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Acting Across a Gap is a free printable Grade 3 science worksheet on cause and effect in electric and magnetic interactions without contact, aligned to Common Core standard 3-PS2-3. 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 23 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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One paper per pupil

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Acting Across a Gap

3-PS2-3

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.The steel plate stopped the magnet moving the clip. What does that show?
  • A.The clip was tired
  • B.Some materials block the magnetic pull
  • C.Magnets stop working near steel
2.Two magnets pushed together the wrong way spring apart. What is the cause?
  • A.Like poles repel each other
  • B.The air pushed them
  • C.They are too heavy
3.A clip does not move at 8 cm but does at 4 cm. What does distance do?
  • A.The nearer the magnet, the stronger the effect
  • B.Distance makes no difference
  • C.Further is stronger
4.A paperclip jumps to a magnet 4 cm away. What does that show?
  • A.Something invisible pushed it
  • B.The clip was already moving
  • C.A magnet can pull without touching
5.Why is the magnet's effect a cause-and-effect relationship?
  • A.Because clips are metal
  • B.Because it is interesting
  • C.Moving the magnet nearer causes the clip to move
6.A rubbed balloon picks up small pieces of paper. What is the cause?
  • A.The paper is magnetic
  • B.The balloon is sticky
  • C.An electric charge on the balloon attracts them
7.A magnet moves a clip through a sheet of paper. What does that show?
  • A.Paper is magnetic
  • B.The clip is paper
  • C.The pull passes through some materials
8.How would you show a pull acts across a gap?
  • A.Touch the clip with the magnet
  • B.Measure the distance at which the clip first moves
  • C.Weigh the magnet

LessonPrint · 3-PS2-3 · Set 23 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Acting Across a Gap

Set 23. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Some materials block the magnetic pull
  2. 2.Like poles repel each other
  3. 3.The nearer the magnet, the stronger the effect
  4. 4.A magnet can pull without touching
  5. 5.Moving the magnet nearer causes the clip to move
  6. 6.An electric charge on the balloon attracts them
  7. 7.The pull passes through some materials
  8. 8.Measure the distance at which the clip first moves

More practice for 3-PS2-3

Ask what causes two objects to attract or repel without touching.

Teaching this next? Acting Across a Gap is the 55-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 3 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 3-PS2-3 of the Next Generation Science Standards.