Cause and Effect Worksheet for 3rd and 4th Grade - Free Printable

Let’s go step by step to match each Cause with its correct Effect.

We’ll read each cause and think: “What would naturally happen because of this?” Then we’ll find the effect that matches.

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1. It was snow and ice.
→ Snow and ice make roads slippery → cars can’t stop easily → more accidents.
✔ Match: A. The freeway was chaotic.

2. Her mood spoiled.
→ If someone is in a bad mood, they might not want to do fun things — like going to lunch.
✔ Match: C. She was hungry at lunch. (Wait — that doesn’t fit well.)
Actually, let’s rethink: “Her mood spoiled” probably means she got upset or sad. What effect fits? Maybe she didn’t eat? Or cried?
Looking at options:
- G. It rained → no
- H. The grass grew → no
- I. The teacher gave them a reward → no
Wait — maybe “her mood spoiled” led to her being unhappy, so she didn’t enjoy lunch? But C says “she was hungry at lunch” — that’s not caused by mood.
Hold on — perhaps it’s the other way? Let’s skip and come back.

Actually, let’s try matching obvious ones first.

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3. The students were quiet in class.
→ Quiet students = good behavior → teacher rewards them.
✔ Match: I. The teacher gave them a reward.

4. It rained.
→ Rain makes grass grow.
✔ Match: H. The grass grew.

5. Lulu dropped hamburger.
→ Dropped food → dog eats it.
✔ Match: J. Another cat bit it. Wait — cat? Hamburger? That doesn’t fit.
Option J says “Another cat bit it.” But Lulu dropped hamburger — maybe a dog ate it? Not listed.
Wait — look again:
Options:
F. Everyone laughed → possible if it was funny
G. It rained → no
J. Another cat bit it → weird for hamburger
Maybe F? People laugh when someone drops food? Possible.
But let’s check others.

6. It was very hot outside.
→ Hot weather → people feel thirsty.
✔ Match: E. He felt thirsty.

7. Jerry’s shoes weren’t tied.
→ Untied shoes → tripping hazard → he trips.
✔ Match: D. He fell asleep? No.
Wait — option D is “He fell asleep the next day.” Doesn’t fit.
Option B: His dad cried? No.
Option G: It rained? No.
Wait — maybe he tripped and fell? But none say that.
Look again:
Option D: “He fell asleep the next day” — not related.
Perhaps we misread.
Wait — maybe “Jerry’s shoes weren’t tied” → he tripped → hurt himself → dad cried? Stretch.
Better idea: Maybe it’s B. His dad cried — but why?
This is tricky. Let’s hold.

8. The bear had a cub.
→ Bear has baby → mama bear protects it → might attack if threatened.
✔ Match: J. Another cat bit it. No — cat?
Wait — option J says “Another cat bit it.” Doesn’t fit bear.
Option A: Freeway chaotic? No.
Wait — maybe G. It rained? No.
Actually, looking again — perhaps J is meant to be “another animal bit it”? But it says “cat”.
Maybe it’s a trick. Let’s see remaining effects.

9. The puppy climbed a tree.
→ Puppy stuck in tree → needs rescue.
✔ Match: K. A fireman cut him in. Yes! Firemen rescue animals from trees.

10. There was so much water in the pot.
→ Too much water → boils over or spills.
✔ Match: L. He boiled over the next day. Wait — “he”? Should be “it”. Probably typo. Means the pot boiled over.
So ✔ L. He boiled over the next day. (Assuming “he” refers to the pot — common mistake in worksheets.)

Now let’s go back to hard ones.

Revisit #2: Her mood spoiled.
If her mood was bad, maybe she didn’t eat lunch → became hungry later? But C says “She was hungry at lunch” — that’s before? Confusing.
Alternatively, maybe “spoiled mood” made her cry → dad cried too? Unlikely.
Wait — option B. His dad cried — “his” not “her”. So probably not.

Maybe #2 matches F. Everyone laughed — if she threw a tantrum? Possible.

But let’s try logical pairs:

Let’s list all causes and best-fit effects:

1. It was snow and ice → A. The freeway was chaotic. ✔️
2. Her mood spoiled → ?
3. Students quiet → I. Teacher rewarded them. ✔️
4. It rained → H. Grass grew. ✔️
5. Lulu dropped hamburger → ?
6. Very hot → E. He felt thirsty. ✔️
7. Shoes untied → ?
8. Bear had cub → ?
9. Puppy climbed tree → K. Fireman cut him in. ✔️
10. Too much water → L. Boiled over. ✔️

Remaining effects:
B. His dad cried
C. She was hungry at lunch
D. He fell asleep the next day
F. Everyone laughed
G. It rained — already used? No, #4 is “it rained”, matched to H. G is also “it rained”? Wait no — G is “It rained” as an effect? That doesn’t make sense. Effects should be results, not causes.

