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

What a Beaver Dam Does

A beaver does not build a dam for shelter. It builds one to make a pond, and it lives in a lodge in the pond. The dam raises the water so the lodge entrance stays underwater. A predator that cannot swim cannot get in. But the pond does far more than protect one family. Behind a dam, water slows, and slow water drops the silt it carries. Over years this builds rich wet ground. That ground holds water in a drought and holds it back in a flood. It supports plants, insects, amphibians and birds that were not there before. Where beavers have been reintroduced, the number of species in a valley typically rises within five years.

  1. 1. What is the author's purpose, and how do you know?
  2. 2. The text says the pond does more than protect one family. What evidence supports that?

LessonPrint · RI.4.8 · Set 22 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Which Evidence Supports What

Set 22. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Some researchers credit wolves with reshaping rivers; others say the effect is overstated — both are reported without choosing. 2. To explain a chain of effects and be honest about the dispute — the last sentence gives both sides.
  2. 2.1. To correct the idea that a dam is a beaver's house and explain what it does for a valley. 2. The wet ground it builds holds water in drought and flood and supports new plants, insects, amphibians and birds.

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