Literary Evidence in Writing · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Backing Up Your Ideas With Evidence

English · Writing Composition · ages 9-11
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. A character grabs her brother's hand and pulls him away from the edge of the pond. What does this action mostly show about her?

    • She is careless.
    • Protective.
    • She is bored.

  2. Which sentence gives evidence to support a claim about a book?

    • Sam is funny.
    • Sam is funny. In the book, he trips on his shoelace and yells, 'Oops, I meant to do that!'
    • Sam is a boy in the book.

  3. Good writing about a book should include an exact quote or detail from the text to support each idea.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. In the story, a character says, 'I'll give you my lunch if you stop teasing him.' What does this dialogue reveal about her?

    • She protects her friend.
    • She dislikes her friend.
    • She is hungry.

  5. Your claim is: 'Leo is determined.' Which quote from the story best supports this claim?

    • "Leo tried five times."
    • "Leo has brown hair and a red backpack."
    • "Leo likes pizza on Fridays."

  6. When comparing two stories that share a theme, you only need evidence from one of the stories.

    Circle one:   True   False

  7. Ravi writes: 'I think the queen is kind because she seems nice.' What is missing from his writing?

    • A specific quote or detail from the story that shows the queen being kind.
    • A claim about the queen.
    • His own opinion.

  8. Story A shows courage through a girl fighting a dragon. Story B shows courage through a boy admitting his mistake to his teacher. Which sentence best compares them using evidence from both?

    • Both stories are about courage.
    • In Story A, courage looks like fighting a dragon, while in Story B, courage looks like admitting a mistake to a teacher.
    • Story A has a dragon and Story B has a teacher.
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Backing Up Your Ideas With Evidence W1-mt_sdmm_m60qX-s1

  1. Protective. · Pulling him to safety is an action that shows she cares about keeping him safe.
  2. Sam is funny. In the book, he trips on his shoelace and yells, 'Oops, I meant to do that!' · The second sentence backs up the claim with an exact quote from the story.
  3. True · Evidence, like a quote or detail, proves your idea comes from the story and not just a guess.
  4. She protects her friend. · Giving up her own lunch to stop the teasing shows she cares about protecting her friend.
  5. "Leo tried five times." · Trying five times without giving up shows Leo is determined. The other quotes don't connect to the claim.
  6. False · A comparison needs evidence from both stories to show how each one treats the theme.
  7. A specific quote or detail from the story that shows the queen being kind. · Ravi states a claim but never points to an action or line from the story that proves the queen is kind.
  8. In Story A, courage looks like fighting a dragon, while in Story B, courage looks like admitting a mistake to a teacher. · This sentence uses a specific detail from each story to show how courage looks different in each one.
Worksheet · LightMySky