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Free 2nd grade reading worksheets

Written by Dr. Evan J. Hasson, DC — a dad of three who built this curriculum for his own kids.

50 questions with the answers, free to print and free to photocopy for your own students. Each question sits with the short passage it is about, so every sheet works on its own. Comprehension, detail, inference and vocabulary.

Enjoy them. If you want more, or something we do not have yet, write to support@uponlylearning.com and ask — we read it.

Reading — Grade 2

50 questions · answers marked

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Monarchs on the Move

Monarch butterflies fly south every fall. Some travel almost three thousand miles to warmer forests. They ride on warm air to save their strength. Monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed leaves. In spring a new generation flies back north.

  1. 1. When do monarchs fly south?
    1. A. Monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed leaves.
    2. B. Monarch butterflies stay north all winter.
    3. C. Monarch butterflies fly south every fall. ← Answer
    4. D. Some travel almost three thousand miles to warmer forests.
  2. 2. How far do some monarchs travel?
    1. A. Monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed leaves.
    2. B. They ride on warm air to save their strength.
    3. C. Monarch butterflies stay north all winter.
    4. D. Some travel almost three thousand miles to warmer forests. ← Answer
  3. 3. How do monarchs save strength on the trip?
    1. A. They ride on warm air to save their strength. ← Answer
    2. B. In spring a new generation flies back north.
    3. C. Monarch butterflies stay north all winter.
    4. D. Monarch butterflies fly south every fall.
  4. 4. What do monarch caterpillars eat?
    1. A. Monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed leaves. ← Answer
    2. B. Monarch butterflies stay north all winter.
    3. C. Some travel almost three thousand miles to warmer forests.
    4. D. In spring a new generation flies back north.
  5. 5. Who flies back north in spring?
    1. A. In spring a new generation flies back north. ← Answer
    2. B. Monarch butterflies stay north all winter.
    3. C. Monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed leaves.
    4. D. Some travel almost three thousand miles to warmer forests.
  6. 6. Which statement is NOT in this text?
    1. A. Monarchs make the whole journey at night. ← Answer
    2. B. Monarch butterflies fly south every fall.
    3. C. Some travel almost three thousand miles to warmer forests.
    4. D. In spring a new generation flies back north.
  7. 7. Which statement is NOT in this text?
    1. A. Some travel almost three thousand miles to warmer forests.
    2. B. Monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed leaves.
    3. C. Monarch butterflies fly south every fall.
    4. D. Monarch caterpillars eat only grass and clover. ← Answer
  8. 8. Which sentence from the text is the evidence for this question: How far do some monarchs travel?
    1. A. Monarch butterflies stay north all winter.
    2. B. Monarch butterflies fly south every fall.
    3. C. They ride on warm air to save their strength.
    4. D. Some travel almost three thousand miles to warmer forests. ← Answer
  9. 9. Which sentence from the text is the evidence for this question: How do monarchs save strength on the trip?
    1. A. Monarch butterflies stay north all winter.
    2. B. In spring a new generation flies back north.
    3. C. They ride on warm air to save their strength. ← Answer
    4. D. Monarch butterflies fly south every fall.

How a Bridge Stands Up

A bridge must hold its own weight plus the traffic. Arches push the weight out to the solid ground at each end. Steel cables on a suspension bridge pull the deck up. Tall towers carry the weight down into the riverbed. Engineers test a design with a small model first.

