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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. What does "the perilous fight" tell you about that night?
  2. 2. When did the song become the national anthem?
  3. 3. Which parts of the flag does the verse describe?
  4. 4. Who wrote the words, and when?
2.Which country's ships attacked Fort McHenry in 1814?
  • A.Great Britain
  • B.Spain
  • C.France
3.What made 'the rocket's red glare' in 1814?
  • A.Fireworks at a celebration
  • B.British rockets fired at the fort
  • C.A lighthouse beam
4.In what year did Congress make it the national anthem?
  • A.1776
  • B.1931
  • C.1814
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 25 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — The Star-Spangled Banner

Set 25. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. The fight was dangerous, with bombs bursting in air. 2. On March 3, 1931, when Congress made it the national anthem. 3. Its broad stripes and bright stars. 4. Francis Scott Key, in September 1814.
  2. 2.Great Britain
  3. 3.British rockets fired at the fort
  4. 4.1931
  5. 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.