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Reading Past the Words is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on inferring audience and purpose from a source, aligned to Common Core standard D2.His.11.3-5. 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.

Set 19 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.

Reading Past the Words

D2.His.11.3-5

NameDate

Look at the source, then answer the questions.

1.Look at the source, then answer the questions.

County Election Poster

A poster printed for a candidate in the county council election, 1889. VOTE FOR JAMES OKONKWO For clean water in every village. For a school within walking distance of every child. For repair of the county roads. Your rates should be spent where you live. Polling on 12 January.

  1. 1. What does the poster not tell you?
  2. 2. What does the poster suggest was lacking in the county?
2.Look at the source, then answer the questions.

County Trade Directory

A page from a printed trade directory of the county, 1850. TRADES OF THE VALLEY, 1850 Boat builders ................ 2 Blacksmiths .................. 7 Railway porters .............. 11 Wharf labourers .............. 4 Milliners .................... 3 Schoolmasters ................ 2

  1. 1. What had happened to canal work by 1850?
  2. 2. What does the directory not tell you?

LessonPrint · D2.His.11.3-5 · Set 19 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Reading Past the Words

Set 19. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. It does not tell you whether James Okonkwo won. 2. Clean water, nearby schools and repaired roads.
  2. 2.1. It had shrunk: only 4 wharf labourers remain against 11 railway porters. 2. It does not tell you what any of these workers were paid.

More practice for D2.His.11.3-5

Work out who a source was made for and why, from the source itself.

Teaching this next? Who Was This Made For? is the 45-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 3 to Grade 5 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.His.11.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.