School Improvement in Maryland

Using the State Curriculum: Science, Grade 4

Skills and Processes | Earth/Space | Life | Chemistry | Physics | Environmental

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 F. Ecology

Indicator 1. Explain ways that individuals and groups of organisms interact with each other and their environment.

Objective b. Explain that changes in an organism's habitat are sometimes beneficial to it and sometimes harmful.

Selected Response Item

A scientist investigated how well plants native to Maryland would grow in desert conditions. The scientist placed equal amounts of desert soil into 10 identical containers. Each container held two of the same kind of plant. The scientist investigated a total of 10 different kinds of plants. The scientist placed all of the containers into a greenhouse adjusted to produce hot, desert-like conditions. The scientist gave the plants equal, but small amounts of water for the next five weeks. Most of the plants did not survive after the five week investigation.

Which statement best explains why 16 of the plants did not survive?

  1. Plants do not grow in desert conditions.
  2. Few plants survive severe changes to their environment.
  3. Plants native to Maryland are not good for scientific studies.
  4. Plants native to Maryland are only able to survive in Maryland.
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_science_4_036.xml

Correct Answer:
B

Selected Response Item

The drawing below shows a field habitat.

Question Image

Which of these changes would be most harmful to the organisms in the field habitat?

  1. more birds flying to the field habitat
  2. increase of rainfall in the field habitat
  3. students walking through the field habitat
  4. construction of a building near the field habitat
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_science_4_017.xml

Correct Answer:
D

Selected Response Item

Use the information below to answer the following.

A scientist studied an estuary, the area where fresh water from a river empties into salty ocean water. The scientist classified nine estuary organisms into the three groups shown below.

Some young fish develop in estuaries. While these fish develop, they hide in water plants. When the fish reach a certain age, they leave for the ocean.

If the water plants were removed from the estuary, the young fish would

  1. decrease in number
  2. move to a new estuary
  3. find another food source
  4. swim to the ocean earlier
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_science_4_020.xml

Correct Answer:
A