DOK Date: ____________________
Name: ________________________________
1. Define abiotic. List 3 examples. Non-living things. (Things that have
never been alive and will never be alive or things that have been
chemically altered). Chair, bicycle, stapler, paper
2. Define biotic. List 3 examples. Organisms that are or were alive.
Human, bear, moss, road kill
3. List the seven characteristics that all living things share.
Made of at least one cell, ingest, digest, excrete, grow and repair,
sense and respond to stimuli, reproduce
4. What does that (unicellular) mean?
Organisms that are made of only one cell. This cell performs all the characteristics of living
things.
5. Pick a unicellular organism and write a paragraph describing how that organism displays all the
characteristics of a living thing.
Paramecium are 1) one-celled organisms that 2) ingest food using their mouth-like opening, 3)
digest food in their vacuole, 4) excrete waste out of the cell, 5) when it runs into an obstacle
(solid object) in its path, it changes directions and moves away (sense and respond), 6)
reproduces by dividing into two new cells, 7) the new cells grow and develop into a paramecium
6. What does that (multi-cellular) mean?
Organisms made of many specialized cells. The cells work together to perform all the
characteristics of living things.
7. Pick a multi-cellular organism and write a paragraph describing how that organism displays all
the characteristics of a living thing.
A Labrador retriever is a 1) multi-cellular organism that 2) ingests by eating its favorite Purina Dog
Chow and 3) digests using its digestive system. He 4) excretes because he poops, 5) he began
as a single cell, became a puppy and grew and developed into an adult dog, 6) when he smells
the urine of another dog, he will skip that tree and find one that isn’t marked 7) he reproduces
sexually by passing on half of his DNA to offspring.
8. A new possible organism is discovered on Mars. How would a scientist determine if their
discovery is a living thing?
A scientist would determine whether or not this new discovery is a living organism by finding out
whether it can perform all 7 characteristics of living things. If it cannot, it is not alive.
9. Give an example of a stimulus and a response to it. When trees are not getting enough water,
their roots will grow longer and burrow further into the ground.
10. What is homeostasis? Give an example.
Your body seeks to maintain its normal healthy order. When everything is in normal range
(temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, etc.) you are in homeostasis. Example: when you are
hungry and you smell food, your mouth will salivate signaling that it is time to eat. Food is energy
and your body needs energy to function.
11. In a demonstration, a scientist saw yeast (a unicellular fungus) blow up a balloon by exhaling carbon
dioxide. In this lab the characteristic of life that he/she was investigating was
a. Living things sense and respond to stimuli
b. Living things are made of cells
c. Living things excrete waste
d. Living things have grow and develop
12. Over time, a maple seed becomes a maple seedling, and then a maple tree. This is an example of
a. reproduction
c. homeostasis
b. excretion
d. growth
13. State the 3 parts of the cell theory
a. The cell is the basic unit of life
b. All living things are made of at least one cell
c. Every cell must come from a pre-existing cell
14. Name the scientists that contributed to the cell theory and describe their major contribution.
a. Hooke-created the first microscope; looked at cork and saw tiny rectangles that he called
cells.
b. Van Leeuwenhoek- created over 500 microscopes and was able to see small bacteria in
pond scum and tooth plaque. Eeewy, Gooey Louie!
c. Schleiden-stated that all plants are made of cells
d. Schwann-stated that all animals are made of cells (Schwann=swan)
e. Virchow-used Pasteur’s work to determine that cells must come from another cell and put
the entire cell theory together
15. Pick one scientist. Explain how his discovery is used today (or – explain how his discovery impacts
our life today)?
Van Leeuwenhoek-dental hygienists and dentists look at scans of the mouth to determine
whether patients require simple surgery to remove bacterial growth from underneath the gum
line. Thanks to Mr. Eeewy Gooey, we know that bacteria exist. Some are harmful and some are
not.