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Weighing Up Several Ideas is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 science worksheet on comparing solutions against criteria and constraints, aligned to Common Core standard 3-5-ETS1-2. 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 pupils in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 12 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.

Weighing Up Several Ideas

3-5-ETS1-2

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.Two designs meet the criteria. One costs less. Which do you choose?
  • A.The one you built
  • B.The larger one
  • C.The cheaper one, since both meet the criteria
2.Why generate several solutions before choosing?
  • A.To use more paper
  • B.To take longer
  • C.The first idea is rarely the best against the criteria
3.A design works well but breaks the five pound limit. What is it?
  • A.A criterion
  • B.The best solution
  • C.A solution that fails a constraint, however well it works
4.Three designs are compared. What should the comparison be based on?
  • A.Which looks best
  • B.Which took longest
  • C.How well each meets each criterion and constraint
5.What should you do with a rejected design?
  • A.Record why it failed, in case part of it is useful
  • B.Pretend it never existed
  • C.Throw it away
6.Why compare solutions against the criteria rather than each other?
  • A.It is quicker
  • B.The criteria say what counts as success
  • C.Criteria are optional
7.A design meets every criterion but nobody can build it in the time. What follows?
  • A.It fails a constraint and cannot be chosen as it stands
  • B.It wins anyway
  • C.Constraints do not matter
8.Two designs tie on every criterion. What else could decide?
  • A.Which is easier to repair or reuse
  • B.Which was drawn first
  • C.Which is heavier

LessonPrint · 3-5-ETS1-2 · Set 12 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Weighing Up Several Ideas

Set 12. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.The cheaper one, since both meet the criteria
  2. 2.The first idea is rarely the best against the criteria
  3. 3.A solution that fails a constraint, however well it works
  4. 4.How well each meets each criterion and constraint
  5. 5.Record why it failed, in case part of it is useful
  6. 6.The criteria say what counts as success
  7. 7.It fails a constraint and cannot be chosen as it stands
  8. 8.Which is easier to repair or reuse

More practice for 3-5-ETS1-2

Compare several possible solutions against the criteria and the constraints.

Teaching this next? Weighing Up Several Ideas is the 55-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 3 to Grade 5 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 3-5-ETS1-2 of the Next Generation Science Standards.