6th Grade Animal Test
Directions: Choose the best answer from the choices provided.
1. Which simple invertebrate animals have pores (holes) through which water flows, allowing the
animals to get their food and to get rid of their waste
A)
B)
C)
D)
Arthropods
Echinoderms
Fish
Sponges
2. A baby monkey sees its mother use a stick to get bugs out of a hole in a tree. Later, it does the
same thing. This is a(n) __________ behavior.
A)
B)
C)
D)
inherited
instinctive
learned
acquired
3. When a person’s body needs water, the brain helps maintain survival by sending signals that make
the person
A)
B)
C)
D)
sweat.
feel tired.
feel thirsty.
become more active.
4. How are endothermic animals different from ectothermic animals?
A) Endothermic animals always sweat
B) Ectothermic animals always have a higher blood temperature.
C) Ectothermic animals have a higher metabolism.
D) Endothermic animals always maintain a fairly constant body temperature
5. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of vertebrates?
A)
B)
C)
D)
backbones
exoskeletons
made of multiple cells
blood that circulates through blood vessels
6. On cold days, snakes and birds act very differently from each other. How would you expect each of
them to act on a cold day?
A)
B)
C)
D)
Snakes move around a lot and lie in the shade. Birds are less active and eat less.
Snakes move around a lot and lie in the shade. Birds are more active and eat a lot.
Snakes move around very little and lie in the sun. Birds are less active and eat less.
Snakes move around very little and lie in the sun. Birds are more active and eat a lot.
7. Behaviors that an animal is born with (passed on from parents to offspring) are
A)
B)
C)
D)
inherited.
learned.
taught.
instinctive.
8. A lizard (cold-blooded animal) that gets too hot while sitting in the sun will have to
A)
B)
C)
D)
sweat or pant.
eat more food.
move around rapidly.
move to a shady location.
9. Which vertebrate group consists of ectothermic animals that breathe through gills in water early in
life and breathe with lungs on land as adults?
A)
B)
C)
D)
Amphibians
Fishes
Mammals
Reptiles
10. The coat of a horse in the summer is relatively smooth with short hairs. The coat of a horse in the
winter is coarse with long hairs. What MOST likely causes this difference?
A)
B)
C)
D)
less grooming due to winter weather
adjustment because of changes in weather
changes in the horse’s diet from summer to winter
changes in the horse’s exercise from summer to winter
11. What happens when an animal hibernates?
A)
B)
C)
D)
It stops breathing.
It uses less energy than when it is active.
It absorbs energy to use when it is active.
Its temperature is higher than when it is active.
12. Shivering is the body’s response to
A)
B)
C)
D)
extreme thirst.
too much food.
loss of nutrition.
reduced body temperature.
13. A hawk’s sharp curved beak is good for
A)
B)
C)
D)
drinking from flowers.
catching small insects.
ripping and tearing food.
all of the above.
14. Animals migrate due to
A)
B)
C)
D)
changes in the weather.
changes in the availability of food.
changes in the amount of daylight.
all of the above.
15. The main function of a Monarch butterfly’s bright colors and poison is to
A)
B)
C)
D)
capture prey.
hide from predators.
move away from predators.
defend itself from predators.
16. Feeding is the response to the internal stimulus of being
A)
B)
C)
D)
hot.
tired.
thirsty.
hungry.
17. To maintain internal temperatures, animals may
A)
B)
C)
D)
sweat to stay cool.
shiver to stay warm.
shed thick coats of fur in the summer.
all of the above.
Use the image below to answer question 18:
A
B
18. Which structure above is best adapted for swimming?
A)
B)
C)
D)
A
B
C
D
C
D
E) Directions: Write out your answers to the following two open-ended questions in
complete sentences.
Use the following pictures to answer question 19
Dinosaur 1: Meat eater
Dinosaur 2: Plant eater
19. These are the head skeletons of two dinosaurs. Scientists claim that Dinosaur 1 ate meat and
Dinosaur 2 ate plants.
a. Give a scientific explanation (with claim, evidence, and reasoning) that supports the claim that
Dinosaur 1 ate meat and Dinosaur 2 ate plants.
b. Dinosaurs are vertebrates and reptiles. Describe two characteristics that make reptiles different from
other animal groups.
c. There has been a debate in the scientific community about whether dinosaurs were ectothermic or
endothermic. If you could go back in time, explain how you would decide whether dinosaurs really
were ectothermic or endothermic organisms. Make sure your answer includes what you would look for
and how you would make your decision.
20. Describe at least two ways bears are adapted to survive the environmental changes listed in A)
and B) below. Provide a claim, evidence, and reasoning to support your answers.
A) Extreme cold of winter
B) Extreme hot of summer months
C) How does a bear’s internal stimuli (including hunger, thirst, and sleep) help it to survive?