School Improvement in Maryland

Public Release Items: Public release items have appeared on MSA forms and then are released for public viewing and use. Releasing items is one step to ensuring that schools, districts, and other stakeholders understand how the content standards are assessed on the MSA.

Standard 3.0 Life Science

Topic C. Genetics

Indicator 1. Explain that in order for offspring to resemble their parents, there must be a reliable way to transfer information from one generation to the next.

Objective b. Explain that some likenesses between parents and offspring are inherited (such as eye color in humans, nest building in birds, or flower color in plants) and other likenesses are learned (such as language in humans )

Selected Response Item

A female dog is having puppies. She has black fur, brown eyes, and a curly tail. She can sit, bark, and roll over on command.

Which set of traits can the female dog's puppies inherit?

  1. brown eyes, black fur
  2. fur, roll over on command
  3. brown eyes, sit on command
  4. bark on command, curly tail
/share/assessment_items/xml/items/msa_science_4_004.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Selected Response Item

Eye color is a physical trait.

Which statement best explains why a child has a specific eye color?

  1. Eye color is a learned trait.
  2. Eye color is an inherited trait.
  3. Eye color is a trait that changes over time.
  4. Eye color is a trait that happens by chance.
/share/assessment_items/xml/items/msa_science_4_011.xml

Correct Answer:
B