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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 2 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 from his father
  • B.Inherited
  • C.Learned at school
2.Young chaffinches raised without hearing other chaffinches sing a simpler song. What does that show?
  • A.Songs are never learned
  • B.Part of the song is learned by hearing other birds
  • C.The birds were unwell
3.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
4.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
5.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
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.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 other plants
  • C.Learned from the sunlight
8.Which of these is inherited rather than learned?
  • A.A horse jumping a fence
  • B.A parrot saying hello
  • C.A zebra foal's stripes

LessonPrint · 3-LS3-1 · Set 2 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Passed Down, or Picked Up?

Set 2. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Inherited
  2. 2.Part of the song is learned by hearing other birds
  3. 3.Learned
  4. 4.Learned, through training
  5. 5.Inherited, passed down from its parents
  6. 6.Learned, from hearing it every day
  7. 7.Inherited from the parent plant
  8. 8.A zebra foal's stripes

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