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 1 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
1.What is the difference between explaining the shortfall and arguing about it?
A.One is longer
B.One says how it happened; the other says who to blame
C.One is louder
2.An explanation names no source at any step. Why is that weak?
A.A reader cannot check any step against the record
B.It looks shorter
C.Sources are decorative
3.What makes an explanation of the shortfall strong?
A.Many adjectives
B.Right order, reasoning between the steps, and sourced figures
C.Strong feeling
4.An explanation puts the broadcast before the shortfall. What is wrong?
A.It is too short
B.The order makes the reasoning impossible to follow
C.It uses figures
5.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
6.An explanation of the waiting list never mentions completions. What is missing?
A.The number waiting
B.The other half of the comparison the list only makes sense against
C.The year
7.An explanation admits two causes it cannot separate. Is that a fault?
A.Yes, explanations need one cause
B.No, if it says so: that is what the evidence supports
C.Yes, it is indecisive
8.An explanation says the target was missed 'because of the war'. What is missing?
A.The steps: which materials ran short, and why that slowed building
B.A date
C.A longer sentence
LessonPrint · D4.5.3-5 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Reasoning You Cannot Follow
Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.
1.One says how it happened; the other says who to blame
2.A reader cannot check any step against the record
3.Right order, reasoning between the steps, and sourced figures
4.The order makes the reasoning impossible to follow
5.No: figures that serve no step bury the reasoning
6.The other half of the comparison the list only makes sense against
7.No, if it says so: that is what the evidence supports
8.The steps: which materials ran short, and why that slowed building
Questions about Reasoning You Cannot Follow
What does the Reasoning You Cannot Follow worksheet cover?
It practises critiquing an explanation — 8 questions for Grade 3 to Grade 5, all on Common Core D4.5.3-5: Judge how good an explanation is. The instruction to pupils is “Circle the best answer”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.
Which Common Core standard does Reasoning You Cannot Follow practise?
D4.5.3-5 — D4.5.3-5, in the Communicating Conclusions and Taking Informed Action domain for Grade 3 to Grade 5. The published standard reads: “Critique explanations.” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.
What age or grade is this worksheet for?
Reasoning You Cannot Follow is written for Grade 3 to Grade 5, typically ages 40-41. It is one of the sheets on D4.5.3-5, so it suits any pupil working at that standard — including older pupils revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.
Does Reasoning You Cannot Follow come with an answer key?
Yes. All 8 answers are generated from the same problems as the questions, so the key cannot drift out of step with the sheet. It starts on a fresh sheet of paper, after the questions, so it is not handed out with the class by accident.
How many different versions of Reasoning You Cannot Follow can I print?
25 — one per pupil, and all 25 ask different questions. Set 1 downloads the whole class as a single PDF. Every version is fixed to its own address, so a sheet printed today holds the same problems when you reopen it next week.
Is Reasoning You Cannot Follow free to print and photocopy?
Yes. Reasoning You Cannot Follow, its answer key and its 25 versions are free to print and photocopy for your own class, with no account, no email capture and no subscription at the download step. Please do not resell them or republish them as your own.
Is there a lesson plan to teach D4.5.3-5?
Yes — “Reasoning You Cannot Follow” is a 55-minute Grade 3 to Grade 5 plan for D4.5.3-5, timed section by section, with the misconceptions to expect and an exit ticket. Reasoning You Cannot Follow is the practice that follows it.
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.