Plants and Their Needs — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. A seed has a hard outer coat that protects the baby plant inside.
The seed coat acts like a shell or jacket, keeping the baby plant safe from cold, bumps, and drying out until conditions are right for it to sprout.
2. When a seed starts to grow, it is called germination.
Germination is the special science word for the moment a seed breaks open and begins sending out its first tiny root.
3. The first thing to come out of a sprouting seed is the root.
The root pokes out first and grows downward so the young plant can grab the soil and start drinking water right away.
4. A seedling is a very young plant that just started growing.
A seedling is the baby stage of a plant's life, when it has just poked out of the soil and has only its first tiny leaves.
5. As a plant grows taller, its stem reaches for the sunlight.
The stem lifts the leaves high up so they can catch as much sunshine as possible, and it grows taller the more it stretches toward the light.
6. A grown plant makes seeds so new plants can grow.
Fully grown plants flower and then produce seeds, which is how one plant can create many baby plants and keep the life cycle going.
7. Plants need nutrients from the soil to grow strong and healthy.
Nutrients are like vitamins for plants — they help stems grow thick, leaves stay green, and flowers bloom bright, and roots pull them straight from the soil.
8. Tiny holes on leaves let air in and water vapor out.
The tiny holes in leaves are so small you need a microscope to see them, but they let the plant swap gases with the outside air like tiny doors.
9. Most plants begin their life as a small seed.
Almost every flowering plant starts as a seed, which is a tiny package that carries all the instructions and early food a new plant needs.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
seed
→ a tiny shell holding a baby plant
makes pollen and attracts bees
seedling
→ a young plant with its first leaves
a tiny shell holding a baby plant
adult plant
→ a full-grown plant that can make seeds
a young plant with its first leaves
flower
→ makes pollen and attracts bees
a full-grown plant that can make seeds
Each match follows the plant life cycle in order: the seed holds the baby plant, the seedling is the first sprout, the adult plant is fully grown, and the flower then makes pollen so new seeds can form.