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Show Don’t Tell Worksheet

Creative writing lesson 10: Show, don’t tell · Set 604 · 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?
    “Nisha rubbed her hands and blew on her fingers.”     (a) cold (b) bored (c) hungry
  2. 2.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Simran is bored? (a) Simran’s knees shook, and she hid behind the door. (b) Simran sighed and flipped through the same comic again. (c) Simran was bored.
  3. 3.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Sneha could barely keep her eyes open at dinner.”     (a) hungry (b) tired (c) sad
  4. 4.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Riya was happy.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  5. 5.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Manav folded his arms and glared at his brother.”     (a) happy (b) bored (c) angry
  6. 6.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Meera was angry.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  7. 7.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Fatima is happy? (a) Fatima was happy. (b) Fatima laughed, clapped and twirled around the room. (c) Fatima kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch.
  8. 8.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Imran stamped his foot and slammed the door.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  9. 9.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Aryan is bored? (a) Aryan was bored. (b) Aryan counted the ceiling fans for the tenth time. (c) Aryan’s nose turned pink, and he pulled on a woolly cap.
  10. 10.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Zoya is happy? (a) Zoya was happy. (b) Zoya grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road. (c) Tears filled Zoya’s eyes, and she stared at the floor.
  11. 11.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Aarav sighed and flipped through the same comic again.”     (a) sad (b) bored (c) scared
  12. 12.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Saanvi’s shoulders drooped as she walked slowly home.”     (a) sad (b) bored (c) hungry
  13. 13.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Zoya could barely keep her eyes open at dinner.”     (a) tired (b) bored (c) sad
  14. 14.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Kavya was hungry.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  15. 15.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Kavya is scared? (a) Kavya’s knees shook, and she hid behind the door. (b) Kavya dragged her feet upstairs and flopped on the bed. (c) Kavya was scared.
  16. 16.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Dev was cold.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  17. 17.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Dev’s teeth chattered, and he pulled his shawl tighter.”     (a) cold (b) happy (c) scared
  18. 18.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “A tear rolled slowly down Aisha’s cheek.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  19. 19.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Farhan drummed his fingers and stared at the clock.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  20. 20.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Kavya rubbed her hands and blew on her fingers.”     (a) cold (b) sad (c) scared
  21. 21.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Dev stamped his foot and slammed the door.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  22. 22.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Tara is cold? (a) Tara dragged her feet upstairs and flopped on the bed. (b) Tara was cold. (c) Tara rubbed her hands and blew on her fingers.
  23. 23.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Vihaan is happy? (a) Tears filled Vihaan’s eyes, and he stared at the floor. (b) Vihaan grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road. (c) Vihaan was happy.
  24. 24.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Arjun kicked a pebble round and round the empty yard.”     (a) bored (b) scared (c) happy
  25. 25.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Farhan is cold? (a) Farhan was cold. (b) Farhan folded his arms and glared at his brother. (c) Farhan’s nose turned pink, and he pulled on a woolly cap.
  26. 26.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Vihaan’s nose turned pink, and he pulled on a woolly cap.”     (a) bored (b) tired (c) cold
  27. 27.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Yash’s heart thumped, and he hid under the sheet.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  28. 28.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Neel licked his lips as the smell of dosas drifted in.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  29. 29.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Maria is bored? (a) Maria was bored. (b) Maria counted the ceiling fans for the tenth time. (c) Maria grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road.
  30. 30.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Kavya is bored? (a) Kavya was bored. (b) Kavya rubbed her eyes and nodded off on the sofa. (c) Kavya counted the ceiling fans for the tenth time.
  31. 31.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Rohan is sad? (a) Rohan sat alone, hugging his knees and sniffing. (b) Rohan beamed and hugged everyone in sight. (c) Rohan was sad.
  32. 32.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Vihaan is bored? (a) Vihaan was bored. (b) Vihaan gobbled the rice and asked for a second helping. (c) Vihaan counted the ceiling fans for the tenth time.
  33. 33.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Saanvi is sad? (a) Saanvi laughed, clapped and twirled around the room. (b) Saanvi’s shoulders drooped as she walked slowly home. (c) Saanvi was sad.
  34. 34.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Simran kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch.”     (a) hungry (b) scared (c) tired
  35. 35.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Arjun rubbed his eyes and nodded off on the sofa.”     (a) tired (b) scared (c) angry
  36. 36.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Tenzin was really cold.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  37. 37.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Kabir was sad.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  38. 38.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Manav counted the ceiling fans for the tenth time.”     (a) bored (b) hungry (c) cold
  39. 39.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Neel is hungry? (a) Neel sighed and flipped through the same comic again. (b) Neel was hungry. (c) Neel’s tummy rumbled loudly in the middle of class.
  40. 40.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Neel is scared? (a) Neel was scared. (b) Neel’s knees shook, and he hid behind the door. (c) Neel folded his arms and glared at his brother.

Answer key

  1. cold
  2. Simran sighed and flipped through the same comic again.
  3. tired
  4. telling
  5. angry
  6. telling
  7. Fatima laughed, clapped and twirled around the room.
  8. showing
  9. Aryan counted the ceiling fans for the tenth time.
  10. Zoya grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road.
  11. bored
  12. sad
  13. tired
  14. telling
  15. Kavya’s knees shook, and she hid behind the door.
  16. telling
  17. cold
  18. showing
  19. showing
  20. cold
  21. showing
  22. Tara rubbed her hands and blew on her fingers.
  23. Vihaan grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road.
  24. bored
  25. Farhan’s nose turned pink, and he pulled on a woolly cap.
  26. cold
  27. showing
  28. showing
  29. Maria counted the ceiling fans for the tenth time.
  30. Kavya counted the ceiling fans for the tenth time.
  31. Rohan sat alone, hugging his knees and sniffing.
  32. Vihaan counted the ceiling fans for the tenth time.
  33. Saanvi’s shoulders drooped as she walked slowly home.
  34. hungry
  35. tired
  36. telling
  37. telling
  38. bored
  39. Neel’s tummy rumbled loudly in the middle of class.
  40. Neel’s knees shook, and he hid behind the door.

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