This Grade 3 hard sheet asks students to identify traits as inherited, learned, or environmental under NGSS 3-LS3. Four multiple-choice questions look at shady sunflowers, talking parrots, baby elephants, and spotted puppy litters, while five fill-ins review offspring, trait, learned behavior, variation, and generations. Students apply what they know about parents, offspring, species, and environment to real animal and plant examples across Grade 3 science.
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Inherited Traits and Learned Behaviors
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. A sunflower plant is short because it grew in a shady spot. Which best describes why it is short?
A) It is a learned behavior
B) The environment influenced a trait
C) It is a new species
D) The trait is purely inherited
2. A parrot repeats the words its owner says. Which best describes this parrot's talking?
A) An inherited trait
B) A learned behavior
C) A random environmental change
D) A new species trait
3. A baby elephant has skin color and ear shape very similar to its mother. Which best fits these traits?
A) Learned behaviors
B) Inherited traits
C) Environmental effects
D) Random changes
4. Three puppies in one litter each have different spot patterns. Which idea best explains this?
A) All puppies have the same traits
B) Only learned behavior
C) Variation within a species
D) No inherited traits exist
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. A young animal or plant made by parents is called offspring.
2. A feature of a living thing, such as color or size, is called a trait.
3. A skill a dog knows only after training is a learned behavior.
4. Small differences among members of the same species are called variation.
5. A family line from grandparents to parents to children shows several generations.
Inherited Traits and Learned Behaviors
★ Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. A sunflower plant is short because it grew in a shady spot. Which best describes why it is short?
A) It is a learned behavior
B) The environment influenced a trait
C) It is a new species
D) The trait is purely inherited
2. A parrot repeats the words its owner says. Which best describes this parrot's talking?
A) An inherited trait
B) A learned behavior
C) A random environmental change
D) A new species trait
3. A baby elephant has skin color and ear shape very similar to its mother. Which best fits these traits?
A) Learned behaviors
B) Inherited traits
C) Environmental effects
D) Random changes
4. Three puppies in one litter each have different spot patterns. Which idea best explains this?
A) All puppies have the same traits
B) Only learned behavior
C) Variation within a species
D) No inherited traits exist
★ Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1) A young animal or plant made by parents is called offspring.
2) A feature of a living thing, such as color or size, is called a trait.
3) A skill a dog knows only after training is a learned behavior.
4) Small differences among members of the same species are called variation.
5) A family line from grandparents to parents to children shows several generations.
Ready to Practice?
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9 Questions
12-18 minutes
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