Traits from genes, traits from surroundings, and traits from both

Grade 7 Science Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   A bean seedling on a windowsill grows bent toward the glass. Esme sorts the bend. Where does the direction of the bend come from?

   • The surroundings: the light came from one side
   • Learned: the seedling practiced bending
   • Inherited: the bend is passed down to seeds
   • The genes: the seedling is born bent
2. 2.

   A bigleaf hydrangea in a school garden has blue flowers. The soil there is acidic. Jun sorts the trait. Which fits best?

   • Genes: the plant was born blue
   • Learned: the plant copied a blue neighbor
   • Both: its genes, and the acidic soil
   • Soil: the acid changed the plant's genes to blue
3. 3.

   Luz's class grew cuttings from one coleus plant for four weeks. Row 3 repeats the water of row 1. Predict the height in the box.

   • About 15 cm, since the height is halfway between
   • About 12 cm, since the same genes give one height
   • About 18 cm, since the water matches row 1
   • About 24 cm, since water changes the genes
4. 4.

   Milo turns a pot so the window light now comes from the right. What will the new shoots do?

   • Bend left, since the old light changed the genes
   • Bend toward the right, since shoots grow toward light
   • Bend away from the right, since shoots avoid light
   • Stay bent left, since the old bend is in the genes

5. Read this first

   Use the table

   Coleus cuttings (model data). Trait chart.

   Genes	Surroundings	Trait
   cuttings from one coleus plant (same genes)	bright window	14 cm tall
   cuttings from the same plant (same genes)	dim shelf	20 cm tall

   Investigation card: Question: Does light change how tall cuttings grow? Changed: the light each cutting gets. Measured: height after four weeks. Kept the same: parent plant, water, pot and soil.

6. 5.

   Noah's class tested light on coleus cuttings from one plant. Which one thing did the class change on purpose?

   • The water each cutting received
   • The parent plant of the cuttings
   • The height of each cutting
   • The light each cutting received
7. 6.

   Pia's class grows hydrangea cuttings from one bush in two soils. What must stay the same in both groups?

   • The genes, which change with the soil
   • The acidity of the soil
   • The flower color that appears
   • The parent bush, the pot size and the water
8. 7.

   Ren's class tests whether light from one side bends seedlings. What should the class measure?

   • The genes inside each seedling's cells
   • The kind of seed planted in each pot
   • The bend of each shoot from straight up
   • The side of the pot the light comes from
9. 8.

   Two hydrangea plants from one bush grow in different beds. One has blue flowers and one has pink flowers. Tala explains the difference. Which explanation fits?

   • The plants must match, so a bed was mislabeled
   • The soil acidity differs, and the genes are the same
   • Bed 2 soil changed the plant's genes to pink
   • The genes differ, since the colors differ
10. 9.

    An arctic fox grows a white coat each fall and a brown coat each spring. Zee explains the change. Which explanation fits?

    • The fox learns to turn white by watching its parents each year
    • The genes set the coat, so the season has no effect on it
    • Cold weather changes the genes, so the fur turns white each fall
    • Shorter days trigger a white coat; the genes stay the same
11. 10.

    A bean plant by a window grew bent toward the glass. Ari plants seeds from that plant in a room with light from straight above. The seedlings grow straight. Why?

    • The bend came from the light, so it is not passed on
    • The bend was passed on, but the new light hid it
    • The light changed the seeds' genes to grow straight
    • The seedlings have different genes, since they look different