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 5 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. Which parts of the flag does the verse describe?
2. What does "the perilous fight" tell you about that night?
3. What event led Key to write the verse?
4. When did the song become the national anthem?
2.The words were sung to a tune that already existed. What was true of that tune?
A.Key wrote the music himself
B.It was a popular British song
C.It was written in 1931
3.What does "ramparts" mean in the anthem?
A.Fireworks at a celebration
B.The sails of a ship
C.The protective walls of a fort
4.How many stars did the huge Fort McHenry flag have?
A.50
B.15
C.13
5.Why was Key on a ship near the battle?
A.He was the captain of a British warship
B.He was a reporter for a London newspaper
C.He had gone to win the release of an American prisoner
LessonPrint · D2.His.5.3-5 · Set 5 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — The Star-Spangled Banner
Set 5. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. Its broad stripes and bright stars. 2. The fight was dangerous, with bombs bursting in air. 3. British ships bombarding Fort McHenry in Baltimore during the War of 1812. 4. On March 3, 1931, when Congress made it the national anthem.
2.It was a popular British song
3.The protective walls of a fort
4.15
5.He had gone to win the release of an American prisoner
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.His.5.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.