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Balanced, or Not is a free printable Grade 3 science worksheet on evidence of balanced and unbalanced forces on motion, aligned to Common Core standard 3-PS2-1. 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.

Balanced, or Not

3-PS2-1

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.A sledge is pushed 5 units and friction pushes back 5 units. What happens?
  • A.It stops at once
  • B.The sledge keeps moving at the same speed
  • C.It speeds up
2.How would you make a still box start moving?
  • A.Balance the forces
  • B.Make the forces on it unbalanced
  • C.Remove all forces
3.A ball rolls along and slows to a stop. What does that show?
  • A.An unbalanced force acted against its motion
  • B.Forces were balanced
  • C.It ran out of motion
4.A box is pulled 6 units left and 4 units right. What happens?
  • A.It moves right
  • B.It moves left, because the forces are unbalanced
  • C.It stays still
5.What has to be kept the same when testing pulls on a box?
  • A.The same box, floor and scales
  • B.Nothing, so it is interesting
  • C.The size of both pulls
6.A book rests on a table and does not move. What does that tell you?
  • A.Gravity has stopped
  • B.No forces act on it
  • C.The forces on it are balanced
7.What do balanced forces do to an object's motion?
  • A.Always stop it
  • B.Always speed it up
  • C.Leave it unchanged
8.Two teams pull a rope equally hard. What happens?
  • A.The rope speeds up
  • B.The rope does not move, because the forces are balanced
  • C.The rope breaks

LessonPrint · 3-PS2-1 · Set 12 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Balanced, or Not

Set 12. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.The sledge keeps moving at the same speed
  2. 2.Make the forces on it unbalanced
  3. 3.An unbalanced force acted against its motion
  4. 4.It moves left, because the forces are unbalanced
  5. 5.The same box, floor and scales
  6. 6.The forces on it are balanced
  7. 7.Leave it unchanged
  8. 8.The rope does not move, because the forces are balanced

More practice for 3-PS2-1

Show what balanced and unbalanced forces do to how something moves.

Teaching this next? Balanced, or Not is the 55-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 3 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 3-PS2-1 of the Next Generation Science Standards.