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Putting Two Sources Side by Side is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on comparing what different sources say, aligned to Common Core standard D2.His.10.3-5. 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 8 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.

Putting Two Sources Side by Side

D2.His.10.3-5

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.The directory shows 11 porters and 4 wharf labourers. What does the register add?
  • A.It repeats the directory
  • B.It contradicts the directory
  • C.It names people the numbers only counted
2.The newspaper praises the railway; the petition opposes it. What follows?
  • A.One must be a forgery
  • B.Both are evidence, and each tells you whose interest it speaks for
  • C.Neither can be used
3.Why is a single source rarely enough for a question like this?
  • A.Sources are usually false
  • B.Each one was made for its own purpose and leaves things out
  • C.One source is illegal
4.Two sources agree on the opening date. What does that give you?
  • A.A reason to drop one
  • B.Proof of everything else
  • C.Better confidence in the date than either source alone
5.Two sources disagree about who benefited. What should you do?
  • A.Believe the older one
  • B.Split the difference
  • C.Ask who made each one and what they stood to gain
6.The petition says 200 families lived by the canal. How would you check it?
  • A.Trust it: it is handwritten
  • B.Reject it: it is a petition
  • C.Look for a census or a directory that counts them independently
7.The timetable gives fares; the register gives no wages. Why does that matter?
  • A.Fares are unimportant
  • B.You cannot tell who could afford to travel without both
  • C.Wages were all the same
8.The 2015 book says the valley gained more than it lost. How do you test that?
  • A.Check it against the register and the directory yourself
  • B.Reject it: it is recent
  • C.Accept it: it is recent

LessonPrint · D2.His.10.3-5 · Set 8 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Putting Two Sources Side by Side

Set 8. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.It names people the numbers only counted
  2. 2.Both are evidence, and each tells you whose interest it speaks for
  3. 3.Each one was made for its own purpose and leaves things out
  4. 4.Better confidence in the date than either source alone
  5. 5.Ask who made each one and what they stood to gain
  6. 6.Look for a census or a directory that counts them independently
  7. 7.You cannot tell who could afford to travel without both
  8. 8.Check it against the register and the directory yourself

More practice for D2.His.10.3-5

Compare what different sources say about the same past.

Teaching this next? Two Sources Side by Side is the 45-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 3 to Grade 5 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.His.10.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.