Bones, muscles and the senses

Grade 7 Science Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   The three small bones in Bo's middle ear are stiff. Sound still reaches the eardrum. What will most likely follow?

   • The cochlea makes sounds louder, so the stiff bones make hearing sharper than before.
   • Vibrations pass poorly from the eardrum to the cochlea, so sounds seem quieter.
   • The eardrum cannot vibrate, so no sound enters the ear and nothing is heard.
   • The auditory nerve stops carrying signals, so sounds seem the same but are not stored.
2. 2.

   A drum sounds near Esme. Which list puts the path of the sound signal in order?

   • Eardrum → auditory nerve → three small bones → cochlea → brain
   • Cochlea → three small bones → eardrum → auditory nerve → brain
   • Brain → auditory nerve → cochlea → three small bones → eardrum
   • Eardrum → three small bones → cochlea → auditory nerve → brain
3. 3.

   Jun touches a hot pan and pulls the hand back before feeling the pain. Which path best fits the reflex?

   • Skin receptor → sensory neuron → spinal cord → motor neuron → arm muscle
   • Arm muscle → motor neuron → spinal cord → sensory neuron → skin receptor
   • Skin receptor → sensory neuron → brain → motor neuron → arm muscle, then spinal cord
   • Skin receptor → sensory neuron → spinal cord → brain, with no signal to the arm muscle
4. 4.

   Distance the ruler fell before the catch, in cm. Ari: 12, 14, 13. Bo: 22, 20, 24. Kira runs a ruler-drop test. A shorter catch distance means a quicker response. Whose reaction is quicker?

   • Ari's, because 12 is the smallest number and the first number in the table.
   • Ari's, because the ruler fell a shorter distance before Ari caught it each time.
   • They are equal, because each person was tested three times with the same ruler.
   • Bo's, because the ruler fell a longer distance, which shows Bo had more time to react.
5. 5.

   Average catch distance for 10 students. Phone put away: 15 cm. Reading a phone: 22 cm. Milo tests the same 10 students with and without a phone in hand. A shorter catch distance means a quicker response. What do the averages suggest?

   • A distraction seems to slow the response, though a test of 10 students is small.
   • A distraction changes nothing, since both groups caught the ruler with their hands.
   • A distraction shows that phones slow any person's response, since the averages differ.
   • A distraction speeds the response up, since the average distance is longer with the phone.
6. 6.

   Average catch distance for 8 students. Signal seen: 16 cm. Signal felt as a tap: 13 cm. Noah catches a ruler by sight, then catches it with eyes closed when a partner taps a shoulder as the signal. What do the averages suggest?

   • Touch is quicker than sight for any person, since the tap gave a shorter distance.
   • Responding to a sight is quicker, since 16 cm is a bigger number than 13 cm.
   • Responding to a tap seems a little quicker than to a sight, but 8 students is a small test.
   • The two signals give the same speed, since the difference is just 3 cm.

7. Read this first

   Table (model data)

   Joint P: bends and straightens in one direction. Joint Q: swings forward, back, out to the side and around in a circle. Joint R: turns a bone from side to side around another bone.

8. 7.

   Pia records how three joints can move. Which match of joint to type is correct?

   • P is a ball-and-socket, Q is a hinge, and R is a pivot.
   • P is a hinge, Q is a ball-and-socket, and R is a pivot.
   • P is a pivot, Q is a ball-and-socket, and R is a hinge.
   • P is a hinge, Q is a pivot, and R is a ball-and-socket.
9. 8.

   Ren bends the knee to pull the foot back, as when kicking backward. Which muscle group contracts?

   • The quadriceps on the front of the thigh contract and pull the lower leg back.
   • The calf muscles stretch so that the lower leg is pushed back behind the knee.
   • The hamstrings on the back of the thigh contract and pull the lower leg back.
   • The quadriceps on the front of the thigh relax and push the lower leg back.

10. Table (model data)

    Skeletal: attached to bones by tendons, controlled by choice. Smooth: in the walls of the stomach and intestines, works without choice. Cardiac: in the heart, works without choice.

11. 9.

    Tala compares three muscle kinds. Which one moves bones, is under conscious control, and is attached to bones by tendons?

    • Smooth muscle, which is in the walls of the stomach and works without choice.
    • Cardiac muscle, which is in the heart and works without choice.
    • Skeletal muscle, which is attached to bones by tendons and is controlled by choice.
    • Smooth muscle, which is attached to bones by tendons and can be controlled by choice.
12. 10.

    Zee hears that the Achilles tendon joins the calf muscle to the heel bone. What does this tell about how the foot moves?

    • The tendon makes the heel bone move by itself, so the calf muscle just holds the heel up.
    • When the calf muscle shortens, the tendon pushes the heel bone, which lifts the heel.
    • The tendon holds the heel bone to the leg bones, so the calf muscle is not needed to lift the heel.
    • When the calf muscle shortens, the tendon pulls the heel bone, which lifts the heel.