Science Assessment ~ Topics ~ Matter and Energy in Living Systems ~ Item ME159001 ~ Student Performance

Is water a source of food for plants and animals? Why or why not?

A. Yes, because food is anything that is needed by plants and animals, and water is needed by plants and animals

B. Yes, because food is anything that provides energy to plants and animals, and water provides energy to plants and animals

C. No, because liquids cannot be food for plants and animals, and water is a liquid

D. No, because food must contain molecules that have carbon atoms linked to other carbon atoms, and water molecules do not have carbon atoms linked to other carbon atoms

Distribution of responses
Answer Choice	Overall	Grades		Gender		Primary Language
	n = 1810	6–8 n = 727	9–12 n = 1075	Male n = 893	Female n = 882	English n = 1605	Other n = 150
A.	23%	27%	21%	23%	23%	22%	31%
B.	39%	42%	36%	37%	42%	39%	37%
C.	12%	16%	10%	14%	10%	12%	10%
D.	26%	16%	33%	27%	25%	27%	21%

Science Assessment

Item ME159001: Water is not a souce of food for plants and animals because food must contain molecules that have carbon atoms linked to other carbon atoms, and water molecules do not have carbon atoms linked to other carbon atoms.