STAAR Questions traits

1. Which of the following is an inherited trait?
a. Reading
b. speaking Spanish
c. eye color
d. riding a bicycle
2.Which of the following is NOT an inherited trait?
a. hair color
b.height
c. eye color
d. using a computer
3.Paul bought a puppy at a local pet shop.  His puppy has white spots.  the puppy MOST likely has spots because-
a. it ate paint at the pet shop
b. a diseased attacked the dog's skin
c. on or both of the puppy's parents has white spots
d. it wanted to have spots so it developed the white spots
4.which of the following is NOT a trait passed on in plants?
a. the green color of grass
b. thorns on a rose bush
c. shape of the leaves
d. grass growing taller because of fertilizer
5.The shape of a tulip is an example of
a. a trait inherited from other tulips
b. a response to the environment
c. an adaptation to a new environment
d. a learned characteristic
6. organisms knowing how to do something without being taught is called
a. learning
b. instinct
c. intelligence
d. exercise
7.which of the following is an example of a learned characteristic?
a. hummingbird's long beak
b. an eagle's sharp eyesight
c. a dong catching a ball
d. a loin's sharp claws
8. Which of the following is NOT an example of a learned behavior?
a. horse running in a field
b. An ox pulling a plow
c. a lion jumping through a hoop
d. a dog fetching a newspaper
9.Jason is a fantastic basketball player.  He rarely misses a shot.  which of the following would support the idea that his basketball skill is learned?
a. He is tall
b. he is fast
c. he has good eyesight
d. he practices everyday
10. Which of the following does NOT describe a learned behavior?
a. a football player throwing a pass to a receiver
b. a fish breathing underwater through its gills
c. a student working on math problems
d. a boy riding a bicycle
11. Which of the following is an example of a plant responding to the environment?
a. a plant's leaves are green
b. a flower has many colors
c. a plant grows towards the sunlight coming in through a window
d. root taking in water from the soil.
12. Which of the following is a learned characteristic based on an animal's environment?
a. a gorilla using sign language
b. a butterfly going through metamorphosis
c. a grasshopper eating grass
d. a snake laying eggs
13.  in the winter time in areas of heavy snowfall some animals, such as certain mammals and birds, turn white.  This is an example of
a. a learned characteristic
b. and adaptation to the environment
c. a pattern of migration
d. an animal habitat
14.Which adaptations enable a duck to survive around water?
a. talons and sharp beak
b. webbed feet and waterproof feathers
c. sharp teeth and thick skin
d. keen eyesight and colorful feathers
15. What adaptation does a cactus plant have to protect itself?
a. green coloration
b. tall branches
c. thorns
d. long root system
16. which adaptation helps the camel to survive in the desert?
a. its long legs
b. its ability to eat sand
c. its ability to store water in its hump
d. its loud yell
17.  Which of the following is an example of an adaptive characteristic that an animal has learned to help it survive?
a. a shark eating a dead fish
b. an alligator waiting under a tree for a bird to fall into the water
c. a cheetah running after a gazelle
d. a whale swallowing plankton
18. Which of the following is an adaptation birds have developed to help them fly?
a. brightly colored wings
b. waterproof feathers
c. hollow lightweight bones
d. sharp beaks
19. penguins are birds that cannot fly and feed on fish in the ocean water near their habitats.  What adaptation have penguins developed that helps them catch fish?
a. black and white feathers
b. wings that are shaped like flippers
c. short, flat teeth
d. weak and brittle bones
20.  Some monkeys can use their tails to swing from branch to branch in the rain forest.  Which of the following is NOT a reason why some monkeys use this adaptation?
a. to get to food easier
b. to keep away from predators
c. to pull the trees out of the ground
d. to move through the forest quicker