Grade 8 · Science · Unit 21 of 22
Life in Water & Our Impact
Aquatic adaptations, indicators and caring for water
What your child practises
How animals are adapted to water, what living things tell us about water quality, how nutrients and fishing can harm aquatic systems, and how people monitor and protect them.
Alberta Curriculum learning outcome: Unit E: Freshwater and Saltwater Systems · life in freshwater and saltwater environments, adaptations, water quality and living things, and human impacts on aquatic systems
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Why do sunlight and temperature matter to life in a lake?
- They affect how plants grow and how much oxygen the water holds.
- They make water salty.
- They don't matter.
- They only matter to boats.
Show answer
They affect how plants grow and how much oxygen the water holds.
Hint: Warmer water holds less oxygen.
Question 2
Which result would suggest a stream is being polluted?
- The banks have grass.
- The stream is cold.
- More stars are visible.
- The number of sensitive insects drops sharply.
Show answer
The number of sensitive insects drops sharply.
Hint: Fewer sensitive species can be a sign of problems.
Question 3
Why do fish have gills?
- to hear sounds
- to stay warm
- to take oxygen from the water
- to taste the food
Show answer
to take oxygen from the water
Hint: Gills pull dissolved oxygen out of the water.
Question 4
How is a whale adapted to cold ocean water?
- It has feathers.
- It has thin skin.
- It has a thick layer of blubber.
- It has gills that sense heat.
Show answer
It has a thick layer of blubber.
Hint: Blubber insulates the whale and stores energy.
Question 5
What is plankton?
- tiny living things that drift in water
- large whales
- pieces of plastic
- water plants with roots
Show answer
tiny living things that drift in water
Hint: Plankton is food for many aquatic animals.
Question 6
Which animals living in a creek show that the water is clean?
- stoneflies and mayfly nymphs
- only algae
- no animals at all
- leeches and bloodworms
Show answer
stoneflies and mayfly nymphs
Hint: Some insects need clean, oxygen-rich water. Others can live in poor water.