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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.

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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. 1. Who wrote the words, and when?
  2. 2. Why did seeing the flag at dawn matter so much to the writer?
  3. 3. At what time of day does the verse open?
  4. 4. What event led Key to write the verse?
2.Why was Key on a ship near the battle?
  • A.He was a reporter for a London newspaper
  • B.He had gone to win the release of an American prisoner
  • C.He was the captain of a British warship
3.What title did Key's poem have when it was first printed?
  • A.Ode to Baltimore
  • B.Defence of Fort M'Henry
  • C.The Rocket's Glare
4.The words were sung to a tune that already existed. What was true of that tune?
  • A.It was written in 1931
  • B.Key wrote the music himself
  • C.It was a popular British song
5.How many stars did the huge Fort McHenry flag have?
  • A.13
  • B.15
  • C.50

LessonPrint · D2.His.5.3-5 · Set 15 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — The Star-Spangled Banner

Set 15. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Francis Scott Key, in September 1814. 2. It gave proof that our flag was still there, so the fort had not fallen. 3. By the dawn's early light. 4. British ships bombarding Fort McHenry in Baltimore during the War of 1812.
  2. 2.He had gone to win the release of an American prisoner
  3. 3.Defence of Fort M'Henry
  4. 4.It was a popular British song
  5. 5.15

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.His.5.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.