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Show Don’t Tell Worksheet

Creative writing lesson 10: Show, don’t tell · Set 296 · 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.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Aryan’s heart thumped, and he hid under the sheet.”     (a) bored (b) happy (c) scared
  2. 2.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Manav is hungry? (a) Manav gobbled the rice and asked for a second helping. (b) Manav was hungry. (c) Manav’s shoulders drooped as he walked slowly home.
  3. 3.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Farhan sat alone, hugging his knees and sniffing.”     (a) sad (b) cold (c) bored
  4. 4.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Neel was really sad.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  5. 5.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Diya is sad? (a) Diya was sad. (b) Tears filled Diya’s eyes, and she stared at the floor. (c) Diya’s face turned red, and she clenched her fists.
  6. 6.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Fatima kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch.”     (a) hungry (b) scared (c) happy
  7. 7.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Saanvi is scared? (a) Saanvi was scared. (b) Saanvi sighed and flipped through the same comic again. (c) Saanvi’s knees shook, and she hid behind the door.
  8. 8.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Neel felt very scared.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  9. 9.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Aryan was really hungry.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  10. 10.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Imran was really tired.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  11. 11.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Saanvi gripped Mum’s hand and squeezed her eyes shut.”     (a) hungry (b) tired (c) scared
  12. 12.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Aarav is angry? (a) Aarav sat alone, hugging his knees and sniffing. (b) Aarav folded his arms and glared at his brother. (c) Aarav was angry.
  13. 13.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Sahil is sad? (a) Sahil’s shoulders drooped as he walked slowly home. (b) Sahil was sad. (c) Sahil beamed and hugged everyone in sight.
  14. 14.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Maria’s heart thumped, and she hid under the sheet.”     (a) scared (b) tired (c) happy
  15. 15.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Ishaan was happy.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  16. 16.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Yash felt very sad.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  17. 17.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Aryan is angry? (a) Aryan was angry. (b) Aryan threw down the pencil and shouted, “Not fair!” (c) Aryan beamed and hugged everyone in sight.
  18. 18.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Meera is hungry? (a) Meera’s tummy rumbled loudly in the middle of class. (b) Meera was hungry. (c) Meera rubbed her eyes and nodded off on the sofa.
  19. 19.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Maria was hungry.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  20. 20.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Diya stamped her foot and slammed the door.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  21. 21.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Dev was hungry.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  22. 22.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Aarav is angry? (a) Aarav’s nose turned pink, and he pulled on a woolly cap. (b) Aarav stamped his foot and slammed the door. (c) Aarav was angry.
  23. 23.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “A tear rolled slowly down Manav’s cheek.”     (a) hungry (b) sad (c) bored
  24. 24.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Imran is cold? (a) Imran shivered and stamped his feet in the snow. (b) Imran grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road. (c) Imran was cold.
  25. 25.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Arjun stamped his foot and slammed the door.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  26. 26.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Aarav is happy? (a) Aarav was happy. (b) Aarav beamed and hugged everyone in sight. (c) A tear rolled slowly down Aarav’s cheek.
  27. 27.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Meera is happy? (a) Meera sighed and flipped through the same comic again. (b) Meera was happy. (c) Meera grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road.
  28. 28.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Aarav kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch.”     (a) happy (b) hungry (c) scared
  29. 29.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Maria drummed her fingers and stared at the clock.”     (a) happy (b) tired (c) bored
  30. 30.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Diya is tired? (a) Diya kicked a pebble round and round the empty yard. (b) Diya was tired. (c) Diya rubbed her eyes and nodded off on the sofa.
  31. 31.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Neel is sad? (a) Neel’s shoulders drooped as he walked slowly home. (b) Neel was sad. (c) Neel kicked a pebble round and round the empty yard.
  32. 32.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Ishaan sighed and flipped through the same comic again.”     (a) bored (b) scared (c) cold
  33. 33.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Ishaan’s face turned red, and he clenched his fists.”     (a) cold (b) scared (c) angry
  34. 34.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Arjun is hungry? (a) Arjun was hungry. (b) Arjun hummed a tune and could not stop smiling. (c) Arjun kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch.
  35. 35.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Farhan was really angry.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  36. 36.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Maria was really hungry.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  37. 37.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Meera felt very sad.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  38. 38.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Kavya dragged her feet upstairs and flopped on the bed.”     (a) bored (b) tired (c) sad
  39. 39.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Ananya is sad? (a) Ananya’s face turned red, and she clenched her fists. (b) Ananya was sad. (c) Ananya sat alone, hugging her knees and sniffing.
  40. 40.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Tenzin drummed his fingers and stared at the clock.”     (a) telling (b) showing

Answer key

  1. scared
  2. Manav gobbled the rice and asked for a second helping.
  3. sad
  4. telling
  5. Tears filled Diya’s eyes, and she stared at the floor.
  6. hungry
  7. Saanvi’s knees shook, and she hid behind the door.
  8. telling
  9. telling
  10. telling
  11. scared
  12. Aarav folded his arms and glared at his brother.
  13. Sahil’s shoulders drooped as he walked slowly home.
  14. scared
  15. telling
  16. telling
  17. Aryan threw down the pencil and shouted, “Not fair!”
  18. Meera’s tummy rumbled loudly in the middle of class.
  19. telling
  20. showing
  21. telling
  22. Aarav stamped his foot and slammed the door.
  23. sad
  24. Imran shivered and stamped his feet in the snow.
  25. showing
  26. Aarav beamed and hugged everyone in sight.
  27. Meera grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road.
  28. hungry
  29. bored
  30. Diya rubbed her eyes and nodded off on the sofa.
  31. Neel’s shoulders drooped as he walked slowly home.
  32. bored
  33. angry
  34. Arjun kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch.
  35. telling
  36. telling
  37. telling
  38. tired
  39. Ananya sat alone, hugging her knees and sniffing.
  40. showing

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