Exploring the World of Science - Grade 6

Exploring the World of Science

Chapter 1 Growth and Reproduction

Section 1.1 Mitosis and the Cell Cycle

(1) 1. Answer the following questions based on the diagram below.

a. Give a title to the diagram.

b. What do letters A and D in the diagram represent?

(2) 2. Name the phases of mitosis represented in the diagrams below.

a.

b.

c.

d.

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(3) 3. Fill in the blanks.

a. In vegetative reproduction, parent(s) is (are) involved.
b. Yeasts and hydras reproduce asexually by .

(4) 4. Specify in each case whether regeneration is reproduction or not.

a. A fisherman cuts a sea star. New sea stars are produced from the pieces.
b. A lizard regenerates its cut tail.

(5) 5. [G1] What are some functions of cell division?

(6) 6. [G1] What happens in a cell during interphase?

(8) 7. [G1] What are the phases of mitosis?

(236) 8. [G1] What is a chromosome?

(10) 9. [G1] What is asexual reproduction?

Section 1.2 Sexual Reproduction and Meiosis

(12) 10. Fill in the concept map about sexual reproduction.

(13) 11. Humans have 46 chromosomes in their body cells.

a. How many chromosomes does a human gamete have?
b. How many chromosomes does a human zygote have?

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(14) 12. Name the stages of meiosis illustrated in the diagrams below.

(15) 13. Specify for each statement whether it describes mitosis or meiosis.
a. It is used for growth and repair.
b. It has one cell division.
c. Resulting cells are identical to each other and to the parent cell.
d. Four cells are formed.
e. Male and female gametes are produced.

(16) 14. Use the diagram below to answer the questions that follow.

a. How many chromosomes are there?

b. Are these the chromosomes of a gamete or a body cell?
c. Are these the chromosomes of a male or a female?

(17) 15. [G1] What is sexual reproduction?

(18) 16. [G1] What is meiosis?

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Section 1.3 DNA: The Code of Life

(22) 17. Fill in the blanks.
a. DNA is called a because it looks like a twisted ladder.
b. There are different kinds of bases in the DNA molecule.

(23) 18. Fill in the blanks.

There are different types of building block molecules that
make up proteins.
(24) 19. Use the terms in the box below to label the diagram.

chromosome base DNA gene

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Chapter 2 Ecosystems

Section 2.1 Parts of an Ecosystem

(30) 1. For each statement below, write (P) for population, (C) for community, and
(E) for ecosystem.
a. all the populations that live in the same place at the same time
b. all the organisms of the same species that live in the same place at the
same time
c. an environment that includes all the organisms as well as the nonliving
parts
d. a herd of deer living in a forest
e. all the birds, trees, and squirrels in a forest
f. all the grass in a lawn

(31) 2. Fill in the blanks.

a. The nonliving parts of an ecosystem form the factors.
b. Sunlight, temperature, and rain are all examples of factors in an
ecosystem.
c. In an ecosystem, organisms interact with the various factors.
d. The bacteria, fungi, and worms in the soil are its factors.
(32) 3. Fill in the diagram below that describes the water cycle.

(33) 4. Fill in the blanks.

a. Carbon enters the living parts of an ecosystem as gas from the air.
b. During photosynthesis, plants convert and water to sugars and .
c. During , oxygen is used, and carbon dioxide is released back into the
air.
d. Carbon in the body of dead organisms is converted to carbon dioxide by
.

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(34) 5. Fill in the blanks.

a. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria in convert gas to a form that
plants can use.
b. Plants take in the usable nitrogen through their .
c. When dead organisms , nitrogen is returned to the soil.

(237) 6. [G1] What is a population?

(238) 7. [G1] What is an ecosystem?

(35) 8. [G1] What are biotic factors?

(42) 9. [G2] How do living things contribute to the water cycle?

(43) 10. [G2] What is one way by which plants contribute to the water cycle?

(44) 11. [G2] Which gases are part of the carbon-oxygen cycle?

Section 2.2 Energy in Ecosystems

(45) 12. Fill in the blanks.
a. The substance within a producer that traps energy from sunlight is .
b. Plants, some protists, and some bacteria are examples of .

