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Keeping the Sea Clean is a free printable Grade 5 science worksheet on how communities use science to protect coasts and oceans, aligned to NGSS performance expectation 5-ESS3-1. 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 students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 17 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.

Keeping the Sea Clean

5-ESS3-1

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.Volunteers record every kind of litter they pick up on a beach. Why record the kinds?
  • A.So the litter weighs more
  • B.So the beach looks busy
  • C.So the town can tackle where most of it comes from
2.Boats' anchors are tearing up a seagrass meadow. What could a harbor do?
  • A.Put in fixed moorings so boats do not need to drop anchor
  • B.Ban everyone from the harbor for ever
  • C.Use heavier anchors
3.Why do some fishing laws require nets with bigger holes?
  • A.So more fish are caught
  • B.So young fish escape and grow up to breed
  • C.So the nets are lighter
4.Waste water is cleaned at a works before it reaches the sea. What does that protect?
  • A.Nothing, the sea cleans itself
  • B.Sea life and the people who swim there
  • C.Only the pipes
5.A beach survey found most of the litter was plastic bottles and their tops. Which measure uses that evidence best?
  • A.Painting the bins blue
  • B.A scheme that pays people back for returning bottles
  • C.Closing the beach in winter
6.A fishing town's catches fall year after year. What could help the fish recover?
  • A.Catching the fish faster
  • B.Using bigger boats
  • C.An area of sea where no fishing is allowed, so fish can breed
7.Why do some places charge a small amount for plastic carrier bags?
  • A.To make the stores tidier
  • B.To make bags stronger
  • C.Fewer bags are used, so fewer end up in rivers and the sea
8.Storm drains carry street litter into the sea. What could a town do?
  • A.Fit nets or screens on the drains to catch litter
  • B.Sweep the litter into the drains
  • C.Make the drains wider

LessonPrint · 5-ESS3-1 · Set 17 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Keeping the Sea Clean

Set 17. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.So the town can tackle where most of it comes from
  2. 2.Put in fixed moorings so boats do not need to drop anchor
  3. 3.So young fish escape and grow up to breed
  4. 4.Sea life and the people who swim there
  5. 5.A scheme that pays people back for returning bottles
  6. 6.An area of sea where no fishing is allowed, so fish can breed
  7. 7.Fewer bags are used, so fewer end up in rivers and the sea
  8. 8.Fit nets or screens on the drains to catch litter

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 5-ESS3-1 of the Next Generation Science Standards.