Elementary School Science Quiz: What Living Things Need
20 questions · exam conditions
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What Living Things NeedQuestion 1 of 20

Look at the fish. What does it need to live?

It needs water to live and swim.
It needs sunlight to eat like a plant.
It needs a pillow and a blanket.
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Elementary School Science Quiz

Elementary School Science Quiz: What Living Things Need

Practice What Living Things Need in Elementary School Science with focused quiz questions that help you check what you know, review explanations, and build confidence with test-style prompts.

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on What Living Things Need, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for Elementary School Science.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

All questions

Question 1

Look at the fish. What does it need to live?

  1. It needs water to live and swim. (correct answer)
  2. It needs sunlight to eat like a plant.
  3. It needs a pillow and a blanket.
Explanation: This asks about fish needs. Fish need water to live and swim in. Fish don't eat sunlight like plants or need pillows to sleep.

Question 2

What does a rabbit need in its home?

  1. A rabbit needs food, water, and shelter. (correct answer)
  2. A rabbit needs only a hat to live.
  3. A rabbit needs soil and sunlight like plants.
Explanation: This asks about rabbit needs. Rabbits need food to eat, water to drink, and shelter to stay safe. Rabbits are animals, not plants, so they don't need soil!

Question 3

A dog needs what to stay healthy?

  1. A dog needs sunlight and soil to live.
  2. A dog needs food, water, air, and shelter. (correct answer)
  3. A dog needs a toy and a TV show.
Explanation: This asks about animal needs. Dogs need food, water, air, and shelter just like all animals. Dogs don't need sunlight and soil - those are for plants!

Question 4

A plant needs what to live and grow?

  1. A plant needs soil, water, and sunlight. (correct answer)
  2. A plant needs pizza and a bed.
  3. A plant needs only water to grow.
Explanation: This asks what plants need. Plants need soil, water, and sunlight to grow big and strong. Plants don't eat pizza or sleep in beds like people do!

Question 5

What do living things need besides food and water?

  1. They need air and a safe shelter. (correct answer)
  2. They need video games and candy.
  3. They need only a bowl and a cup.
Explanation: This asks about other basic needs. Besides food and water, living things need air to breathe and shelter to stay safe. Video games are fun but not needed to live!

Question 6

A fish needs what to live in a tank?

  1. A fish needs water, food, and air bubbles. (correct answer)
  2. A fish needs a leash and a bowl.
  3. A fish needs only sunlight to live.
Explanation: This asks what fish need. Fish need water to swim in, food to eat, and air bubbles to breathe. Fish live in water, not on leashes like dogs!

Question 7

What do animals need to breathe?

  1. Animals need air to breathe and live. (correct answer)
  2. Animals need rocks to breathe and live.
  3. Animals need only food to breathe.
Explanation: This asks about breathing. Animals need air to breathe and stay alive. We can't breathe rocks or food - only air goes in our lungs!

Question 8

Amir takes a deep breath. What does he need?

  1. He needs air to breathe and live. (correct answer)
  2. He needs paint to stay alive.
  3. He needs only water, not air.
Explanation: This tests understanding air as a need. People need air to breathe and stay alive. We can't live without air, even if we have water.

Question 9

Look at the plant by a window. What needs shown?

  1. It needs water, sunlight, air, and soil. (correct answer)
  2. It needs a book and a pencil.
  3. It needs only water to live.
  4. It needs a pot and a cup.
Explanation: This question tests kindergarten understanding of what living things need to survive (K-LS1-1: Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals including humans need to survive). All living things need certain basic things to live and survive. These include: Water (all living things need water - to drink, to absorb, or to live in). Food (animals and humans need to eat; plants make food from sunlight). Air (all living things breathe or take in air). Shelter or home (safe place to live - nest, burrow, house, tank, soil). Light/sunlight (plants need sunlight to grow; animals and humans need light too). These are needs, not wants - without them, living things cannot survive. In this picture/story, there is a plant positioned by a window. The plant is shown getting its needs met through its placement near the window for sunlight and likely regular care. Specific needs visible: sunlight coming through the window, the plant in soil (its home/shelter), access to air, and implied watering care. Choice A is correct because it lists water, sunlight, air, and soil - all actual basic needs that plants require to survive. These are things the plant needs to grow and stay alive. Plants need water to absorb through roots, sunlight to make food through photosynthesis, air to breathe (yes, plants breathe!), and soil as their home and source of nutrients. The answer identifies genuine survival needs shown or implied in the observation. Choice C is incorrect because it claims plants need only water to live, missing critical needs like sunlight (for making food), air (for breathing), and soil (for nutrients and support). Kindergarteners often focus on one need and forget others, especially with plants where they might only notice watering but not realize plants also need sunlight to make their own food. To help students identify basic needs: Observe living things in classroom (plants, fish, pet) or pictures of animals and plants. For each, ask: "What does it need to live?" Create needs checklist: Water (all need), Food (animals and humans eat; plants make from sunlight), Air (all breathe - even though we can't see air), Shelter/Home (all need safe place). Compare across organisms: "Does plant need water? Yes. Does dog need water? Yes. Do you need water? Yes. All living things need water!" Use care routines: when caring for classroom plant, name needs being met: "I'm putting the plant by the window because it needs sunlight to make food." When watering: "Plant needs water to live." Make observations explicit. Distinguish needs (must have to survive) from wants (nice to have but not necessary for survival). Try thought experiment: "What would happen if plant didn't get sunlight? It would turn yellow and die. Sunlight is a need!" Watch for: students who list everything they see, those who think plants don't need much because they don't move, or those who confuse care items (pot) with needs (soil). Build understanding that all living things share basic needs.

