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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   Use the picture in question 4.

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

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

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

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

   • The genes a living thing gets from its two parents
   • 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
10. 9.

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

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

    Tala fills in the missing trait. Both pea plants have the same genes for violet flowers but grow in different beds. What goes in the box?

    • Pale flowers, since damp beds fade the color
    • White flowers, since the damp bed is different
    • Violet flowers, since the genes say violet
    • White flowers, since the damp bed changed the plant's genes