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Show Don’t Tell Worksheet

Creative writing lesson 10: Show, don’t tell · Set 260 · 40 questions
TalentJR

Writer's tip (Show the actions): A telling sentence names the feeling: was sad, felt tired. A showing sentence describes actions, faces and bodies: tears, yawns, shaking knees. Pick the showing sentence that fits the right feeling.

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  1. 1.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Rohan folded his arms and glared at his brother.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  2. 2.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Farhan is cold? (a) Farhan laughed, clapped and twirled around the room. (b) Farhan shivered and stamped his feet in the snow. (c) Farhan was cold.
  3. 3.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Dev is hungry? (a) Dev was hungry. (b) Dev threw down the pencil and shouted, “Not fair!” (c) Dev kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch.
  4. 4.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Ananya counted the ceiling fans for the tenth time.”     (a) scared (b) cold (c) bored
  5. 5.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Sneha felt very sad.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  6. 6.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Riya is angry? (a) Riya was angry. (b) Riya’s face turned red, and she clenched her fists. (c) Riya’s teeth chattered, and she pulled her shawl tighter.
  7. 7.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Aarav is angry? (a) Aarav stamped his foot and slammed the door. (b) Aarav laughed, clapped and twirled around the room. (c) Aarav was angry.
  8. 8.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Aisha froze and held her breath as the floor creaked.”     (a) happy (b) scared (c) hungry
  9. 9.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Arjun froze and held his breath as the floor creaked.”     (a) tired (b) angry (c) scared
  10. 10.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Ishaan is angry? (a) Ishaan was angry. (b) Ishaan stamped his foot and slammed the door. (c) Ishaan’s heart thumped, and he hid under the sheet.
  11. 11.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Yash grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  12. 12.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Joseph’s heart thumped, and he hid under the sheet.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  13. 13.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Pooja sighed and flipped through the same comic again.”     (a) scared (b) sad (c) bored
  14. 14.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Arjun was really hungry.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  15. 15.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Sneha drummed her fingers and stared at the clock.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  16. 16.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Tara sat alone, hugging her knees and sniffing.”     (a) angry (b) tired (c) sad
  17. 17.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Pooja is scared? (a) Pooja counted the ceiling fans for the tenth time. (b) Pooja’s knees shook, and she hid behind the door. (c) Pooja was scared.
  18. 18.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Farhan is happy? (a) Farhan was happy. (b) Farhan beamed and hugged everyone in sight. (c) Farhan stamped his foot and slammed the door.
  19. 19.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Aisha is tired? (a) Aisha was tired. (b) Aisha’s eyelids drooped, and she yawned again and again. (c) Aisha shivered and stamped her feet in the snow.
  20. 20.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Vihaan grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road.”     (a) hungry (b) angry (c) happy
  21. 21.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Aarav kicked a pebble round and round the empty yard.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  22. 22.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Saanvi’s tummy rumbled loudly in the middle of class.”     (a) tired (b) hungry (c) cold
  23. 23.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Tenzin’s heart thumped, and he hid under the sheet.”     (a) scared (b) sad (c) hungry
  24. 24.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Aarav is sad? (a) A tear rolled slowly down Aarav’s cheek. (b) Aarav was sad. (c) Aarav could barely keep his eyes open at dinner.
  25. 25.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Dev is cold? (a) Dev was cold. (b) Dev rubbed his hands and blew on his fingers. (c) Dev stamped his foot and slammed the door.
  26. 26.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “A tear rolled slowly down Sahil’s cheek.”     (a) scared (b) cold (c) sad
  27. 27.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Yash is bored? (a) Yash drummed his fingers and stared at the clock. (b) Yash laughed, clapped and twirled around the room. (c) Yash was bored.
  28. 28.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Tenzin was sad.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  29. 29.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Aryan is happy? (a) Aryan counted the ceiling fans for the tenth time. (b) Aryan was happy. (c) Aryan hummed a tune and could not stop smiling.
  30. 30.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Imran is cold? (a) Imran was cold. (b) Imran’s shoulders drooped as he walked slowly home. (c) Imran rubbed his hands and blew on his fingers.
  31. 31.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Ananya is cold? (a) Ananya’s shoulders drooped as she walked slowly home. (b) Ananya rubbed her hands and blew on her fingers. (c) Ananya was cold.
  32. 32.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Aisha was angry.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  33. 33.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Imran’s nose turned pink, and he pulled on a woolly cap.”     (a) cold (b) sad (c) hungry
  34. 34.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Tara is hungry? (a) Tara’s tummy rumbled loudly in the middle of class. (b) Tara was hungry. (c) Tara grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road.
  35. 35.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Farhan is tired? (a) Farhan’s face turned red, and he clenched his fists. (b) Farhan dragged his feet upstairs and flopped on the bed. (c) Farhan was tired.
  36. 36.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Meera is sad? (a) Meera was sad. (b) Meera kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch. (c) A tear rolled slowly down Meera’s cheek.
  37. 37.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Dev was really scared.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  38. 38.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Fatima sat alone, hugging her knees and sniffing.”     (a) cold (b) sad (c) happy
  39. 39.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Fatima gripped Mum’s hand and squeezed her eyes shut.”     (a) sad (b) scared (c) happy
  40. 40.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Tenzin kicked a pebble round and round the empty yard.”     (a) showing (b) telling

Answer key

  1. showing
  2. Farhan shivered and stamped his feet in the snow.
  3. Dev kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch.
  4. bored
  5. telling
  6. Riya’s face turned red, and she clenched her fists.
  7. Aarav stamped his foot and slammed the door.
  8. scared
  9. scared
  10. Ishaan stamped his foot and slammed the door.
  11. showing
  12. showing
  13. bored
  14. telling
  15. showing
  16. sad
  17. Pooja’s knees shook, and she hid behind the door.
  18. Farhan beamed and hugged everyone in sight.
  19. Aisha’s eyelids drooped, and she yawned again and again.
  20. happy
  21. showing
  22. hungry
  23. scared
  24. A tear rolled slowly down Aarav’s cheek.
  25. Dev rubbed his hands and blew on his fingers.
  26. sad
  27. Yash drummed his fingers and stared at the clock.
  28. telling
  29. Aryan hummed a tune and could not stop smiling.
  30. Imran rubbed his hands and blew on his fingers.
  31. Ananya rubbed her hands and blew on her fingers.
  32. telling
  33. cold
  34. Tara’s tummy rumbled loudly in the middle of class.
  35. Farhan dragged his feet upstairs and flopped on the bed.
  36. A tear rolled slowly down Meera’s cheek.
  37. telling
  38. sad
  39. scared
  40. showing

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