What the Author Thinks is a free printable Grade 3 English worksheet on identifying an author's position in an information text, aligned to Common Core standard RI.3.6. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students 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.
1.Which sentence would you say aloud but not write in a report?
A.The journey was very long.
B.The journey was six thousand miles.
C.It was, like, really far.
2.The goat asks "How do I get out?" What does that reveal about him?
A.He planned it carefully
B.He wanted to help the fox
C.He only thought about the consequence afterward
3.Grace "decided not to think about it." Does the narrator say she was right?
A.Yes, the narrator disagrees
B.Yes, the narrator agrees
C.No — the narrator reports it without judging
4.A story is told using "she" and "he." Who is the narrator?
A.The reader
B.The main character
C.Somebody outside the story
5.Why might a writer choose "stretched thin as thread" over "got thin"?
A.It is easier to spell
B.It is shorter
C.It gives the reader a picture
6.Which sentence is more precise?
A.The lamp went out at eleven o'clock.
B.The lamp went out at some point.
C.Something happened to the lamp.
7.What is the difference between the narrator's point of view and yours?
A.There is no difference
B.The narrator tells the story; you judge it from outside
C.The narrator is always right
8.Two readers disagree about whether Anansi deserved it. Can both be reasonable?
A.Yes — that is a matter of point of view
B.No, only one can be right
C.No, the author decides
LessonPrint · RI.3.6 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — What the Author Thinks
Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.
1.It was, like, really far.
2.He only thought about the consequence afterward
3.No — the narrator reports it without judging
4.Somebody outside the story
5.It gives the reader a picture
6.The lamp went out at eleven o'clock.
7.The narrator tells the story; you judge it from outside
8.Yes — that is a matter of point of view
Questions about What the Author Thinks
What does the What the Author Thinks worksheet cover?
It practices identifying an author's position in an information text — 8 questions for Grade 3, all on Common Core RI.3.6: Separate what you think from what the author thinks. The instruction to students is “Circle the right answer”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.
Which Common Core standard does What the Author Thinks practice?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.6 — RI.3.6, under Reading: Informational Text for Grade 3. The published standard reads: “Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text.” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.
What age or grade is this worksheet for?
What the Author Thinks is written for Grade 3, typically ages 8-9. It is one of the sheets on RI.3.6, so it suits any student working at that standard — including older students revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.
Does What the Author Thinks come with an answer key?
Yes. All 8 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 What the Author Thinks can I print?
25 — one per student, and all 25 ask different questions. Set 1 downloads the whole class as a single PDF. Every version is fixed to its own address, so a sheet printed today holds the same problems when you reopen it next week.
Is What the Author Thinks free to print and photocopy?
Yes. What the Author Thinks, 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.3.6
Separate what you think from what the author thinks.