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When the Figures Disagree 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 17 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.

When the Figures Disagree

D2.His.10.3-5

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.Why is the harbour return not enough to judge the region's prosperity?
  • A.It is too short
  • B.It is too old
  • C.It measures cargo, not what people earned or how they lived
2.The 1998 book says the mills made the region. How do you test that?
  • A.Reject it: it is recent
  • B.Set the census against the harbour return and weigh both
  • C.Accept it: it is recent
3.Two sources give different figures for the same year. What do you do?
  • A.Average them
  • B.Take the larger
  • C.Ask who counted, how, and for what purpose
4.The census shows the uplands falling; the ledger names people leaving. How do they relate?
  • A.They repeat each other
  • B.The ledger names individuals the census only counted
  • C.They contradict each other
5.The notice says trade is poor; the circular says profits were 12,000. What follows?
  • A.One must be forged
  • B.Neither can be used
  • C.Both are evidence, and each is selecting the figure that helps it
6.Two sources agree the mill district grew fastest. What does that give you?
  • A.More confidence in that particular claim
  • B.A reason to drop one
  • C.Proof of everything else
7.The circular claims 12,000 pounds profit. How would you check it?
  • A.Reject it: unions exaggerate
  • B.Trust it: it is printed
  • C.Look for company accounts or a published statement
8.The health table gives deaths but not causes. What second source would help?
  • A.The mill notice
  • B.Records of what people died of, or of housing conditions
  • C.The harbour return

LessonPrint · D2.His.10.3-5 · Set 17 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — When the Figures Disagree

Set 17. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.It measures cargo, not what people earned or how they lived
  2. 2.Set the census against the harbour return and weigh both
  3. 3.Ask who counted, how, and for what purpose
  4. 4.The ledger names individuals the census only counted
  5. 5.Both are evidence, and each is selecting the figure that helps it
  6. 6.More confidence in that particular claim
  7. 7.Look for company accounts or a published statement
  8. 8.Records of what people died of, or of housing conditions

More practice for D2.His.10.3-5

Compare what different sources say about the same past.

Teaching this next? When the Figures Disagree 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.10.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.