Dead or Alive - Results Tables

The MRS GREN results tables serve as a teaching tool to distinguish between living and non-living entities. MRS GREN is an acronym used to remember the seven life processes that define a living organism: Movement, Respiration, Sensitivity, Growth, Reproduction, Excretion, and Nutrition. These tables list a variety of objects and organisms including a human, cat, shark, cactus, tree, as well as non-living items such as a rock, house, window, and fire. Students are expected to assess each item against the seven life processes to determine whether it is 'Alive' or 'Never Alive'.

The tables are designed to encourage critical thinking and understanding of basic biological principles. For instance, a human, cat, shark, cactus, and tree all exhibit movement, respiration, sensitivity to their environment, growth, the ability to reproduce, excretion of waste, and the intake of nutrition, thus they are classified as 'Alive'. On the other hand, a rock, house, window, and fire do not consistently demonstrate these life processes, and are therefore categorised as 'Never Alive'. This exercise helps students to apply the MRS GREN criteria and understand the fundamental differences between living beings and inanimate objects or phenomena.