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Cause and effect
Reading Comprehension Worksheet
Practice
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Cause and effect are about how one thing
can cause something else to happen.
The cause is why something happened.
The effect is what happened.
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Read about the rock cycle again, and think about cause and effect as you
read.
The Rock Cycle
Rock may seem to last forever, but it is actually always
changing. It is always in one of the stages of the rock cycle.
The series of events in the rock cycle takes thousands of years.
But the cycle is always in motion.
The pressure inside the earth produces enough heat to
melt the rock there. This melted rock, or magma, seeps up into
the top crust of the earth, or it erupts from volcanoes. In the
earth’s crust, and around the volcanoes, the magma cools into
solid rock. This kind of rock is called igneous rock.
Over time, igneous rock breaks down into smaller and
smaller pieces. This process, called weathering, produces soil,
or sediment.
Water and wind carry the bits of soil into piles called
sediment beds. This transportation of the soil to the sediment
beds is called erosion. As the sediment is pressed down by
more and more sediment on top, the lower levels turn into
sedimentary rock.
As more and more layers of sedimentary rock are formed,
the layers on the bottom are pushed down deeper. They grow
hot from the pressure. Finally, they are heated into magma, and
the cycle is complete—and ready to begin again.
Online reading & math for K-5 © www.k5learning.com
What is the effect of each cause?
1. The pressure deep inside the earth causes extreme heat.
A. Magma is formed.
B. Igneous rock is formed.
C. Sedimentary rock is formed.
2. Magma erupts from a volcano, and cools.
A. Magma is formed.
B. Igneous rock is formed.
C. Soil is formed.
3. Igneous rock breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces.
A. Igneous rock is formed.
B. Soil is formed.
C. Sedimentary rock is formed.
4. Wind and water carry soil into sediment beds.
A. Igneous rock is formed.
B. Soil is formed.
C. Sedimentary rock is formed.
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5. Here is a cause: Weathering occurs.
What is the effect?
6. Here is a cause: Erosion occurs.
What is the effect?
