Summarise an Argued Text is a free printable Grade 5 English worksheet on summarising a text that makes several claims, aligned to Common Core standard RI.5.2. It prints 2 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions, 21 of them with 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.
21 of these 25 sets ask different questions — this skill does not have 25 questions to give. The rest reorder them, so no two pupils have the same paper in front of them.
Summarise an Argued Text
RI.5.2
NameDate
Read the text, then answer the questions.
1.Read the text, then answer the questions.
Canals and Railways
Between 1760 and 1830 Britain built about four thousand miles of canal. Within forty years of that, most of it was losing money.
A canal boat carried thirty tons behind one horse, where a cart carried two. That was transformative for coal and stone, which are heavy, cheap and not in a hurry.
But a canal cannot climb without locks, cannot be built where there is no water, and freezes. A boat averaged three miles an hour.
The railways did not beat canals on cost per ton at first. They beat them on speed, on reliability, and on where they could go — a railway can cross a watershed a canal cannot.
Many canal companies were bought by railway companies, sometimes specifically in order to close them. By 1900 most of the network carried nothing.
Some of it is now used more than it ever was, by people on holiday.
1. Summarise this text.
2.Read the text, then answer the questions.
Can You Do Two Things at Once?
People say they multitask. Mostly they do not.
The brain can run two tasks together only if at least one is automatic. Walking and talking works because walking is automatic for an adult. Reading and listening to speech does not, because both need the same language system.
What feels like multitasking is usually rapid switching. Each switch costs time — a fraction of a second to disengage and re-engage — and the costs add up. In experiments, people doing two tasks alternately take substantially longer in total than doing them one after the other, and make more errors.
They also do not notice. Switching feels efficient because you are busy the whole time.
The practical conclusion is unpopular but consistent: for anything demanding, doing one thing at a time is faster.
1. Summarise this text.
LessonPrint · RI.5.2 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Summarise an Argued Text
Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. Canals moved heavy goods fifteen times more efficiently than carts, but locks, water and three miles an hour lost to railways, and the network now carries holidaymakers.
2.1. Genuine multitasking needs one automatic task; what feels like it is rapid switching, which costs time and accuracy without feeling like it does.
Questions about Summarise an Argued Text
What does the Summarise an Argued Text worksheet cover?
It practises summarising a text that makes several claims — 2 questions for Grade 5, all on Common Core RI.5.2: Find two or more main ideas, show their support, and summarise. The instruction to pupils is “Read the text, then answer the questions”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.
Which Common Core standard does Summarise an Argued Text practise?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.2 — RI.5.2, in the Reading: Informational Text domain for Grade 5. The published standard reads: “Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.
What age or grade is this worksheet for?
Summarise an Argued Text is written for Grade 5, typically ages 10-11. It is one of the sheets on RI.5.2, so it suits any pupil working at that standard — including older pupils revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.
Does Summarise an Argued Text come with an answer key?
Yes. All 2 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 Summarise an Argued Text can I print?
25 versions, of which 21 ask genuinely different questions — this skill does not have 25 distinct questions to give, so the rest reorder them and no two pupils still share a paper. Set 1 downloads all 25 as one PDF.
Is Summarise an Argued Text free to print and photocopy?
Yes. Summarise an Argued Text, 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.
More practice for RI.5.2
Find two or more main ideas, show their support, and summarise.