Let’s solve this step by step.
We are given a word bank:
- water
- rainfall
- fibrous
- animals
- photosynthesis
- wide
- evaporation
- leaves
- roots
And we need to fill in the blanks for three parts: Stem, Spines, and Roots — all about how a cactus adapts to the desert.
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Stem Section:
1. “The stem creates energy for the plant through ________.”
→ Plants make their own food (energy) using sunlight. That process is called
photosynthesis. Even though most plants do this in leaves, cacti do it in their stems because they don’t have regular leaves. So, first blank =
photosynthesis
2. “The thick stems store ________.”
→ Cacti live in dry places. They store water in their thick stems to survive long periods without rain. So, second blank =
water
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Spines Section:
3. “These prevent ________ from eating the plant.”
→ Spines are sharp. They stop animals from munching on the cactus. So, third blank =
animals
4. “Cactus have spines instead of ________, to reduce water lost through ________.”
→ Normal plants have flat, wide leaves. But leaves lose a lot of water through evaporation. Cacti replaced leaves with spines to save water. So:
Fourth blank =
leaves
Fifth blank =
evaporation
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Roots Section:
5. “Cactus plants have long ________ roots.”
→ Looking at the word bank, “fibrous” fits here. Fibrous roots are thin and spread out — perfect for soaking up water quickly after rare rains. So, sixth blank =
fibrous
6. “The ________ spread far and ________ to absorb water.”
→ The roots spread far and
wide to catch as much water as possible. So:
Seventh blank =
roots
Eighth blank =
wide
7. “They are close to the ground to absorb water immediately after any ________.”
→ In deserts, when it rains, it doesn’t last long. Cactus roots are shallow so they can grab water right after
rainfall. So, ninth blank =
rainfall
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Now let’s list all answers in order:
1. photosynthesis
2. water
3. animals
4. leaves
5. evaporation
6. fibrous
7. roots
8. wide
9. rainfall
All words used are from the word bank. No repeats needed. All fit logically.
Final Answer:
photosynthesis, water, animals, leaves, evaporation, fibrous, roots, wide, rainfall
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of plant adaptation worksheet.
