Skip to content
LessonPrint

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 21 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

Next setLesson plan

One paper per pupil

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425

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

LessonPrint · D2.His.16.K-2 · Set 21 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Weighing Two Explanations

Set 21. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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.