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

LessonPrint · 3-LS3-2 · Set 8 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — What the Surroundings Change

Set 8. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.The wind it grew in
  2. 2.Environment, because the food differed
  3. 3.The surroundings affected how tall they grew
  4. 4.Whether water affects how they grow
  5. 5.The same trait appearing when the surroundings are kept the same
  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.Yes, height is inherited and also affected by light and food

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.