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The Argument Inside the History 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 20 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.

The Argument Inside the History

D2.His.17.3-5

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.How would you summarise this book in one sentence?
  • A.The region had mills and a harbour
  • B.The mills made the region, though the harbour paid for its roads and schools
  • C.Victorian regions grew
2.Why is 'mill employment rose fastest' not the central claim?
  • A.It is untrue
  • B.It is evidence the author uses to support the claim
  • C.It is too short
3.How can you tell a claim from a fact in a history book?
  • A.A claim is something a reader could reasonably disagree with
  • B.A claim comes first
  • C.A claim is longer
4.What do other historians point to against the author?
  • A.The board minute
  • B.The strike notice
  • C.The harbour returns
5.What does the dispute turn on, according to the extract?
  • A.Which measure counts: people, or money
  • B.Which historian is older
  • C.Which book is longer
6.What is the central claim of the 1998 regional history?
  • A.That the census was taken in 1891
  • B.That the mills, not the harbour, made the region
  • C.That the harbour landed grain
7.A reader disagrees with the author. What should they produce?
  • A.A newer book
  • B.Evidence from the records that weighs the other way
  • C.A stronger opinion
8.The author concedes the harbour paid for the roads and schools. What does that do?
  • A.It changes the subject
  • B.It contradicts the claim entirely
  • C.It limits the claim by admitting what the other side has

LessonPrint · D2.His.17.3-5 · Set 20 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — The Argument Inside the History

Set 20. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.The mills made the region, though the harbour paid for its roads and schools
  2. 2.It is evidence the author uses to support the claim
  3. 3.A claim is something a reader could reasonably disagree with
  4. 4.The harbour returns
  5. 5.Which measure counts: people, or money
  6. 6.That the mills, not the harbour, made the region
  7. 7.Evidence from the records that weighs the other way
  8. 8.It limits the claim by admitting what the other side has

More practice for D2.His.17.3-5

Summarise the main claim a history book makes.

Teaching this next? The Argument Inside the History is the 50-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.