Senses, Brain & Responses · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Senses, Brain & Responses

Science · Organisms & Life Processes · ages 9-10
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Which sense do bats use to find their way in the dark?

    • Smell
    • Echolocation
    • Vibration

  2. What happens first when an animal senses something?

    • A sense organ detects it
    • The brain processes it
    • The body responds

  3. The brain processes information before the sense organ detects the stimulus.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Which pair correctly matches an animal with the special sense it uses?

    • Snake - vibration
    • Shark - echolocation
    • Bat - smell

  5. A bee and a horse both smell the same smoke from a campfire. The bee flies away from it, and the horse snorts and walks off. Why don't they react the same way?

    • The horse cannot smell smoke at all
    • The bee smelled the smoke first
    • Each animal's brain processes the smell and chooses a response that fits that animal

  6. A dog hears a bark, its brain decides to act, then its legs run. Which of these happens first?

    • Brain decides to act
    • Ear hears a bark
    • Legs run away

  7. A rabbit and a hawk both notice a loud bang. The rabbit freezes, and the hawk flies away. What best explains this?

    • Each animal's brain processes the same stimulus and picks its own response
    • The rabbit is deaf
    • The hawk heard a louder sound than the rabbit

  8. Zara says her eyes "decide" what to do when she sees a ball flying at her. What is wrong with this idea?

    • Nothing is wrong, eyes can decide too
    • The ball decides what happens next
    • Eyes only detect; the brain decides what to do
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Senses, Brain & Responses W1-mt_IzlVK0Eony-s1

  1. Echolocation · Bats send out sounds and listen for the echo. That is called echolocation.
  2. A sense organ detects it · The sense organ is the first step. It picks up the stimulus before the brain gets involved.
  3. False · It's the other way around: the sense organ detects first, then the brain processes.
  4. Snake - vibration · Snakes feel vibrations in the ground. Bats use echolocation, and sharks have a strong sense of smell.
  5. Each animal's brain processes the smell and chooses a response that fits that animal · Both animals smelled the same smoke. Their brains chose different responses, which is why they did not act the same way.
  6. Ear hears a bark · The sense organ, the ear, detects the sound first. Then the brain decides, then the body acts.
  7. Each animal's brain processes the same stimulus and picks its own response · Same stimulus, different animals, different responses. Each brain decides what fits that animal's needs.
  8. Eyes only detect; the brain decides what to do · Sense organs like eyes only detect what's happening. Deciding and responding is the brain's and body's job.
Worksheet · LightMySky