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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 4 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.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
2.How would you make a still box start moving?
  • A.Make the forces on it unbalanced
  • B.Balance the forces
  • C.Remove all forces
3.Two teams pull a rope equally hard. What happens?
  • A.The rope breaks
  • B.The rope does not move, because the forces are balanced
  • C.The rope speeds up
4.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
5.A ball rolls along and slows to a stop. What does that show?
  • A.It ran out of motion
  • B.Forces were balanced
  • C.An unbalanced force acted against its motion
6.What do balanced forces do to an object's motion?
  • A.Leave it unchanged
  • B.Always speed it up
  • C.Always stop it
7.What has to be kept the same when testing pulls on a box?
  • A.Nothing, so it is interesting
  • B.The same box, floor and scales
  • C.The size of both pulls
8.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

LessonPrint · 3-PS2-1 · Set 4 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Balanced, or Not

Set 4. Prints on its own sheet.

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