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Reasoning You Cannot Follow is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on critiquing an explanation, aligned to Common Core standard D4.5.3-5. 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 21 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.

Reasoning You Cannot Follow

D4.5.3-5

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.What makes an explanation of the shortfall strong?
  • A.Strong feeling
  • B.Right order, reasoning between the steps, and sourced figures
  • C.Many adjectives
2.An explanation says the target was missed 'because of the war'. What is missing?
  • A.A date
  • B.The steps: which materials ran short, and why that slowed building
  • C.A longer sentence
3.An explanation names no source at any step. Why is that weak?
  • A.It looks shorter
  • B.Sources are decorative
  • C.A reader cannot check any step against the record
4.An explanation admits two causes it cannot separate. Is that a fault?
  • A.Yes, explanations need one cause
  • B.Yes, it is indecisive
  • C.No, if it says so: that is what the evidence supports
5.An explanation of the waiting list never mentions completions. What is missing?
  • A.The year
  • B.The other half of the comparison the list only makes sense against
  • C.The number waiting
6.An explanation puts the broadcast before the shortfall. What is wrong?
  • A.It uses figures
  • B.It is too short
  • C.The order makes the reasoning impossible to follow
7.An explanation quotes every figure in the council report. Is that best?
  • A.Yes, figures are evidence
  • B.No: figures that serve no step bury the reasoning
  • C.Yes, more is better
8.What is the difference between explaining the shortfall and arguing about it?
  • A.One says how it happened; the other says who to blame
  • B.One is louder
  • C.One is longer

LessonPrint · D4.5.3-5 · Set 21 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Reasoning You Cannot Follow

Set 21. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Right order, reasoning between the steps, and sourced figures
  2. 2.The steps: which materials ran short, and why that slowed building
  3. 3.A reader cannot check any step against the record
  4. 4.No, if it says so: that is what the evidence supports
  5. 5.The other half of the comparison the list only makes sense against
  6. 6.The order makes the reasoning impossible to follow
  7. 7.No: figures that serve no step bury the reasoning
  8. 8.One says how it happened; the other says who to blame

More practice for D4.5.3-5

Judge how good an explanation is.

Teaching this next? Reasoning You Cannot Follow is the 55-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 3 to Grade 5 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D4.5.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.