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

LessonPrint · 3-LS3-2 · Set 24 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — What the Surroundings Change

Set 24. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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.