Question 10

Yuki cares for a pet. What does it need daily?

  1. It needs water, food, air, and shelter. (correct answer)
  2. It needs stickers, candy, and balloons.
  3. It needs only a cage, no water.
Explanation: This asks about pet care needs. Pets need water, food, air, and shelter every day to stay healthy. Stickers and candy are treats, not needs for living.

Question 11

Keisha cares for a dog. What does it need?

  1. It needs food, water, air, and shelter. (correct answer)
  2. It needs sunlight and soil to grow.
  3. It needs only a leash to survive.
Explanation: This asks about pet needs. Dogs need food, water, air, and shelter like all animals. Pets need the same things wild animals need to live.

Question 12

Yuki watches fish in a tank. What does it need?

  1. It needs water to live in and food. (correct answer)
  2. It needs soil and sunlight like a plant.
  3. It needs a bike and a helmet.
  4. It needs only shelter, not water.
Explanation: This question tests kindergarten understanding of what living things need to survive (K-LS1-1: Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals including humans need to survive). All living things need certain basic things to live and survive. These include: Water (all living things need water - to drink, to absorb, or to live in). Food (animals and humans need to eat; plants make food from sunlight). Air (all living things breathe or take in air). Shelter or home (safe place to live - nest, burrow, house, tank, soil). Light/sunlight (plants need sunlight to grow; animals and humans need light too). These are needs, not wants - without them, living things cannot survive. In this picture/story, Yuki is watching fish in a tank. The fish are shown in their aquatic habitat getting their needs met. Specific needs visible: water in the tank (fish live in water and breathe through it), the tank itself as shelter, and implied feeding and care. Choice A is correct because it identifies that fish need water to live in and food - actual basic needs for fish survival. Fish are unique because they don't just drink water, they live in it and breathe oxygen from it through their gills. They also need food to eat for energy. The answer correctly identifies the specific needs for aquatic animals. Choice B is incorrect because it claims fish need soil and sunlight like a plant, which shows confusion between how different types of organisms meet their needs - fish are animals that eat food, not plants that make food from sunlight, and they live in water, not soil. Kindergarteners often mix up the needs of different organism types. To help students identify basic needs: Observe living things in classroom (plants, fish, pet) or pictures of animals and plants. For each, ask: "What does it need to live?" Create needs checklist: Water (all need), Food (animals and humans eat; plants make from sunlight), Air (all breathe - even though we can't see air), Shelter/Home (all need safe place). Compare across organisms: "Does fish need water? Yes - to live in! Does plant need water? Yes - to drink! Do you need water? Yes - to drink! All need water but use it differently!" Use care routines: when caring for classroom fish, name needs being met: "The fish live in water because that's where they breathe and move." "We feed the fish because they need food for energy." "The tank is their shelter, keeping them safe." Make observations explicit. Distinguish needs (must have to survive) from wants (nice to have but not necessary for survival). Try thought experiment: "What would happen if fish had no water? They couldn't breathe or swim. Water is a need!" Watch for: students who think all animals need the same exact things in the same ways, or those who apply plant needs to animals. Build understanding that while all living things share basic needs, they meet them in ways suited to their type and habitat.

Question 13

Look at the bird in a nest. What need shown?

