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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 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.

Keeping the Sea Clean

5-ESS3-1

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.Why are tiny plastic beads banned from face washes in many countries?
  • A.They wash down drains into the sea and are eaten by sea life
  • B.They are too expensive
  • C.They make faces too clean
2.Why do some fishing laws require nets with bigger holes?
  • A.So young fish escape and grow up to breed
  • B.So more fish are caught
  • C.So the nets are lighter
3.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
4.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
5.Why might a community replant seagrass and salt marsh along its coast?
  • A.They make the sea saltier
  • B.They keep tourists away
  • C.They shelter young fish and hold the mud in place
6.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
7.Why do some places charge a small amount for plastic carrier bags?
  • A.To make bags stronger
  • B.Fewer bags are used, so fewer end up in rivers and the sea
  • C.To make the stores tidier
8.Why do scientists count seabirds on a cliff every year?
  • A.To feed the birds
  • B.To notice early if their numbers start to fall, so the cause can be found
  • C.To scare the birds away

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

Answer key — Keeping the Sea Clean

Set 5. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.They wash down drains into the sea and are eaten by sea life
  2. 2.So young fish escape and grow up to breed
  3. 3.An area of sea where no fishing is allowed, so fish can breed
  4. 4.Put in fixed moorings so boats do not need to drop anchor
  5. 5.They shelter young fish and hold the mud in place
  6. 6.A scheme that pays people back for returning bottles
  7. 7.Fewer bags are used, so fewer end up in rivers and the sea
  8. 8.To notice early if their numbers start to fall, so the cause can be found

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