(46) 13. Specify the type of consumer described in each of t he cases below.
a. rabbits, cows, and deer
b. meat-eating animals
c. humans, bears, and robins
d. animals that eat plants
e. frogs, spiders, and dogs
f. consumers that eat both plant and animal material
(47) 14. [G1] What is a producer?

(49) 15. [G1] How are consumers classified?

(50) 16. [G1] What method do scientists use to illustrate how food energy flows from
one organism to another?

(51) 17. [G1] What is a food web?

(53) 18. [G1] What is the role of decomposers in an energy pyramid?

(54) 19. [G2] What would happen to a mice population if the population of its predator
decreases?

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Section 2.3 Populations Interact

(55) 20. Answer the following questions.
a. A lion is eating a zebra. Name the predator and the prey.
b. A frog eats a dragonfly and is eaten by a heron. A heron also eats fish.
Name the organism that is both a prey and a predator.

(56) 21. Which of the following does NOT show cooperation between organisms?
a. A pod of orca whales circles a school of fish and brings them closer
together to be scooped up and eaten.
b. Badgers and coyotes use different hunting methods to catch a prey.
c. Bees live in colonies.
d. A pack of coyotes is resting in the shade.

(57) 22. Circle the examples in which competition occurs or is most likely to occur.
a. A population of deer has plenty of food.
b. One tree has a larger root system and takes in more water; that tree grows
faster.
c. A lion and a tiger are chasing a zebra.
d. Hawks hunt during the day, and owls hunt at night.
e. Resources are limited in a certain area where organisms live.
(58) 23. Which of the following is NOT an example of mutualism?
a. Ants carry aphids from plant to plant so aphids can suck fluids for food,
and then ants feed on honeydew left behind by aphids.
b. A bee spreads pollen and helps a plant reproduce when collecting nectar
for food.
c. A bird builds its nest on a tree branch.
d. Bacteria in cow intestines get a safe place to live and help cows digest the
grass they eat.

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(59) 24. Which of the following is NOT an example of commensalism?

a. Cattle egrets follow water buffalo cattle so the cattle egrets can catch and
feed on the insects.
b. A tropical flower grows high on a tree trunk where light is available.
c. A clownfish is protected by the stinging tentacles of a sea anemone; at the
same time, it keeps the anemone clean by removing parasites and dead
skin.
d. Barnacles hitch a ride on the backs of sea turtles.

(60) 25. [G2] What is a predator?

(61) 26. [G1] What is a prey?

(62) 27. [G1] What is cooperation?

(63) 28. [G1] What is competition?

(64) 29. [G1] What is symbiosis?

(65) 30. [G1] What is mutualism?

(66) 31. [G1] What is commensalism?

(67) 32. [G1] What is parasitism?

(68) 33. [G2] Orchid vines climb up tree trunks to reach the light they need for
photosynthesis. What kind of symbiosis is this?

Section 2.4 Changes to Ecosystems

(69) 34. All of the following are human activities that cause changes to ecosystems
except
a. cutting down forests.
b. sewage leakage into a river.
c. volcanic eruption.
d. burning coal and oil.
(70) 35. All of the following are resources being depleted except
a. fossil fuels.
b. fresh water.
c. sunlight.
d. metals.

(71) 36. Fill in the blank.

Burning fossil fuels is the primary cause of pollution.

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(72) 37. Fill in the blanks.

a. Chemicals dumped in a river cause pollution.
b. Disposing waste improperly results in pollution.
c. Areas that are designated for the disposal of solid waste are called .

(75) 38. [G1] What is climate change?

(77) 39. [G1] What is pollution?

(79) 40. [G2] What is one factor that can limit the size of a population?

(80) 41. [G2] Which daily activity can help reduce air pollution in a certain city?

(81) 42. [G2] How can burning of fossil fuels lead to a warmer climate?

(82) 43. [G2] How do invasive species affect populations in an ecosystem?

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Chapter 3 Forms of Energy

Section 3.4 Electricity

(83) 1. True or False.

a. Protons are positively charged.
b. Electrons are negatively charged.
c. Electrons and protons make up a nucleus.
d. An atom is charged when the number of protons is equal to the number of
electrons.
e. When an atom loses an electron it becomes negatively charged.
f. When an atom gains an electron it becomes positively charged.

