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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 17 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 boy has curly hair like his father. Is that inherited or learned?
  • A.Learned at school
  • B.Inherited
  • C.Learned from his father
2.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
3.How could you find out whether a behavior is learned?
  • A.See whether animals that were never shown it can still do it
  • B.Ask the animal
  • C.Weigh the animal
4.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
5.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
6.A child speaks the language her family speaks at home. Is that inherited or learned?
  • A.Learned, from hearing it every day
  • B.Inherited, like eye color
  • C.Neither
7.Which of these could a dog NOT learn from its owner?
  • A.Sitting when told
  • B.Walking beside its owner
  • C.The color of its coat
8.Young chaffinches raised without hearing other chaffinches sing a simpler song. What does that show?
  • A.The birds were unwell
  • B.Songs are never learned
  • C.Part of the song is learned by hearing other birds

LessonPrint · 3-LS3-1 · Set 17 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Passed Down, or Picked Up?

Set 17. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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