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Earth Materials at Work is a free printable Grade 2 science worksheet on explaining why a rock, a soil or water suits the job it is used for, aligned to NGSS performance expectation 2-PS1-2. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 13 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Earth Materials at Work

2-PS1-2

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.Why is salt spread on icy roads in winter?
  • A.It makes the roads shine
  • B.It feeds the plants by the road
  • C.It makes the ice melt, so the roads are less slippery
2.Why is soil, not sand, best for a vegetable patch?
  • A.Soil is drier than sand
  • B.Sand is too dark
  • C.Soil holds the water and food that roots need
3.Why is river water cleaned before it comes out of the faucet?
  • A.River water is too cold
  • B.River water can carry mud and germs that make people ill
  • C.Cleaning makes it taste salty
4.Why is clay, not sand, used to make a pot?
  • A.Sand is too heavy
  • B.Clay holds its shape when molded and hardens when it is fired
  • C.Clay is always red
5.Why are sandbags piled up when a river is about to flood?
  • A.Sand drinks up the whole river
  • B.Sandbags float on top of the flood
  • C.Wet sand is heavy and packs tight, so it holds back water
6.Why is sand put under the swings in a playground?
  • A.Sand keeps the swings dry
  • B.Loose sand is soft to land on
  • C.Sand makes the swings faster
7.Why do potters add water to dry clay?
  • A.Water changes clay into sand
  • B.Wet clay becomes soft enough to shape
  • C.Water makes clay harder
8.Why are some dams built from rock with a core of packed clay?
  • A.Clay lets very little water through, and the rock is heavy and strong
  • B.Clay is light enough to float
  • C.Rock soaks up the water

LessonPrint · 2-PS1-2 · Set 13 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Earth Materials at Work

Set 13. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.It makes the ice melt, so the roads are less slippery
  2. 2.Soil holds the water and food that roots need
  3. 3.River water can carry mud and germs that make people ill
  4. 4.Clay holds its shape when molded and hardens when it is fired
  5. 5.Wet sand is heavy and packs tight, so it holds back water
  6. 6.Loose sand is soft to land on
  7. 7.Wet clay becomes soft enough to shape
  8. 8.Clay lets very little water through, and the rock is heavy and strong

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 2-PS1-2 of the Next Generation Science Standards.