  1. 10. What weight must a bridge hold?
    1. A. Steel cables on a suspension bridge pull the deck up.
    2. B. Tall towers carry the weight down into the riverbed.
    3. C. Every bridge is built from one solid block of stone.
    4. D. A bridge must hold its own weight plus the traffic. ← Answer
  2. 11. How does an arch carry weight?
    1. A. Engineers test a design with a small model first.
    2. B. Arches push the weight out to the solid ground at each end. ← Answer
    3. C. Tall towers carry the weight down into the riverbed.
    4. D. Every bridge is built from one solid block of stone.
  3. 12. What do the cables do?
    1. A. Engineers test a design with a small model first.
    2. B. Every bridge is built from one solid block of stone.
    3. C. Steel cables on a suspension bridge pull the deck up. ← Answer
    4. D. Arches push the weight out to the solid ground at each end.
  4. 13. Where does the weight go from the towers?
    1. A. Every bridge is built from one solid block of stone.
    2. B. Arches push the weight out to the solid ground at each end.
    3. C. Tall towers carry the weight down into the riverbed. ← Answer
    4. D. Steel cables on a suspension bridge pull the deck up.
  5. 14. What do engineers do before building?
    1. A. Arches push the weight out to the solid ground at each end.
    2. B. Steel cables on a suspension bridge pull the deck up.
    3. C. Engineers test a design with a small model first. ← Answer
    4. D. Every bridge is built from one solid block of stone.
  6. 15. Which statement is NOT in this text?
    1. A. Steel cables on a suspension bridge pull the deck up.
    2. B. Arches push the weight out to the solid ground at each end.
    3. C. Steel cables on a suspension bridge push the deck down. ← Answer
    4. D. Engineers test a design with a small model first.
  7. 16. Which statement is NOT in this text?
    1. A. Most bridges float on the surface of the water below. ← Answer
    2. B. Arches push the weight out to the solid ground at each end.
    3. C. Tall towers carry the weight down into the riverbed.
    4. D. Steel cables on a suspension bridge pull the deck up.
  8. 17. Which sentence from the text is the evidence for this question: How does an arch carry weight?
    1. A. Steel cables on a suspension bridge pull the deck up.
    2. B. Tall towers carry the weight down into the riverbed.
    3. C. Arches push the weight out to the solid ground at each end. ← Answer
    4. D. A bridge must hold its own weight plus the traffic.
  9. 18. Which sentence from the text is the evidence for this question: What do the cables do?
    1. A. Tall towers carry the weight down into the riverbed.
    2. B. Steel cables on a suspension bridge pull the deck up. ← Answer
    3. C. Engineers test a design with a small model first.
    4. D. Every bridge is built from one solid block of stone.

Dolphins Talk With Clicks

Dolphins are mammals that breathe air. They come to the surface to breathe through a blowhole. Dolphins whistle to call other members of the pod. Clicks bounce off a fish and come back as an echo. The echo tells a dolphin where the fish is hiding.

  1. 19. What kind of animal is a dolphin?
    1. A. The echo tells a dolphin where the fish is hiding.
    2. B. A dolphin finds its food by smelling the water.
    3. C. Dolphins are mammals that breathe air. ← Answer
    4. D. Clicks bounce off a fish and come back as an echo.
  2. 20. How does a dolphin breathe?
    1. A. They come to the surface to breathe through a blowhole. ← Answer
    2. B. A dolphin finds its food by smelling the water.
    3. C. Dolphins are mammals that breathe air.
    4. D. The echo tells a dolphin where the fish is hiding.
  3. 21. Why do dolphins whistle?
    1. A. They come to the surface to breathe through a blowhole.
    2. B. Dolphins are mammals that breathe air.
    3. C. Dolphins whistle to call other members of the pod. ← Answer
    4. D. A dolphin finds its food by smelling the water.
  4. 22. What happens to a dolphin's clicks?
    1. A. Dolphins whistle to call other members of the pod.
    2. B. Dolphins are mammals that breathe air.
    3. C. The echo tells a dolphin where the fish is hiding.
    4. D. Clicks bounce off a fish and come back as an echo. ← Answer
  5. 23. What does the echo tell the dolphin?
    1. A. A dolphin finds its food by smelling the water.
    2. B. Dolphins whistle to call other members of the pod.
    3. C. The echo tells a dolphin where the fish is hiding. ← Answer
    4. D. Clicks bounce off a fish and come back as an echo.
  6. 24. Which statement is NOT in this text?
    1. A. Dolphins are fish that take in air through gills. ← Answer
    2. B. Dolphins whistle to call other members of the pod.
    3. C. Clicks bounce off a fish and come back as an echo.
    4. D. They come to the surface to breathe through a blowhole.
  7. 25. Which statement is NOT in this text?
    1. A. Clicks bounce off a fish and come back as an echo.
    2. B. Dolphins whistle to call other members of the pod.
    3. C. Dolphins breathe underwater without coming up. ← Answer
    4. D. They come to the surface to breathe through a blowhole.
  8. 26. Which sentence from the text is the evidence for this question: How does a dolphin breathe?
    1. A. A dolphin finds its food by smelling the water.
    2. B. They come to the surface to breathe through a blowhole. ← Answer
    3. C. The echo tells a dolphin where the fish is hiding.
    4. D. Clicks bounce off a fish and come back as an echo.
  9. 27. Which sentence from the text is the evidence for this question: Why do dolphins whistle?
    1. A. The echo tells a dolphin where the fish is hiding.
    2. B. Dolphins whistle to call other members of the pod. ← Answer
    3. C. They come to the surface to breathe through a blowhole.
    4. D. A dolphin finds its food by smelling the water.

