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Holding the Land in Place is a free printable Grade 2 science worksheet on comparing solutions that slow wind or water changing the land, aligned to Common Core standard 2-ESS2-1. 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 pupils in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 12 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.

Holding the Land in Place

2-ESS2-1

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.Why test two designs rather than just building the best-looking one?
  • A.The results show which actually holds the soil
  • B.Looks are what matter
  • C.Testing wastes time
2.Test results: bare soil lost a big pile, grassed soil lost hardly any. Which solution worked better?
  • A.The bare soil
  • B.Neither worked
  • C.The grass, because hardly any soil washed down
3.Which would you choose to stop a sand dune blowing away?
  • A.A smooth plastic sheet
  • B.Nothing at all
  • C.Plants with roots that hold the sand
4.Why does planting grass on a slope hold the soil?
  • A.Grass is heavy
  • B.Grass drinks all the water
  • C.The grass covers the soil so water cannot wash it away
5.A wall stops soil washing down but costs a lot. How do you decide?
  • A.Always pick the strongest
  • B.Weigh how well it works against what it costs
  • C.Always pick the cheapest
6.A plastic sheet let no soil wash off but the water ran off fast. What is the drawback?
  • A.Plastic is green
  • B.The fast water may wash soil away further down
  • C.There is no drawback
7.What should be kept the same when comparing two slope designs?
  • A.The colour of the tray
  • B.The same jug of water, the same slope and the same soil
  • C.Nothing at all
8.What does a barrier at the bottom of a slope do?
  • A.Makes the slope steeper
  • B.Stops the rain falling
  • C.Catches soil that has already washed down

LessonPrint · 2-ESS2-1 · Set 12 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Holding the Land in Place

Set 12. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.The results show which actually holds the soil
  2. 2.The grass, because hardly any soil washed down
  3. 3.Plants with roots that hold the sand
  4. 4.The grass covers the soil so water cannot wash it away
  5. 5.Weigh how well it works against what it costs
  6. 6.The fast water may wash soil away further down
  7. 7.The same jug of water, the same slope and the same soil
  8. 8.Catches soil that has already washed down

More practice for 2-ESS2-1

Compare designs meant to stop wind or water reshaping the land.

Teaching this next? Holding the Land in Place is the 50-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 2 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 2-ESS2-1 of the Next Generation Science Standards.