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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 14 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 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
2.Seedlings from one plant all have the same leaf shape. Is leaf shape inherited or learned?
  • A.Inherited from the parent plant
  • B.Learned from the sunlight
  • C.Learned from other plants
3.Young chaffinches raised without hearing other chaffinches sing a simpler song. What does that show?
  • A.Songs are never learned
  • B.The birds were unwell
  • C.Part of the song is learned by hearing other birds
4.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
5.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
6.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
7.A girl can ride a bicycle and her baby brother cannot yet. Why?
  • A.Babies are too heavy to ride
  • B.She inherited it and he did not
  • C.Riding a bicycle is learned by practicing
8.A young chimpanzee learns to crack nuts with a stone by watching its mother. What kind of characteristic is that?
  • A.Part of its body
  • B.Inherited
  • C.Learned

LessonPrint · 3-LS3-1 · Set 14 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Passed Down, or Picked Up?

Set 14. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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