Grade 11 · Practice problems
What makes something alive
50 written problems across two levels — 31 foundational · 19 advanced. Work through them on paper, then reveal every answer to check. These are not graded and are counted separately from adaptive practice.
1. FoundationalIn MRS GREN, what does the letter M stand for?
2. FoundationalIn MRS GREN, what does the letter N stand for?
3. FoundationalWhich characteristic of life means producing new individuals?
4. FoundationalWhich characteristic means removing the waste products of metabolism?
5. FoundationalWhich characteristic means detecting and responding to surroundings?
6. FoundationalWhat is the smallest unit of life called?
7. FoundationalIs a granite rock alive?
8. FoundationalIs a mushroom alive?
9. FoundationalWhich molecule stores the genetic instructions of a cell?
10. FoundationalWhich characteristic means a permanent increase in size or cell number?
11. FoundationalGive one reason a car is not alive even though it moves and uses fuel.
12. FoundationalHow does excretion differ from egestion?
13. FoundationalDefine homeostasis.
14. FoundationalGive one example of homeostasis in humans.
15. FoundationalA plant grows toward light. Which characteristic is this?
16. FoundationalWhat is metabolism?
17. FoundationalWhich gas do most organisms take in for aerobic respiration?
18. FoundationalState one difference between respiration and breathing.
19. FoundationalWhy do all living things need a supply of energy?
20. FoundationalGive two reasons a candle flame is not alive.
21. FoundationalDefine a stimulus.
22. FoundationalName two waste products excreted by humans.
23. FoundationalWhat is nutrition by making food from light called?
24. FoundationalWhat is nutrition that requires eating other organisms called?
25. FoundationalList MRS GREN in the correct order.
26. FoundationalMust a living thing show all seven characteristics at some stage?
27. FoundationalWhy is a salt crystal 'growing' different from an organism growing?
28. FoundationalIs a single bacterium a complete living organism?
29. FoundationalGive one single-celled and one multicellular organism.
30. FoundationalWhat internal variable does insulin help keep steady?
31. FoundationalName the seven life processes and give one everyday example of any one of them.
32. AdvancedExplain, using MRS GREN, why a virus is a borderline case.
33. AdvancedGive a reasoned argument that fire is not alive despite metabolism-like features.
34. AdvancedA robot senses, moves, recharges and is copied in a factory. Why is it not alive?
35. AdvancedDistinguish homeostasis from simply 'not changing'.
36. AdvancedWhy is negative feedback essential to life?
37. AdvancedExplain why 'movement' alone is a weak criterion for life.
38. AdvancedA student says 'plants don't respire, they photosynthesise.' Correct them.
39. AdvancedExplain why reproduction is defined at the species level, not for every individual.
40. AdvancedHow does excretion connect to metabolism?
41. AdvancedCompare autotroph and heterotroph nutrition with an example and energy source for each.
42. AdvancedExplain why no single criterion can define life.
43. AdvancedAn object on Mars grows and responds but shows no reproduction or cells. Verdict?
44. AdvancedExplain how DNA links growth, reproduction and heredity.
45. AdvancedWhy is homeostasis harder for a single cell than for a large organism? Discuss.
46. AdvancedGive a reasoned argument for classifying a seed as alive using at least three characteristics.
47. AdvancedAn ecosystem 'grows', 'responds' and cycles matter. Is an ecosystem an organism? Justify.
48. AdvancedDistinguish a coordinated biological response from a simple chemical reaction to a trigger.
49. AdvancedPrions are misfolded proteins that 'spread'. Are they alive? Justify with criteria.
50. AdvancedConstruct a rule that correctly separates the living from fire, crystals, rivers and viruses, and explain it.