Skip to content
LessonPrint

Explain a Chain of Causes is a free printable Grade 4 English worksheet on putting a causal chain in the right order, aligned to Common Core standard W.4.2. 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 1 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

Next set

One paper per pupil

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425

All 25 sets ask different questions.

Explain a Chain of Causes

W.4.2

NameDate

Number the boxes to show the right order.

1.Number these to show how Britain got one time.
  • Every town keeps its own time by the sun.
  • Some towns keep two minute hands.
  • Parliament makes one time legal in 1880.
  • The railways build national timetables.
  • Companies impose London time on their networks.
2.Number these to show how Rontgen found X-rays.
  • He tests wood, rubber and metal.
  • He names the rays X, for the unknown.
  • Hospitals begin using X-rays.
  • He notices a screen glowing across the room.
  • He photographs his wife's hand.

LessonPrint · W.4.2 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Explain a Chain of Causes

Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Correct order: 1, 4, 5, 2, 3
  2. 2.Correct order: 4, 2, 1, 5, 3

Questions about Explain a Chain of Causes

What does the Explain a Chain of Causes worksheet cover?

It practises putting a causal chain in the right order — 2 questions for Grade 4, all on Common Core W.4.2: Write to explain, using headings, facts, definitions and precise language. The instruction to pupils is “Number the boxes to show the right order”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.

Which Common Core standard does Explain a Chain of Causes practise?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2 — W.4.2, in the Writing domain for Grade 4. The published standard reads: “Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.

What age or grade is this worksheet for?

Explain a Chain of Causes is written for Grade 4, typically ages 9-10. It is one of the sheets on W.4.2, so it suits any pupil working at that standard — including older pupils revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.

Does Explain a Chain of Causes come with an answer key?

Yes. All 2 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 Explain a Chain of Causes can I print?

25 — one per pupil, 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 Explain a Chain of Causes free to print and photocopy?

Yes. Explain a Chain of Causes, 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 W.4.2

Write to explain, using headings, facts, definitions and precise language.

All Grade 4 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to W.4.2 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.