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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 15 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.

Balanced, or Not

3-PS2-1

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

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

LessonPrint · 3-PS2-1 · Set 15 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Balanced, or Not

Set 15. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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.