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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 13 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 child speaks the language her family speaks at home. Is that inherited or learned?
  • A.Inherited, like eye color
  • B.Neither
  • C.Learned, from hearing it every day
2.A dog fetches a stick when its owner says "fetch." Is that inherited or learned?
  • A.Inherited from its parents
  • B.Learned, through training
  • C.Neither
3.A boy has curly hair like his father. Is that inherited or learned?
  • A.Learned at school
  • B.Learned from his father
  • C.Inherited
4.A puppy has floppy ears like its mother. Is that inherited or learned?
  • A.Learned from watching its mother
  • B.Learned at puppy classes
  • C.Inherited, passed down from its parents
5.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
6.Which of these could a dog NOT learn from its owner?
  • A.The color of its coat
  • B.Walking beside its owner
  • C.Sitting when told
7.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
8.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

LessonPrint · 3-LS3-1 · Set 13 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Passed Down, or Picked Up?

Set 13. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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