The Star-Spangled Banner is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on how the War of 1812 shaped the anthem's words, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.His.5.3-5. It prints 5 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.
Set 11 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.
The Star-Spangled Banner
D2.His.5.3-5
NameDate
Read the verse and answer the questions, then circle the right answers.
1.Read the verse, then answer the questions.
The Star-Spangled Banner
The first verse of the national anthem, written by Francis Scott Key in September 1814, after he watched British ships bombard Fort McHenry in Baltimore during the War of 1812. Congress made it the national anthem on March 3, 1931.
O say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
1. Who wrote the words, and when?
2. What question does the verse end with?
3. What event led Key to write the verse?
4. At what time of day does the verse open?
2.Why was Key on a ship near the battle?
A.He had gone to win the release of an American prisoner
B.He was the captain of a British warship
C.He was a reporter for a London newspaper
3.Which war was being fought when Key wrote the poem?
A.The Revolutionary War
B.The War of 1812
C.The Civil War
4.Which country's ships attacked Fort McHenry in 1814?
A.Spain
B.Great Britain
C.France
5.The words were sung to a tune that already existed. What was true of that tune?
A.It was a popular British song
B.It was written in 1931
C.Key wrote the music himself
LessonPrint · D2.His.5.3-5 · Set 11 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — The Star-Spangled Banner
Set 11. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. Francis Scott Key, in September 1814. 2. Whether the star-spangled banner yet waves o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. 3. British ships bombarding Fort McHenry in Baltimore during the War of 1812. 4. By the dawn's early light.
2.He had gone to win the release of an American prisoner
3.The War of 1812
4.Great Britain
5.It was a popular British song
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.His.5.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.