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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 6 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 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
2.Why are sandbags piled up when a river is about to flood?
  • A.Sandbags float on top of the flood
  • B.Sand drinks up the whole river
  • C.Wet sand is heavy and packs tight, so it holds back water
3.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
4.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
5.Why are old walls often built from blocks of hard rock?
  • A.Hard rock is soft to touch
  • B.Hard rock lasts a long time in wind and rain
  • C.Hard rock floats
6.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.River water is too cold
  • C.Cleaning makes it taste salty
7.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
8.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

LessonPrint · 2-PS1-2 · Set 6 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Earth Materials at Work

Set 6. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Clay holds its shape when molded and hardens when it is fired
  2. 2.Wet sand is heavy and packs tight, so it holds back water
  3. 3.Soil holds the water and food that roots need
  4. 4.Stone does not burn and can take great heat
  5. 5.Hard rock lasts a long time in wind and rain
  6. 6.River water can carry mud and germs that make people ill
  7. 7.It makes the ice melt, so the roads are less slippery
  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.