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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 4 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.

Canal Toll Table

A table of charges posted at the canal wharf by the canal company, 1840. GRAND UNION CANAL: CHARGES PER TON Coal ......................... 2 pence a mile Stone and gravel ............. 1 penny a mile Corn and flour ............... 3 pence a mile Manufactured goods ........... 5 pence a mile Barges must give way to loaded craft.

  1. 1. What does the toll table not tell you?
  2. 2. Which cargo was the canal company most keen to carry cheaply?
2.Look at the source, then answer the questions.

A Modern History of the Valley

An extract from a local history book written in 2015. This is a SECONDARY work: the author was not there and is using the records. THE COMING OF THE RAILWAY The railway of 1846 transformed the valley within a decade. Canal traffic fell away and wharf families lost their living. The workhouse registers show the cost in admissions after 1846. Yet the line also brought fresh milk to market and new work as porters. The author argues the valley gained more than it lost, though not for everyone.

  1. 1. Does the author think everybody gained?
  2. 2. What does this extract not tell you?

LessonPrint · D2.His.11.3-5 · Set 4 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Reading Past the Words

Set 4. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. It does not tell you who worked on the barges. 2. Stone and gravel, since it charged only 1 penny a mile for it.
  2. 2.1. No. The author says the valley gained more than it lost, though not for everyone. 2. It does not tell you which records the author judged most reliable.

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.