Lesson ⁦3-2⁩: Adaptation and Survival

Science · Fifth Grade, Primary · Unit 3: Interactions in Ecosystems · First Semester

A 10-question quiz; after every question you'll see the right answer with an explanation.
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What will you learn in this lesson?

An adaptation is a trait in a living thing's body or behavior that helps it survive in its environment, such as the camel's hump and the cactus's spines. In this lesson you learn about structural and behavioral adaptations, including camouflage, migration, and hibernation.

  • Defines adaptation and distinguishes structural adaptations from behavioral ones
  • Explains the adaptations of desert plants and animals such as the cactus and the camel
  • Describes camouflage and mimicry and their role in protecting an animal
  • Explains the reasons for migration and hibernation

💡 Tip: To tell the two types apart, ask: Is it part of the body? Then it's structural, like spines. Or is it something the animal does? Then it's behavioral, like migration.

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Worked examples from the Adaptation and Survival lesson questions

What is an adaptation?
  • A trait that helps a living thing survive and reproduce in its environment
  • A change that happens to a living thing after it dies
  • Simply moving a living thing to another place
  • A disease that affects plants
✓ A trait that helps a living thing survive and reproduce in its environment
An adaptation is a structure or behavior that helps a living thing live in its environment.
Which of the following is a structural adaptation that helps the camel live in the desert?
  • Its wide feet that do not sink into the sand
  • Migrating to cold areas in summer
  • Hibernating
  • Sleeping in underground burrows
✓ Its wide feet that do not sink into the sand
Wide feet are a part of the camel's body that makes walking on sand easier, so they are a structural adaptation.
Show more examples (3)
Where does a cactus store water?
  • In its thick stem
  • In its spines
  • In its flowers
  • In its seeds
✓ In its thick stem
A cactus has a thick, fleshy stem that stores water for use during dry times.
Why are cactus leaves shaped like spines?
  • To reduce water loss and protect the plant from animals
  • To make more food
  • To attract insects
  • To absorb water from the soil
✓ To reduce water loss and protect the plant from animals
Spines reduce the surface area that water evaporates from, and they stop animals from eating the plant.
What is it called when animals move from one place to another in certain seasons to find food or warmth?
  • Migration
  • Hibernation
  • Camouflage
  • Mimicry
✓ Migration
Migration is a behavioral adaptation, such as some birds migrating to warmer places in the fall.

FAQ about the Adaptation and Survival lesson

Why are cactus leaves shaped like spines?

To reduce water loss through evaporation in hot weather and to protect the plant from animals that would eat it, while the plant stores water in its thick stem.

What is camouflage?

An adaptation that makes an animal's color or shape look like its surroundings so it is hard to see, such as the chameleon that changes its color and the fox whose color matches the sand.

How do I study the lesson Adaptation and Survival and test myself on it?

Start the lesson quiz on Study with Ghada: 10 questions from the Science Fifth Grade, Primary question bank. After each answer you'll see the right answer with an explanation, and any questions you miss move to “Review my mistakes” until you master them.

Are Study with Ghada quizzes free and aligned with the curriculum?

Yes, completely free. They're built on the Science - Grade 5 - Semester 1 lessons in the same order as the book, and every question is reviewed and approved by a teacher before students see it.