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In Your Own Words is a free printable Grade 5 English worksheet on choosing the note that paraphrases without copying or changing the meaning, aligned to Common Core standard W.5.8. 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 24 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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

In Your Own Words

W.5.8

NameDate

Circle the right answer.

1.Source: "Recycling one can saves enough energy to run a television for three hours." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.Recycling one can saves enough energy to run a television for three hours.
  • B.The energy saved by recycling a single can would power a television for three hours.
  • C.Recycling cans uses up three hours of energy.
2.Source: "Lightning is hotter than the surface of the sun." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.A bolt of lightning reaches a higher temperature than the sun's surface.
  • B.Lightning is hotter than the surface of the sun.
  • C.Lightning is much cooler than the sun's surface.
3.Source: "The first trains were slow, but they could carry far more than a horse and cart." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.The first trains were faster than anything but carried very little.
  • B.Early trains moved slowly yet carried much bigger loads than horse-drawn carts.
  • C.The first trains were slow, but they could carry far more than a horse and cart.
4.Source: "The bridge took eight years to build and opened in 1932." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.The bridge took eight years to build and opened in 1932.
  • B.The bridge was built in eight days in 1932.
  • C.After eight years of building, the bridge opened in 1932.
5.Source: "Camels can go for days without water because they lose very little through sweating." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.Because camels sweat so little, they can survive days with no water.
  • B.Camels can go for days without water because they lose very little through sweating.
  • C.Camels sweat a lot, so they need water every hour.
6.Why is it not enough to change one or two words of a source and call it your own?
  • A.The sentence is still the author's, so it is copying, not paraphrasing
  • B.Paraphrases must be longer than the source
  • C.Changing two words always makes a paraphrase
7.Source: "The glacier has shrunk by half in the last hundred years." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.The glacier has shrunk by half in the last hundred years.
  • B.The glacier has doubled in size in a century.
  • C.In a century, the glacier has lost about half its size.
8.Source: "Penguins cannot fly, but they are strong, fast swimmers." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.Although penguins are unable to fly, they swim powerfully and quickly.
  • B.Penguins fly well but cannot swim.
  • C.Penguins cannot fly, but they are strong, fast swimmers.

LessonPrint · W.5.8 · Set 24 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — In Your Own Words

Set 24. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.The energy saved by recycling a single can would power a television for three hours.
  2. 2.A bolt of lightning reaches a higher temperature than the sun's surface.
  3. 3.Early trains moved slowly yet carried much bigger loads than horse-drawn carts.
  4. 4.After eight years of building, the bridge opened in 1932.
  5. 5.Because camels sweat so little, they can survive days with no water.
  6. 6.The sentence is still the author's, so it is copying, not paraphrasing
  7. 7.In a century, the glacier has lost about half its size.
  8. 8.Although penguins are unable to fly, they swim powerfully and quickly.

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to W.5.8 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.