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Which Evidence Supports What is a free printable Grade 4 English worksheet on matching a piece of evidence to its claim, aligned to Common Core standard RI.4.8. 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.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Which Evidence Supports What

RI.4.8

NameDate

Read the text, then answer the questions.

1.Read the text, then answer the questions.

The Wolves and the Rivers

Wolves were shot out of Yellowstone by 1926. Fourteen were brought back in 1995. With no wolves, elk had grazed the valleys freely for seventy years. Young willow and aspen were eaten as soon as they grew. The wolves killed some elk. More importantly, they changed where elk would stand still. Open valley floors became dangerous, so the elk stopped lingering there. Willow and aspen grew back along the rivers. Beavers, which need willow, returned. Their dams made ponds. Roots held the banks. The rivers narrowed, deepened and moved less. Some researchers describe this as wolves changing the shape of rivers, though others argue the effect has been overstated.

  1. 1. What is the author's purpose, and how do you know?
  2. 2. The author reports a disagreement. What is it, and how is it presented?
2.Read the text, then answer the questions.

The Longitude Problem

A ship's latitude — how far north or south it is — can be found from the height of the sun at noon. Sailors could do that for centuries. Longitude, how far east or west, was the problem. It has no natural marker. The solution was known in principle: compare the time on board with the time at a fixed place. The Earth turns fifteen degrees an hour, so every hour of difference is fifteen degrees of longitude. That required a clock that stayed accurate on a rolling, salty, temperature-swinging ship. No such clock existed. John Harrison, a carpenter, spent forty-three years building four. The fourth, finished in 1759, was the size of a large pocket watch and lost five seconds in eighty-one days at sea.

  1. 1. The text says no such clock existed. What reasons are given?
  2. 2. What is the author's purpose, and how do you know?

LessonPrint · RI.4.8 · Set 10 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Which Evidence Supports What

Set 10. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. To explain a chain of effects and be honest about the dispute — the last sentence gives both sides. 2. Some researchers credit wolves with reshaping rivers; others say the effect is overstated — both are reported without choosing.
  2. 2.1. A ship rolls, is salty, and swings in temperature — all of which upset a clock. 2. To explain why a solved-in-principle problem took so long — the obstacle is stated before the answer.

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to RI.4.8 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.