Skip to content
LessonPrint

Excellent Here, Useless There is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on judging a source's usefulness for a topic, aligned to Common Core standard D2.His.13.3-5. 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 20 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.

Excellent Here, Useless There

D2.His.13.3-5

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.Topic: why people moved. How useful is the same abstract?
  • A.Useless: censuses are unreliable
  • B.Very useful: it explains motives
  • C.Not very useful: it counts people and records no reasons
2.Topic: what mill hands earned. How useful is the harbour return?
  • A.Useful for the wage rate
  • B.Of almost no use: it records cargo, not wages
  • C.Very useful: dues are wages
3.Topic: the owners' case in 1893. How useful is the union circular?
  • A.Of no use whatever
  • B.Useful indirectly: it quotes the profits the owners did not
  • C.Directly useful: the owners wrote it
4.Topic: where people moved. How useful is the census abstract?
  • A.Useless: it is only numbers
  • B.Very useful: it gives reasons
  • C.Very useful: it gives district totals for two years
5.Topic: the region's trade. How useful is the harbour return?
  • A.Very useful: it lists tonnages and dues for a full year
  • B.Useless without prices
  • C.Complete on its own
6.Topic: health and housing. How useful is the medical officer's table?
  • A.Useful: it links districts, deaths and piped water
  • B.Useless: it gives no causes
  • C.Complete on its own
7.Topic: who could not afford to leave. How useful is the ledger?
  • A.Useful: it records a deferred, unpaid passage
  • B.Useless: it lists only those who paid
  • C.Complete on its own
8.Why can the same source be excellent and useless in one lesson?
  • A.Some sources are always best
  • B.Usefulness depends on the question, not on the source alone
  • C.Sources change

LessonPrint · D2.His.13.3-5 · Set 20 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Excellent Here, Useless There

Set 20. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Not very useful: it counts people and records no reasons
  2. 2.Of almost no use: it records cargo, not wages
  3. 3.Useful indirectly: it quotes the profits the owners did not
  4. 4.Very useful: it gives district totals for two years
  5. 5.Very useful: it lists tonnages and dues for a full year
  6. 6.Useful: it links districts, deaths and piped water
  7. 7.Useful: it records a deferred, unpaid passage
  8. 8.Usefulness depends on the question, not on the source alone

More practice for D2.His.13.3-5

Judge how useful a source is for a particular topic.

Teaching this next? Excellent Here, Useless There is the 50-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.13.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.