Living, Dead & Never Alive · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Living, Dead, or Never Alive?

Science · Ecosystems & Habitats · ages 6-7
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Which one belongs in the dead group?

    • A shiny glass marble
    • An ant that has died
    • A robin eating a worm

  2. Which one is alive right now?

    • A growing sunflower
    • A shiny glass marble
    • A ringing metal bell

  3. A metal paper clip was never a living thing. Which group does it belong in?

    • Never alive
    • Still living
    • Already dead

  4. What does dead mean?

    • Alive now and still carrying out life's jobs
    • Once alive, but not alive now
    • Never alive at any time in its history

  5. A real cat has kittens. A plastic toy cat cannot. What does having kittens show?

    • The cat can make new living things.
    • The cat can stay on a shelf for years.
    • The cat can move when someone pushes it.

  6. A leaf has just fallen from a tree. Falling alone proves that all of the leaf is dead.

    Circle one:   True   False

  7. A leaf is dry and dead. Which fact explains why it is dead rather than never alive?

    • It lies beside a tree on the ground
    • It looks brown and feels crumbly
    • It grew as living tissue on a tree

  8. The water in a river is living because it moves.

    Circle one:   True   False

  9. Mia has a growing rose plant, a fish that has died, and a pebble. Which sorting fits?

    • Rose plant: dead; fish: living; pebble: never alive
    • Rose plant: living; fish: dead; pebble: never alive
    • Rose plant: living; fish: never alive; pebble: dead

  10. Zara says a plastic toy bear is living because it looks like a real bear. Which reply fits?

    • Its bear shape does not make it a living thing.
    • Its bear shape means it needs food like a cub.
    • Its bear shape means it can have living cubs.
LightMySky · lightmysky.comW1-mt_Sa48W7KXB5-s1

Answer key

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

Living, Dead, or Never Alive? W1-mt_Sa48W7KXB5-s1

  1. An ant that has died · The ant was alive before it died. The marble was never alive, and the robin is living.
  2. A growing sunflower · The growing sunflower is living. Glass marbles and metal bells were never living things.
  3. Never alive · Never alive means it was never living. That describes the metal paper clip.
  4. Once alive, but not alive now · Dead means once alive but no longer alive. A beetle that has died is dead.
  5. The cat can make new living things. · Kittens are new living cats. Having kittens is an example of a living thing making young.
  6. False · A leaf can fall while some of its tissue is still alive. Falling alone does not prove that the whole leaf is dead.
  7. It grew as living tissue on a tree · The leaf's living history explains the group. Its colour and place do not show whether it was once alive.
  8. False · River water flows, but movement alone does not show life. Water was never a living thing.
  9. Rose plant: living; fish: dead; pebble: never alive · The growing plant is living. The fish was alive but has died. The pebble was never alive.
  10. Its bear shape does not make it a living thing. · Looking like an animal does not make a plastic toy alive. The toy belongs in the never-alive group.
Worksheet · LightMySky