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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 19 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 the hearth around a fireplace made of stone?
  • A.Stone is the softest material
  • B.Stone does not burn and can take great heat
  • C.Stone keeps the fire out of sight
2.Why is salt spread on icy roads in winter?
  • A.It feeds the plants by the road
  • B.It makes the roads shine
  • C.It makes the ice melt, so the roads are less slippery
3.Why are some dams built from rock with a core of packed clay?
  • A.Rock soaks up the water
  • B.Clay lets very little water through, and the rock is heavy and strong
  • C.Clay is light enough to float
4.Why is river water cleaned before it comes out of the faucet?
  • A.River water is too cold
  • B.Cleaning makes it taste salty
  • C.River water can carry mud and germs that make people ill
5.Why are old walls often built from blocks of hard rock?
  • A.Hard rock is soft to touch
  • B.Hard rock floats
  • C.Hard rock lasts a long time in wind and rain
6.Why is sand put under the swings in a playground?
  • A.Sand makes the swings faster
  • B.Loose sand is soft to land on
  • C.Sand keeps the swings dry
7.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
8.Why is clay, not sand, used to make a pot?
  • A.Clay is always red
  • B.Sand is too heavy
  • C.Clay holds its shape when molded and hardens when it is fired

LessonPrint · 2-PS1-2 · Set 19 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Earth Materials at Work

Set 19. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Stone does not burn and can take great heat
  2. 2.It makes the ice melt, so the roads are less slippery
  3. 3.Clay lets very little water through, and the rock is heavy and strong
  4. 4.River water can carry mud and germs that make people ill
  5. 5.Hard rock lasts a long time in wind and rain
  6. 6.Loose sand is soft to land on
  7. 7.Wet sand is heavy and packs tight, so it holds back water
  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.