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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 6 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 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
2.Young chaffinches raised without hearing other chaffinches sing a simpler song. What does that show?
  • A.Part of the song is learned by hearing other birds
  • B.Songs are never learned
  • C.The birds were unwell
3.Seedlings from one plant all have the same leaf shape. Is leaf shape inherited or learned?
  • A.Learned from other plants
  • B.Learned from the sunlight
  • C.Inherited from the parent plant
4.A girl can ride a bicycle and her baby brother cannot yet. Why?
  • A.Riding a bicycle is learned by practicing
  • B.Babies are too heavy to ride
  • C.She inherited it and he did not
5.Which of these is inherited rather than learned?
  • A.A zebra foal's stripes
  • B.A horse jumping a fence
  • C.A parrot saying hello
6.A dog fetches a stick when its owner says "fetch." Is that inherited or learned?
  • A.Neither
  • B.Learned, through training
  • C.Inherited from its parents
7.Which of these could a dog NOT learn from its owner?
  • A.The color of its coat
  • B.Sitting when told
  • C.Walking beside its owner
8.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

LessonPrint · 3-LS3-1 · Set 6 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Passed Down, or Picked Up?

Set 6. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Learned, from hearing it every day
  2. 2.Part of the song is learned by hearing other birds
  3. 3.Inherited from the parent plant
  4. 4.Riding a bicycle is learned by practicing
  5. 5.A zebra foal's stripes
  6. 6.Learned, through training
  7. 7.The color of its coat
  8. 8.Learned

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