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Sorting Animals by Their Features — Answers

Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the 2nd Grade living things & life cycles worksheet.

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Success TutoringWorksheetsAnswer sheet2nd Grade · Science · Living Things & Life Cycles

Sorting Animals by Their Features — Answers

Part A: Look at the features

Read the box. Then circle the best answer.

We can sort animals by the features we can see.

We can count their legs. An insect has six legs. A spider has eight legs.

We can look at their covering. Birds have feathers. Dogs have fur. Fish and snakes have scales.

We can look at how they move. Birds have wings. Fish have fins.

1.Which animal has feathers?
  1. Aa duck
  2. Ba dog
  3. Ca snake
  4. Da fish

Answer: a duck

Birds, like ducks, are the only animals with feathers.

2.How many legs does an insect have?
  1. Afour
  2. Bsix
  3. Ceight
  4. Dten

Answer: six

All insects, like ants and beetles, have six legs.

3.Which animal uses fins to swim?
  1. Aa cat
  2. Ba hen
  3. Ca fish
  4. Da horse

Answer: a fish

Fish use fins to swim and steer in the water.

4.Which animal has no legs?
  1. Aa frog
  2. Ba spider
  3. Ca bird
  4. Da snake

Answer: a snake

A snake has no legs. It moves by bending its body.

Part B: True or false?

Write True or False.

5.A spider is an insect.

Answer: False

A spider has eight legs. Insects have six legs, so a spider is not an insect.

6.A bat has wings and fur.

Answer: True

A bat has wings for flying, but its body is covered in fur, not feathers.

Part C: Match and fill

7.Match each animal to its body covering.
  • parrot
  • rabbit
  • goldfish
  • fur
  • scales
  • feathers

Answer: parrot → feathers; rabbit → fur; goldfish → scales

8.An ant is an insect, so it has (answer space) legs.

Answer: six

Also accept: 6.

Part D: Working scientifically: make your own groups

There is more than one right way to sort. Just explain the feature you used.

9.Put these animals into two groups: cow, eagle, sheep, owl. What are your groups?

Answer: Animals with feathers (eagle, owl) and animals with fur (cow, sheep). Also accept: two legs / four legs, or can fly / cannot fly.

10.Choose a new feature. Sort these animals: ant, dog, beetle, horse. Explain your groups.

Model answer: I sorted by number of legs. The ant and beetle have six legs. The dog and horse have four legs.

Success criteria:

  • Makes two groups
  • Every animal is in the right group
  • Names the feature used
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Marking tips

  • Give credit for correct method even when the final answer slips — the working shows where the thinking went right.
  • For open-ended tasks, use the success criteria as a checklist rather than looking for one "right" answer.
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