Inherited Traits and Learned Behaviors — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. Two sibling rabbits from the same parents have different fur colors. What science idea does this best show?
A) Variation within a species
B) Only learned behavior
C) All traits are the same
D) Only environmental change
Grade 3 NGSS 3-LS3 calls this variation within a species, because offspring can inherit different traits from the same parents.
2. A young dog learns to sit after its owner practices with it every day. What kind of behavior is this?
A) Inherited trait
B) Learned behavior
C) Variation in species
D) Parent trait only
Grade 3 science labels sitting on command as a learned behavior because it comes from training and repetition.
3. Grandma, Mom, and a child all have curly hair. What does this pattern across generations best show?
A) A learned behavior
B) An environmental effect
C) An inherited trait
D) A new species forming
Grade 3 NGSS 3-LS3 teaches that traits repeating across generations, like curly hair, are inherited traits.
4. A tomato plant grown in rich soil with lots of water grows bigger than one in poor, dry soil. What best explains the difference?
A) Learned behavior
B) Environmental influence on a trait
C) A completely inherited trait
D) Variation only
Grade 3 NGSS 3-LS3 shows that environment can influence traits like plant size, even when plants share the same parents.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. A group of living things that can reproduce with each other is called a species.
Grade 3 NGSS 3-LS3 defines a species as a group of similar living things that share inherited traits.
2. Differences between members of the same species are called variation.
Variation is a Grade 3 science word for the small differences among siblings and other members of the same species.
3. A child of parents is called an offspring.
Grade 3 NGSS 3-LS3 uses offspring to describe young produced by parents, from animals to plants.
4. Grandparent, parent, and child together represent three different generations of a family.
Generations show how traits pass through time in Grade 3 NGSS 3-LS3 inheritance lessons.
5. A skill gained from practice, like reading, is a learned behavior.
Grade 3 NGSS 3-LS3 uses 'learned' for behaviors gained from teaching or practice rather than birth.