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Which Way Is Down? is a free printable Grade 5 science worksheet on arguing that Earth's gravitational force on objects is directed down, aligned to Common Core standard 5-PS2-1. 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 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 11 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.

Which Way Is Down?

5-PS2-1

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.A helium balloon rises. How does that fit the argument?
  • A.Gravity does not act on gases
  • B.It disproves gravity
  • C.Gravity still pulls it down; the surrounding air pushes it up harder
2.Why does a book on a table not fall?
  • A.Gravity does not act on it
  • B.The book is too heavy
  • C.The table pushes up with a force balancing gravity
3.A ball thrown upwards slows, stops and falls. What does that show about gravity?
  • A.Gravity pushed it up
  • B.Gravity switches on at the top
  • C.It pulls downwards the whole time, even while the ball rises
4.What evidence supports the argument that Earth pulls objects down?
  • A.Air pushes things down
  • B.Every unsupported object falls towards the ground, whatever it is
  • C.Heavy things feel heavy
5.What would count as evidence against 'gravity pulls down'?
  • A.A thrown ball going up
  • B.A balloon rising
  • C.An unsupported object falling upwards or sideways with no other force
6.A feather and a stone fall at different speeds in air. Does that disprove the argument?
  • A.No, air resistance slows the feather; both are still pulled down
  • B.Yes, only heavy things are pulled
  • C.Yes, gravity ignores feathers
7.'Down' in Britain and 'down' in Australia point opposite ways in space. What does that suggest?
  • A.One of them is wrong
  • B.Down means towards the centre of the Earth
  • C.Gravity works differently there
8.A ball is dropped, thrown up and rolled off a table. Which way does gravity pull each?
  • A.Sideways for the rolled one
  • B.The way it was thrown
  • C.Down, in every case

LessonPrint · 5-PS2-1 · Set 11 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Which Way Is Down?

Set 11. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Gravity still pulls it down; the surrounding air pushes it up harder
  2. 2.The table pushes up with a force balancing gravity
  3. 3.It pulls downwards the whole time, even while the ball rises
  4. 4.Every unsupported object falls towards the ground, whatever it is
  5. 5.An unsupported object falling upwards or sideways with no other force
  6. 6.No, air resistance slows the feather; both are still pulled down
  7. 7.Down means towards the centre of the Earth
  8. 8.Down, in every case

More practice for 5-PS2-1

Argue that Earth's gravity pulls objects downward.

Teaching this next? Which Way Is Down? is the 60-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 5 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 5-PS2-1 of the Next Generation Science Standards.