Inherited or Acquired?

Question 1

A puppy is born with black spots like its parent dogs. Is the spotted coat inherited or acquired, and why?

Accepted Answer

Inherited trait; the spotted coat came from its parents.

Answer

Acquired trait; the spots came from rolling in dirt.

Answer

Acquired trait; spots form from what the puppy eats.

Answer

Inherited trait; all puppies are born with spots.

Question 2

A horse has a healed scar on its side from scraping a fence. Is the scar inherited or acquired, and why?

Accepted Answer

Acquired trait; the scar formed after an injury.

Answer

Inherited trait; it is part of the horse's body like its coat color.

Answer

Inherited trait; the scar will show up on its foals.

Answer

Acquired trait; the horse was born with it.

Question 3

A young oak has leaves shaped like its parent tree, but one branch broke in a storm. Is the broken branch inherited or acquired?

Accepted Answer

Acquired trait; the branch broke during the tree's life.

Answer

Inherited trait; it is part of the tree like its leaf shape.

Answer

Inherited trait; its seedlings will have the same broken branch.

Answer

Acquired trait; the young tree got it from its parent tree.

Question 4

A child has brown eyes like both parents. Is the child's eye color inherited or acquired, and why?

Accepted Answer

Inherited trait; eye color came from the parents.

Answer

Acquired trait; the child's eyes turned brown while growing up.

Answer

Acquired trait; the child got brown eyes from living with the parents.

Answer

Learned behavior; children copy the looks of the family they live with.

Question 5

A shelter dog has a clipped ear from a veterinarian's visit. Is the clipped ear inherited or acquired, and why?

Accepted Answer

Acquired trait; the ear was clipped during the dog's life.

Answer

Inherited trait; puppies are born with clipped ears if a parent has one.

Answer

Inherited trait; the dog's parents must have had clipped ears too.

Answer

Acquired trait; the dog was born with that ear shape.

Question 6

A maple seedling grows leaves with the same shape as the parent maple. Is leaf shape inherited or acquired, and why?

Accepted Answer

Inherited trait; leaf shape comes from the parent plant.

Answer

Acquired trait; the leaves took their shape from the soil they grew in.

Answer

Acquired trait; the leaf shape came from the weather where it grew.

Answer

Learned behavior; the seedling copies the shape of nearby leaves.

Question 7

A parrot has one feather dyed blue by its owner. Is the blue dyed feather inherited or acquired, and why?

Accepted Answer

Acquired trait; the feather color was changed during life.

Answer

Inherited trait; the parrot was born blue because its parent had dyed feathers.

Answer

Inherited trait; feather color always comes from the parents.

Answer

Acquired trait; the parrot was born with that blue feather.

Question 8

A kitten is born with white paws like its mother cat. Are the white paws inherited or acquired, and why?

Accepted Answer

Inherited trait; the paw color came from the parents.

Answer

Acquired trait; the paws turned white as the kitten grew.

Answer

Acquired trait; the kitten got white paws from its mother's milk.

Answer

Learned behavior; the kitten copied how its mother looks.

Question 9

A turtle's shell cracked after it fell from a rock. Is the cracked shell inherited or acquired, and why?

Accepted Answer

Acquired trait; the crack happened after an accident.

Answer

Inherited trait; the turtle was born with the crack because its parent had one.

Answer

Inherited trait; turtles are born with lines and cracks on their shells.

Answer

Acquired trait; the turtle was born with a cracked shell.

Question 10

A rose bush grows red flowers like the plant it came from. Is the red flower color inherited or acquired, and why?

Accepted Answer

Inherited trait; flower color comes from the parent plant.

Answer

Acquired trait; sunlight turned the petals red as they grew.

Answer

Acquired trait; the gardener's care made the flowers red.

Answer

Learned behavior; the bush copies the color of nearby roses.

Question 11

A rabbit has a torn ear after fighting with another rabbit. Is the torn ear inherited or acquired, and why?

Accepted Answer

Acquired trait; the torn ear came from an injury.

Answer

Inherited trait; the rabbit was born with the tear because its parent had one.

Answer

Inherited trait; rabbits that fight pass torn ears to their babies.

