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Show Don’t Tell Worksheet

Creative writing lesson 10: Show, don’t tell · Set 300 · 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?
    “Sneha kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  2. 2.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Pooja froze and held her breath as the floor creaked.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  3. 3.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Farhan is scared? (a) Farhan’s tummy rumbled loudly in the middle of class. (b) Farhan was scared. (c) Farhan froze and held his breath as the floor creaked.
  4. 4.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Sahil counted the ceiling fans for the tenth time.”     (a) happy (b) sad (c) bored
  5. 5.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Aisha was really hungry.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  6. 6.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Arjun’s shoulders drooped as he walked slowly home.”     (a) sad (b) tired (c) bored
  7. 7.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Imran is scared? (a) Imran froze and held his breath as the floor creaked. (b) Imran sat alone, hugging his knees and sniffing. (c) Imran was scared.
  8. 8.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Ananya is angry? (a) Ananya stamped her foot and slammed the door. (b) Ananya’s shoulders drooped as she walked slowly home. (c) Ananya was angry.
  9. 9.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Riya is sad? (a) Riya folded her arms and glared at her brother. (b) Riya was sad. (c) Riya’s shoulders drooped as she walked slowly home.
  10. 10.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Neel is scared? (a) Neel was scared. (b) Neel laughed, clapped and twirled around the room. (c) Neel’s knees shook, and he hid behind the door.
  11. 11.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Kavya is cold? (a) Kavya was cold. (b) Kavya hummed a tune and could not stop smiling. (c) Kavya shivered and stamped her feet in the snow.
  12. 12.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Neel laughed, clapped and twirled around the room.”     (a) happy (b) sad (c) angry
  13. 13.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Sneha is scared? (a) Sneha dragged her feet upstairs and flopped on the bed. (b) Sneha was scared. (c) Sneha’s heart thumped, and she hid under the sheet.
  14. 14.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Meera grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road.”     (a) happy (b) tired (c) cold
  15. 15.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Tara felt very sad.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  16. 16.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Sneha is bored? (a) Sneha gripped Mum’s hand and squeezed her eyes shut. (b) Sneha sighed and flipped through the same comic again. (c) Sneha was bored.
  17. 17.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Riya could barely keep her eyes open at dinner.”     (a) tired (b) scared (c) cold
  18. 18.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Ananya is bored? (a) Ananya drummed her fingers and stared at the clock. (b) Ananya was bored. (c) Ananya could barely keep her eyes open at dinner.
  19. 19.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Meera’s heart thumped, and she hid under the sheet.”     (a) bored (b) scared (c) sad
  20. 20.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Nisha kicked a pebble round and round the empty yard.”     (a) happy (b) bored (c) sad
  21. 21.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Aisha was sad.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  22. 22.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Saanvi is angry? (a) Saanvi’s face turned red, and she clenched her fists. (b) Saanvi was angry. (c) Saanvi sighed and flipped through the same comic again.
  23. 23.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Sneha was really scared.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  24. 24.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Tara is angry? (a) Tara’s teeth chattered, and she pulled her shawl tighter. (b) Tara was angry. (c) Tara stamped her foot and slammed the door.
  25. 25.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Simran dragged her feet upstairs and flopped on the bed.”     (a) angry (b) sad (c) tired
  26. 26.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Kabir was really tired.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  27. 27.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Tara is angry? (a) Tara gobbled the rice and asked for a second helping. (b) Tara was angry. (c) Tara folded her arms and glared at her brother.
  28. 28.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Vihaan gobbled the rice and asked for a second helping.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  29. 29.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Diya is sad? (a) A tear rolled slowly down Diya’s cheek. (b) Diya dragged her feet upstairs and flopped on the bed. (c) Diya was sad.
  30. 30.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Arjun is hungry? (a) Arjun was hungry. (b) Arjun’s nose turned pink, and he pulled on a woolly cap. (c) Arjun gobbled the rice and asked for a second helping.
  31. 31.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Aarav is hungry? (a) Aarav was hungry. (b) Aarav gripped Mum’s hand and squeezed his eyes shut. (c) Aarav’s tummy rumbled loudly in the middle of class.
  32. 32.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Nisha is hungry? (a) Nisha kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch. (b) Tears filled Nisha’s eyes, and she stared at the floor. (c) Nisha was hungry.
  33. 33.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Priya counted the ceiling fans for the tenth time.”     (a) happy (b) cold (c) bored
  34. 34.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Aarav felt very cold.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  35. 35.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Rohan was really hungry.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  36. 36.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Ishaan sighed and flipped through the same comic again.”     (a) angry (b) bored (c) tired
  37. 37.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Kavya licked her lips as the smell of dosas drifted in.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  38. 38.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Imran was sad.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  39. 39.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Kabir felt very sad.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  40. 40.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Vihaan is happy? (a) Vihaan folded his arms and glared at his brother. (b) Vihaan grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road. (c) Vihaan was happy.

Answer key

  1. showing
  2. showing
  3. Farhan froze and held his breath as the floor creaked.
  4. bored
  5. telling
  6. sad
  7. Imran froze and held his breath as the floor creaked.
  8. Ananya stamped her foot and slammed the door.
  9. Riya’s shoulders drooped as she walked slowly home.
  10. Neel’s knees shook, and he hid behind the door.
  11. Kavya shivered and stamped her feet in the snow.
  12. happy
  13. Sneha’s heart thumped, and she hid under the sheet.
  14. happy
  15. telling
  16. Sneha sighed and flipped through the same comic again.
  17. tired
  18. Ananya drummed her fingers and stared at the clock.
  19. scared
  20. bored
  21. telling
  22. Saanvi’s face turned red, and she clenched her fists.
  23. telling
  24. Tara stamped her foot and slammed the door.
  25. tired
  26. telling
  27. Tara folded her arms and glared at her brother.
  28. showing
  29. A tear rolled slowly down Diya’s cheek.
  30. Arjun gobbled the rice and asked for a second helping.
  31. Aarav’s tummy rumbled loudly in the middle of class.
  32. Nisha kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch.
  33. bored
  34. telling
  35. telling
  36. bored
  37. showing
  38. telling
  39. telling
  40. Vihaan grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road.

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