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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 21 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 larger one
  • B.The cheaper one, since both meet the criteria
  • C.The one you built
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 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
4.Two designs tie on every criterion. What else could decide?
  • A.Which was drawn first
  • B.Which is easier to repair or reuse
  • C.Which is heavier
5.What should you do with a rejected design?
  • A.Record why it failed, in case part of it is useful
  • B.Throw it away
  • C.Pretend it never existed
6.A design works well but breaks the five pound limit. What is it?
  • A.A criterion
  • B.A solution that fails a constraint, however well it works
  • C.The best solution
7.Why compare solutions against the criteria rather than each other?
  • A.The criteria say what counts as success
  • B.It is quicker
  • C.Criteria are optional
8.Three designs are compared. What should the comparison be based on?
  • A.Which took longest
  • B.How well each meets each criterion and constraint
  • C.Which looks best

LessonPrint · 3-5-ETS1-2 · Set 21 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Weighing Up Several Ideas

Set 21. 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.It fails a constraint and cannot be chosen as it stands
  4. 4.Which is easier to repair or reuse
  5. 5.Record why it failed, in case part of it is useful
  6. 6.A solution that fails a constraint, however well it works
  7. 7.The criteria say what counts as success
  8. 8.How well each meets each criterion and constraint

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.