Why Volcanoes Erupt

Deep under the ground, hot melted rock is called magma. Magma is lighter than the solid rock around it, so it rises. Gas trapped in the magma pushes toward the surface. When the pressure is strong enough, the volcano erupts. Magma that reaches the air is called lava.

  1. 28. What is magma?
    1. A. Deep under the ground, hot melted rock is called magma. ← Answer
    2. B. Magma that reaches the air is called lava.
    3. C. A volcano erupts whenever heavy rain soaks the mountain.
    4. D. Magma is lighter than the solid rock around it, so it rises.
  2. 29. Why does magma rise?
    1. A. Deep under the ground, hot melted rock is called magma.
    2. B. A volcano erupts whenever heavy rain soaks the mountain.
    3. C. Magma is lighter than the solid rock around it, so it rises. ← Answer
    4. D. Gas trapped in the magma pushes toward the surface.
  3. 30. What does the trapped gas do?
    1. A. Magma that reaches the air is called lava.
    2. B. Magma is lighter than the solid rock around it, so it rises.
    3. C. Gas trapped in the magma pushes toward the surface. ← Answer
    4. D. A volcano erupts whenever heavy rain soaks the mountain.
  4. 31. When does a volcano erupt?
    1. A. Magma that reaches the air is called lava.
    2. B. Gas trapped in the magma pushes toward the surface.
    3. C. When the pressure is strong enough, the volcano erupts. ← Answer
    4. D. A volcano erupts whenever heavy rain soaks the mountain.
  5. 32. What is magma called in the open air?
    1. A. Gas trapped in the magma pushes toward the surface.
    2. B. Magma that reaches the air is called lava. ← Answer
    3. C. A volcano erupts whenever heavy rain soaks the mountain.
    4. D. Magma is lighter than the solid rock around it, so it rises.
  6. 33. Which statement is NOT in this text?
    1. A. Deep under the ground, hot melted rock is called magma.
    2. B. The melted rock is cold by the time it reaches the air. ← Answer
    3. C. Magma is lighter than the solid rock around it, so it rises.
    4. D. When the pressure is strong enough, the volcano erupts.
  7. 34. Which statement is NOT in this text?
    1. A. Magma that reaches the air is called lava.
    2. B. A volcano erupts because water collects underground. ← Answer
    3. C. Magma is lighter than the solid rock around it, so it rises.
    4. D. Gas trapped in the magma pushes toward the surface.
  8. 35. Which sentence from the text is the evidence for this question: Why does magma rise?
    1. A. Magma is lighter than the solid rock around it, so it rises. ← Answer
    2. B. Magma that reaches the air is called lava.
    3. C. A volcano erupts whenever heavy rain soaks the mountain.
    4. D. Deep under the ground, hot melted rock is called magma.
  9. 36. Which sentence from the text is the evidence for this question: What does the trapped gas do?
    1. A. Deep under the ground, hot melted rock is called magma.
    2. B. Gas trapped in the magma pushes toward the surface. ← Answer
    3. C. Magma is lighter than the solid rock around it, so it rises.
    4. D. A volcano erupts whenever heavy rain soaks the mountain.

The Water in Your Tap

Most tap water starts in a lake, a river or a well. Pumps move the water to a treatment plant. Screens and filters take out dirt and tiny bits. The clean water is stored in a tall tank or a tower. Pipes under the street carry it to the faucet.