(84) 2. True or False.

a. A positive charge attracts a negative charge.
b. A negative charge repels a negative charge.
c. A positive charge attracts a positive charge.

(85) 3. Answer the following.

a. How does resistance influence the flow of electrons?
b. How is plastic different from copper?
(86) 4. Fill in the blanks.
a. Resistors the movement of electrons.
b. Resistors transform electrical energy into and energy.
c. An electric cell is a device that changes stored chemical energy into .
(87) 5. A circuit is made of a battery and three bulbs (A, B, and C) connected in
parallel. If bulb B is removed, which bulbs remain on?

(88) 6. [G1] What are the types of electric charges?

(91) 7. [G1] What is an electric circuit?

(239) 8. [G1] Define resistance.

(92) 9. [G1] What is an electrical conductor?

(93) 10. [G1] What is an electrical insulator?

(94) 11. [G1] What is a series circuit?

(95) 12. [G1] What is a parallel circuit?

(97) 13. [G1] How do poles of two magnets interact?

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(98) 14. [G1] What is an electromagnet?

(99) 15. [G2] A bar magnet is cut into three pieces, as shown in the figure below.

S 1 2 3 4 5

Which numbers are the south pole? Which numbers are the north pole?

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Chapter 4 Forces and Motion

Section 4.1 Forces in Nature

(100) 1. Complete.
a. Forces push or pull on objects in different and by different .
b. Forces are measured with the help of .
c. Forces are measured in .
d. A 10 N force is needed to lift .

(101) 2. Identify two factors that affect the amount of friction between two surfaces.

(102) 3. Fill in the blanks.

a. Electric forces are a result of in atoms and other particles.
b. Like charges .
c. Unlike charges .

(103) 4. [G1] What is a force?

(104) 5. [G1] What are contact forces?

(105) 6. [G1] What is one example of non-contact forces?

(106) 7. [G1] What is the effect of friction on a moving object?

(109) 8. [G1] What is gravity?

(240) 9. [G1] What are the factors that affect the strength of gravity between two
objects?

(110) 10. [G1] What is weight?

(113) 11. [G2] If an object of density 1.5 g/L is dropped in a gallon of oil of density 0.9
g/L, would it sink or float?

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Section 4.2 Balanced Forces and Unbalanced Forces

(114) 12. You push a box to the left with a force of 12 N. Your friend pushes the same
box with a force of 4 N.
1. Calculate the net force on the box if
a. your friend is pushing the box to the right.
b. your friend is pushing the box to the left.
2. Which force should be represented by a longer arrow: the force you exert
or the force your friend exerts?
(115) 13. List five ways in which an unbalanced force can affect the motion of the
body.

(116) 14. [G1] What is a net force?

(117) 15. [G1] How are forces represented in a force diagram?

(118) 16. [G1] What is the effect of balanced forces on a non-moving object?

(119) 17. [G1] What is the effect of balanced forces on a moving object?
(240) 18. [G1] How can unbalanced forces affect the motion of an object?

Section 4.3 Measuring Motion

(120) 19. A car moves 240 kilometers in 3 hours. Calculate its average speed.

(121) 20. Using the graph, state

a. the distance the person traveled in 4 seconds.

b. the time when a person is 2 meters away from the starting point.
c. time intervals in which the person’s speed does not change.

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(122) 21. Label the graph to show where the object is speeding up, slowing down, and
moving at constant speed. Below the graph, explain what type of acceleration
is not shown in the graph.

(125) 22. [G1] What is speed?

(128) 23. [G1] What is velocity?

(129) 24. [G1] What is acceleration?

(135) 25. [G2] A box pushed on a rough horizontal table eventually comes to a
complete stop. What should be done so that the box doesn’t stop sliding?

(136) 26. [G2] What does the slope of an x-t graph represent?

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Chapter 5 Simple and Complex Machines

Section 5.1 Work and Machines

(137) 1. True or False.

a. A simple machine can change the direction of an applied force.
b. A simple machine can change the strength of an applied force.
c. A lever is one of the main types of simple machines.

(138) 2. Two persons are performing the same task; one with the help of a simple
machine and the other without a simple machine. Compare the amount of
work they need to input.

