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

Grade 7 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   Ari grows two pea plants in the same garden bed. One has violet flowers and one has white flowers. What decides the flower color?

   • The soil, which changed each plant's genes
   • The genes from the parent plants
   • Practice, since each plant learned its color
   • The garden bed the plants share
2. 2.

   Bo learned to ride a bike by practicing all summer. Where does the skill of bike riding come from?

   • Practice, which changed the rider's genes
   • Practice, so a child is born able to ride
   • Practice, so it is not in the genes
   • Genes, so it was inherited from parents
3. 3.

   Esme taught a dog to shake paws. Will the dog's puppies be born knowing the trick?

   • Yes, practice changed the dog's genes for tricks
   • Yes, the trick is now in the dog's genes
   • No, a learned trick is not in genes
   • Yes, because traits come from genes
5. 4.

   Jun reads a trait chart for bean seedlings. What trait do the seedlings from the dark cupboard have?

   • Pale and short
   • Green and tall
   • Green and short, like the other row
   • Pale and tall
6. 5.

   Kira reads the same chart. What trait do the seedlings from the bright window have?

   Use the picture in question 4.

   • Pale and tall, like the other row
   • Pale and short
   • Green and tall
   • Green and short
7. 6.

   Luz compares the two rows. Which column holds the cause of the different looks?

   Use the picture in question 4.

   • Genes: the light changed the seeds' genes
   • Trait: the looks cause the light to differ
   • Genes: the two rows have different genes
   • Surroundings: dark or bright
8. 7.

   Milo reads a science word list. Which meaning goes with the words inherited trait?

   • A trait that changes the parents' genes when it shows
   • A trait gained by practice, such as a skill
   • A trait the surroundings decide on their own
   • A trait passed from parents through their genes
9. 8.

   Noah reads the word surroundings in a trait chart. Which meaning fits?

   • The parts inside the cells of a living thing
   • The soil under one plant and nothing else near it
   • Light, water, soil and things around a living thing
   • The genes a living thing gets from its two parents
10. 9.

    Ren fills in the missing trait for the second pea plant. Which trait goes in the box?

    • Pink flowers, since pink is between the two
    • White flowers, since the genes say white
    • Violet flowers, since the sun changed the plant's genes
    • Violet flowers, since the bed is the same
11. 10.

    Zee fills in the blank Surroundings box for the green seedlings. Which goes in the box?

    • A wet paper towel, since green needs water
    • A bright window, since light turns leaves green
    • Different genes, since the looks are different
    • The dark cupboard, since the seeds are the same