Answer Key with Questions

Lesson Check: Artificial Selection

1) Humans can change a species' ______ by choosing which organisms will reproduce.

A) food
B) traits
C) predators
D) sex

Correct Answer
B) traits

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Answer Key with Questions
Lesson Check: Artificial Selection

2) How does selective breeding work?

Correct Answer
Answers may vary.

Explanation

Organisms with certain traits are selected and bred to produce organisms with desired traits.

3) When humans breed organisms, they are selecting variations that occur naturally in
populations.

True

False

Correct Answer
True

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Answer Key with Questions
Lesson Check: Artificial Selection

4) Breeders can choose a trait and only breed specific organisms to have offspring with that
trait. _______________

True

False

Correct Answer
True

5) Humans can change an organism’s _____ by choosing which organisms will reproduce.

A) food
B) genes
C) predators
D) sex

Correct Answer
B) genes

6) Products of selective breeding have and phenotypes that are very

different from the original ancestor.

Correct Answer
genotypes

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Answer Key with Questions
Lesson Check: Artificial Selection

7) Gene therapy is used to treat patients with cancer.

True

False

Correct Answer
True

8) How is selective breeding related to physical and behavioral traits?

Correct Answer
Answers may vary.

Explanation

Organisms with desirable physical or behavioral traits can be selected and bred. For
example, a dog breeder may choose to breed smaller dogs and/or dogs with less aggressive
temperaments.

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Answer Key with Questions
Lesson Check: Artificial Selection

9) What traits are selectively bred into fruits and vegetables?

Correct Answer
Answers may vary.

Explanation

larger, fleshier, fewer seeds, more colorful, sweeter

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Answer Key with Questions
Lesson Check: Artificial Selection

10) Genetically modified (GM) crops contain genes from unrelated organisms that give the
crops desirable traits they would not otherwise have. Most soybeans, corn, and cotton
grown in the United States today are GM crops. However, GM wheat is not currently
grown in the United States.
These four articles discuss growing GM wheat in the United States.

a. Select two articles and describe how each one may have influenced how some people
think about wheat.

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Answer Key with Questions
Lesson Check: Artificial Selection

b. Select one article and explain whether it can be trusted and evaluate it for bias.

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Answer Key with Questions
Lesson Check: Artificial Selection

c. Use the information in the articles and the introductory text to explain how GM wheat
could have at least two desirable traits that are not seen in non-GM wheat.

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Answer Key with Questions
Lesson Check: Artificial Selection

Correct Answer
Answers may vary.

Explanation

See Example Response document.

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Extended-Response Rubric
PE: MS-LS4-5: Gather and synthesize information about the technologies that have changed the way humans
influence the inheritance of desired traits in organisms.
Level of
Evidence of Understanding
Understanding
Student response provides clear evidence of using the dimensions* to make sense
of scientific phenomena and/or to design solutions to problems. Student is able to:
▪ select two articles and describe how each one may have influenced how some
people think about wheat;
Demonstrating
3 Expected AND
Understanding ▪ select one article and explain whether it can be trusted and evaluate it for bias;
AND
▪ use the information to explain how GM wheat could have at least two desirable
traits that are not seen in non-GM wheat.
Student response provides partial evidence of using the dimensions* to make
sense of scientific phenomena and/or to design solutions to problems. The
response lacks some critical information and details or contains some errors.
Student is able to:
▪ select two articles and describe how each one may have influenced how some
Progressing people think about wheat AND select one article and explain whether it can be
2 toward trusted and evaluate it for bias OR use the information to explain how GM wheat
Understanding could have at least two desirable traits that are not seen in non-GM wheat;
OR
▪ select two articles and describe how each one may have influenced how some
people think about wheat AND select one article and explain whether it can be
trusted and evaluate it for bias AND use the information to explain how GM
wheat could have at least two desirable traits that are not seen in non-GM wheat
BUT the description, explanations AND/OR evaluation contain errors.

Beginning
Student response is incomplete or provides minimal evidence of using the
1 to Develop
dimensions* to make sense of scientific phenomena and/or to design solutions to
Understanding
problems.

Student does not respond or student response is inaccurate, irrelevant, or contains

Not Showing
0 insufficient evidence of using the dimensions* to make sense of scientific phenomena
Understanding
and/or to design solutions to problems.
*As outlined in the Performance Expectations (PE) of the NGSS, the three dimensions are the disciplinary core ideas (DCI), science and
engineering practices (SEP), and crosscutting concepts (CCC). Note that due to the complexity of the PEs, individual assessment items may
t dd ll th di i
Scoring Notes:
Possible answers include:
a. [Students may select two of the four articles to respond to this question. There are multiple possible
responses.]
Article 1: This article may stop people from eating wheat because it seems like the wheat growing in the
United States today is expensive, uses a lot of pesticides, and consumes valuable water resources.
Article 2: This article may cause some people to hesitate before they buy products containing soybeans or
corn because of the risks associated with GM crops, such as crossbreeding with wild populations, people’s
allergic reactions, and the loss of native populations.
Article 3: This article may stop people from eating wheat because it seems like wheat growing in the
United States today consumes more natural resources than other crops, uses too many pesticides and
weed killers, and will be in short supply due to the demands of a growing world population.
 Article 4: This article may cause some people to hesitate before they buy wheat products because they
feel like they are supporting the income of commercial seed companies.
b. [Students will select one article to respond to this question. There are multiple possible responses.]
Article 1: This article may not be reliable because it is an opinion and will therefore be slanted toward
the authors’ bias on the topic of GM wheat.
Article 2: This article is reliable because it is from a university with no commercial or personal investment
in the topic. The intent of the website appears to be educational. Because it is from a university, there is
reason to think that the facts would be checked by multiple people and therefore not be biased.
Article 3: This article may not be reliable because Monsanto is a company that could financially benefit
from GM wheat. The article may be biased toward GM wheat benefits and not mention the risks.
Article 4: This article is reliable because it represents facts from the United States Department of
Agriculture. This department does not gain from introducing or withholding GM wheat from the
marketplace and therefore should not be biased.
c. Through the process of genetic modification, wheat could potentially have more desirable traits than
non-GM wheat. Scientists would need to identify other organisms that have the desired traits, cut out
the genes in those organisms that control these traits, and transfer the desirable genes into the wheat.
These genes would then give the wheat the same traits as the organism that donated the genes. Desired
traits would be qualities like [any two of the following]:
drought tolerance
pesticide resistance
weed control
high yield
improved taste
non-allergenic

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