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Show Don’t Tell Worksheet

Creative writing lesson 10: Show, don’t tell · Set 478 · 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 Meera is tired? (a) Meera could barely keep her eyes open at dinner. (b) Meera was tired. (c) Meera stamped her foot and slammed the door.
  2. 2.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Sahil is cold? (a) Sahil’s knees shook, and he hid behind the door. (b) Sahil was cold. (c) Sahil rubbed his hands and blew on his fingers.
  3. 3.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Maria’s eyelids drooped, and she yawned again and again.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  4. 4.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Rohan was really bored.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  5. 5.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Ananya is scared? (a) Ananya was scared. (b) Ananya gobbled the rice and asked for a second helping. (c) Ananya gripped Mum’s hand and squeezed her eyes shut.
  6. 6.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Saanvi is bored? (a) Saanvi was bored. (b) Saanvi sighed and flipped through the same comic again. (c) Saanvi stamped her foot and slammed the door.
  7. 7.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Maria could barely keep her eyes open at dinner.”     (a) tired (b) scared (c) sad
  8. 8.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Dev rubbed his eyes and nodded off on the sofa.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  9. 9.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Kavya threw down the pencil and shouted, “Not fair!””     (a) tired (b) scared (c) angry
  10. 10.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Dev gobbled the rice and asked for a second helping.”     (a) sad (b) hungry (c) angry
  11. 11.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Simran folded her arms and glared at her brother.”     (a) scared (b) angry (c) cold
  12. 12.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Dev shivered and stamped his feet in the snow.”     (a) sad (b) cold (c) scared
  13. 13.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Kabir is scared? (a) Kabir’s eyelids drooped, and he yawned again and again. (b) Kabir was scared. (c) Kabir’s knees shook, and he hid behind the door.
  14. 14.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Dev laughed, clapped and twirled around the room.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  15. 15.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Saanvi hummed a tune and could not stop smiling.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  16. 16.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Zoya is tired? (a) Zoya rubbed her eyes and nodded off on the sofa. (b) Zoya was tired. (c) Zoya laughed, clapped and twirled around the room.
  17. 17.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Nisha is sad? (a) Nisha was sad. (b) Nisha drummed her fingers and stared at the clock. (c) Nisha sat alone, hugging her knees and sniffing.
  18. 18.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Aarav beamed and hugged everyone in sight.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  19. 19.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Dev is hungry? (a) Dev’s heart thumped, and he hid under the sheet. (b) Dev kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch. (c) Dev was hungry.
  20. 20.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Manav is happy? (a) Manav’s heart thumped, and he hid under the sheet. (b) Manav was happy. (c) Manav beamed and hugged everyone in sight.
  21. 21.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Dev’s teeth chattered, and he pulled his shawl tighter.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  22. 22.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Ananya dragged her feet upstairs and flopped on the bed.”     (a) happy (b) scared (c) tired
  23. 23.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Meera is happy? (a) Meera beamed and hugged everyone in sight. (b) Meera’s nose turned pink, and she pulled on a woolly cap. (c) Meera was happy.
  24. 24.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Tears filled Fatima’s eyes, and she stared at the floor.”     (a) cold (b) scared (c) sad
  25. 25.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Sneha kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  26. 26.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Pooja sat alone, hugging her knees and sniffing.”     (a) sad (b) hungry (c) happy
  27. 27.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Vihaan could barely keep his eyes open at dinner.”     (a) sad (b) tired (c) angry
  28. 28.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Saanvi is cold? (a) Saanvi was cold. (b) Saanvi rubbed her hands and blew on her fingers. (c) Saanvi gobbled the rice and asked for a second helping.
  29. 29.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Zoya’s nose turned pink, and she pulled on a woolly cap.”     (a) angry (b) cold (c) bored
  30. 30.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Yash felt very happy.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  31. 31.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Manav is angry? (a) Manav was angry. (b) Manav rubbed his eyes and nodded off on the sofa. (c) Manav threw down the pencil and shouted, “Not fair!”
  32. 32.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Ishaan’s teeth chattered, and he pulled his shawl tighter.”     (a) hungry (b) cold (c) happy
  33. 33.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Dev is tired? (a) Dev was tired. (b) Tears filled Dev’s eyes, and he stared at the floor. (c) Dev’s eyelids drooped, and he yawned again and again.
  34. 34.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Tara is happy? (a) Tara kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch. (b) Tara grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road. (c) Tara was happy.
  35. 35.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Vihaan was happy.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  36. 36.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Fatima is sad? (a) Fatima folded her arms and glared at her brother. (b) A tear rolled slowly down Fatima’s cheek. (c) Fatima was sad.
  37. 37.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Pooja is cold? (a) Pooja shivered and stamped her feet in the snow. (b) Pooja was cold. (c) Pooja grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road.
  38. 38.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Aarav could barely keep his eyes open at dinner.”     (a) happy (b) tired (c) angry
  39. 39.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Nisha was really bored.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  40. 40.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Dev’s tummy rumbled loudly in the middle of class.”     (a) happy (b) cold (c) hungry

Answer key

  1. Meera could barely keep her eyes open at dinner.
  2. Sahil rubbed his hands and blew on his fingers.
  3. showing
  4. telling
  5. Ananya gripped Mum’s hand and squeezed her eyes shut.
  6. Saanvi sighed and flipped through the same comic again.
  7. tired
  8. showing
  9. angry
  10. hungry
  11. angry
  12. cold
  13. Kabir’s knees shook, and he hid behind the door.
  14. showing
  15. showing
  16. Zoya rubbed her eyes and nodded off on the sofa.
  17. Nisha sat alone, hugging her knees and sniffing.
  18. showing
  19. Dev kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch.
  20. Manav beamed and hugged everyone in sight.
  21. showing
  22. tired
  23. Meera beamed and hugged everyone in sight.
  24. sad
  25. showing
  26. sad
  27. tired
  28. Saanvi rubbed her hands and blew on her fingers.
  29. cold
  30. telling
  31. Manav threw down the pencil and shouted, “Not fair!”
  32. cold
  33. Dev’s eyelids drooped, and he yawned again and again.
  34. Tara grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road.
  35. telling
  36. A tear rolled slowly down Fatima’s cheek.
  37. Pooja shivered and stamped her feet in the snow.
  38. tired
  39. telling
  40. hungry

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