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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 21 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 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
2.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.Rock soaks up the water
  • C.Clay is light enough to float
3.Why is salt spread on icy roads in winter?
  • A.It feeds the plants by the road
  • B.It makes the ice melt, so the roads are less slippery
  • C.It makes the roads shine
4.Why is clay, not sand, used to make a pot?
  • A.Sand is too heavy
  • B.Clay is always red
  • C.Clay holds its shape when molded and hardens when it is fired
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.Sand drinks up the whole river
  • C.Sandbags float on top of the flood
6.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
7.Why do potters add water to dry clay?
  • A.Wet clay becomes soft enough to shape
  • B.Water makes clay harder
  • C.Water changes clay into sand
8.Why is the hearth around a fireplace made of stone?
  • A.Stone keeps the fire out of sight
  • B.Stone is the softest material
  • C.Stone does not burn and can take great heat

LessonPrint · 2-PS1-2 · Set 21 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Earth Materials at Work

Set 21. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.River water can carry mud and germs that make people ill
  2. 2.Clay lets very little water through, and the rock is heavy and strong
  3. 3.It makes the ice melt, so the roads are less slippery
  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.Hard rock lasts a long time in wind and rain
  7. 7.Wet clay becomes soft enough to shape
  8. 8.Stone does not burn and can take great heat

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