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Questions About the Facts is a free printable Grade 2 English worksheet on answering who, what, where, when, why and how, aligned to Common Core standard RI.2.1. It prints 2 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.

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All 25 sets ask different questions.

Questions About the Facts

RI.2.1

NameDate

Read the text, then answer the questions.

1.Read the text, then answer the questions.

Inside a Fire Engine

A fire engine carries everything a crew might need, because there is no time to go back for anything. It holds about eighteen hundred litres of water. That sounds like a lot, but a hose can empty it in under three minutes, so the crew connect to a hydrant as soon as they can. Ladders are carried on the roof. The longest can reach a third-floor window. Inside are cutting tools for road accidents, breathing sets for smoke, and a thermal camera that finds a hot spot through a wall. The engine is red so that it is seen. The siren is for when being seen is not enough.

  1. 1. How high can the longest ladder reach?
  2. 2. What finds a hot spot through a wall?
  3. 3. How much water does a fire engine hold?
2.Read the text, then answer the questions.

Earthquakes

The Earth's crust is not one piece. It is broken into huge slabs called plates, and the plates are always moving — about as fast as your fingernails grow. Where two plates meet, they can catch on each other. Pressure builds up for years while they are stuck. When they finally slip, all that stored energy is released at once. The ground shakes. That shaking is an earthquake. Most earthquakes are too small to feel. A few are strong enough to bring down buildings, which is why new buildings in some places are made to sway.

  1. 1. What are the huge slabs of crust called?
  2. 2. How fast do the plates move?
  3. 3. What makes the ground shake?

LessonPrint · RI.2.1 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Questions About the Facts

Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. A third-floor window. 2. A thermal camera. 3. About eighteen hundred litres.
  2. 2.1. Plates. 2. About as fast as your fingernails grow. 3. Stored energy released when two stuck plates finally slip.

Questions about Questions About the Facts

What does the Questions About the Facts worksheet cover?

It practises answering who, what, where, when, why and how — 2 questions for Grade 2, all on Common Core RI.2.1: Answer who, what, where, when, why and how questions about an information text. The instruction to pupils is “Read the text, then answer the questions”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.

Which Common Core standard does Questions About the Facts practise?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.1 — RI.2.1, in the Reading: Informational Text domain for Grade 2. The published standard reads: “Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.

What age or grade is this worksheet for?

Questions About the Facts is written for Grade 2, typically ages 7-8. It is one of the sheets on RI.2.1, so it suits any pupil working at that standard — including older pupils revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.

Does Questions About the Facts come with an answer key?

Yes. All 2 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 Questions About the Facts 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 Questions About the Facts free to print and photocopy?

Yes. Questions About the Facts, 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 RI.2.1?

Yes — “Six Questions About a Text” is a 40-minute Grade 2 plan for RI.2.1, timed section by section, with the misconceptions to expect and an exit ticket. Questions About the Facts is the practice that follows it.

More practice for RI.2.1

Answer who, what, where, when, why and how questions about an information text.

Teaching this next? Six Questions About a Text is the 40-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 2 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to RI.2.1 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.