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

LessonPrint · D2.His.10.3-5 · Set 4 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — When the Figures Disagree

Set 4. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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.