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Weighing Two Explanations is a free printable Kindergarten to Grade 2 social studies worksheet on choosing between explanations, aligned to Common Core standard D2.His.16.K-2. 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 15 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.

Weighing Two Explanations

D2.His.16.K-2

NameDate

Circle the more likely reason.

1.The 1871 census lists many mill workers on one street. Which is likelier?
  • A.The census taker only visited one street
  • B.People lived near the work they walked to
  • C.Mill workers had to live together by law
2.The school log shows 46 present the day after the flood. Which is likelier?
  • A.The log was miscounted
  • B.Roads were still flooded and children could not get in
  • C.Children disliked school
3.The market list names where goods came from. Which is likelier?
  • A.The list needed filling
  • B.Shoppers wanted to know, and a rule required it
  • C.Traders were boastful
4.The flood report appeared two days later, not the same day.
  • A.The reporter was slow
  • B.The newspaper was printed on set days
  • C.Nobody noticed the flood at first
5.Alice's letter mentions wages but not hours. Which is likelier?
  • A.Hours were so usual they did not need saying
  • B.Nobody worked fixed hours
  • C.She forgot the hours
6.The minutes record the vote but not the reasons. Which is likelier?
  • A.Minutes record decisions rather than debates
  • B.Nobody gave reasons
  • C.The clerk fell asleep
7.The shuttle reached the museum in 1954, not 1900. Which is likelier?
  • A.The family kept it while the mill still mattered to them
  • B.Museums did not exist in 1900
  • C.It was lost until 1954
8.The mill employed children as piecers. Which is likelier?
  • A.Adults were unavailable
  • B.Small hands could reach between the machines
  • C.Children worked for fun

LessonPrint · D2.His.16.K-2 · Set 15 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Weighing Two Explanations

Set 15. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.People lived near the work they walked to
  2. 2.Roads were still flooded and children could not get in
  3. 3.Shoppers wanted to know, and a rule required it
  4. 4.The newspaper was printed on set days
  5. 5.Hours were so usual they did not need saying
  6. 6.Minutes record decisions rather than debates
  7. 7.The family kept it while the mill still mattered to them
  8. 8.Small hands could reach between the machines

More practice for D2.His.16.K-2

Say which of several reasons is the more likely explanation.

Teaching this next? Weighing Two Explanations is the 40-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Kindergarten to Grade 2 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.His.16.K-2 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.