Home / Science / Printables / Grade 2 / Sunlight, Water, or Both Sunlight, Water, or Both is a free printable Grade 2 science worksheet on planning an investigation into what plants need to grow, aligned to Common Core standard 2-LS2-1. 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.
One paper per pupil
Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.
Sunlight, Water, or Both 2-LS2-1
Name Date
Circle the best answer.
1. How long should a plant test run?
A. Long enough for a difference to show, such as three weeks B. One afternoon C. Until somebody gets bored 2. What should be kept the same in a plant test?
A. The amount of light in every tray B. Nothing, so it is interesting C. The seed, the soil and the tray 3. Why were all four trays sown on the same day?
A. So only the sunlight and the water differed between them B. So the class was busy C. So the trays matched 4. Tray 1 had sunlight and water and grew thick green grass. Tray 2 had sunlight and no water and grew nothing. What does that show?
A. Grass hates sunlight B. Without water nothing grows at all C. Sunlight is not needed 5. What would settle whether a plant needs soil as well?
A. A tray with water and light but no soil B. Watching tray 1 for longer C. Asking a gardener 6. Tray 3 had water and no sunlight and grew pale thin grass. What does that show?
A. Water lets it grow, but sunlight is needed to grow thick and green B. Sunlight does nothing C. Water is not needed 7. Tray 4 had neither. What does its result add?
A. Nothing at all B. It proves soil is useless C. It shows what happens with nothing, to compare the others against 8. A pupil waters one tray more than the others. What is wrong?
A. Two things now differ, so the result cannot be explained B. Nothing, more water is better C. The tray will be tidier LessonPrint · 2-LS2-1 · Set 3 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Sunlight, Water, or Both Set 3. Prints on its own sheet.
1. Long enough for a difference to show, such as three weeks 2. The seed, the soil and the tray 3. So only the sunlight and the water differed between them 4. Without water nothing grows at all 5. A tray with water and light but no soil 6. Water lets it grow, but sunlight is needed to grow thick and green 7. It shows what happens with nothing, to compare the others against 8. Two things now differ, so the result cannot be explained Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 2-LS2-1 of the Next Generation Science Standards.