Which of these is an example of a living thing growing?
AA balloon getting bigger when you blow it up
BA kitten getting bigger and becoming a cat
CA snowball getting bigger when you roll it
DA pile of laundry getting bigger
A kitten growing into a cat is true growth because the kitten is alive and its body is getting bigger on its own by eating food and using energy. Balloons, snowballs, and laundry piles get bigger, but not because they are alive and growing.
Question 2 True / False
A puddle of water that gets bigger when it rains is growing just like a living thing.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: False
The puddle gets bigger because more water is added from the rain, not because it is alive and growing. Real growth in living things happens from the inside — the body makes new cells using food and water. A puddle is not alive.
Question 3 Short Answer
How is a baby growing into an adult different from a snowball getting bigger?
Think about your answer, then reveal below.
Model answer: A baby grows because it is alive — it eats food, and its body uses that food to build bigger bones, muscles, and organs. A snowball gets bigger only because someone adds more snow from the outside.
Living growth comes from within. The body takes in food and water and uses them to grow. Nonliving things can only get bigger when material is added from the outside. The baby's growth is powered by life; the snowball's growth is powered by a person packing on more snow.