell each other, scientists think they can tell the gender, age, and even if the other animal is sick. A wolves' sense of smell is said to be 100 times greater than that of a human. Once all this information is collected and processed, a wolf must respond to what it smells.

In what way might wolves respond if it smells the scent of a rival pack?

Possible Answers:

The wolves may mark over the scents to reclaim their territory.

The wolves may move to another area if they think they are in danger.

All of the answer choices are ways wolves might respond.

The wolves may fight with the rival pack.

Correct answer:

All of the answer choices are ways wolves might respond.

Explanation:

Wolves are fierce animals that respond to information like scents through reflexes and learned behaviors. The main goal of the pack is to stick together and survive. Wolves may do any of the things mentioned in the answer choices if they smell a rival pack's scent in their territory. Wolves may fight, re-mark, or leave the area. Wolves can smell the age and even approximate size of another wolf based on the scent, so if there are more wolves or stronger wolves in the rival pack, they may choose not to engage because it is too risky. Wolves use these scent markers to learn about their packmates, enemies, and surroundings.

Example Question #1 : Describe How Animals Respond To Information

How do animals use their perceptions and memories to make decisions?

Possible Answers:

Their perceptions allow them to see into the future so they can avoid situations.

They discuss with other animals what happened and make decisions about how to react.

They use memories they have stored to respond to current situations.

They do not use perceptions or memories to make decisions.

Correct answer:

They use memories they have stored to respond to current situations.

Explanation:

Information that was collected in the past about situations and surroundings is stored in the brain as memories for use later on. If an animal is in a similar situation later in their life, they may recall what previously took place so they can choose an appropriate response. Animals respond to situations based on reflexes and learned behaviors. If a juvenile lion watches the rest of the pride hunt, it will learn the techniques and practices needed to be successful in the future when it joins the group.

Example Question #3 : Describe How Animals Respond To Information

Animals are not able to use their perceptions and memories to respond to situations.

Possible Answers:

False

True

Correct answer:

False

Explanation:

This statement is false. Animals do use their memories and perceptions to help them respond to situations. If an animal has been bitten or injured, it will remember that encounter and avoid that same dangerous place or animals. Older chimpanzees will teach the young monkeys about snakes and how dangerous they are. They will show them how to holler and hit them with sticks to scare them off. The babies remember this and not only apply it to their own life, but they teach it to their offspring too.

Example Question #4 : Describe How Animals Respond To Information

Some species of moths drop to the ground when they hear a bat's echolocation chirp. If you go outside at night with a flashlight, the moths will flock to the light. You can shake a set of keys and observe many of the moths falling to the ground. This defense is to get out of the path of the bat, so they are not eaten.

What is this adaptation an example of?

Possible Answers:

This is not an example of an animal adaptation

Animals receiving information

Animals responding to information

Animals processing information

Correct answer:

Animals responding to information

Explanation:

Over many years animals develop adaptations as a species to help them survive, mate, and reproduce. Animals collect information from their surroundings, process the data, and as in this example, they respond to it. This reaction to the bat's echolocation chirp is a response that the brain sends out once if processes that the bat is nearby. If animals did not respond to the nearby danger, they would be at risk for injury or being eaten.

Example Question #5 : Describe How Animals Respond To Information

Platypus have a "sixth-sense" that allows them to hunt underwater: electroreception. To find meals in the mud, it uses its bill to detect movements and subtle electric fields produced by its prey. Receptors on the bill detect changes in pressure and motion. Two types of receptors track the electrical signals produced by small prey when they contract their muscles. The platypus moves its head side-to-side to determine the direction and distance of its next meal by collecting and processing this sensory information. The platypus has about 40,000 of these special receptors.

How does the platypus respond to the information it receives based on the passage?

Platypus, Animal, Aussie, Australian

Possible Answers:

It buries itself in the mud to find its prey.

It contracts its muscles to send off electrical signals to scare predators.

This passage does not provide information on how the platypus responds to signals.

It moves its head side-to-side to pinpoint where the prey is located.

Correct answer:

It moves its head side-to-side to pinpoint where the prey is located.

Explanation:

The platypus is an odd and unusual creature. It is only one of five mammals that lay eggs, it is semi-aquatic, billed, and has 40,000 receptors to detect electrical signals. These animals collect information from the environment around them and process what is received. Once the information is obtained, it has to be responded to or reacted to. The platypus will move its head side-to-side to narrow down the exact location of its prey. They can gauge how far away it is and which direction to travel. This is how the platypus can effectively track down its next meal.

Example Question #5 : Describe How Animals Respond To Information

Meerkats are animals that live in “clans” or “mobs” with a range of 20 to 50 members. They are great at digging and can have as many as five burrows for their clans to live and sleep in. Each clan has a sentry, or guard, who watches for predators while other meerkats search for food. Their excellent eyesight allows them to see very clearly to avoid both ground and aerial attacks. When the sentry becomes aware of an impending attack, it uses a series of whistles or barks to inform the mob of the threat’s urgency.

Based on the passage, if a sentry were to spot an eagle overhead, which of the following would MOST LIKELY be its response?

Possible Answers:

The sentry would alert the mob of danger

The sentry would hide in the burrow

The sentry would likely not see the predator until it’s too late

The sentry would attack the predator to protect the clan

Correct answer:

The sentry would alert the mob of danger

Explanation:

Because the job of a sentry is to guard the meerkat clan, if a sentry were to see an eagle overhead, the most reasonable answer choices would be to either alert the mob of danger or attack the predator, allowing you to eliminate the other two options. According to the passage, sentries use whistles and barks to tell the mob when there is a potential danger in the area. There is no mention of attacking predators; therefore, alerting the mob of danger is the correct response.

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