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

Grade 7 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   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
   • Genes, so it was inherited from parents
   • Practice, so a child is born able to ride
   • Practice, so it is not in the genes
2. 2.

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

   • Yes, because traits come from genes
   • Yes, practice changed the dog's genes for tricks
   • No, a learned trick is not in genes
   • Yes, the trick is now in the dog's genes
4. 3.

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

   • Green and short, like the other row
   • Green and tall
   • Pale and short
   • Pale and tall
5. 4.

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

   Use the picture in question 3.

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

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

   Use the picture in question 3.

   • Genes: the two rows have different genes
   • Trait: the looks cause the light to differ
   • Genes: the light changed the seeds' genes
   • Surroundings: dark or bright
7. 6.

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

   • A trait the surroundings decide on their own
   • A trait that changes the parents' genes when it shows
   • A trait gained by practice, such as a skill
   • A trait passed from parents through their genes
8. 7.

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

   • Light, water, soil and things around a living thing
   • The genes a living thing gets from its two parents
   • The soil under one plant and nothing else near it
   • The parts inside the cells of a living thing
9. 8.

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

   • Violet flowers, since the bed is the same
   • Pink flowers, since pink is between the two
   • Violet flowers, since the sun changed the plant's genes
   • White flowers, since the genes say white
10. 9.

    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?

    • White flowers, since the damp bed changed the plant's genes
    • Pale flowers, since damp beds fade the color
    • Violet flowers, since the genes say violet
    • White flowers, since the damp bed is different
11. 10.

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

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