3rd grade Science practice sheet
Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards · from Gradelings · Name: ______________________
Question 1
Why do many evergreen trees have thin needles instead of wide leaves?
🌲- they need less sunlight to be green
- they lose less water and snow slides off
- they make seeds faster
- they sing in the wind
they lose less water and snow slides off
Hint: Needles are covered in wax, and snow slides off the branches.
Question 2
A seed grows into a…
- seedling
- tadpole
- egg
seedling
Hint: A seedling is a young plant.
Question 3
How does a burr help a plant spread its seeds?
- It digs underground
- It sticks to animal fur and travels
- It floats on air
It sticks to animal fur and travels
Hint: Seed dispersal means seeds move.
Question 4
A plant that needs lots of water lives in a dry place. It will…
- make more seeds
- survive poorly or not at all
- grow best
- become a cactus
survive poorly or not at all
Hint: Needs must match habitat.
Question 5
Put the day in order. Start with morning.
- ☀️midday: the sun is high
- 🌅morning: the sun comes up
- 🌇evening: the sun goes down
- 🌃night: the sky is dark
morning: the sun comes up → midday: the sun is high → evening: the sun goes down → night: the sky is dark
Hint: The sun comes up in the morning, is high at midday, goes down in the evening, and then it's night.
Question 6
What color of clothing would keep you coolest in the sun?
👕- black
- dark blue
- white
- dark brown
white
Hint: White reflects most of the light.
Question 7
What carries pollen from flower to flower?
🐝- the phases of the Moon
- the plant's roots
- bees, other insects and the wind
- melting snow
bees, other insects and the wind
Hint: Pollinators like bees move pollen as they visit flowers.
Question 8
A chick hatches from an…
- seed
- egg
- pupa
egg
Hint: Birds hatch from eggs.
Question 9
What is an adaptation?
- a feature or behavior that helps a living thing survive
- a type of rock
- a kind of habitat
a feature or behavior that helps a living thing survive
Hint: Adaptations help survival.
Question 10
A white rabbit in a snowy place is…
- easy to see
- always hot
- hard to see
- always hungry
hard to see
Hint: It blends in.
Answer key
- 1. they lose less water and snow slides off (How Plants Grow & Change)
- 2. seedling (Basic Needs & Life Cycles)
- 3. It sticks to animal fur and travels (Adaptations & Habitats)
- 4. survive poorly or not at all (Surviving in a Habitat)
- 5. morning: the sun comes up → midday: the sun is high → evening: the sun goes down → night: the sky is dark (Sky & Seasons)
- 6. white (Light)
- 7. bees, other insects and the wind (How Plants Grow & Change)
- 8. egg (Basic Needs & Life Cycles)
- 9. a feature or behavior that helps a living thing survive (Adaptations & Habitats)
- 10. hard to see (Surviving in a Habitat)
Want more than 10 questions?
In Gradelings the questions change every time and adjust to your child, with hints and kind feedback. See all science units.