A wind-up toy walks across the table. Is it alive?
AYes, because it moves on its own
BYes, because it looks like an animal
CNo, because it does not grow, eat, or have babies
DNo, because it is small
The toy moves, but it does not grow, need food or water, or make more toys. A person wound it up to make it move. Moving is not enough to be alive. Living things must also grow, have needs, and be able to reproduce.
Question 2 True / False
A river is alive because the water moves.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: False
A river moves because of gravity pulling the water downhill, not because it is alive. The water does not grow, eat, or make baby rivers. Movement alone does not make something alive.
Question 3 Short Answer
A ball rolls down a hill, and a rabbit hops down a hill. Both are moving. How can you tell which one is alive?
Think about your answer, then reveal below.
Model answer: The rabbit is alive because it grows, needs food and water, and can have baby rabbits. The ball just rolls because of gravity and cannot do any of those things.
Movement is something both living and nonliving things can do. The difference is that living things also grow, have needs like food and water, and can reproduce. A ball does none of these — it only moves when something pushes it.