3rd 9 Weeks Science Benchmark

Science Benchmark Study Guide – MP3

Name: ______Test Date: ______

  1. Three parts of the water cycle are precipitation, condensation, and evaporation.
  2. A sea breeze is caused when land heats faster than water.
  3. Pollination is important in the reproduction of seed plants because pollen must be moved from the stamen to the pistil for fertilization.
  4. Flowering plants reproduce by creating seeds.
  5. Alligators live in wetlands and eat mostly frogs, snakes, fish, turtles, and small mammals. Three structures that help alligators get the food they need are:
    sharp teeth, muscular tails, and powerful jaws.
  6. The heart is responsible for moving blood through the body.
  7. A barometer is used to measure air pressure.
  8. A wetland was drained to build a mall. Two years later, there were no more toads in that area. A possible reason the toads may have disappeared, is the toads got their food from the wetland ecosystem.
  9. Some plants have structures or features that protect them from harm. If a plant has bitter tasting leaves, it would most likely protect the plant against caterpillars that would eat the plant.
  10. Know the labeled parts of the water cycle.
  1. Nicole drinks four cans of soft drink each day. After drinking the soft drinks, she should take the cans to be recycled.
  2. A meteorologist can begin to create a weather forecast by measuring temperature, precipitation, air pressure, and wind over a large area.
  3. Land heats faster than water during the day because land absorbs the sun’s energy faster than water.
  4. When building a house where tornadoes often develop, a basement should be included for safety.
  5. All seed plants have roots. Some functions of a plant’s root system are to:
    absorb water and nutrients from the soil, anchor the plant to the ground, and store water and nutrients.
  6. Ferns and mosses are different from flowering plants because ferns and mosses reproduce using spores.
  7. The energy a producer receives in a food chain starts with sunlight.
  8. The transfer of energy in a food chain is:

Sunlight → producers → herbivores → carnivores

  1. A beaver building a dam is an example of an organism changing the environment to improve its habitat.
  2. The saguaro cactus lives in a dry desert. It’s expanding stem helps the cactus to store water when it rains.
  3. Being active at night is a way that some animals have adapted to survive in hot climates.
  4. People can help the environment by planting trees to replace the ones that are cut.
  5. If a barometer is low and the anemometer is moving rapidly, the weather is probably damp and cloudy with strong winds.
  6. Evaporation moves water from ponds and lakes into the air.
  7. Most plants make their food in their leaves using the process of photosynthesis. During this process, stems carry sugar to other plant parts, and both stems and roots may store extra sugar.
  8. An organism that usually eats meat is called a carnivore. A wolf is an example of a carnivore. A snake is most likely to compete with a wolf for food.
  9. Just like you need to eat different types of food, plants need different types of nutrients. Roots and leaves help a plant get all the food it needs.

Springfield, Missouri, and San Francisco, California, are at similar latitudes, but they have very different climates. Springfield has very hot summers and cold winters, while San Francisco has about the same temperature all year. The reason the two cities have different climates is due to the distance of each city from an ocean.

  1. Use the picture of the woodland food chain below for question 29..

    29. If the trees were cut down, many caterpillars would die.
  2. Three characteristics of dogs are: vertebrates, live on land, and are mammals.
  3. Use the picture below for question 31.

    31. The arrows in the food chain show the direction that energy is flowing.
  4. Use the picture below for question 32.

    32. A food web is shown in the picture above. If there was a drought and the grass did not get enough water, the grass would die, which would cause the number of mice, rabbits, and foxes to go down.

  5. The LIVING parts of this ecosystem are fox, tree, grass.

Constructed responses:

  1. Great egrets live in marshes, ponds, and other shallow water areas and eat creatures such as fish. Two of the egret’s body parts that make it a good hunter in shallow water, with an explanation of each, are:
  2. One body part that helps the egrets hunt is its long legs that make it easy to stand in shallow water.
  3. Another body part that helps the egrets hunt is its big beak which makes it easier to catch fish.
  4. Two different characteristics of the arctic bird that change from summer to winter, and help it survive its environment are:
  5. Bird’s feathers provide a lot of insulation. During the winter, they fluff their feathers to trap air between their feathers and bodies.
  6. Birds also change behaviors in the cold. Besides eating more, they huddle together for warmth.