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Comprehension Exercise10th GradeLevel 3 · Challenge

Free 10th Grade The Dust Bowl and Black Sunday — Reading Comprehension

An original historical feature article about the Dust Bowl of the 1930s on the southern Great Plains, including the Texas Panhandle, and the great dust storm of Black Sunday, April 14, 1935. Students analyze the human and natural causes of the disaster, trace cause-and-effect relationships, examine how the writer uses imagery and structure, interpret vocabulary in context and write an analytical response about the lessons the Dust Bowl offers.

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Grade
10th Grade
Subject
English
Topic
Reading Comprehension
Difficulty
Level 3 · Challenge
Estimated time
45 minutes
Curriculum
Texas grade levels (TEKS)
Questions
15
Answers
Included, with working
Format
PDF (A4), print or complete online

Students will practice

  • analyzing cause-and-effect relationships
  • distinguishing human and natural causes
  • analyzing how imagery and structure create meaning
  • determining word meanings from context
  • writing an analytical response with evidence

Curriculum: Texas grade levels (TEKS). We show specific outcome codes only where they have been verified against the official curriculum document.

What's next?

Completed: The Dust Bowl and Black Sunday — Reading Comprehension

  1. 1Unseen Prose: The Way It Is Said
  2. 2Editing for Clarity and Concision
  3. 3Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers
  4. 4Subordination and Sentence Emphasis

How to use this comprehension exercise

  1. Print the PDF or complete it on screen. Write the student's name and date at the top.
  2. Read the instructions for each part together before starting. Encourage working to be shown.
  3. Mark with the answer sheet. Use the model answers and success criteria as a guide rather than a single right answer.
  4. Record the score, celebrate what went well, then follow the "What's next" suggestion.

Common questions

Who is this comprehension exercise for?

10th Grade students (typically ages 15–16) working on reading comprehension. It is pitched at level 3 · challenge.

Are the answers included?

Yes. The PDF includes a full answer sheet with model answers and success criteria where there is more than one good answer. You can also view the answers online.

How long does it take?

About 45 minutes for 15 questions. Short, regular sessions work best: two or three a week beats one long one.

Do I need to sign up to download?

No. Click Download Free PDF and it opens immediately. It is free for personal, classroom and homeschool use.

What should we do next?

Try Unseen Prose: The Way It Is Said.

Preview

Success TutoringWorksheets10th Grade · English · Reading Comprehension

The Dust Bowl and Black Sunday — Reading Comprehension

Name

Date

Score /

Read the article first. Then answer the questions in order.

Part A: Literal comprehension

1.On what date was Black Sunday?[1 mark] (answer space)
2.What held the soil of the High Plains in place before the land was plowed?[1 mark] (answer space)
3.Give two reasons farmers plowed up so much grassland in the early twentieth century.[2 marks] (answer space)
4.What did the Soil Conservation Service, created in 1935, do?[1 mark]
  1. Apaid farmers to move to California
  2. Btaught and supported new farming methods to protect the soil
  3. Cbuilt dams to stop the wind
  4. Dpredicted dust storms
5.Name two ways families tried to keep dust out of their homes.[1 mark] (answer space)

Part B: Analysis

6.Explain the chain of causes that led to the Dust Bowl. Identify which causes were natural and which were human.[3 marks] (answer space)
7.The writer says droughts “had come to the Plains many times before without turning day into night.” Why is this an important piece of evidence for the writer's argument?[2 marks] (answer space)
8.Explain how two of the new farming methods protected the soil.[2 marks] (answer space)
9.Why do you think the writer opens with the calm, clear morning of Black Sunday instead of with the storm itself?[2 marks] (answer space)
10.Which best describes the structure of the article after the opening scene?[1 mark]
  1. AIt explains background causes, describes the effects, then explains the response and draws a lesson.
  2. BIt compares the Dust Bowl with a modern hurricane.
  3. CIt lists events from 1935 backward to 1900.
  4. DIt presents two opposing arguments equally.
Free worksheets at worksheets.successtutoring.com · © Success Tutoring · Free for personal and classroom use

Preview — the PDF contains the full resource and answer sheet.

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About this resource

Created by
Success Tutoring
Last reviewed
1 October 2026
How it was made
Written by our team

Free to print and share for personal, classroom and homeschool use. Please don't resell. Spotted an error? Let us know.