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Passed Down, or Picked Up? is a free printable Grade 3 science worksheet on using evidence to tell traits passed down from parents from things learned, aligned to NGSS performance expectation 3-LS3-1. 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 students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 10 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.

Passed Down, or Picked Up?

3-LS3-1

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.A dog fetches a stick when its owner says "fetch." Is that inherited or learned?
  • A.Learned, through training
  • B.Inherited from its parents
  • C.Neither
2.A puppy has floppy ears like its mother. Is that inherited or learned?
  • A.Learned from watching its mother
  • B.Inherited, passed down from its parents
  • C.Learned at puppy classes
3.Which of these could a dog NOT learn from its owner?
  • A.Walking beside its owner
  • B.Sitting when told
  • C.The color of its coat
4.A young chimpanzee learns to crack nuts with a stone by watching its mother. What kind of characteristic is that?
  • A.Learned
  • B.Inherited
  • C.Part of its body
5.Seedlings from one plant all have the same leaf shape. Is leaf shape inherited or learned?
  • A.Learned from other plants
  • B.Inherited from the parent plant
  • C.Learned from the sunlight
6.A child speaks the language her family speaks at home. Is that inherited or learned?
  • A.Inherited, like eye color
  • B.Learned, from hearing it every day
  • C.Neither
7.Which of these is inherited rather than learned?
  • A.A zebra foal's stripes
  • B.A parrot saying hello
  • C.A horse jumping a fence
8.A girl can ride a bicycle and her baby brother cannot yet. Why?
  • A.Riding a bicycle is learned by practicing
  • B.Babies are too heavy to ride
  • C.She inherited it and he did not

LessonPrint · 3-LS3-1 · Set 10 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Passed Down, or Picked Up?

Set 10. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Learned, through training
  2. 2.Inherited, passed down from its parents
  3. 3.The color of its coat
  4. 4.Learned
  5. 5.Inherited from the parent plant
  6. 6.Learned, from hearing it every day
  7. 7.A zebra foal's stripes
  8. 8.Riding a bicycle is learned by practicing

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 3-LS3-1 of the Next Generation Science Standards.