Free Year 5 Hedging — taking account of differi... Practice | Skillo

Year 5 students preparing for NAPLAN need to be confident with hedging — taking account of differing ideas. Move beyond bare assertions by hedging using modal language (perhaps, possibly, may, might, generally, in most cases). Skillo has targeted practice questions for this exact skill, mapped to the Australian Curriculum v9.0, free and ready to go.

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What is tested: Hedging — taking account of differing ideas

✓Move beyond bare assertions by hedging using modal language (perhaps, possibly, may, might, generally, in most cases).
✓Questions test identification and correction of errors
✓Both Australian English conventions and sentence structure are assessed

Sample questions

Question 1 — Easy

Scientists studying the platypus's behaviour ___ conclude that it hunts mainly at night, though research is ongoing.

A) will definitely

B) must always

C) may tentatively

D) can only

Answer: Hedging language acknowledges uncertainty and qualifies claims appropriately. 'May tentatively' correctly signals that the conclusion is provisional, matching the context that research is ongoing. 'Will definitely' and 'must always' express certainty that contradicts the ongoing nature of the research. 'Can only' implies restriction rather than uncertainty.

Question 2 — Medium

Priya wrote: 'Koalas eat only eucalyptus leaves and never adapt their diet.' Her teacher said the sentence needed hedging. Which revision is best?

A) Koalas eat only eucalyptus leaves and will never adapt their diet.

B) Koalas eat only eucalyptus leaves and cannot ever adapt their diet.

C) Koalas eat only eucalyptus leaves and are unlikely to significantly adapt their diet.

D) Koalas eat only eucalyptus leaves and do not adapt their diet at all.

Answer: Option C is correct — Hedging requires language that qualifies absolute claims to allow for exceptions or uncertainty. 'Are unlikely to significantly adapt' uses probability language to soften the absolute 'never', making the claim appropriately tentative. Options A and B replace 'never' with equally absolute language ('will never', 'cannot ever').

Question 3 — Hard

Read this paragraph. Choose the option that correctly fills the gap to hedge the claim. Archaeologists working near Lake Mungo ___ that ancient Australians traded goods across vast distances, but the evidence is still being examined.

A) prove conclusively

B) have established beyond doubt

C) suggest it is possible

D) confirm without question

Answer: Because the evidence is still being examined, the verb phrase must hedge the claim rather than assert certainty. 'Suggest it is possible' appropriately signals a tentative, unconfirmed conclusion. 'Prove conclusively', 'have established beyond doubt', and 'confirm without question' all assert certainty that directly contradicts the qualifier 'but the evidence is still being examined'.

How to use Skillo for Year 5 Grammar

Select Year 5 and Grammar on the home screen
Use Quick Practice — questions on hedging — taking account of differing ideas will appear as part of the session
Check the Skill Breakdown on your profile to track your accuracy on hedging — taking account of differing ideas specifically
Review explanations after each question to understand the reasoning behind correct answers

Skillo is free, requires no email or account details, and is built specifically for Australian students. Every question is mapped to the Australian Curriculum v9.0 and filtered by skill so your child practises exactly what they need.

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