(139) 3. Complete.
a. Input force is also called .
b. Output force is also called .
(140) 4. Fill in the blanks.
a. Efficiency is the ratio of work to work.
b. Efficiency is always than 100%.
c. The total amount of work that goes into a machine is the
total work that comes out of the machine.
(141) 5. Fill in the blanks.
a. Power is the amount of work done in a certain .
b. Power is measured in .
c. A person who lifts a book faster uses power than a person who
lifts it slowly.

(142) 6. [G1] What is work?

(143) 7. [G1] How is the work done by a force determined?

(144) 8. [G1] What is a simple machine?

(241) 9. [G1] What is power?

(242) 10. [G1] How is power calculated?

(145) 11. [G1] What is effort?

(146) 12. [G1] What is load?

(147) 13. [G1] How is the mechanical advantage of a simple machine calculated?

(243) 14. [G1] Define efficiency.

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Section 5.2 Inclined Planes and Levers

(148) 15. Relate a screw to an inclined plane.

(149) 16. Fill in the blanks.

a. Screws change the and of an effort.
b. For screws, the effort is than the load.
c. The mechanical advantage of the screw whose threads are close together is
than the mechanical advantage of the one whose threads are
far apart.

(150) 17. Complete.

The mechanical advantage of a lever depends on
1.
2.

(151) 18. Fill in the blanks.

a. For a first-class lever, if the effort is directed upwards, the load moves
.
b. For a second-class lever, if the effort is directed upwards, the load moves
.
c. For a third-class lever, if the effort is directed upwards, the load moves
.

(152) 19. Fill in the blanks.

a. The mechanical advantage of a seesaw is one.
b. The mechanical advantage of a first-class lever whose fulcrum is closer to
the load is one.
c. The mechanical advantage of a first-class lever whose fulcrum is closer to
the effort is one.

(153) 20. Fill in the blanks.

a. Second-class levers always the amount of force required to
move an object.
b. The effort in the second-class levers is applied through a
distance.
c. The mechanical advantage of second-class levers is always
than one.

(154) 21. Fill in the blanks.

a. For a third-class-lever, the load is than the effort.
b. The effort is applied through a distance than the load in a
third-class lever.
c. The mechanical advantage of third-class levers is always than
one.

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(155) 22. [G1] What is an inclined plane?

(157) 23. [G1] What is a wedge?

(244) 24. [G1] What is a screw?

(159) 25. [G1] What is a lever?

Section 5.3 Wheel and Axles and Pulleys

(164) 26. Give an example of a wheel and axle machine in which the effort is applied a)
to the wheel, and b) to the axle.

(165) 27. Fill in the blanks.

a. When you apply the effort to the wheel, the mechanical advantage is
than one.
b. When the effort is applied to the wheel, the larger the wheel is, compared
to the axle, the the mechanical advantage is.
c. A doorknob has a mechanical advantage than a steering
wheel.
d. The mechanical advantage is less than one when the effort is applied to the
.
e. When the effort is applied to the axle, the larger the
is compared to the , the smaller the mechanical
advantage is.
f. The mechanical advantage of is less than one.
(166) 28. Complete.
Adding pulleys to a pulley system reduces the efficiency of a system because
.

(167) 29. [G1] What is a wheel and axle?

(169) 30. [G1] What is a pulley?

(174) 31. [G2] Which of the following is not a simple machine?

lever, wheel and axle, wedge, pulley, inclined plane, hammer, screw

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Chapter 6 The Geosphere and Surface Changes

Section 6.1 Mapping Earth’s Surface

(175)
1. Refer to the map of Kuwait
shown below to answer the following
questions.

a. What is the capital of Kuwait?

b. Name the city found north of Al Jahrah.
c. How many kilometers on land are represented by each unit shown on the map
scale?

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(176) 2. Refer to the topographic map shown below to answer the following questions.

a. What is the approximate elevation at the highest point of Able Hill?

b. What is the approximate elevation at the highest point of Baker Hill?
c. On which hill does the elevation change more gradually?

(179) 3. [G1] What do Earth’s landforms include?

(180) 4. [G1] What is a map?

(182) 5. [G1] What do contour lines in a topographic map indicate about elevation?

(184) 6. [G1] What is latitude?

Section 6.2 Earth Layers

(185) 7. List the three main layers of Earth from the inside to the outside and indicate one
feature of each.

