Name:__________________________________________

Date:__________________
6th grade science pre-test

Directions: Multiple choice

Read each question carefully and choose the best answer. Fill in the
appropriate bubble on your answer sheet.
1. Carbon dioxide produced by cells is removed from the body
primarily by
which body system?
A. digestive
B. excretory
C. immune
D.respiratory
2. Which of the following is an example of asexual reproduction?
A. Turtles lay fertilized eggs in a pit in the sand.
B. Seeds form in pine cones after pollen reaches the cones.
C. Fish release egg cells and sperm cells at the surface of the water.
D.Trees send out root-like extensions that produce new stems.
3. Which of the following statements best describes the process of
natural selection in a population?
A. All individuals develop traits to match changes to their
environment.
B. All individuals learn to adapt to specific changes that occur slowly
in their environment.
C. Some individuals respond to their environment by mutating to
make themselves more likely to survive.
D. Some individuals have genetic differences that make them more
likely to survive and reproduce in their environment.

Name:__________________________________________
Date:__________________
6th grade science pre-test

4. Which of the following observations best supports the conclusion

that two animal species evolved from a common ancestor in recent
geological history?
A. The species are both herbivores.
B. The species have similar bone structure.
C. The species live in the same environment.
D.The species both obtain oxygen from the air.
5. Anya is observing an organism in the laboratory. The table below
shows her observations.

The organism Anya is observing most likely belongs to which

kingdom?
A. Animalia
B. Eubacteria
C. Fungi
D.Plantae
6. Which of the following has changed over the last 200 years
primarily due to
human activity?
A. Earths magnetic field
B. the frequency of earthquakes
C. Earths tectonic plate activity
D.the composition of the atmosphere

Name:__________________________________________
Date:__________________
6th grade science pre-test

7. The diagram below shows a partial food web for some of the
organisms in an areA.

If all the trees in the area were cut down, the energy supply of which
population
would be most directly affected?
A. aphid
B. grasshopper
C. oriole
D.rabbit
8. Which of the following parts of a plant cell has a function that is
most similar
to the function of an animal skeleton?
A. cell membrane
B. cell wall
C. chloroplast
D.nucleus

Name:__________________________________________
Date:__________________
6th grade science pre-test

9. The diagram below shows the X chromosomes in a female fruit fly

and the X and Y chromosomes in a male fruit fly.

The two fruit flies are crossed with each other. The female offspring of
the fruit flies will receive which pair of chromosomes?

Name:__________________________________________
Date:__________________
6th grade science pre-test

10. Muscle cells need to quickly convert energy from food molecules
into a usable form. For this reason, which of the following do muscle
cells have in greater numbers than most other types of cells?
A. chromosomes
B. mitochondria
C. nuclei
D.vacuoles
11. The illustration below represents two protists.

What do these two organisms have in common?

A. They are unicellular.
B. They cause diseases.
C. They live underground.
D.They are photosynthetic.

12. Which of the following parts of the human body is most complex?
A. heart
B. kidney
C. white blood cell

Name:__________________________________________
Date:__________________
6th grade science pre-test

D.central nervous system

13. Some types of bacteria can only live where oxygen is not present.
These bacteria were well adapted to life on Earth over 2 billion years
ago. Which of the following changes caused many of these bacteria to
become extinct?
A. the slow movement of
tectonic plates
B. the varying temperatures
of each season
C. an increase in volcanic activity
under the oceans
D.an increase in the number of
photosynthetic organisms
14. Which body system typically recognizes, attacks, and destroys
foreign cells or substances that may cause disease?
A. digestive
B. excretory
C. immune
D.respiratory

Name:__________________________________________
Date:__________________
6th grade science pre-test

15. The pictures below show two dogs of the same breed that have
different coat colors. The instructions that determine coat color are
stored in the

A. cytoplasm of skin cells.

B. membrane of every cell.
C. mitochondria of hair cells.
D.chromosomes of every cell.
16. Which of the following statements best describes photosynthesis?
A. Carbon dioxide and water are turned into sugar and oxygen.
B. Sugar and oxygen are turned into water and carbon dioxide.
C. Oxygen and carbon dioxide are turned into water and sugar.
D.Water and sugar are turned into oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Name:__________________________________________
Date:__________________
6th grade science pre-test

17. Jerome crossed two purple-flowered plants. The offspring

produced from this
cross had either white flowers or purple flowers, as shown in the table
below.

Which of the following statements best explains why some of the

offspring have
white flowers?
A. These offspring were created by asexual reproduction.
B. These offspring were produced in a dark environment.
C. These offspring inherited a DNA sequence coding for white flowers
from each parent plant.
D.These offspring inherited a DNA sequence coding for white flowers
from only one parent plant.
18. Substances enter any plant or animal cell by passing through
which of the following structures?
A. nucleus
B. cell membrane
C. vacuole
D.chloroplast

Name:__________________________________________
Date:__________________
6th grade science pre-test

19. The diagram below shows the beaks of five species of birds that
developed over time from one parent species. The five species of birds
can be found living in the same areA.

Which of the following best explains why the beak shape of each
species of
bird developed differently?
A. Each beak shape helps the birds to produce different songs.
B. Each beak shape is an adaptation to a specific source of food.
C. Each beak shape is designed to construct a different type of nest.
D.Each beak shape helps protect the birds from a different predator.

Name:__________________________________________
Date:__________________
6th grade science pre-test

20. One of the most common types of adaptations in plants involves

the shape and structure of each plants leaves. The surface area of
leaves is related to the amount of water a plant loses. Based on this
information, which of the following plants is probably best adapted
for living in a hot, dry climate?

21. Comparing the skeletons of which of the following fish would best
show the evolution of a fish species?

Name:__________________________________________
Date:__________________
6th grade science pre-test

22. The diagram below shows a major system of the human body.

Name:__________________________________________
Date:__________________
6th grade science pre-test

Name:__________________________________________
Date:__________________
6th grade science pre-test

23. Most of the bacteria in a forest ecosystem are best classified as

which of the following types of organisms?

24. The cows in a ranchers herd of cattle have been selectively bred to
produce milk. Which of the following will cause the next generation of
cows to receive the trait for producing large quantities of milk?

25. If a new organism were discovered, whichof the following would

most likely beused to classify it into the appropriatekingdom?

Directions: Open response

Name:__________________________________________
Date:__________________
6th grade science pre-test

Read each question fully and carefully. Answer each part (A, B, C,
D) separately in the space provided.
1)

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2) Individual organisms can be sorted into different kingdoms based on their
characteristics. Pictures of six organisms and a table listing four kingdoms are

Name:__________________________________________
Date:__________________
6th grade science pre-test
shown below.

a. Copy the table above onto your next page.

Name:__________________________________________
Date:__________________
6th grade science pre-test

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