Answer

Acquired trait; the rabbit was born with a torn ear.

Question 12

A young cactus grows sharp spines like the cactus it came from. Are the spines inherited or acquired, and why?

Accepted Answer

Inherited trait; spines are a body feature from the parent cactus.

Answer

Acquired trait; the cactus grew spines because the desert is hot and dry.

Answer

Acquired trait; the spines grew because no one watered the cactus.

Answer

Learned behavior; the young cactus copied the spines of nearby plants.

Question 13

A spider that has never watched another spider spins a web. Is web spinning inherited or learned, and why?

Accepted Answer

Inherited behavior; the spider can spin a web without being taught.

Answer

Learned behavior; the spider practiced until it could spin a web.

Answer

Learned behavior; the spider learned by looking at old webs nearby.

Answer

Acquired trait; the spider's body grew the web after it hatched.

Question 14

A dog sits when its owner gives a hand signal after many training sessions. Is sitting on command inherited or learned?

Accepted Answer

Learned behavior; the dog was trained to respond to the signal.

Answer

Inherited behavior; the dog's parents were trained, so it knew the signal.

Answer

Inherited behavior; all dogs sit, so sitting on command came from its parents.

Answer

Learned behavior; the dog learned it by watching other dogs sit.

Question 15

A newborn calf stands and walks soon after birth. Is this standing behavior inherited or learned, and why?

Accepted Answer

Inherited behavior; the calf can do it without lessons.

Answer

Learned behavior; the calf learned by watching other cows walk.

Answer

Learned behavior; the mother cow taught the calf to stand.

Answer

Inherited behavior; the calf learned it from its parents.

Question 16

A crow opens a lunch box after watching people use the latch several times. Is opening the box inherited or learned?

Accepted Answer

Learned behavior; the crow figured it out from experience.

Answer

Inherited behavior; crows are born knowing how to open things.

Answer

Inherited behavior; the crow's parents opened boxes, so it can too.

Answer

Inherited behavior; crows are smart birds, so the skill came from its parents.

Question 17

A robin builds a cup-shaped nest even without being taught by people. Is nest building inherited or learned, and why?

Accepted Answer

Inherited behavior; the robin builds its species' nest by instinct.

Answer

Learned behavior; the robin watched other robins build nests.

Answer

Learned behavior; the robin practiced building nests over many years.

Answer

Inherited behavior; the robin's parents taught it how to build.

Question 18

A sea turtle hatchling crawls toward the ocean soon after leaving its nest. Is this behavior inherited or learned?

Accepted Answer

Inherited behavior; the hatchling does it without being taught.

Answer

Learned behavior; the mother turtle shows the hatchlings the way.

Answer

Learned behavior; the hatchling follows the other hatchlings it sees.

Answer

Inherited behavior; the hatchling's mother taught it before leaving.

Question 19

A parrot repeats a word after its keeper practices with it every day. Is repeating the word inherited or learned?

Accepted Answer

Learned behavior; practice taught the parrot to repeat the word.

Answer

Inherited behavior; parrots are born knowing how to say words.

Answer

Inherited behavior; its parents knew the word, so it could say it too.

Answer

Learned behavior; the parrot picked up the word from other parrots.

Question 20

A child rides a bicycle after practicing with an adult. Is bicycle riding inherited or learned, and why?

Accepted Answer

Learned behavior; practice helped the child ride.

Answer

Inherited behavior; the child's parents ride bikes, so the child can too.

Answer

Inherited behavior; children are born knowing how to ride bikes.

Answer

Inherited trait; strong legs from the parents let the child ride.

Question 21

A newborn kitten nurses from its mother soon after birth. Is nursing inherited or learned, and why?

Accepted Answer

Inherited behavior; the kitten can nurse without lessons.

Answer

Learned behavior; the mother cat teaches the kitten to nurse.

Answer

Learned behavior; the kitten watches its brothers and sisters nurse first.

Answer

Inherited behavior; the kitten learned it from its mother.

Question 22

A raccoon opens a trash can after trying different ways for several nights. Is opening the can inherited or learned?