(186) 8. Fill in the blanks.

a. An instrument that detects Earth’s magnetic field is called a .
b. A compass needle responds to the force exerted by Earth’s .
c. A compass needle always points toward Earth’s geographic Pole.

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(187) 9. One commonly accepted theory among scientists states that Earth layers formed
because Earth
a. is still changing.
b. was once made of water only.
c. contains materials of different densities.
d. is made of glowing gases.
(188) 10. [G1] What is Earth’s crust?

(189) 11. [G1] What is Earth’s mantle?

(192) 12. [G1] How does convection occur in the mantle?

(193) 13. [G1] What is Earth’s core?

(196) 14. [G2] Which Earth layer is composed of dense solid iron?

Section 6.3 Lithospheric Plates

(197) 15. Compare and contrast convergent plate boundaries and divergent plate
boundaries.

(198) 16. Refer to the figure below of a plate boundary to answer the following questions.

a. What type of plate boundary is shown in the figure?

b. What type of crust is crust B?
c. Which crust is denser, the continental crust or crust B?
d. Name the landform that could be produced at this location.

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(199) 17. True or False.

a. Lava spewed from an undersea volcano cools and hardens.
b. An undersea volcano can grow large enough to emerge from under the water
as an island.
(202) 18. [G1] What happens at a plate boundary?

(205) 19. [G1] What is a volcano?

(207) 20. [G1] What is an earthquake?

Section 6.4 Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition

(208) 21. Compare and contrast physical weathering and chemical weathering.

(209) 22. True or False.

a. Wind is an agent of erosion.
b. Wind carries sand particles and piles them up in different areas.
c. Wind deposition forms lakes in deserts.

(210) 23. Fill in the blanks.

a. Erosion by a flowing river creates a , which is a long, narrow, and deep
landform cut into the earth.
b. Deposition at the mouth of a river forms a .

(211) 24. True or False.

a. A sea cave is a landform carved by wave erosion.
b. A beach is a coastal feature formed from river deposition.

(212) 25. True or False.

a. A flowing glacier creates a narrow valley.
b. A moraine is a landform created by glacier deposition.

(213) 26. [G1] How do wind, water, and plants cause physical weathering?

(214) 27. [G1] How do water, oxygen, and living things cause chemical weathering? Give
examples.

(215) 28. [G1] What is erosion?

(216) 29. [G1] What is deposition?

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(220) 30. [G2] The picture below shows the changes of a mountain after millions of years.

millions of years ago now

What caused this change?

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Chapter 7 Minerals and Rocks

Section 7.3 Earth History

(221) 1. All of the following are true about the Ice Age except:
a. The Ice Age created tall and huge mountains.
b. During the Ice Age, huge glaciers covered large areas on Earth.
c. The Ice Age is a portion of the geological time.
d. Tillite formed from rock fragments deposited by Ice Age glaciers.

(222) 2. Observe the figure below on rock layers.

a. Which layer is the oldest?

b. Which layer is the youngest?
c. What type of rock is shown in the figure?

(223) 3. Which of the following is an accepted theory that explains why dinosaurs became
extinct?
a. A great flood caused dinosaurs to drown.
b. A huge volcano erupted and destroyed the dinosaurs’ food supply.
c. Humans hunted all the dinosaurs for their meat and skin.
d. An asteroid impact made living conditions for dinosaurs very harsh.
(224) 4. Fill in the blanks.
Sedimentary rock layers are not always horizontal because of movements in
Earth’s and because of erosion followed by .

(225) 5. True or False.

a. An index fossil belongs to an organism that lived in many areas over a very
specific period of time.
b. Index fossils help determine the relative age of a rock layer.
c. Index fossils are used to match layers of rocks at different locations.

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(228) 6. [G1] What does extinct mean?

(231) 7. [G1] What information can be obtained from the study of fossils?

(232) 8. [G2] How can scientists determine which rock layer is the oldest in a series of
rock layers?

(233) 9. [G2] To which modern animal is an extinct animal whose fossil shows hooves on
the feet, flat teeth, and long tail most closely related to?

(234) 10. [G2] Where do fossils commonly form?

(235) 11. [G2] Coal was found in Antarctica. What does this indicate about Antarctica’s
past climate?

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