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Show Don’t Tell Worksheet

Creative writing lesson 10: Show, don’t tell · Set 608 · 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?
    “A tear rolled slowly down Fatima’s cheek.”     (a) sad (b) tired (c) cold
  2. 2.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Farhan is hungry? (a) Farhan’s tummy rumbled loudly in the middle of class. (b) Farhan’s eyelids drooped, and he yawned again and again. (c) Farhan was hungry.
  3. 3.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Simran could barely keep her eyes open at dinner.”     (a) tired (b) scared (c) angry
  4. 4.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Vihaan kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch.”     (a) hungry (b) tired (c) cold
  5. 5.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Dev is hungry? (a) Dev rubbed his hands and blew on his fingers. (b) Dev was hungry. (c) Dev’s tummy rumbled loudly in the middle of class.
  6. 6.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Pooja hummed a tune and could not stop smiling.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  7. 7.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Neel is cold? (a) Neel was cold. (b) Neel counted the ceiling fans for the tenth time. (c) Neel rubbed his hands and blew on his fingers.
  8. 8.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Simran beamed and hugged everyone in sight.”     (a) happy (b) scared (c) tired
  9. 9.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Rohan is happy? (a) Rohan threw down the pencil and shouted, “Not fair!” (b) Rohan laughed, clapped and twirled around the room. (c) Rohan was happy.
  10. 10.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Ananya is scared? (a) Ananya was scared. (b) Ananya froze and held her breath as the floor creaked. (c) Ananya grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road.
  11. 11.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Aryan is sad? (a) Aryan was sad. (b) Aryan shivered and stamped his feet in the snow. (c) A tear rolled slowly down Aryan’s cheek.
  12. 12.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Manav laughed, clapped and twirled around the room.”     (a) happy (b) bored (c) cold
  13. 13.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Simran is cold? (a) Simran was cold. (b) Simran’s nose turned pink, and she pulled on a woolly cap. (c) Simran’s heart thumped, and she hid under the sheet.
  14. 14.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Tears filled Meera’s eyes, and she stared at the floor.”     (a) scared (b) sad (c) cold
  15. 15.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Sneha’s eyelids drooped, and she yawned again and again.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  16. 16.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Ishaan’s shoulders drooped as he walked slowly home.”     (a) sad (b) angry (c) happy
  17. 17.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Imran is happy? (a) Imran was happy. (b) Imran threw down the pencil and shouted, “Not fair!” (c) Imran hummed a tune and could not stop smiling.
  18. 18.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Saanvi is tired? (a) Saanvi was tired. (b) Saanvi sat alone, hugging her knees and sniffing. (c) Saanvi’s eyelids drooped, and she yawned again and again.
  19. 19.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Kavya was really angry.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  20. 20.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Aarav is sad? (a) Aarav stamped his foot and slammed the door. (b) Aarav sat alone, hugging his knees and sniffing. (c) Aarav was sad.
  21. 21.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Vihaan was really angry.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  22. 22.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Meera is bored? (a) Meera’s eyelids drooped, and she yawned again and again. (b) Meera kicked a pebble round and round the empty yard. (c) Meera was bored.
  23. 23.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Priya stamped her foot and slammed the door.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  24. 24.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Priya is sad? (a) Priya was sad. (b) Priya kicked a pebble round and round the empty yard. (c) Priya sat alone, hugging her knees and sniffing.
  25. 25.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Simran is angry? (a) Simran was angry. (b) Simran grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road. (c) Simran threw down the pencil and shouted, “Not fair!”
  26. 26.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Tenzin’s face turned red, and he clenched his fists.”     (a) cold (b) angry (c) tired
  27. 27.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Aryan is bored? (a) Aryan was bored. (b) Aryan drummed his fingers and stared at the clock. (c) A tear rolled slowly down Aryan’s cheek.
  28. 28.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Fatima was really sad.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  29. 29.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Ananya is sad? (a) Ananya dragged her feet upstairs and flopped on the bed. (b) Ananya was sad. (c) A tear rolled slowly down Ananya’s cheek.
  30. 30.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Zoya’s face turned red, and she clenched her fists.”     (a) cold (b) angry (c) hungry
  31. 31.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Zoya gripped Mum’s hand and squeezed her eyes shut.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  32. 32.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Saanvi sighed and flipped through the same comic again.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  33. 33.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Sneha dragged her feet upstairs and flopped on the bed.”     (a) tired (b) hungry (c) bored
  34. 34.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Kabir was sad.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  35. 35.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Maria is happy? (a) Maria gripped Mum’s hand and squeezed her eyes shut. (b) Maria was happy. (c) Maria beamed and hugged everyone in sight.
  36. 36.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Manav is tired? (a) Manav rubbed his eyes and nodded off on the sofa. (b) Manav kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch. (c) Manav was tired.
  37. 37.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Dev’s shoulders drooped as he walked slowly home.”     (a) cold (b) scared (c) sad
  38. 38.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Kabir was bored.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  39. 39.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Tara laughed, clapped and twirled around the room.”     (a) hungry (b) sad (c) happy
  40. 40.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Ishaan could barely keep his eyes open at dinner.”     (a) angry (b) scared (c) tired

Answer key

  1. sad
  2. Farhan’s tummy rumbled loudly in the middle of class.
  3. tired
  4. hungry
  5. Dev’s tummy rumbled loudly in the middle of class.
  6. showing
  7. Neel rubbed his hands and blew on his fingers.
  8. happy
  9. Rohan laughed, clapped and twirled around the room.
  10. Ananya froze and held her breath as the floor creaked.
  11. A tear rolled slowly down Aryan’s cheek.
  12. happy
  13. Simran’s nose turned pink, and she pulled on a woolly cap.
  14. sad
  15. showing
  16. sad
  17. Imran hummed a tune and could not stop smiling.
  18. Saanvi’s eyelids drooped, and she yawned again and again.
  19. telling
  20. Aarav sat alone, hugging his knees and sniffing.
  21. telling
  22. Meera kicked a pebble round and round the empty yard.
  23. showing
  24. Priya sat alone, hugging her knees and sniffing.
  25. Simran threw down the pencil and shouted, “Not fair!”
  26. angry
  27. Aryan drummed his fingers and stared at the clock.
  28. telling
  29. A tear rolled slowly down Ananya’s cheek.
  30. angry
  31. showing
  32. showing
  33. tired
  34. telling
  35. Maria beamed and hugged everyone in sight.
  36. Manav rubbed his eyes and nodded off on the sofa.
  37. sad
  38. telling
  39. happy
  40. tired

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