Accepted Answer

Learned behavior; the raccoon improved through experience.

Answer

Inherited behavior; raccoons are born knowing how to open cans.

Answer

Inherited behavior; raccoon parents pass this skill to their babies.

Answer

Learned behavior; another raccoon showed it how on the first night.

Question 23

Two lizards look alike, but one has a shorter tail after a bird grabbed it. What does the shorter tail tell you?

Accepted Answer

It is acquired; the tail changed after an injury.

Answer

It is inherited; the lizard was born with the injury because its parent had one.

Answer

It is inherited; some lizards are born with shorter tails than others.

Answer

It is learned; the lizard learned to drop its tail to escape.

Question 24

Two kittens from the same parents have different eye colors. One matches the mother, and one matches the father. What does the difference tell you?

Accepted Answer

Eye color is inherited; offspring may look like either parent.

Answer

Eye color is acquired; it depends on how much light the kittens see.

Answer

Eye color is acquired; the kittens' food changed their eye color.

Answer

Eye color is learned; each kitten copies the parent it spends time with.

Question 25

Two oak saplings grew near the same tree, but only one has a scraped bark patch after a mower hit it. What does the patch show?

Accepted Answer

It is acquired; the scrape came from damage during life.

Answer

It is inherited; the sapling's parent tree had rough, scraped bark.

Answer

It is inherited; bark patterns come from the parent tree.

Answer

It is learned; the young tree got used to the mower.

Question 26

Two parrots of the same kind live with different trainers, but both have green feathers and a yellow head like their parents. What does this show?

Accepted Answer

Feather color is inherited from parrot parents.

Answer

Feather color is learned from the trainers who care for them.

Answer

Feather color is acquired; the parrots' cages turned them green.

Answer

Feather color is acquired; the parrots changed color to match the trees.

Question 27

Many young spiders never see their parents. Why is it helpful that web spinning is an inherited behavior?

Accepted Answer

The young spider can build a web to catch food without being taught.

Answer

The young spider can copy webs that its parents leave behind.

Answer

The young spider will never need to fix or rebuild its web.

Answer

The young spider can spin any web shape it wants.

Question 28

Two tomato plants began healthy, but one developed yellow leaves after days in a dark closet. What do the yellow leaves show?

Accepted Answer

They are acquired; the leaf color changed because of conditions.

Answer

They are inherited; the plant's parent must have had yellow leaves.

Answer

They are inherited; some tomato plants are born with yellow leaves.

Answer

They are learned; the plant got used to living in the dark.

Question 29

A German shepherd like this one has pointed ears like its parents. It also has a small scar, hidden under its fur, from a fence. It sits when its handler raises a hand and walks calmly on a leash. Which of these did it inherit from its parents?

Accepted Answer

Its pointed ears

Answer

Its scar from the fence

Answer

Sitting when its handler raises a hand

Answer

Walking calmly on a leash

Question 30

Two horses have long manes, but only one has braids for a parade. What does the braided mane tell you?

Accepted Answer

It is acquired; people braided the mane during the horse's life.

Answer

It is inherited; foals are born with parade braids if a parent has them.

Answer

It is inherited; the horse's long mane came from its parents.

Answer

It is learned; the horse was trained to hold its mane in braids.

Question 31

Two robins like this one grew up in different yards. One hops toward people to get bread crumbs, and the other flies away when people come near. What most likely explains the difference?

Accepted Answer

Learned behavior; the first robin learned from experience that people bring food.

Answer

Inherited behavior; the first robin's parents liked people.

Answer

Inherited trait; robins from that yard are born tame.

Answer

Inherited behavior; only some robins are born knowing people have food.

Question 32

Two brothers both have dimples, but only one has a healed scar from falling. What does the scar show?

Accepted Answer

It is acquired; the scar formed after the fall.

Answer

It is inherited; he was born with the scar because a parent had one.

Answer

It is inherited; like the dimples, it came from a parent.

Answer

It is learned; he learned to be careful after he fell.

Question 33

A mare has a brown coat and a healed scar from a fence. Her foal is born healthy. What trait will the foal most likely show?

