Inherited Traits and Learned Behaviors — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. A sunflower plant is short because it grew in a shady spot. Which best describes why it is short?
A) It is a learned behavior
B) The environment influenced a trait
C) It is a new species
D) The trait is purely inherited
In Grade 3 NGSS 3-LS3, a shady environment can make a plant shorter, even when parent plants are tall.
2. A parrot repeats the words its owner says. Which best describes this parrot's talking?
A) An inherited trait
B) A learned behavior
C) A random environmental change
D) A new species trait
Grade 3 students classify parrot talking as a learned behavior because the bird copies sounds it hears.
3. A baby elephant has skin color and ear shape very similar to its mother. Which best fits these traits?
A) Learned behaviors
B) Inherited traits
C) Environmental effects
D) Random changes
Grade 3 NGSS 3-LS3 teaches that physical features like ear shape come from parents as inherited traits.
4. Three puppies in one litter each have different spot patterns. Which idea best explains this?
A) All puppies have the same traits
B) Only learned behavior
C) Variation within a species
D) No inherited traits exist
Grade 3 NGSS 3-LS3 calls these differences variation within a species, even among siblings from the same parents.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. A young animal or plant made by parents is called offspring.
Offspring in Grade 3 NGSS 3-LS3 refers to the young produced by parents in both animals and plants.
2. A feature of a living thing, such as color or size, is called a trait.
Grade 3 students use 'trait' to name any feature that can be inherited, learned, or influenced by environment.
3. A skill a dog knows only after training is a learned behavior.
Learned behaviors require training or experience, a key Grade 3 NGSS 3-LS3 concept separating them from inherited traits.
4. Small differences among members of the same species are called variation.
Grade 3 NGSS 3-LS3 teaches that variation explains why siblings have different spots, heights, or colors.
5. A family line from grandparents to parents to children shows several generations.
Grade 3 students trace inherited traits across generations to see how features are passed down over time.