Reasons Behind the Claim is a free printable Grade 3 English worksheet on matching evidence to the point it supports, aligned to Common Core standard RI.3.8. It prints 2 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions, 18 of them with 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.
18 of these 25 sets ask different questions — this skill does not have 25 questions to give. The rest reorder them, so no two pupils have the same paper in front of them.
Reasons Behind the Claim
RI.3.8
NameDate
Read the text, then answer the questions.
1.Read the text, then answer the questions.
Morse Code
Morse code turns every letter into a pattern of short and long signals: dots and dashes.
The commonest letters were given the shortest patterns. E is one dot. T is one dash. Q, which is rare, is dash-dash-dot-dash. Because of that choice, an average message is much shorter than it would be otherwise.
A message can be sent as sound, as light, or as taps on a pipe. That is why it survived so long: it needs almost no equipment.
Timing carries the meaning. A dash is three times as long as a dot. The gap between letters is three dots long, and between words, seven.
SOS was chosen because it is easy to recognise: three dots, three dashes, three dots.
1. The author says Morse survived a long time. What reason is given?
2.Read the text, then answer the questions.
Why Swallows Leave
Swallows do not leave Britain because of the cold. They leave because of the insects.
A swallow eats flying insects, and it catches them in the air. In October the insects disappear, and a bird that eats nothing else has to follow the food.
So swallows fly to southern Africa: about six thousand miles, taking roughly six weeks. They travel by day and feed as they go.
They lose about a third of their body weight on the way. Many do not arrive.
The following spring they return, and a swallow will often nest in the very barn it hatched in.
1. The author opens by saying it is not the cold. What reason is given instead?
LessonPrint · RI.3.8 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Reasons Behind the Claim
Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. It needs almost no equipment — it can be sent as sound, light or taps.
2.1. The insects the swallow eats disappear in October.
Questions about Reasons Behind the Claim
What does the Reasons Behind the Claim worksheet cover?
It practises matching evidence to the point it supports — 2 questions for Grade 3, all on Common Core RI.3.8: Name how one sentence or paragraph connects to the next. 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 Reasons Behind the Claim practise?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.8 — RI.3.8, in the Reading: Informational Text domain for Grade 3. The published standard reads: “Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence).” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.
What age or grade is this worksheet for?
Reasons Behind the Claim is written for Grade 3, typically ages 8-9. It is one of the sheets on RI.3.8, so it suits any pupil working at that standard — including older pupils revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.
Does Reasons Behind the Claim 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 Reasons Behind the Claim can I print?
25 versions, of which 18 ask genuinely different questions — this skill does not have 25 distinct questions to give, so the rest reorder them and no two pupils still share a paper. Set 1 downloads all 25 as one PDF.
Is Reasons Behind the Claim free to print and photocopy?
Yes. Reasons Behind the Claim, 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.
More practice for RI.3.8
Name how one sentence or paragraph connects to the next.