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

LessonPrint · 3-PS2-1 · Set 20 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Balanced, or Not

Set 20. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Make the forces on it unbalanced
  2. 2.Leave it unchanged
  3. 3.It moves left, because the forces are unbalanced
  4. 4.The same box, floor and scales
  5. 5.An unbalanced force acted against its motion
  6. 6.The forces on it are balanced
  7. 7.The sledge keeps moving at the same speed
  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.