Skip to content
LessonPrint

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

Next set

One paper per student

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425

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 ice melt, so the roads are less slippery
  • B.It makes the roads shine
  • C.It feeds the plants by the road
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 can carry mud and germs that make people ill
  • B.Cleaning makes it taste salty
  • C.River water is too cold
4.Why are sandbags piled up when a river is about to flood?
  • A.Sandbags float on top of the flood
  • B.Wet sand is heavy and packs tight, so it holds back water
  • C.Sand drinks up the whole river
5.Why is the hearth around a fireplace made of stone?
  • A.Stone is the softest material
  • B.Stone keeps the fire out of sight
  • C.Stone does not burn and can take great heat
6.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
7.Why are old walls often built from blocks of hard rock?
  • A.Hard rock floats
  • B.Hard rock lasts a long time in wind and rain
  • C.Hard rock is soft to touch
8.Why is clay, not sand, used to make a pot?
  • A.Clay holds its shape when molded and hardens when it is fired
  • B.Sand is too heavy
  • C.Clay is always red

LessonPrint · 2-PS1-2 · Set 18 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Earth Materials at Work

Set 18. 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.Wet sand is heavy and packs tight, so it holds back water
  5. 5.Stone does not burn and can take great heat
  6. 6.Wet clay becomes soft enough to shape
  7. 7.Hard rock lasts a long time in wind and rain
  8. 8.Clay holds its shape when molded and hardens when it is fired

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