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

LessonPrint · 5-PS2-1 · Set 17 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Which Way Is Down?

Set 17. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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.