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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 2 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 soil, not sand, best for a vegetable patch?
  • A.Sand is too dark
  • B.Soil is drier than sand
  • C.Soil holds the water and food that roots need
2.Why are some dams built from rock with a core of packed clay?
  • A.Clay is light enough to float
  • B.Clay lets very little water through, and the rock is heavy and strong
  • C.Rock soaks up the water
3.Why is sand put under the swings in a playground?
  • A.Sand makes the swings faster
  • B.Sand keeps the swings dry
  • C.Loose sand is soft to land on
4.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
5.Why are sandbags piled up when a river is about to flood?
  • A.Wet sand is heavy and packs tight, so it holds back water
  • B.Sandbags float on top of the flood
  • C.Sand drinks up the whole river
6.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
7.Why is the hearth around a fireplace made of stone?
  • A.Stone does not burn and can take great heat
  • B.Stone keeps the fire out of sight
  • C.Stone is the softest material
8.Why do potters add water to dry clay?
  • A.Water makes clay harder
  • B.Water changes clay into sand
  • C.Wet clay becomes soft enough to shape

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

Answer key — Earth Materials at Work

Set 2. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Soil holds the water and food that roots need
  2. 2.Clay lets very little water through, and the rock is heavy and strong
  3. 3.Loose sand is soft to land on
  4. 4.Hard rock lasts a long time in wind and rain
  5. 5.Wet sand is heavy and packs tight, so it holds back water
  6. 6.Clay holds its shape when molded and hardens when it is fired
  7. 7.Stone does not burn and can take great heat
  8. 8.Wet clay becomes soft enough to shape

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