A Lesson on Following Directions Worksheet - Free Printable

Let’s go through the instructions step by step to see what you’re supposed to do.

This is a “Following Directions” worksheet — it’s designed to test if you read and follow each instruction carefully, even when some are silly or tricky.

Here’s how to handle it:

1. Write your name at the top of this paper.
→ Do this first! Write your real name on the line labeled “Name”.

2. Underline all capital letters found on this sheet.
→ Look everywhere on the page for uppercase (capital) letters — like in “Directions”, “I”, “A”, etc. Underline them. But note: since you’re reading this digitally, you can’t actually underline here — but if you were doing this on paper, you’d circle or underline every capital letter you see.

3. Stand up and clap your hands 3 times.
→ Go ahead! Stand up and clap three times. It’s part of the fun.

4. On the bottom this page list your top 2 favorite movies.
→ At the very bottom of the page, write down two movies you love.

5. Raise your hands in the air and wave them like you just don’t care.
→ Wave your hands wildly! Again, it’s meant to be playful.

6. Are you a female?
→ This is a yes/no question. You answer based on yourself. Don’t overthink it.

7. Will the answer to that question be the same as the answer to this question?
→ Hmm… Let’s think: If you answered “yes” to #6, then #7 asks if your answer to #6 is the same as your answer to #7. So if you say “yes” to #7, that means yes, they’re the same — which works. If you say “no”, then no, they’re not the same — which also works. Either way, it’s self-referential and okay either way. Just pick one honestly.

8. Turn to your neighbor and ask them if they prefer McDonalds or Burger King.
→ Turn to someone nearby and ask them that. Then remember their answer.

9. If they said Burger King, then draw a heart somewhere on this sheet.
→ Only if your neighbor said “Burger King”, draw a little heart ❤️ anywhere on the page.

10. Do problem number 1 ONLY. When you’re done turn it in.
→ Wait — this says DO PROBLEM NUMBER 1 ONLY. That means ignore everything else? But wait — let’s check again.

Actually, looking closely: Instruction #10 says “Do problem number 1 ONLY.” But earlier instructions told you to do things like stand up, clap, write movies, etc. Is this a trick?

Yes — it’s testing whether you read ALL directions before acting. The whole point of this worksheet is to follow EVERY instruction — including #10, which tells you to only do #1? No — that doesn’t make sense because then why would there be other steps?

Wait — rereading #10: “Do problem number 1 ONLY. When you’re done turn it in.”

But that contradicts the rest of the sheet. Actually, many versions of this classic worksheet have #10 say something like “Do problem number 1 ONLY” — meaning DON’T do any others — BUT that’s usually a trap. Because if you only did #1, you missed all the fun stuff!

However, in this version, since we’re being asked to solve it accurately, and given that this is likely intended to be followed completely, perhaps #10 is misleading? Or maybe it’s saying “after you’ve done all the above, now only do #1 again?” That seems odd.

Actually, let’s look at the exact wording of #10:
> “10. Do problem number 1 ONLY. When you’re done turn it in.”

That suggests: Ignore everything except #1. But that would mean you shouldn’t have written your name twice, clapped, waved, etc.

But that can’t be right — because then why include all those steps?

Ah — here’s the key: In many classroom versions of this worksheet, the final instruction (#10) is often a trick — it says “Do problem number 1 ONLY” — implying you should stop after #1 — BUT the whole point is that you already did all the other steps by following the directions sequentially. And sometimes teachers want you to realize that you’ve already completed everything — so turning it in is correct.

Alternatively, maybe #10 is telling you to redo #1? Unlikely.

Another interpretation: Perhaps “problem number 1” refers to the entire assignment? No.

Best approach: Since this is a “Following Directions” exercise, and you’re meant to follow ALL instructions in order, including #10 — which says “Do problem number 1 ONLY” — that might mean: After completing all steps, go back and ensure you did #1 correctly — or perhaps it’s a joke instruction.

But logically, if you follow all 10 steps as written, you end up having done everything — including writing your name, underlining capitals, clapping, listing movies, waving, answering questions, asking your neighbor, drawing a heart if needed, and finally… doing #1 again? Or just turning it in?

Actually, re-reading #10: “Do problem number 1 ONLY. When you’re done turn it in.”

The phrase “ONLY” suggests exclusivity — meaning don’t do anything else. But you’ve already done everything else by following the prior steps. So perhaps the intent is: Once you finish all steps, treat #10 as confirmation — i.e., you’ve already done #1, so you’re good — now turn it in.

In most classrooms, students who follow all steps get full credit — even if #10 seems contradictory. The lesson is: Read all directions before starting — but once started, follow them all.

So, to summarize what you should have done:

✔ Wrote your name at the top
✔ Underlined all capital letters (on paper)
✔ Stood up and clapped 3 times
✔ Listed your top 2 favorite movies at the bottom
✔ Raised hands and waved
✔ Answered #6 (yes/no about gender)
✔ Answered #7 (self-consistent answer)
✔ Asked neighbor McDonalds vs Burger King
✔ Drew a heart if they said Burger King
✔ Followed #10 — which probably means: Confirm you did #1, then turn it in.

Since this is a digital response, you can’t physically do actions like standing up or waving — but conceptually, you’ve followed the logic.

Final Answer:
You have successfully followed all 10 instructions. Your paper should have your name at the top, underlined capital letters, your two favorite movies listed at the bottom, and possibly a heart drawn if your neighbor preferred Burger King. Now, turn it in!