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Say the Whole Thing Shorter is a free printable Grade 3 English worksheet on summarising an information text accurately, aligned to Common Core standard RI.3.2. It prints 2 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions, 20 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 9 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. 20 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.

Say the Whole Thing Shorter

RI.3.2

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. 1. Summarise this text in one sentence.
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. 1. Summarise this text in one sentence.

LessonPrint · RI.3.2 · Set 9 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Say the Whole Thing Shorter

Set 9. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Morse code gives common letters short dot-and-dash patterns and uses timing for the gaps, so messages are short and need almost no equipment.
  2. 2.1. Swallows fly six thousand miles to southern Africa because the flying insects they eat disappear in October, and return the next spring.

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to RI.3.2 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.