Quiz Study Guide
Characteristics of Life
This quiz will focus on the material on the gold notes in students’ binders.
There are 7 characteristics of all living things
1. All living things have cells (unicellular or multicellular)
2. All living things have DNA (genetic material)
3. All living things excrete ( get rid of waste)
4. All living things grow and develop
5. All living things reproduce (or species will go extinct)
6. All living things respond to change (respond/react to a stimulus)
7. All living things require energy (consumer: eat other organisms or producers: make their own food)
Vocabulary
Word
Definition
Abiotic
Nonliving factors in the environment
Biotic
Living factors in the environment
Things that are living now, or have lived
Unicellular
Made of a single cell
Stimulus
Anything that affects the activity of an
organism, organ or tissue
*any change in an organism’s environment
Homeostasis
Any reaction to a stimulus
*usually in an effort to maintain
homeostasis
The maintenance of a constant internal
environment
Multicellular
Made of many cells
Sexual Reproduction
Reproduction in which two cells join to form
a zygote; offspring share characteristics of
two parents
Asexual Reproduction
Reproduction in which a single
Parent produces offspring that are
genetically identical to the parent.
Response
DNA
Digestion
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Hereditary material that controls all the
activities of the cell. Provides instructions
for making proteins.
Breaking down of food so that it can be used
by the body
Metabolism
The processes leading to the breakdown of
food into energy
Heredity
The passing of traits from parent to
offspring.
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