Wait — look at the effect list again:

Effects:
A. The freeway was chaotic.
B. His dad cried.
C. She was hungry at lunch.
D. He fell asleep the next day.
E. He felt thirsty.
F. Everyone laughed.
G. It rained. ← This is odd — rain is usually a cause, not effect.
H. The grass grew.
I. The teacher gave them a reward.
J. Another cat bit it.
K. A fireman cut him in.
L. He boiled over the next day.

G. “It rained” as an effect? That doesn’t make sense unless something caused rain — but none of the causes are about weather-making. Probably a distractor or error.

Similarly, J. “Another cat bit it” — what is “it”? Only makes sense if something was dropped or left out.

Back to #5: Lulu dropped hamburger → maybe a cat ate it? So J. Another cat bit it. ✔️ (assuming “bit” means ate)

#7: Jerry’s shoes weren’t tied → he tripped → maybe fell and got hurt → dad cried? So B. His dad cried. ✔️ (stretch, but possible)

#8: Bear had a cub → maybe the cub wandered off and another animal attacked it? So J is taken. Wait, J is used for #5.

Conflict.

Alternative for #8: Bear had cub → mama bear is protective → if someone approaches, she attacks → but no effect says that.

Wait — option D: “He fell asleep the next day” — who? The bear? Unlikely.

Perhaps #2: Her mood spoiled → she didn’t eat → became hungry → C. She was hungry at lunch. But “at lunch” implies during lunch, not after.

Maybe “her mood spoiled” because she was hungry? But the task is cause → effect, so cause is mood spoiled, effect is result.

This is messy. Let’s use process of elimination.

Used:
1-A
3-I
4-H
6-E
9-K
10-L

Left causes: 2,5,7,8
Left effects: B,C,D,F,G,J

G. “It rained” — probably not an effect, so ignore or mismatch.

Try:

#5: Lulu dropped hamburger → F. Everyone laughed. (if it was clumsy/funny) ✔️

#7: Shoes untied → he tripped → fell → maybe slept from exhaustion? D. He fell asleep the next day. Weak, but possible.

#8: Bear had cub → J. Another cat bit it. (cub bitten by cat) ✔️ (even though cat vs bear, maybe in story context)

#2: Her mood spoiled → C. She was hungry at lunch. (maybe hunger caused bad mood, but direction is wrong) — or bad mood made her skip breakfast → hungry at lunch. Acceptable.

Then left: B and G.

B. His dad cried — who is “his”? Jerry? From #7? We assigned D to #7.

Swap:

#7: Shoes untied → he fell → dad saw and cried → B. His dad cried. ✔️

Then #2: Her mood spoiled → D. He fell asleep the next day? No, gender mismatch.

#2: Her mood spoiled → G. It rained? Nonsense.

Perhaps G is a red herring.

Another idea: #4 is “It rained” as cause → H. Grass grew. Good.

G. “It rained” as effect — maybe from what? None of the causes produce rain. So likely not used.

Similarly, D. “He fell asleep the next day” — could be from being tired, but no cause mentions tiredness.

Let’s assign based on best logic:

Final matching:

1. It was snow and ice. → A. The freeway was chaotic.
2. Her mood spoiled. → C. She was hungry at lunch. (assume bad mood led to not eating, so hungry)
3. The students were quiet in class. → I. The teacher gave them a reward.
4. It rained. → H. The grass grew.
5. Lulu dropped hamburger. → F. Everyone laughed.
6. It was very hot outside. → E. He felt thirsty.
7. Jerry’s shoes weren’t tied. → B. His dad cried. (he fell and got hurt)
8. The bear had a cub. → J. Another cat bit it. (cub attacked)
9. The puppy climbed a tree. → K. A fireman cut him in.
10. There was so much water in the pot. → L. He boiled over the next day. (pot boiled over)

Leftover effects: D and G — probably not needed or errors.

But worksheet has 10 causes and 12 effects? Count:

Causes: 10
Effects: A to L = 12 letters → 12 effects. Oh! So two effects are extra or distractors.

Yes! So we don’t need to use all effects.

So our matching uses 10 effects, leaving out D and G.

Perfect.

So final answer:

1. A
2. C
3. I
4. H
5. F
6. E
7. B
8. J
9. K
10. L

Double-check:

- Snow/ice → chaotic freeway: yes
- Mood spoiled → hungry at lunch: plausible (didn't eat due to mood)
- Quiet students → teacher reward: yes
- Rained → grass grew: yes
- Dropped hamburger → everyone laughed: yes, if accidental/funny
- Hot → thirsty: yes
- Shoes untied → dad cried: if child got hurt, parent cries — acceptable
- Bear had cub → cat bit it: in story context, possible
- Puppy in tree → fireman rescues: yes
- Too much water → boiled over: yes

All reasonable.

Final Answer:
1. A
2. C
3. I
4. H
5. F
6. E
7. B
8. J
9. K
10. L