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Show Don’t Tell Worksheet

Creative writing lesson 10: Show, don’t tell · Set 616 · 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?
    “Vihaan’s face turned red, and he clenched his fists.”     (a) angry (b) cold (c) scared
  2. 2.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Yash felt very tired.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  3. 3.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Priya is bored? (a) Priya drummed her fingers and stared at the clock. (b) Priya could barely keep her eyes open at dinner. (c) Priya was bored.
  4. 4.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Aarav dragged his feet upstairs and flopped on the bed.”     (a) tired (b) angry (c) cold
  5. 5.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Priya felt very sad.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  6. 6.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Aisha’s shoulders drooped as she walked slowly home.”     (a) sad (b) cold (c) bored
  7. 7.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Riya felt very tired.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  8. 8.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Kavya is sad? (a) Kavya could barely keep her eyes open at dinner. (b) Kavya was sad. (c) Kavya’s shoulders drooped as she walked slowly home.
  9. 9.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Arjun is scared? (a) Arjun’s heart thumped, and he hid under the sheet. (b) Tears filled Arjun’s eyes, and he stared at the floor. (c) Arjun was scared.
  10. 10.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Ishaan is hungry? (a) Ishaan was hungry. (b) Ishaan gobbled the rice and asked for a second helping. (c) Ishaan’s eyelids drooped, and he yawned again and again.
  11. 11.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Saanvi was really bored.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  12. 12.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Saanvi is scared? (a) Saanvi laughed, clapped and twirled around the room. (b) Saanvi was scared. (c) Saanvi’s knees shook, and she hid behind the door.
  13. 13.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Nisha’s teeth chattered, and she pulled her shawl tighter.”     (a) cold (b) happy (c) bored
  14. 14.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “A tear rolled slowly down Pooja’s cheek.”     (a) bored (b) hungry (c) sad
  15. 15.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Sahil sighed and flipped through the same comic again.”     (a) bored (b) scared (c) tired
  16. 16.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Meera is scared? (a) Meera rubbed her eyes and nodded off on the sofa. (b) Meera’s knees shook, and she hid behind the door. (c) Meera was scared.
  17. 17.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Saanvi is bored? (a) Saanvi stamped her foot and slammed the door. (b) Saanvi was bored. (c) Saanvi drummed her fingers and stared at the clock.
  18. 18.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Aryan felt very hungry.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  19. 19.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Nisha was really bored.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  20. 20.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Diya is bored? (a) Diya was bored. (b) A tear rolled slowly down Diya’s cheek. (c) Diya sighed and flipped through the same comic again.
  21. 21.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Ishaan was tired.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  22. 22.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Sahil laughed, clapped and twirled around the room.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  23. 23.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Tara rubbed her eyes and nodded off on the sofa.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  24. 24.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Riya kicked a pebble round and round the empty yard.”     (a) sad (b) bored (c) happy
  25. 25.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Riya shivered and stamped her feet in the snow.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  26. 26.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Aarav is angry? (a) Aarav froze and held his breath as the floor creaked. (b) Aarav threw down the pencil and shouted, “Not fair!” (c) Aarav was angry.
  27. 27.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Priya was bored.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  28. 28.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Sahil shivered and stamped his feet in the snow.”     (a) cold (b) happy (c) bored
  29. 29.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Rohan is sad? (a) Rohan’s shoulders drooped as he walked slowly home. (b) Rohan kicked a pebble round and round the empty yard. (c) Rohan was sad.
  30. 30.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Tenzin’s shoulders drooped as he walked slowly home.”     (a) bored (b) sad (c) angry
  31. 31.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Ananya is bored? (a) Ananya drummed her fingers and stared at the clock. (b) Ananya’s heart thumped, and she hid under the sheet. (c) Ananya was bored.
  32. 32.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Zoya counted the ceiling fans for the tenth time.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  33. 33.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Vihaan is happy? (a) Vihaan beamed and hugged everyone in sight. (b) Tears filled Vihaan’s eyes, and he stared at the floor. (c) Vihaan was happy.
  34. 34.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Vihaan threw down the pencil and shouted, “Not fair!””     (a) showing (b) telling
  35. 35.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Zoya is angry? (a) Zoya threw down the pencil and shouted, “Not fair!” (b) A tear rolled slowly down Zoya’s cheek. (c) Zoya was angry.
  36. 36.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Tears filled Meera’s eyes, and she stared at the floor.”     (a) sad (b) tired (c) hungry
  37. 37.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Priya is happy? (a) Priya was happy. (b) Priya counted the ceiling fans for the tenth time. (c) Priya hummed a tune and could not stop smiling.
  38. 38.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Riya dragged her feet upstairs and flopped on the bed.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  39. 39.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Priya is bored? (a) Priya counted the ceiling fans for the tenth time. (b) Priya was bored. (c) Priya’s nose turned pink, and she pulled on a woolly cap.
  40. 40.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Neel could barely keep his eyes open at dinner.”     (a) telling (b) showing

Answer key

  1. angry
  2. telling
  3. Priya drummed her fingers and stared at the clock.
  4. tired
  5. telling
  6. sad
  7. telling
  8. Kavya’s shoulders drooped as she walked slowly home.
  9. Arjun’s heart thumped, and he hid under the sheet.
  10. Ishaan gobbled the rice and asked for a second helping.
  11. telling
  12. Saanvi’s knees shook, and she hid behind the door.
  13. cold
  14. sad
  15. bored
  16. Meera’s knees shook, and she hid behind the door.
  17. Saanvi drummed her fingers and stared at the clock.
  18. telling
  19. telling
  20. Diya sighed and flipped through the same comic again.
  21. telling
  22. showing
  23. showing
  24. bored
  25. showing
  26. Aarav threw down the pencil and shouted, “Not fair!”
  27. telling
  28. cold
  29. Rohan’s shoulders drooped as he walked slowly home.
  30. sad
  31. Ananya drummed her fingers and stared at the clock.
  32. showing
  33. Vihaan beamed and hugged everyone in sight.
  34. showing
  35. Zoya threw down the pencil and shouted, “Not fair!”
  36. sad
  37. Priya hummed a tune and could not stop smiling.
  38. showing
  39. Priya counted the ceiling fans for the tenth time.
  40. showing

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