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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 22 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 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
2.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
3.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
4.Which of these could a dog NOT learn from its owner?
  • A.Walking beside its owner
  • B.Sitting when told
  • C.The color of its coat
5.A child speaks the language her family speaks at home. Is that inherited or learned?
  • A.Learned, from hearing it every day
  • B.Neither
  • C.Inherited, like eye color
6.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
7.Seedlings from one plant all have the same leaf shape. Is leaf shape inherited or learned?
  • A.Learned from the sunlight
  • B.Inherited from the parent plant
  • C.Learned from other plants
8.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

LessonPrint · 3-LS3-1 · Set 22 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Passed Down, or Picked Up?

Set 22. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Learned
  2. 2.Inherited, passed down from its parents
  3. 3.Riding a bicycle is learned by practicing
  4. 4.The color of its coat
  5. 5.Learned, from hearing it every day
  6. 6.Learned, through training
  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.