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

LessonPrint · 3-PS2-1 · Set 18 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Balanced, or Not

Set 18. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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.