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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 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.

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

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

Answer key — Weighing Up Several Ideas

Set 5. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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.