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Following a Long Explanation is a free printable Grade 2 English worksheet on holding a multi-stage explanation together, aligned to Common Core standard RI.2.10. 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.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Following a Long Explanation

RI.2.10

NameDate

Read the text, then answer the questions.

1.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. Summarise this text in one sentence.
  2. 2. How is pressure connected to the shaking?
  3. 3. Put these in order: the ground shakes, the plates catch, pressure builds.
2.Read the text, then answer the questions.

How a Camel Survives

A camel can cross a desert that would kill most animals. Almost every part of it helps. Its hump is not full of water. It is full of fat. The camel uses the fat for energy when there is no food, which is why the hump sags on a hungry camel. A camel has two rows of long eyelashes and can close its nostrils. Both keep sand out during a storm. Its feet are wide and flat. They spread the camel's weight so it does not sink into soft sand. A thirsty camel can drink a hundred litres in ten minutes.

  1. 1. How are the hump and going without food connected?
  2. 2. A sandstorm starts. What does the camel do?
  3. 3. Summarise this text in one sentence.

LessonPrint · RI.2.10 · Set 3 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Following a Long Explanation

Set 3. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Moving plates of the Earth's crust catch on each other, build pressure, and shake the ground when they slip. 2. Pressure builds while the plates are stuck, and it is released all at once when they slip. 3. The plates catch, pressure builds, the ground shakes.
  2. 2.1. The camel uses the fat in the hump for energy when there is no food. 2. It closes its nostrils, and its long eyelashes keep sand out of its eyes. 3. A camel's fat-filled hump, long eyelashes, closable nostrils and wide feet let it survive a desert.

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to RI.2.10 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.