The Great Depression: Hard Times in America — 5th Grade Reading Comprehension Worksheet
"The Great Depression: Hard Times in America" is a short nonfiction passage written for 5th graders, followed by 6 comprehension questions that focus on cause and effect. An informational passage explains the causes and effects of the Great Depression and how the country recovered. Print the passage and questions, or download the PDF with the answer key on the last page — it is free for home, classroom and homeschool use.
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The Great Depression: Hard Times in America
Grade 5 · Nonfiction · cause and effect
Read the passage carefully. You may underline parts that help you answer.
On October 29, 1929, a day now remembered as 'Black Tuesday,' the United States stock market crashed, wiping out billions of dollars in value in just a few hours. While the crash itself did not cause every problem, it triggered a chain of events that led to the worst economic crisis in American history, known as the Great Depression. Banks failed, businesses closed, and by 1933, about one in four American workers had lost their jobs.
The effects of the Great Depression touched nearly every part of daily life. Families who could no longer pay their mortgages lost their homes, and many people built makeshift shacks in areas that became known as 'Hoovervilles,' named critically after President Herbert Hoover, whom many blamed for not doing enough to help. Farmers in the Great Plains faced an additional disaster called the Dust Bowl, when a severe drought combined with poor farming practices caused massive dust storms that destroyed crops and forced many families to migrate west in search of work.
In 1933, a new president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, took office and introduced a series of programs called the New Deal, aimed at helping the country recover. These programs created jobs building roads, bridges, and public parks, provided support for struggling banks and farmers, and established new rules to prevent another stock market disaster. One program, the Civilian Conservation Corps, employed young men to plant trees and build trails in national parks, work that still benefits visitors today.
The Great Depression did not fully end until the United States entered World War II in the early 1940s, when wartime production created millions of new jobs. Although it was an extremely difficult period, the Great Depression led to lasting changes, including new banking regulations and government programs designed to support people during future economic hardships. Many of those protections, like bank deposit insurance, are still in place today.
Answer the questions. Use details from the passage.
Answer Key
The Great Depression: Hard Times in America
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How to teach cause and effect in nonfiction text
- 1
Read it once for enjoyment
Let your reader go through "The Great Depression: Hard Times in America" straight through without stopping. The first pass is about getting the story or the topic, not about the questions.
- 2
Read it again with a pencil
On the second read, underline names, numbers, dates and any sentence that answers a question. Marking the text is the habit that lifts comprehension scores.
- 3
Answer with evidence
For each question, ask “which sentence proves that?” Short answers should quote or paraphrase a line from the passage.
- 4
Check with the answer key
Compare answers together. For any miss, go back to the paragraph instead of just correcting the letter.
Common mistakes kids make
- Answering from memory instead of rereading — teach kids to point at the line that proves it.
- Picking the first choice that sounds familiar; familiar words often appear in the wrong answer too.
- Skipping the cause and effect question because it needs more than one detail. Have them list two details first, then answer.
- Writing one word for a short-answer question. Ask for a full sentence that restates the question.
Tips for parents and teachers
- Read aloud together the first time if fluency is still developing.
- Cover the questions while reading so kids read the whole passage, not just for answers.
- Keep sessions to 15 minutes — one passage a day beats five on Sunday.
Grade alignment
This worksheet supports Common Core standard RL.5.1, typically taught in 5th grade. Use it for practice, homework, review or a timed check of fluency.
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Open worksheetFrequently asked questions
What reading level is "The Great Depression: Hard Times in America"?
It is written for 5th grade readers, so it fits most kids in grade 5 and works as review for grade 6 or a challenge for grade 4.
Does this worksheet include an answer key?
Yes. Turn on the answer key option and the answers print on the page after the questions, with model answers for the short-answer items.
Is this reading worksheet free to print?
Yes, every passage on KGD Sheets is free to print and download as a PDF for home, classroom and homeschool use.
How many questions come with each passage?
This passage has 6 questions, mixing multiple choice with short written answers so kids practice both formats.
Can I use this passage for a reading test?
Yes. Print it without the answer key for testing, then print the key for grading. The questions follow the same style as state reading assessments.
What skill does this passage practice?
The questions center on cause and effect, plus vocabulary in context and finding evidence in the text.