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Why Does the Author Say That? is a free printable Grade 2 English worksheet on explaining how a reason supports a claim, aligned to Common Core standard RI.2.8. It prints 2 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions, 24 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 22 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. 24 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.

Why Does the Author Say That?

RI.2.8

NameDate

Read the text, then answer the questions.

1.Read the text, then answer the questions.

How a Polar Bear Stays Warm

A polar bear lives where the sea freezes. It has three ways of keeping its heat in. Under its skin is a layer of fat up to eleven centimetres thick. Fat is a poor conductor, so heat does not pass through it easily. Above that is dense underfur, packed tight so cold water cannot reach the skin. On top are long guard hairs. Each one is hollow and clear, not white. They look white because they scatter the light, the way snow does. A polar bear is so well insulated that it can overheat if it runs too far.

  1. 1. The author says fat keeps the bear warm. What reason is given?
  2. 2. What does the author want to explain?
  3. 3. How are the guard hairs connected to the bear looking white?
2.Read the text, then answer the questions.

How Glass Is Recycled

Glass is unusual. It can be melted and remade for ever without getting any worse. Bottles are first sorted by colour. Clear, green and brown glass have to be kept apart, because you cannot make clear glass from green. The glass is then crushed into small pieces called cullet. Metal lids are pulled out with a magnet. Cullet melts at a lower temperature than the raw materials glass is made from. That means recycling glass uses less energy than making it new. The melted glass is poured into moulds and blown into new bottles.

  1. 1. Why are the colours kept apart?
  2. 2. How is cullet connected to using less energy?
  3. 3. What does the author want to explain?

LessonPrint · RI.2.8 · Set 22 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Why Does the Author Say That?

Set 22. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Fat is a poor conductor, so heat does not pass through it easily. 2. How a polar bear stays warm where the sea freezes. 3. The hairs are clear but scatter light, which makes the bear look white.
  2. 2.1. Because you cannot make clear glass from green glass. 2. Cullet melts at a lower temperature than the raw materials, so less energy is needed. 3. How glass is recycled and why it can be recycled for ever.

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to RI.2.8 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.