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Show Don’t Tell Worksheet

Creative writing lesson 10: Show, don’t tell · Set 328 · 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 sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Zoya is tired? (a) Zoya’s eyelids drooped, and she yawned again and again. (b) Zoya was tired. (c) Zoya grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road.
  2. 2.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Imran gobbled the rice and asked for a second helping.”     (a) hungry (b) happy (c) bored
  3. 3.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Maria felt very cold.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  4. 4.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Manav is scared? (a) Manav licked his lips as the smell of dosas drifted in. (b) Manav was scared. (c) Manav’s knees shook, and he hid behind the door.
  5. 5.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Simran was really scared.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  6. 6.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Yash is scared? (a) Yash kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch. (b) Yash’s knees shook, and he hid behind the door. (c) Yash was scared.
  7. 7.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Sahil stamped his foot and slammed the door.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  8. 8.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Sahil is cold? (a) Sahil gobbled the rice and asked for a second helping. (b) Sahil was cold. (c) Sahil’s nose turned pink, and he pulled on a woolly cap.
  9. 9.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Aisha grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road.”     (a) happy (b) cold (c) sad
  10. 10.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Meera’s eyelids drooped, and she yawned again and again.”     (a) bored (b) tired (c) sad
  11. 11.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Pooja grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  12. 12.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Fatima was happy.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  13. 13.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Fatima was bored.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  14. 14.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Diya sighed and flipped through the same comic again.”     (a) scared (b) hungry (c) bored
  15. 15.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Sneha hummed a tune and could not stop smiling.”     (a) happy (b) bored (c) sad
  16. 16.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Vihaan felt very sad.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  17. 17.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Ananya felt very sad.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  18. 18.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Kabir kicked a pebble round and round the empty yard.”     (a) bored (b) scared (c) tired
  19. 19.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Meera is sad? (a) Meera was sad. (b) Meera’s teeth chattered, and she pulled her shawl tighter. (c) Meera’s shoulders drooped as she walked slowly home.
  20. 20.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Pooja laughed, clapped and twirled around the room.”     (a) happy (b) angry (c) scared
  21. 21.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Ananya stamped her foot and slammed the door.”     (a) bored (b) angry (c) cold
  22. 22.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Yash is sad? (a) Yash was sad. (b) Yash sat alone, hugging his knees and sniffing. (c) Yash laughed, clapped and twirled around the room.
  23. 23.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Saanvi counted the ceiling fans for the tenth time.”     (a) bored (b) hungry (c) angry
  24. 24.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Kavya is angry? (a) Kavya was angry. (b) Kavya stamped her foot and slammed the door. (c) Kavya’s heart thumped, and she hid under the sheet.
  25. 25.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Yash was really hungry.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  26. 26.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Ananya is tired? (a) Ananya rubbed her eyes and nodded off on the sofa. (b) Ananya kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch. (c) Ananya was tired.
  27. 27.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Aarav laughed, clapped and twirled around the room.”     (a) happy (b) bored (c) hungry
  28. 28.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Imran froze and held his breath as the floor creaked.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  29. 29.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Nisha is sad? (a) Nisha dragged her feet upstairs and flopped on the bed. (b) Nisha was sad. (c) Nisha sat alone, hugging her knees and sniffing.
  30. 30.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Yash’s tummy rumbled loudly in the middle of class.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  31. 31.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Manav is happy? (a) Manav licked his lips as the smell of dosas drifted in. (b) Manav grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road. (c) Manav was happy.
  32. 32.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Zoya is cold? (a) Zoya shivered and stamped her feet in the snow. (b) Zoya’s face turned red, and she clenched her fists. (c) Zoya was cold.
  33. 33.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Aryan threw down the pencil and shouted, “Not fair!””     (a) telling (b) showing
  34. 34.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Tenzin kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch.”     (a) hungry (b) bored (c) cold
  35. 35.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Tears filled Tenzin’s eyes, and he stared at the floor.”     (a) happy (b) scared (c) sad
  36. 36.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Manav is angry? (a) Manav’s face turned red, and he clenched his fists. (b) Manav froze and held his breath as the floor creaked. (c) Manav was angry.
  37. 37.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Zoya’s face turned red, and she clenched her fists.”     (a) cold (b) angry (c) sad
  38. 38.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Tara gripped Mum’s hand and squeezed her eyes shut.”     (a) scared (b) hungry (c) happy
  39. 39.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Tenzin is happy? (a) Tenzin was happy. (b) Tenzin beamed and hugged everyone in sight. (c) Tenzin gripped Mum’s hand and squeezed his eyes shut.
  40. 40.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Nisha laughed, clapped and twirled around the room.”     (a) hungry (b) happy (c) tired

Answer key

  1. Zoya’s eyelids drooped, and she yawned again and again.
  2. hungry
  3. telling
  4. Manav’s knees shook, and he hid behind the door.
  5. telling
  6. Yash’s knees shook, and he hid behind the door.
  7. showing
  8. Sahil’s nose turned pink, and he pulled on a woolly cap.
  9. happy
  10. tired
  11. showing
  12. telling
  13. telling
  14. bored
  15. happy
  16. telling
  17. telling
  18. bored
  19. Meera’s shoulders drooped as she walked slowly home.
  20. happy
  21. angry
  22. Yash sat alone, hugging his knees and sniffing.
  23. bored
  24. Kavya stamped her foot and slammed the door.
  25. telling
  26. Ananya rubbed her eyes and nodded off on the sofa.
  27. happy
  28. showing
  29. Nisha sat alone, hugging her knees and sniffing.
  30. showing
  31. Manav grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road.
  32. Zoya shivered and stamped her feet in the snow.
  33. showing
  34. hungry
  35. sad
  36. Manav’s face turned red, and he clenched his fists.
  37. angry
  38. scared
  39. Tenzin beamed and hugged everyone in sight.
  40. happy

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