Heredity and Learning

At a dolphin show at the Clearwater aquarium, the dolphin swims through the water, jumps into the air, and takes food out of a trainer's hand. What kind of behavior does the dolphin demonstrate at the show?

• Learned only.

• Hereditary only.

• Both learned and hereditary.

• Neither learned or inherited.

Harry looks a lot like other members of his family. Which is a characteristic that Harry probably inherited from his parents?

• The length of his hair.

• The scar on his forehead.

• The color of his eyes.

• The clothes he wears.

Lou and her family visit a circus during a trip. They watch an elephant balance on ball, walk through a hoop, and take food out of a trainer’s hand. What kind of behavior does the elephant demonstrate at the show?

• both learned and inherited

• hereditary only

• neither learned or inherited

• learned only

Which of these is an example of a learned behavior?

• A cleft chin

• The color of a flower

• A toddler learning how to read

• A wolf with thick fur

A group of students made the observations listed in the table about the size, shape, and appearance of their hands. Which of the students' observations describe inherited traits? (5.10B)

• Observations 2 and 5 only

• Observations 1, 3, and 4 only

• Observations 2, 3, and 5 only

• All the observations

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS3-2

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Which tomato plant characteristic is least likely to be inherited?

• Flower Color

• Leaf Shape

• Type of Roots

• Number of Tomatoes

Answer explanation

The number of tomatoes the plant can grow would depend on how much sunlight, water and nutrients the plant received from the environment. The other choices are characteristics the plant would inherit through the genes it gets from its parents.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS3-1

NGSS.MS-LS3-2

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Lillian is a 5th grade girl that enjoys playing the guitar. She is very tall, so everyone thinks she should play basketball, but she prefers playing chess like her father. She even loves reading and has brown eyes like he does.

Playing the guitar is a(n) ​ (a)   Being tall is a(n) ​ (b)   Playing chess is a(n)​ (c)   Reading books is a(n) (d)   Having brown eyes is a(n)​ (e)  

• learned behavior.

• inherited trait.

Which is an inherited behavior?

• A dog obeys a command from a trainer.

• A bird builds a nest in order to lay its eggs.

• A hamster runs through a maze to get to the food at the other end.

• A cat goes to the food bowl when its owner walks into the kitchen.

Which is an example of an inherited characteristic?

• a person swimming

• a bird with feathers

• a dog obeying commands

• a person speaking Spanish

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS3-2

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

A behavior that is developed by observing others or by being taught is a 

• learned behavior 

• inherited trait

• adaptation 

• function