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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 25 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.Learned
  • B.Part of its body
  • C.Inherited
2.How could you find out whether a behavior is learned?
  • A.Weigh the animal
  • B.See whether animals that were never shown it can still do it
  • C.Ask the animal
3.Which of these is inherited rather than learned?
  • A.A parrot saying hello
  • B.A zebra foal's stripes
  • C.A horse jumping a fence
4.A dog fetches a stick when its owner says "fetch." Is that inherited or learned?
  • A.Neither
  • B.Inherited from its parents
  • C.Learned, through training
5.Which of these could a dog NOT learn from its owner?
  • A.Sitting when told
  • B.The color of its coat
  • C.Walking beside its owner
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.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
8.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

LessonPrint · 3-LS3-1 · Set 25 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Passed Down, or Picked Up?

Set 25. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Learned
  2. 2.See whether animals that were never shown it can still do it
  3. 3.A zebra foal's stripes
  4. 4.Learned, through training
  5. 5.The color of its coat
  6. 6.Learned, from hearing it every day
  7. 7.Inherited, passed down from its parents
  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.