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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 15 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 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
2.Seedlings from one plant all have the same leaf shape. Is leaf shape inherited or learned?
  • A.Learned from the sunlight
  • B.Learned from other plants
  • C.Inherited from the parent plant
3.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
4.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
5.A young chimpanzee learns to crack nuts with a stone by watching its mother. What kind of characteristic is that?
  • A.Inherited
  • B.Part of its body
  • C.Learned
6.Which of these is inherited rather than learned?
  • A.A parrot saying hello
  • B.A horse jumping a fence
  • C.A zebra foal's stripes
7.Young chaffinches raised without hearing other chaffinches sing a simpler song. What does that show?
  • A.The birds were unwell
  • B.Part of the song is learned by hearing other birds
  • C.Songs are never learned
8.How could you find out whether a behavior is learned?
  • A.Weigh the animal
  • B.Ask the animal
  • C.See whether animals that were never shown it can still do it

LessonPrint · 3-LS3-1 · Set 15 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Passed Down, or Picked Up?

Set 15. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Riding a bicycle is learned by practicing
  2. 2.Inherited from the parent plant
  3. 3.The color of its coat
  4. 4.Learned, from hearing it every day
  5. 5.Learned
  6. 6.A zebra foal's stripes
  7. 7.Part of the song is learned by hearing other birds
  8. 8.See whether animals that were never shown it can still do it

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