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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 NGSS performance expectation 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 students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 25 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.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
2.A feather and a stone fall at different speeds in air. Does that disprove the argument?
  • A.Yes, gravity ignores feathers
  • B.Yes, only heavy things are pulled
  • C.No, air resistance slows the feather; both are still pulled down
3.What evidence supports the argument that Earth pulls objects down?
  • A.Air pushes things down
  • B.Heavy things feel heavy
  • C.Every unsupported object falls toward the ground, whatever it is
4.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
5."Down" in Britain and "down" in Australia point opposite ways in space. What does that suggest?
  • A.Gravity works differently there
  • B.Down means toward the center of the Earth
  • C.One of them is wrong
6.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
7.A helium balloon rises. How does that fit the argument?
  • A.Gravity does not act on gases
  • B.Gravity still pulls it down; the surrounding air pushes it up harder
  • C.It disproves gravity
8.A ball thrown upwards slows, stops and falls. What does that show about gravity?
  • A.Gravity pushed it up
  • B.It pulls downwards the whole time, even while the ball rises
  • C.Gravity switches on at the top

LessonPrint · 5-PS2-1 · Set 25 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Which Way Is Down?

Set 25. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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.