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Show Don’t Tell Worksheet

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

Answer key

  1. A tear rolled slowly down Yash’s cheek.
  2. Yash dragged his feet upstairs and flopped on the bed.
  3. scared
  4. angry
  5. angry
  6. Arjun rubbed his hands and blew on his fingers.
  7. Joseph folded his arms and glared at his brother.
  8. Meera kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch.
  9. cold
  10. telling
  11. Simran threw down the pencil and shouted, “Not fair!”
  12. Ishaan dragged his feet upstairs and flopped on the bed.
  13. Aisha’s eyelids drooped, and she yawned again and again.
  14. hungry
  15. tired
  16. A tear rolled slowly down Aryan’s cheek.
  17. Tears filled Neel’s eyes, and he stared at the floor.
  18. Neel stamped his foot and slammed the door.
  19. Fatima rubbed her hands and blew on her fingers.
  20. sad
  21. cold
  22. showing
  23. Aarav’s shoulders drooped as he walked slowly home.
  24. angry
  25. telling
  26. showing
  27. telling
  28. telling
  29. sad
  30. angry
  31. showing
  32. showing
  33. sad
  34. Neel kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch.
  35. Farhan grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road.
  36. Priya gripped Mum’s hand and squeezed her eyes shut.
  37. Joseph gripped Mum’s hand and squeezed his eyes shut.
  38. happy
  39. scared
  40. happy

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