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

LessonPrint · 5-PS2-1 · Set 12 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Which Way Is Down?

Set 12. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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.