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What Is Wrong With That Argument? is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on critiquing an argument, aligned to Common Core standard D4.4.3-5. 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 18 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.

What Is Wrong With That Argument?

D4.4.3-5

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.'The boatmen were lazy, so they lost their work.' What is wrong?
  • A.It is too short
  • B.Boatmen were strong
  • C.It blames the people without any evidence, when the cargo moved to rail
2.What makes an argument about 1846 strong?
  • A.Confidence
  • B.A clear claim, evidence from several sources, and an answer to the other side
  • C.Length
3.'The railway was good because trains are fast.' What is wrong with it?
  • A.Trains are not fast
  • B.Speed alone does not show the valley was better off
  • C.Railways are bad
4.'The 2015 book is right because it is recent.' What is wrong?
  • A.2015 is not recent
  • B.Being recent is not evidence; the claim must be tested against records
  • C.Old books are always right
5.An argument gives a claim and no evidence. What is the strongest reply?
  • A.Say it is wrong
  • B.Ask what evidence would support it
  • C.Say it louder
6.An argument uses one source and ignores one that disagrees. What is wrong?
  • A.One source is always enough
  • B.It has chosen the evidence to fit the claim
  • C.Disagreement is rude
7.An argument admits what it cannot prove. Is that a weakness?
  • A.Yes, it is shorter
  • B.Yes, it shows doubt
  • C.No: it is a strength, because the reader can see its limits
8.'Everybody welcomed the line, as the paper shows.' What is wrong?
  • A.Newspapers are always false
  • B.One newspaper cannot show what everybody thought, and the petition disagrees
  • C.The word everybody is too long

LessonPrint · D4.4.3-5 · Set 18 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — What Is Wrong With That Argument?

Set 18. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.It blames the people without any evidence, when the cargo moved to rail
  2. 2.A clear claim, evidence from several sources, and an answer to the other side
  3. 3.Speed alone does not show the valley was better off
  4. 4.Being recent is not evidence; the claim must be tested against records
  5. 5.Ask what evidence would support it
  6. 6.It has chosen the evidence to fit the claim
  7. 7.No: it is a strength, because the reader can see its limits
  8. 8.One newspaper cannot show what everybody thought, and the petition disagrees

More practice for D4.4.3-5

Judge how good an argument is.

Teaching this next? Finding the Hole in an Argument 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 D4.4.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.