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Show Don’t Tell Worksheet

Creative writing lesson 10: Show, don’t tell · Set 326 · 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 tummy rumbled loudly in the middle of class.”     (a) sad (b) hungry (c) cold
  2. 2.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Diya is hungry? (a) Diya kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch. (b) Diya was hungry. (c) Diya hummed a tune and could not stop smiling.
  3. 3.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Pooja froze and held her breath as the floor creaked.”     (a) tired (b) angry (c) scared
  4. 4.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Arjun was angry.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  5. 5.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Ishaan grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  6. 6.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Joseph is happy? (a) Joseph kicked a pebble round and round the empty yard. (b) Joseph was happy. (c) Joseph beamed and hugged everyone in sight.
  7. 7.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Manav was really angry.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  8. 8.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Kavya is cold? (a) Kavya folded her arms and glared at her brother. (b) Kavya was cold. (c) Kavya shivered and stamped her feet in the snow.
  9. 9.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “A tear rolled slowly down Fatima’s cheek.”     (a) scared (b) sad (c) tired
  10. 10.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Arjun is cold? (a) Arjun rubbed his hands and blew on his fingers. (b) Arjun was cold. (c) Arjun licked his lips as the smell of dosas drifted in.
  11. 11.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Riya shivered and stamped her feet in the snow.”     (a) sad (b) cold (c) happy
  12. 12.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Arjun’s shoulders drooped as he walked slowly home.”     (a) bored (b) sad (c) hungry
  13. 13.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Zoya kicked a pebble round and round the empty yard.”     (a) happy (b) bored (c) hungry
  14. 14.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Joseph was really tired.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  15. 15.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Tears filled Manav’s eyes, and he stared at the floor.”     (a) scared (b) sad (c) happy
  16. 16.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Maria is bored? (a) Maria drummed her fingers and stared at the clock. (b) Maria’s face turned red, and she clenched her fists. (c) Maria was bored.
  17. 17.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Ishaan kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch.”     (a) hungry (b) happy (c) angry
  18. 18.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Kabir is cold? (a) Kabir was cold. (b) Kabir shivered and stamped his feet in the snow. (c) Kabir gripped Mum’s hand and squeezed his eyes shut.
  19. 19.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Joseph is bored? (a) Joseph sighed and flipped through the same comic again. (b) Joseph was bored. (c) Joseph kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch.
  20. 20.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Tears filled Ishaan’s eyes, and he stared at the floor.”     (a) hungry (b) sad (c) scared
  21. 21.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Rohan is tired? (a) Rohan was tired. (b) Rohan’s tummy rumbled loudly in the middle of class. (c) Rohan dragged his feet upstairs and flopped on the bed.
  22. 22.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Neel kicked a pebble round and round the empty yard.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  23. 23.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Sahil hummed a tune and could not stop smiling.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  24. 24.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Saanvi’s nose turned pink, and she pulled on a woolly cap.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  25. 25.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Arjun is cold? (a) Arjun gripped Mum’s hand and squeezed his eyes shut. (b) Arjun shivered and stamped his feet in the snow. (c) Arjun was cold.
  26. 26.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Zoya’s shoulders drooped as she walked slowly home.”     (a) angry (b) tired (c) sad
  27. 27.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Riya was tired.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  28. 28.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Aisha’s eyelids drooped, and she yawned again and again.”     (a) hungry (b) tired (c) sad
  29. 29.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Sahil is sad? (a) Sahil counted the ceiling fans for the tenth time. (b) Sahil sat alone, hugging his knees and sniffing. (c) Sahil was sad.
  30. 30.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Farhan was really happy.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  31. 31.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Ishaan’s tummy rumbled loudly in the middle of class.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  32. 32.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Kabir is tired? (a) Kabir rubbed his eyes and nodded off on the sofa. (b) Kabir was tired. (c) Kabir grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road.
  33. 33.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Meera is angry? (a) Meera folded her arms and glared at her brother. (b) Meera’s shoulders drooped as she walked slowly home. (c) Meera was angry.
  34. 34.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Rohan is angry? (a) Rohan beamed and hugged everyone in sight. (b) Rohan was angry. (c) Rohan folded his arms and glared at his brother.
  35. 35.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Sahil is hungry? (a) Sahil’s teeth chattered, and he pulled his shawl tighter. (b) Sahil licked his lips as the smell of dosas drifted in. (c) Sahil was hungry.
  36. 36.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Aryan laughed, clapped and twirled around the room.”     (a) happy (b) hungry (c) tired
  37. 37.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “A tear rolled slowly down Tenzin’s cheek.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  38. 38.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Saanvi gobbled the rice and asked for a second helping.”     (a) tired (b) cold (c) hungry
  39. 39.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Tears filled Pooja’s eyes, and she stared at the floor.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  40. 40.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Aisha felt very tired.”     (a) telling (b) showing

Answer key

  1. hungry
  2. Diya kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch.
  3. scared
  4. telling
  5. showing
  6. Joseph beamed and hugged everyone in sight.
  7. telling
  8. Kavya shivered and stamped her feet in the snow.
  9. sad
  10. Arjun rubbed his hands and blew on his fingers.
  11. cold
  12. sad
  13. bored
  14. telling
  15. sad
  16. Maria drummed her fingers and stared at the clock.
  17. hungry
  18. Kabir shivered and stamped his feet in the snow.
  19. Joseph sighed and flipped through the same comic again.
  20. sad
  21. Rohan dragged his feet upstairs and flopped on the bed.
  22. showing
  23. showing
  24. showing
  25. Arjun shivered and stamped his feet in the snow.
  26. sad
  27. telling
  28. tired
  29. Sahil sat alone, hugging his knees and sniffing.
  30. telling
  31. showing
  32. Kabir rubbed his eyes and nodded off on the sofa.
  33. Meera folded her arms and glared at her brother.
  34. Rohan folded his arms and glared at his brother.
  35. Sahil licked his lips as the smell of dosas drifted in.
  36. happy
  37. showing
  38. hungry
  39. showing
  40. telling

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