What makes a population grow or shrink
Grade 7 Science Worksheet

Circle the best answer.
The rabbit count was flat at 20 while shelter was short. Brush piles add shelter spots in year 4. Bo predicts year 5. Which prediction fits?
- Higher than 20, then it levels off again
- Rising faster and faster with no end
- Still 20, because the line was flat before
- Lower than 20, because the field is more crowded
All the open ground for burrows in the town was used by year 5. Zee predicts the year 6 count. Which prediction fits?
Prairie dog town graph (model data). Graph (model data): x axis Year (in years), ticks every 1 year from 1 to 5; y axis Number of prairie dogs in the town, ticks every 20 from 0 to 120. Line Prairie dogs: (1, 20), (2, 50), (3, 80), (4, 95), (5, 100). Prairie dog town graph (model data). Graph (model data): x axis Year (in years), ticks every 1 year from 1 to 5; y axis Number of prairie dogs in the town, ticks every 20 from 0 to 120. Line Prairie dogs: (1, 20), (2, 50), (3, 80), (4, 95), (5, 100). Prairie dog town graph (model data) 1 2 3 4 5 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 Year (in years) Number of prairie dogs in the town Prairie dogs - About 20, because the line starts over
- About 100, the same as year 5
- About 120, because the line is still rising
- About 80, because births stop at the top
Light reaching a forest gap lets oak seedlings grow. In year 4, branches spread over the gap and shade it. Kira predicts year 5. Which prediction fits?
Forest gap seedling graph (model data). Graph (model data): x axis Year (in years), ticks every 1 year from 1 to 4; y axis Number of oak seedlings, ticks every 20 from 0 to 100. Line Oak seedlings: (1, 20), (2, 40), (3, 60), (4, 80). Marked at year 4: tree branches spread over the gap. Forest gap seedling graph (model data). Graph (model data): x axis Year (in years), ticks every 1 year from 1 to 4; y axis Number of oak seedlings, ticks every 20 from 0 to 100. Line Oak seedlings: (1, 20), (2, 40), (3, 60), (4, 80). Marked at year 4: tree branches spread over the gap. Forest gap seedling graph (model data) 1 2 3 4 0 20 40 60 80 100 Year (in years) Number of oak seedlings tree branches spread over the gap Oak seedlings - Lower than 80, because less light reaches the gap
- Higher than 80, because the line was rising
- Higher than 80, because shade helps seedlings sprout
- About 80, because the gap is the same size
Field A has 2 brush piles and Field B has 6. Milo compares the lines. In year 5, how many more rabbits are in Field B than in Field A?
Two old fields graph (model data). Graph (model data): x axis Year (in years), ticks every 1 year from 1 to 5; y axis Number of rabbits, ticks every 20 from 0 to 80. Line Field A: (1, 10), (2, 20), (3, 20), (4, 20), (5, 20). Line Field B: (1, 10), (2, 30), (3, 50), (4, 60), (5, 60). Two old fields graph (model data). Graph (model data): x axis Year (in years), ticks every 1 year from 1 to 5; y axis Number of rabbits, ticks every 20 from 0 to 80. Line Field A: (1, 10), (2, 20), (3, 20), (4, 20), (5, 20). Line Field B: (1, 10), (2, 30), (3, 50), (4, 60), (5, 60). Two old fields graph (model data) 1 2 3 4 5 0 20 40 60 80 Year (in years) Number of rabbits Field A Field B - 80 more
- 60 more
- 40 more
- 20 more
Noah compares two prairie dog towns that both have open ground around them. Which town grew faster from year 1 to year 4?
Two prairie towns graph (model data). Graph (model data): x axis Year (in years), ticks every 1 year from 1 to 4; y axis Number of prairie dogs in the town, ticks every 20 from 0 to 100. Line Town A: (1, 40), (2, 50), (3, 60), (4, 70). Line Town B: (1, 10), (2, 20), (3, 40), (4, 80). Two prairie towns graph (model data). Graph (model data): x axis Year (in years), ticks every 1 year from 1 to 4; y axis Number of prairie dogs in the town, ticks every 20 from 0 to 100. Line Town A: (1, 40), (2, 50), (3, 60), (4, 70). Line Town B: (1, 10), (2, 20), (3, 40), (4, 80). Two prairie towns graph (model data) 1 2 3 4 0 20 40 60 80 100 Year (in years) Number of prairie dogs in the town Town A Town B - Town B, which gained 70 against 30
- Town A, which had the steadier line
- Town A, which began with the higher count
- Neither, since both lines go up
Pia reads about oak seedlings in a small gap among tall trees. The line levels off at 60. Which cause best explains the level-off?
