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Who, What, Where, When, Why is a free printable Grade 2 English worksheet on answering the five question words about a story, aligned to Common Core standard RL.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 22 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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One paper per pupil

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

Who, What, Where, When, Why

RL.2.1

NameDate

Read the story, then answer the questions.

1.Read the text, then answer the questions.

What the Tide Left

Every low tide, Grandad and Tess walked out to the rock pools. Tess wanted to take a starfish home. Grandad said no. "It would die in a bucket," he said. "Look at it here instead." Tess crouched for a long time. She saw the starfish move — slowly, on hundreds of tiny feet she had not known it had. She did not ask again. On the way back she said, "It's better in the pool anyway."

  1. 1. Where does this story happen?
  2. 2. What did Tess want to take home?
  3. 3. When did Grandad and Tess walk out to the rock pools?
  4. 4. What did Tess see the starfish do?
2.Read the text, then answer the questions.

The Lion and the Mouse

A lion lay sleeping in the sun. A mouse ran across his paw and woke him. The lion caught the mouse in one hand. "Please let me go," said the mouse. "One day I may help you." The lion laughed. How could a mouse help a lion? But he opened his hand. Weeks later the lion walked into a hunter's net. He roared and pulled, and the ropes only tightened. The mouse heard him. She came at once and gnawed the ropes, one strand at a time, until the lion could step free.

  1. 1. What trapped the lion later?
  2. 2. How did the mouse wake the lion?
  3. 3. How did the mouse free him?
  4. 4. Where does the first part of the story happen?

LessonPrint · RL.2.1 · Set 22 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Who, What, Where, When, Why

Set 22. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. At the rock pools, at low tide. 2. A starfish. 3. Every low tide. 4. Move slowly on hundreds of tiny feet.
  2. 2.1. A hunter's net. 2. She ran across his paw. 3. She gnawed the ropes, one strand at a time. 4. In the sun, where the lion lay sleeping.

More practice for RL.2.1

Answer who, what, where, when, why and how questions about a story.

Teaching this next? Who, What, Where, When, Why and How is the 40-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 2 worksheets

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