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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 5 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.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
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.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
4.A boy has curly hair like his father. Is that inherited or learned?
  • A.Inherited
  • B.Learned from his father
  • C.Learned at school
5.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
6.A dog fetches a stick when its owner says "fetch." Is that inherited or learned?
  • A.Inherited from its parents
  • B.Neither
  • C.Learned, through training
7.A child speaks the language her family speaks at home. Is that inherited or learned?
  • A.Inherited, like eye color
  • B.Neither
  • C.Learned, from hearing it every day
8.A puppy has floppy ears like its mother. Is that inherited or learned?
  • A.Inherited, passed down from its parents
  • B.Learned from watching its mother
  • C.Learned at puppy classes

LessonPrint · 3-LS3-1 · Set 5 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Passed Down, or Picked Up?

Set 5. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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