Oak seedling level graph (model data). Graph (model data): x axis Year (in years), ticks every 1 year from 1 to 6; y axis Number of oak seedlings, ticks every 20 from 0 to 80. Line Oak seedlings: (1, 10), (2, 30), (3, 50), (4, 60), (5, 60), (6, 60). Oak seedling level graph (model data). Graph (model data): x axis Year (in years), ticks every 1 year from 1 to 6; y axis Number of oak seedlings, ticks every 20 from 0 to 80. Line Oak seedlings: (1, 10), (2, 30), (3, 50), (4, 60), (5, 60), (6, 60). Oak seedling level graph (model data) 1 2 3 4 5 6 0 20 40 60 80 Year (in years) Number of oak seedlings Oak seedlings - Populations stop changing after four years
- The seedlings get more light than they can use
- No new seedlings sprout once the line is flat
- The gap lets in a limited amount of light
Ari's yeast line levels off at 80 on day 5. Nothing else in the jar changed. Which cause best explains the level-off?
Yeast level graph (model data). Graph (model data): x axis Day (in days), ticks every 1 day from 1 to 7; y axis Amount of yeast (model units), ticks every 20 from 0 to 100. Line Yeast: (1, 5), (2, 15), (3, 40), (4, 70), (5, 80), (6, 80), (7, 80). Yeast level graph (model data). Graph (model data): x axis Day (in days), ticks every 1 day from 1 to 7; y axis Amount of yeast (model units), ticks every 20 from 0 to 100. Line Yeast: (1, 5), (2, 15), (3, 40), (4, 70), (5, 80), (6, 80), (7, 80). Yeast level graph (model data) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 20 40 60 80 100 Day (in days) Amount of yeast (model units) Yeast - Yeast level off after five days, whatever the sugar
- The jar has endless sugar, so it is still growing
- The sugar in the jar is running low
- The yeast have stopped making new cells
A field has plenty of plants and water but only 4 brush piles. Esme sees the rabbit line level off at 40. Which cause best explains it?
Old field level graph (model data). Graph (model data): x axis Year (in years), ticks every 1 year from 1 to 7; y axis Number of rabbits, ticks every 10 from 0 to 60. Line Rabbits: (1, 10), (2, 20), (3, 30), (4, 40), (5, 40), (6, 40), (7, 40). Old field level graph (model data). Graph (model data): x axis Year (in years), ticks every 1 year from 1 to 7; y axis Number of rabbits, ticks every 10 from 0 to 60. Line Rabbits: (1, 10), (2, 20), (3, 30), (4, 40), (5, 40), (6, 40), (7, 40). Old field level graph (model data) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Year (in years) Number of rabbits Rabbits - The field is short of water
- The shelter spots are all in use
- There is no limit, so it will rise again soon
- Rabbits stop being born at 40
Jun sees a letter mark event X at year 3 on the prairie dog graph. Which event fits the line after X?
Prairie town event graph (model data). Graph (model data): x axis Year (in years), ticks every 1 year from 1 to 6; y axis Number of prairie dogs in the town, ticks every 20 from 0 to 120. Line Prairie dogs: (1, 40), (2, 40), (3, 40), (4, 70), (5, 100), (6, 100). Marked at year 3: X. Prairie town event graph (model data). Graph (model data): x axis Year (in years), ticks every 1 year from 1 to 6; y axis Number of prairie dogs in the town, ticks every 20 from 0 to 120. Line Prairie dogs: (1, 40), (2, 40), (3, 40), (4, 70), (5, 100), (6, 100). Marked at year 3: X. Prairie town event graph (model data) 1 2 3 4 5 6 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 Year (in years) Number of prairie dogs in the town Prairie dogs X - A very dry summer began
- Open prairie was added next to the town
- The town stopped having young
- Open ground next to the town was paved over
Ren sees a letter mark event X on day 4 on the yeast graph. Which event fits the line after X?
Yeast event graph (model data). Graph (model data): x axis Day (in days), ticks every 1 day from 1 to 7; y axis Amount of yeast (model units), ticks every 20 from 0 to 100. Line Yeast: (1, 5), (2, 15), (3, 30), (4, 30), (5, 60), (6, 80), (7, 80). Marked at day 4: X. Yeast event graph (model data). Graph (model data): x axis Day (in days), ticks every 1 day from 1 to 7; y axis Amount of yeast (model units), ticks every 20 from 0 to 100. Line Yeast: (1, 5), (2, 15), (3, 30), (4, 30), (5, 60), (6, 80), (7, 80). Marked at day 4: X. Yeast event graph (model data) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 20 40 60 80 100 Day (in days) Amount of yeast (model units) Yeast X - Some of the sugar water was poured out
- The yeast stopped making new cells
- More sugar was stirred into the jar
- The jar was left on the shelf unchanged

