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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 2 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.Make the forces on it unbalanced
  • C.Remove all forces
2.A book rests on a table and does not move. What does that tell you?
  • A.Gravity has stopped
  • B.The forces on it are balanced
  • C.No forces act on it
3.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
4.A ball rolls along and slows to a stop. What does that show?
  • A.It ran out of motion
  • B.An unbalanced force acted against its motion
  • C.Forces were balanced
5.Two teams pull a rope equally hard. What happens?
  • A.The rope does not move, because the forces are balanced
  • B.The rope speeds up
  • C.The rope breaks
6.What do balanced forces do to an object's motion?
  • A.Always stop it
  • B.Always speed it up
  • C.Leave it unchanged
7.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
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 2 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Balanced, or Not

Set 2. Prints on its own sheet.

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