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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 6 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: "Most of the town's workers once had jobs at the mill." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.Nobody in the town ever worked at the mill.
  • B.Most of the town's workers once had jobs at the mill.
  • C.At one time, the mill employed most people who worked in the town.
2.Why is it not enough to change one or two words of a source and call it your own?
  • A.Changing two words always makes a paraphrase
  • B.Paraphrases must be longer than the source
  • C.The sentence is still the author's, so it is copying, not paraphrasing
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 slow, but they could carry far more than a horse and cart.
  • B.Early trains moved slowly yet carried much bigger loads than horse-drawn carts.
  • C.The first trains were faster than anything but carried very little.
4.Source: "Sea otters wrap themselves in kelp so they do not drift away while they sleep." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.To keep from drifting while they sleep, sea otters wind kelp around their bodies.
  • B.Sea otters eat kelp before they swim away.
  • C.Sea otters wrap themselves in kelp so they do not drift away while they sleep.
5.Source: "The glacier has shrunk by half in the last hundred years." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.The glacier has doubled in size in a century.
  • B.The glacier has shrunk by half in the last hundred years.
  • C.In a century, the glacier has lost about half its size.
6.Source: "Bees carry pollen from flower to flower, which helps the plants make seeds." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.Moving pollen between flowers, bees help plants produce seeds.
  • B.Bees carry pollen from flower to flower, which helps the plants make seeds.
  • C.Bees eat pollen so that plants cannot make seeds.
7.Source: "Camels can go for days without water because they lose very little through sweating." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.Camels can go for days without water because they lose very little through sweating.
  • B.Because camels sweat so little, they can survive days with no water.
  • C.Camels sweat a lot, so they need water every hour.
8.Source: "Earthworms mix the soil, which lets air and water reach plant roots." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.By churning the soil, earthworms help air and water get down to roots.
  • B.Earthworms mix the soil, which lets air and water reach plant roots.
  • C.Earthworms block air and water from reaching roots.

LessonPrint · W.5.8 · Set 6 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — In Your Own Words

Set 6. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.At one time, the mill employed most people who worked in the town.
  2. 2.The sentence is still the author's, so it is copying, not paraphrasing
  3. 3.Early trains moved slowly yet carried much bigger loads than horse-drawn carts.
  4. 4.To keep from drifting while they sleep, sea otters wind kelp around their bodies.
  5. 5.In a century, the glacier has lost about half its size.
  6. 6.Moving pollen between flowers, bees help plants produce seeds.
  7. 7.Because camels sweat so little, they can survive days with no water.
  8. 8.By churning the soil, earthworms help air and water get down to roots.

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