Logo

Science Quiz - Adaptation of Animals and Plants 01 (Questions)

Revise what you know about Charles Darwin and evolution. What is survival of the fittest?

Studying in years 7, 8 or 9? Enjoy learning by playing quizzes.

Scroll down to play the quiz

FIND OUT ABOUT SUBSCRIPTIONS

[readmore]

This KS3 Science quiz is about adaptation of animals and plants which is about how well suited they are to where they live and to how they live. If they are poorly adapted, they will find it diffucult or impossible to survive. A plant with short roots would not be well adapted to life in a desert where the water is found a long way below the surface. Animals that hunt at night often have more sensitive eyes than those that hunt during the day. Both of these are examples of adaptations.

Adaptation is about change too. It's a matter of survival and if the environment or habitat changes, then the plants and animals need to change too. Over millions of years, animals and plants have adapted to their habitat. We call that evolution. Several people have come up with the idea of evolution but it is Charles Darwin who is the most famous. Until Darwin, no-one had really any idea about how evolution occurred. He came up with the idea of the survival of the fittest. In other words, plants and animals that were better adapted to their environment and way of life would survive and breed. The others would die out.

[/readmore]
1. The area in which an organism lives is called .......
[ ] A habitat
[ ] A river
[ ] A wood
[ ] An environment
2. A polar bear is adapted to live in the arctic. Which of the following is NOT true?
[ ] They have a thick layer of fat for insulation
[ ] They have big feet to produce high pressure on the snow
[ ] They have waterproof fur for insulation when in water
[ ] Their fur looks white to blend in with their surroundings
3. An oak tree is adapted to grow in a wood. Which of the following is NOT true?
[ ] It has a large root system to absorb water and minerals
[ ] It has a large root system to anchor the tree
[ ] It has plenty of leaves to absorb sunlight
[ ] It loses its leaves in autumn to save food
4. A cactus is adapted to survive in desert conditions. Which of the following is NOT true?
[ ] Flowers only open during the heat of the day
[ ] The leaves are spines to prevent water loss
[ ] The leaves are spines to stop animals eating them
[ ] The swollen stem stores water
5. A camel is adapted to survive in desert conditions. Which of the following is NOT true?
[ ] The hump is used to store fat
[ ] The nostrils can close to keep sand out
[ ] They have large feet so they do not sink in soft sand
[ ] They have long eyelashes to attract other camels
6. Hedgehogs are nocturnal and hibernate during the winter. Which of the following is NOT true?
[ ] Hedgehogs eat insects and worms - they are herbivores
[ ] Their metabolic rate drops in winter
[ ] They are nocturnal as many insects are active at night
[ ] They hibernate as food is scarce in winter
7. Giraffes are adapted to live on the African savanna. Which of the following is NOT true?
[ ] They are tall so that it is easy to spot predators
[ ] They can drink up to 12 gallons of water when available
[ ] They have a long neck to eat leaves from tree tops
[ ] They have a tiny heart to pump blood up their necks
8. Desert tortoises are adapted to live in the desert. Which of the following is NOT true?
[ ] The adults can survive about a year with no water
[ ] The hard shell can't protect them
[ ] They burrow to protect themselves from the extreme heat
[ ] They dig shallow pits to catch water
9. An arctic poppy is adapted to live in the arctic tundra. Which of the following is NOT true?
[ ] The flower moves during the day to face the sun
[ ] The stems and leaves are hairy to prevent water loss
[ ] They grow near to the ground to protect against winds
[ ] They have shallow roots as the top layer of soil is always frozen
10. Penguins are adapted to live in the Antarctic. Which of the following is NOT true?
[ ] The dark coloured feathers reflect heat from the sun
[ ] Their webbed feet make them powerful swimmers
[ ] They have overlapping feathers to waterproof them
[ ] They have thick skin and lots of fat to keep them warm

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Adaptations and evolution

Logo
Science Quiz - Adaptation of Animals and Plants 01 (Answers)
1. The area in which an organism lives is called .......
[x] A habitat
[ ] A river
[ ] A wood
[ ] An environment
A river and a wood are types of habitat
2. A polar bear is adapted to live in the arctic. Which of the following is NOT true?
[ ] They have a thick layer of fat for insulation
[x] They have big feet to produce high pressure on the snow
[ ] They have waterproof fur for insulation when in water
[ ] Their fur looks white to blend in with their surroundings
Big feet produce low pressure so they don't sink in the snow
3. An oak tree is adapted to grow in a wood. Which of the following is NOT true?
[ ] It has a large root system to absorb water and minerals
[ ] It has a large root system to anchor the tree
[ ] It has plenty of leaves to absorb sunlight
[x] It loses its leaves in autumn to save food
It loses its leaves in autumn to save water
4. A cactus is adapted to survive in desert conditions. Which of the following is NOT true?
[x] Flowers only open during the heat of the day
[ ] The leaves are spines to prevent water loss
[ ] The leaves are spines to stop animals eating them
[ ] The swollen stem stores water
The flowers open in the cooler evening/night as that is when the pollinating insects are flying
5. A camel is adapted to survive in desert conditions. Which of the following is NOT true?
[ ] The hump is used to store fat
[ ] The nostrils can close to keep sand out
[ ] They have large feet so they do not sink in soft sand
[x] They have long eyelashes to attract other camels
The eyelashes keep sand out of their eyes
6. Hedgehogs are nocturnal and hibernate during the winter. Which of the following is NOT true?
[x] Hedgehogs eat insects and worms - they are herbivores
[ ] Their metabolic rate drops in winter
[ ] They are nocturnal as many insects are active at night
[ ] They hibernate as food is scarce in winter
They are omnivores, they will eat plants as well as insects and worms. Some people feed hedghogs in their gardens by leaving bread and milk for them. That is a very bad thing to do as they are not adapted to digest these and the milk can give them diarrhoea. That leads to dehydration and loss of essential vitamins and minerals, which weakens them. If you really want to feed them, you can buy special hedgehog food, or give them meat or vegetable based foods e.g. tinned cat food (but NOT fish flavours)
7. Giraffes are adapted to live on the African savanna. Which of the following is NOT true?
[ ] They are tall so that it is easy to spot predators
[ ] They can drink up to 12 gallons of water when available
[ ] They have a long neck to eat leaves from tree tops
[x] They have a tiny heart to pump blood up their necks
They have an extra large heart
8. Desert tortoises are adapted to live in the desert. Which of the following is NOT true?
[ ] The adults can survive about a year with no water
[x] The hard shell can't protect them
[ ] They burrow to protect themselves from the extreme heat
[ ] They dig shallow pits to catch water
The shell is an adaptation that does protect them
9. An arctic poppy is adapted to live in the arctic tundra. Which of the following is NOT true?
[ ] The flower moves during the day to face the sun
[ ] The stems and leaves are hairy to prevent water loss
[ ] They grow near to the ground to protect against winds
[x] They have shallow roots as the top layer of soil is always frozen
The top layer of soil thaws out during the arctic summer
10. Penguins are adapted to live in the Antarctic. Which of the following is NOT true?
[x] The dark coloured feathers reflect heat from the sun
[ ] Their webbed feet make them powerful swimmers
[ ] They have overlapping feathers to waterproof them
[ ] They have thick skin and lots of fat to keep them warm
The dark coloured feathers absorb heat from the sun