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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 5 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 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
2.Why are old walls often built from blocks of hard rock?
  • A.Hard rock floats
  • B.Hard rock is soft to touch
  • C.Hard rock lasts a long time in wind and rain
3.Why is soil, not sand, best for a vegetable patch?
  • A.Soil holds the water and food that roots need
  • B.Soil is drier than sand
  • C.Sand is too dark
4.Why is river water cleaned before it comes out of the faucet?
  • A.Cleaning makes it taste salty
  • B.River water can carry mud and germs that make people ill
  • C.River water is too cold
5.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
6.Why are sandbags piled up when a river is about to flood?
  • A.Sand drinks up the whole river
  • B.Wet sand is heavy and packs tight, so it holds back water
  • C.Sandbags float on top of the flood
7.Why is clay, not sand, used to make a pot?
  • A.Clay holds its shape when molded and hardens when it is fired
  • B.Clay is always red
  • C.Sand is too heavy
8.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

LessonPrint · 2-PS1-2 · Set 5 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Earth Materials at Work

Set 5. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Loose sand is soft to land on
  2. 2.Hard rock lasts a long time in wind and rain
  3. 3.Soil holds the water and food that roots need
  4. 4.River water can carry mud and germs that make people ill
  5. 5.Wet clay becomes soft enough to shape
  6. 6.Wet sand is heavy and packs tight, so it holds back water
  7. 7.Clay holds its shape when molded and hardens when it is fired
  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.