  1. It needs a nest for shelter and home. (correct answer)
  2. It needs crayons and paper to draw.
  3. It needs only sunlight to eat.
  4. It needs a bowl and a spoon.
Explanation: This question tests kindergarten understanding of what living things need to survive (K-LS1-1: Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals including humans need to survive). All living things need certain basic things to live and survive. These include: Water (all living things need water - to drink, to absorb, or to live in). Food (animals and humans need to eat; plants make food from sunlight). Air (all living things breathe or take in air). Shelter or home (safe place to live - nest, burrow, house, tank, soil). Light/sunlight (plants need sunlight to grow; animals and humans need light too). These are needs, not wants - without them, living things cannot survive. In this picture/story, there is a bird in its nest. The bird is shown with one of its key needs being met - shelter. Specific needs visible: the nest provides shelter and a safe home for the bird, and the outdoor setting implies access to air, with food and water sources nearby in nature. Choice A is correct because it identifies the nest as shelter and home, which is an actual basic need that birds require to survive. Birds need safe places to rest, protect themselves from weather and predators, and raise their young. The nest serves as the bird's shelter, meeting this critical survival need. The answer correctly identifies the specific need being shown in the observation. Choice C is incorrect because it claims birds need only sunlight to eat, which confuses how different organisms get food - birds eat insects, seeds, or other food items, they don't make food from sunlight like plants do. Kindergarteners often mix up how different living things meet their needs, sometimes applying plant characteristics to animals. To help students identify basic needs: Observe living things in classroom (plants, fish, pet) or pictures of animals and plants. For each, ask: "What does it need to live?" Create needs checklist: Water (all need), Food (animals and humans eat; plants make from sunlight), Air (all breathe - even though we can't see air), Shelter/Home (all need safe place). Compare across organisms: "Does bird need shelter? Yes - a nest! Does rabbit need shelter? Yes - a burrow! Do you need shelter? Yes - a house! All living things need shelter!" Use care routines: when observing birds outside, name needs being met: "The bird built a nest because it needs shelter to stay safe." Point out other needs: "Birds also need water to drink, food like seeds or worms to eat, and air to breathe." Make observations explicit. Distinguish needs (must have to survive) from wants (nice to have but not necessary for survival). Try thought experiment: "What would happen if bird had no nest in a storm? It could get hurt or too cold. Shelter is a need!" Watch for: students who list only what they see, those who anthropomorphize (think birds need human things), or those who confuse how different organisms meet needs. Build understanding that all living things share basic needs.

Question 14

Maya sees a bird in a nest. What need is shown?

  1. The bird needs shelter or a home. (correct answer)
  2. The bird needs a TV show.
  3. The bird needs only sunlight to eat.
Explanation: This asks about shelter needs. The nest is the bird's shelter or home to keep it safe. Birds don't watch TV or eat sunlight for food.

Question 15

A plant by a window needs what to grow?

  1. It needs water, sunlight, and soil. (correct answer)
  2. It needs a leash and a collar.
  3. It needs books and crayons.
Explanation: This asks about plant needs. Plants need water, sunlight, and soil to grow big and strong. Plants don't need leashes or crayons like pets or kids do.

Question 16

Marcus sees flowers in sun. What do plants need?

  1. Plants need water, sunlight, air, and soil. (correct answer)
  2. Plants need pizza and milk to eat.
  3. Plants need only shelter, not light.
Explanation: This asks what plants need. Plants need water, sunlight, air, and soil to grow healthy. The flowers are in the sun getting the light they need.

Question 17

Emma waters a plant. What does it need?

  1. It needs water, sunlight, air, and soil. (correct answer)
  2. It needs a TV and a soft bed.
  3. It needs only water to grow.
Explanation: This asks what plants need to live. Plants need water, sunlight, air, and soil to grow big and strong. Plants are different from animals because they need sunlight and soil.

Question 18

Jamal watches a deer drink. What does it need?

  1. It needs water, food, air, and shelter. (correct answer)
  2. It needs only water and nothing else.
  3. It needs books and clothes to survive.
Explanation: This asks about animal needs. Deer need water, food, air, and shelter just like all animals do. The deer is drinking water, which is one important need.

Question 19

Chen eats lunch. What does he need to live?

  1. He needs food, water, air, and shelter. (correct answer)
  2. He needs only food to stay alive.
  3. He needs toys, music, and a computer.
Explanation: This asks about human needs. People need food, water, air, and shelter to live. Chen is eating food, which is one of these important needs.

Question 20

Carlos breathes outside. What do living things need?

  1. Living things need air to breathe. (correct answer)
  2. Living things need rocks and sand to eat.
  3. Living things need only water, not air.
Explanation: This asks about air needs. All living things need air to breathe and stay alive. Carlos is breathing air, which we all need every day.