  1. 37. Where does tap water start?
    1. A. The water tower is filled by trucks each morning.
    2. B. Most tap water starts in a lake, a river or a well. ← Answer
    3. C. The clean water is stored in a tall tank or a tower.
    4. D. Pumps move the water to a treatment plant.
  2. 38. What moves the water to the plant?
    1. A. Most tap water starts in a lake, a river or a well.
    2. B. The clean water is stored in a tall tank or a tower.
    3. C. Pumps move the water to a treatment plant. ← Answer
    4. D. The water tower is filled by trucks each morning.
  3. 39. How is the dirt taken out?
    1. A. Pumps move the water to a treatment plant.
    2. B. Screens and filters take out dirt and tiny bits. ← Answer
    3. C. The water tower is filled by trucks each morning.
    4. D. Pipes under the street carry it to the faucet.
  4. 40. Where is clean water stored?
    1. A. Pipes under the street carry it to the faucet.
    2. B. The clean water is stored in a tall tank or a tower. ← Answer
    3. C. Most tap water starts in a lake, a river or a well.
    4. D. The water tower is filled by trucks each morning.
  5. 41. How does water reach the faucet?
    1. A. The water tower is filled by trucks each morning.
    2. B. Most tap water starts in a lake, a river or a well.
    3. C. The clean water is stored in a tall tank or a tower.
    4. D. Pipes under the street carry it to the faucet. ← Answer
  6. 42. Which statement is NOT in this text?
    1. A. Pumps move the water to a treatment plant.
    2. B. The clean water is stored in a tall tank or a tower.
    3. C. Pipes under the street carry it to the faucet.
    4. D. Water is cleaned with nothing but a bed of sand. ← Answer
  7. 43. Which statement is NOT in this text?
    1. A. Most tap water starts in a lake, a river or a well.
    2. B. Most tap water starts as rain caught on a roof. ← Answer
    3. C. Pumps move the water to a treatment plant.
    4. D. The clean water is stored in a tall tank or a tower.
  8. 44. Which sentence from the text is the evidence for this question: What moves the water to the plant?
    1. A. Most tap water starts in a lake, a river or a well.
    2. B. The clean water is stored in a tall tank or a tower.
    3. C. Pumps move the water to a treatment plant. ← Answer
    4. D. The water tower is filled by trucks each morning.
  9. 45. Which sentence from the text is the evidence for this question: How is the dirt taken out?
    1. A. Screens and filters take out dirt and tiny bits. ← Answer
    2. B. Pumps move the water to a treatment plant.
    3. C. Most tap water starts in a lake, a river or a well.
    4. D. The water tower is filled by trucks each morning.

Recycling a Can

An empty can goes into the recycling bin. A truck takes the cans to a sorting center. Strong magnets pull the steel cans away from the aluminum. The sorted metal is melted in a hot furnace. The melted metal is rolled flat and made into new cans.

  1. 46. Where does an empty can go first?
    1. A. The melted metal is rolled flat and made into new cans.
    2. B. An empty can goes into the recycling bin. ← Answer
    3. C. Cans are buried in the ground for a whole year.
    4. D. Strong magnets pull the steel cans away from the aluminum.
  2. 47. Who takes the cans to the sorting center?
    1. A. An empty can goes into the recycling bin.
    2. B. A truck takes the cans to a sorting center. ← Answer
    3. C. Cans are buried in the ground for a whole year.
    4. D. The sorted metal is melted in a hot furnace.
  3. 48. How are steel cans separated?
    1. A. Cans are buried in the ground for a whole year.
    2. B. The melted metal is rolled flat and made into new cans.
    3. C. An empty can goes into the recycling bin.
    4. D. Strong magnets pull the steel cans away from the aluminum. ← Answer
  4. 49. What happens in the furnace?
    1. A. Strong magnets pull the steel cans away from the aluminum.
    2. B. The sorted metal is melted in a hot furnace. ← Answer
    3. C. The melted metal is rolled flat and made into new cans.
    4. D. Cans are buried in the ground for a whole year.
  5. 50. What is the melted metal made into?
    1. A. An empty can goes into the recycling bin.
    2. B. The melted metal is rolled flat and made into new cans. ← Answer
    3. C. Cans are buried in the ground for a whole year.
    4. D. A truck takes the cans to a sorting center.
UpOnly Learning · uponlylearning.com · free to print and photocopy for your own studentsReading — Grade 2
UpOnly Learning · uponlylearning.com · Reading Grade 2
From the workbook

