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What the Surroundings Change is a free printable Grade 3 science worksheet on evidence that traits can be influenced by the environment, aligned to Common Core standard 3-LS3-2. 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 15 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.

What the Surroundings Change

3-LS3-2

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.Two identical seedlings are given different amounts of water. What is being tested?
  • A.Whether seeds are alive
  • B.Whether water affects how they grow
  • C.Whether they are related
2.Sunflowers from one packet grew 148 cm in sun and 96 cm in shade. What does that show?
  • A.The seeds were different kinds
  • B.Height is not inherited at all
  • C.The surroundings affected how tall they grew
3.Can a trait be affected by both?
  • A.Only in plants
  • B.Yes, height is inherited and also affected by light and food
  • C.No, it is one or the other
4.A tree on a cliff leans away from the sea. What caused that?
  • A.It chose to
  • B.The wind it grew in
  • C.Its parent leaned too
5.A puppy fed well grows heavier than its littermate. Inherited or environment?
  • A.Inherited, because they are related
  • B.Neither
  • C.Environment, because the food differed
6.Which is influenced by the environment?
  • A.The shape of its leaves
  • B.The colour of its flowers
  • C.How tall a plant grows in poor light
7.Why does it matter that all the seed came from one packet?
  • A.It made them cheaper
  • B.It rules out different seed as the cause of the difference
  • C.It kept them tidy
8.What would you need to show a trait is inherited rather than environmental?
  • A.The same trait appearing when the surroundings are kept the same
  • B.A photograph
  • C.A longer wait

LessonPrint · 3-LS3-2 · Set 15 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — What the Surroundings Change

Set 15. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Whether water affects how they grow
  2. 2.The surroundings affected how tall they grew
  3. 3.Yes, height is inherited and also affected by light and food
  4. 4.The wind it grew in
  5. 5.Environment, because the food differed
  6. 6.How tall a plant grows in poor light
  7. 7.It rules out different seed as the cause of the difference
  8. 8.The same trait appearing when the surroundings are kept the same

More practice for 3-LS3-2

Show with evidence that surroundings can change a trait.

Teaching this next? What the Surroundings Change is the 55-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 3 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 3-LS3-2 of the Next Generation Science Standards.