Firsthand and Secondhand is a free printable Grade 4 English worksheet on telling the two kinds of account apart, aligned to Common Core standard RI.4.6. 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 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.
1.A firsthand account says "I was the one who said it was nothing." What does the "I" tell you?
A.The writer was involved in the events
B.The account is fiction
C.The writer is guessing
2.Which is most likely to be secondhand?
A.A report written years later from records
B.A photograph taken at the time
C.A letter written the same week
3.Which account would you use to find out how many houses flooded?
A.The secondhand report, which gives totals
B.The diary, which gives one house
C.Neither
4.What can a secondhand account give that a firsthand one usually cannot?
A.Direct speech
B.Personal feelings
C.The whole picture, including what one person could not see
5.Which account would you use to know what the night was like?
A.The firsthand diary
B.Neither
C.The secondhand report
6.Why might two accounts of one event disagree?
A.Accounts are always identical
B.Each saw a different part and thought different things mattered
C.One of them must be lying
7.What makes an account firsthand?
A.It is written by somebody who was there
B.It is longer
C.It is written first
8.Should a historian use only one kind of account?
A.Yes, secondhand only
B.No — each supplies what the other cannot
C.Yes, firsthand only
LessonPrint · RI.4.6 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Firsthand and Secondhand
Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.
1.The writer was involved in the events
2.A report written years later from records
3.The secondhand report, which gives totals
4.The whole picture, including what one person could not see
5.The firsthand diary
6.Each saw a different part and thought different things mattered
7.It is written by somebody who was there
8.No — each supplies what the other cannot
Questions about Firsthand and Secondhand
What does the Firsthand and Secondhand worksheet cover?
It practises telling the two kinds of account apart — 8 questions for Grade 4, all on Common Core RI.4.6: Compare an eyewitness account with a second-hand one. The instruction to pupils is “Tick the right answer”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.
Which Common Core standard does Firsthand and Secondhand practise?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.6 — RI.4.6, in the Reading: Informational Text domain for Grade 4. The published standard reads: “Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic; describe the differences in focus and the information provided.” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.
What age or grade is this worksheet for?
Firsthand and Secondhand is written for Grade 4, typically ages 9-10. It is one of the sheets on RI.4.6, so it suits any pupil working at that standard — including older pupils revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.
Does Firsthand and Secondhand 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 Firsthand and Secondhand 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 Firsthand and Secondhand free to print and photocopy?
Yes. Firsthand and Secondhand, 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.
Is there a lesson plan to teach RI.4.6?
Yes — “Firsthand and Secondhand Accounts” is a 40-minute Grade 4 plan for RI.4.6, timed section by section, with the misconceptions to expect and an exit ticket. Firsthand and Secondhand is the practice that follows it.
More practice for RI.4.6
Compare an eyewitness account with a second-hand one.