A real page of Reading · Grade 2

Team Up and Split It: Two-Syllable Words

The child will read words with common vowel teams (ai, ay, ee, ea, oa, ow, igh) and decode regularly spelled two-syllable words with long vowels by splitting them into syllables. · 40 min

Warm-up — say this

“Let's wake up our vowel teams and our clapping hands.”

Worked example

Read 'sailboat'. How did you split it?

Answer: sail / boat. Each part has a vowel team: ai says long a and oa says long o. Read each part, then blend: sailboat.

A mistake students make

Each vowel in a team is its own syllable, so 'boat' has two syllables.

How the book fixes it

Say: A team makes ONE sound, so it is ONE syllable. Put a hand under your chin and say boat; your chin drops once.

Note to the parent

If the child freezes on a long word, cover half of it with your finger so they read one syllable at a time.

That is one topic of many. The free questions above check a skill; this is the part that teaches it.

Practice is not teaching. Reading · Grade 2 is the part that teaches.

These questions check a skill your student has already met. They do not explain anything, and they are not meant to — that is what the workbook is for, and it is the whole difference between the two.

  1. It teaches.Each topic is a forty-minute lesson that tells you what to say, in order: a five-minute warm-up, twelve minutes of teaching, ten minutes guided, ten minutes on their own, three minutes to close. Written for a parent who has never taught.
  2. It explains.Two worked examples per topic, and the two mistakes students actually make on that exact skill — named, with how to correct each one. When a student is stuck, the book already knows why.
  3. It reviews.Every answer comes with a short explanation, not just a key. And every topic has its own question bank, so a student who needs another go gets different questions rather than the same page again.
  4. It is a plan, not a pile.Every topic names the standard it addresses, in teaching order, so you can see the whole year before you start.
$9.99 Buy Reading · Grade 2 — $9.99 Read a free sample first Everything else we give away

Not sure which grade to start in? Write to support@uponlylearning.com and tell us about your student. We will tell you honestly, including if the answer is a grade below the one they are in.

Why this exists

I was spending thousands a month on tutors, and when I asked about enrolling a second or third child the answer was the same everywhere: that will be double. So I built the thing I could not find — nine subjects, kindergarten through grade 5, every topic in the order a student should actually meet it.

Dr. Evan J. Hasson, DC — Founder · Read the whole story

Other grades

KindergartenFree kindergarten reading questionsGrade 1Free 1st grade reading questionsGrade 3Free 3rd grade reading questionsGrade 4Free 4th grade reading questionsGrade 5Free 5th grade reading questions

Grade 2, other subjects

MathFree 2nd grade math questionsScienceFree 2nd grade science questionsWritingFree 2nd grade writing and grammar questions

Further reading

Reads the Words but Not the MeaningYour student can read but doesn't comprehend. Why decoding and comprehension are different skills, how to tell which one is missing, and what to do weekly.

Questions parents ask

Are these reading worksheets really free?

Yes. All 50 questions and their answers are on this page, free to print and free to photocopy for your own students. There is no account, no email address and no card.

Can a teacher or a tutor use these with a class?

Yes. Print and photocopy them for the students you teach. The only thing we ask is that you do not republish them as your own or sell them.

Where are the answers?

Marked beside each question on this page, so it prints as its own answer key. If you want a clean copy for a student, print it and cover the answer column, or use the sample workbook instead.

What grade are these for?

Grade 2. Every other grade from kindergarten to grade 5 has its own page, linked at the foot of this one. If your student finds these hard, try the grade below — that is normal and it is not a problem.

What do the paid workbooks add?

These questions check a skill. The workbook teaches it: a forty-minute lesson that tells you what to say, two worked examples, the two mistakes students actually make on that skill and how to correct each one, and an explanation beside every answer rather than a bare key.