Accepted Answer

A brown coat, because coat color is inherited from parents.

Answer

A scar, because foals are born with their mother's scars.

Answer

A white coat, because coat color comes from the pasture a foal grows up in.

Answer

A brown coat and a scar, because foals look just like their mothers.

Question 34

A dog has black fur and one clipped ear from an earlier injury. What trait are its puppies most likely to show?

Accepted Answer

Black fur, because fur color is inherited.

Answer

A clipped ear, because puppies inherit their parent's injury.

Answer

Black fur and a clipped ear, because puppies look like their parent.

Answer

Neither, because puppies get their traits from where they grow up.

Question 35

A sunflower plant has yellow flowers and a stem cut by a gardener. When its seeds grow, what trait will the new plants most likely show?

Accepted Answer

Yellow flowers, because flower color is inherited.

Answer

Cut stems, because young plants inherit every cut.

Answer

Yellow flowers and cut stems, because seeds copy the whole parent plant.

Answer

Any flower color, because the soil decides the color of new plants.

Question 36

A parakeet has a curved beak and tail feathers dyed red by its owner. What trait will its chick most likely show?

Accepted Answer

A curved beak, because beak shape is inherited.

Answer

Red-dyed tail feathers, because chicks inherit dye from parents.

Answer

A curved beak and red tail feathers, because chicks match the parent.

Answer

A straight beak, because a chick's beak shape comes from what it eats.

Question 37

A cat has striped fur and lost part of its tail in an accident. What trait will its kittens most likely show?

Accepted Answer

Striped fur, because fur pattern is inherited.

Answer

A missing tail part, because kittens inherit accidents.

Answer

Striped fur and a short tail, because kittens look just like their mother.

Answer

Plain fur, because kittens get fur patterns from where they live.

Question 38

A rose bush has red flowers and was pruned short by a gardener. What trait will a young plant from it most likely show?

Accepted Answer

Red flowers, because flower color is inherited.

Answer

A short, pruned shape, because young plants inherit trimming.

Answer

Red flowers and a short shape, because young plants copy the whole parent.

Answer

Any flower color, because water and soil decide flower color.

Question 39

A sheep has curly wool and learned to come when a bell rings. What trait or behavior will its lamb most likely show?

Accepted Answer

Curly wool, because wool type is inherited.

Answer

Coming to a bell, because training is inherited from the parent.

Answer

Curly wool and coming to a bell, because lambs get everything from the parent.

Answer

Straight wool, because a lamb's wool depends on the weather.

Question 40

A rabbit has white fur and clipped toenails from a pet groomer. What trait will its baby rabbits most likely show?

Accepted Answer

White fur, because fur color is inherited.

Answer

Clipped toenails, because grooming passes from parent to baby rabbits.

Answer

White fur and short nails, because babies match the parent in every way.

Answer

Any fur color, because babies get fur color from where they live.

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Inherited or Acquired?

Ways to Play

Device Games: Students play on their phones

Blast Go

Zombie Escape

Avalanche

Maze Blast

Cave Climb

Blast Out

Mystery Auction

Tour Guide

Food Truck Rush

Tug of War

Alien Blast

Glacier Rush

Board Games: Teacher-led, projected to the class

Like what you see?

Bug Blast

BlastRace

BlastQuiz

BlastBoard

Seek & Destroy

Mystery Blast

Checkers

Texas Hold 'Em

Da Bomb

Castle Siege

Hot Potato

Market Mayhem

King of the Hill

Bank Heist

Top Corner

Inherited or Acquired?

Ways to Play

Device Games: Students play on their phones

Blast Go

Zombie Escape

Avalanche

Maze Blast

Cave Climb

Blast Out

Mystery Auction

Tour Guide

Food Truck Rush

Tug of War

Alien Blast

Glacier Rush

Board Games: Teacher-led, projected to the class

Like what you see?

More like this

Bug Blast

BlastRace

BlastQuiz

BlastBoard

Seek & Destroy

Mystery Blast

Checkers

Texas Hold 'Em

Da Bomb

Castle Siege

Hot Potato

Market Mayhem

King of the Hill

Bank Heist

Top Corner