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What the Book Is Arguing is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on summarising the central claim of a secondary work, aligned to Common Core standard D2.His.17.3-5. 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 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 23 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.

What the Book Is Arguing

D2.His.17.3-5

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.Why is 'the railway opened in 1846' not the central claim?
  • A.It is untrue
  • B.It is a fact the author uses, not the argument she is making
  • C.It is too recent
2.How would you summarise the book in one sentence?
  • A.Railways changed Britain
  • B.The valley had a canal and a railway
  • C.The railway transformed the valley, and the gains outweighed the losses unevenly
3.Why does it matter that this book is a secondary work?
  • A.The author was not there and is arguing from the records
  • B.It makes it unreliable
  • C.It makes it certain
4.A reader disagrees with the central claim. What should they produce?
  • A.An older book
  • B.A stronger opinion
  • C.Evidence from the records that weighs the other way
5.The author says 'though not for everyone'. What does that phrase do?
  • A.It contradicts her claim
  • B.It limits her claim so it is not overstated
  • C.It changes the subject
6.What is the central claim of the 2015 history of the valley?
  • A.That the railway opened in 1846
  • B.That the valley gained more than it lost, though not for everyone
  • C.That the workhouse kept registers
7.How can you tell a claim from a fact in a history book?
  • A.A claim is longer
  • B.A claim comes last
  • C.A claim is something a reader could reasonably disagree with
8.What evidence does the 2015 author use for the cost of the change?
  • A.The workhouse registers and the fall in canal traffic
  • B.Her own memory
  • C.The railway timetable only

LessonPrint · D2.His.17.3-5 · Set 23 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — What the Book Is Arguing

Set 23. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.It is a fact the author uses, not the argument she is making
  2. 2.The railway transformed the valley, and the gains outweighed the losses unevenly
  3. 3.The author was not there and is arguing from the records
  4. 4.Evidence from the records that weighs the other way
  5. 5.It limits her claim so it is not overstated
  6. 6.That the valley gained more than it lost, though not for everyone
  7. 7.A claim is something a reader could reasonably disagree with
  8. 8.The workhouse registers and the fall in canal traffic

More practice for D2.His.17.3-5

Summarise the main claim a history book makes.

Teaching this next? What the History Book Is Arguing 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.17.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.