← Show, don’t tell lesson New set →

Show Don’t Tell Worksheet

Creative writing lesson 10: Show, don’t tell · Set 698 · 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.

NameDateTime takenScore ___ / 40
  1. 1.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Dev is happy? (a) Dev froze and held his breath as the floor creaked. (b) Dev hummed a tune and could not stop smiling. (c) Dev was happy.
  2. 2.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Sneha is cold? (a) Sneha shivered and stamped her feet in the snow. (b) Sneha hummed a tune and could not stop smiling. (c) Sneha was cold.
  3. 3.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Riya stamped her foot and slammed the door.”     (a) happy (b) bored (c) angry
  4. 4.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Kavya was really angry.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  5. 5.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Arjun is sad? (a) Arjun was sad. (b) Arjun could barely keep his eyes open at dinner. (c) Tears filled Arjun’s eyes, and he stared at the floor.
  6. 6.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Pooja was sad.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  7. 7.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Farhan was really bored.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  8. 8.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Rohan is sad? (a) Rohan stamped his foot and slammed the door. (b) Tears filled Rohan’s eyes, and he stared at the floor. (c) Rohan was sad.
  9. 9.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Tears filled Meera’s eyes, and she stared at the floor.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  10. 10.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Sneha could barely keep her eyes open at dinner.”     (a) sad (b) angry (c) tired
  11. 11.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Riya hummed a tune and could not stop smiling.”     (a) happy (b) angry (c) scared
  12. 12.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Vihaan dragged his feet upstairs and flopped on the bed.”     (a) hungry (b) tired (c) angry
  13. 13.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Rohan gripped Mum’s hand and squeezed his eyes shut.”     (a) angry (b) tired (c) scared
  14. 14.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Diya is sad? (a) Diya rubbed her eyes and nodded off on the sofa. (b) Diya was sad. (c) Tears filled Diya’s eyes, and she stared at the floor.
  15. 15.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Riya is happy? (a) Riya was happy. (b) Riya licked her lips as the smell of dosas drifted in. (c) Riya grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road.
  16. 16.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Fatima is sad? (a) Fatima sighed and flipped through the same comic again. (b) Fatima was sad. (c) A tear rolled slowly down Fatima’s cheek.
  17. 17.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Sneha is tired? (a) Sneha was tired. (b) Sneha’s teeth chattered, and she pulled her shawl tighter. (c) Sneha rubbed her eyes and nodded off on the sofa.
  18. 18.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Pooja dragged her feet upstairs and flopped on the bed.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  19. 19.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Farhan is tired? (a) Farhan was tired. (b) Farhan’s eyelids drooped, and he yawned again and again. (c) Farhan’s nose turned pink, and he pulled on a woolly cap.
  20. 20.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Pooja felt very tired.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  21. 21.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Maria is cold? (a) Maria was cold. (b) Maria counted the ceiling fans for the tenth time. (c) Maria rubbed her hands and blew on her fingers.
  22. 22.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Pooja grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road.”     (a) sad (b) hungry (c) happy
  23. 23.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Neel is angry? (a) Neel threw down the pencil and shouted, “Not fair!” (b) Neel was angry. (c) Neel’s knees shook, and he hid behind the door.
  24. 24.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Manav is sad? (a) Manav gobbled the rice and asked for a second helping. (b) Tears filled Manav’s eyes, and he stared at the floor. (c) Manav was sad.
  25. 25.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Neel’s knees shook, and he hid behind the door.”     (a) happy (b) angry (c) scared
  26. 26.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Tears filled Vihaan’s eyes, and he stared at the floor.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  27. 27.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Joseph is tired? (a) Joseph’s eyelids drooped, and he yawned again and again. (b) Joseph was tired. (c) Joseph sat alone, hugging his knees and sniffing.
  28. 28.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Kabir felt very scared.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  29. 29.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Kabir sat alone, hugging his knees and sniffing.”     (a) sad (b) cold (c) scared
  30. 30.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Priya is cold? (a) Priya’s teeth chattered, and she pulled her shawl tighter. (b) Priya was cold. (c) Priya rubbed her eyes and nodded off on the sofa.
  31. 31.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Ishaan gripped Mum’s hand and squeezed his eyes shut.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  32. 32.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Saanvi was really hungry.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  33. 33.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Rohan’s tummy rumbled loudly in the middle of class.”     (a) hungry (b) angry (c) happy
  34. 34.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Diya was cold.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  35. 35.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Kavya is cold? (a) Kavya was cold. (b) Kavya laughed, clapped and twirled around the room. (c) Kavya’s nose turned pink, and she pulled on a woolly cap.
  36. 36.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Yash was really happy.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  37. 37.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Diya hummed a tune and could not stop smiling.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  38. 38.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Ishaan was really hungry.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  39. 39.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “A tear rolled slowly down Aisha’s cheek.”     (a) sad (b) hungry (c) bored
  40. 40.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Ishaan is bored? (a) Ishaan froze and held his breath as the floor creaked. (b) Ishaan sighed and flipped through the same comic again. (c) Ishaan was bored.

Answer key

  1. Dev hummed a tune and could not stop smiling.
  2. Sneha shivered and stamped her feet in the snow.
  3. angry
  4. telling
  5. Tears filled Arjun’s eyes, and he stared at the floor.
  6. telling
  7. telling
  8. Tears filled Rohan’s eyes, and he stared at the floor.
  9. showing
  10. tired
  11. happy
  12. tired
  13. scared
  14. Tears filled Diya’s eyes, and she stared at the floor.
  15. Riya grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road.
  16. A tear rolled slowly down Fatima’s cheek.
  17. Sneha rubbed her eyes and nodded off on the sofa.
  18. showing
  19. Farhan’s eyelids drooped, and he yawned again and again.
  20. telling
  21. Maria rubbed her hands and blew on her fingers.
  22. happy
  23. Neel threw down the pencil and shouted, “Not fair!”
  24. Tears filled Manav’s eyes, and he stared at the floor.
  25. scared
  26. showing
  27. Joseph’s eyelids drooped, and he yawned again and again.
  28. telling
  29. sad
  30. Priya’s teeth chattered, and she pulled her shawl tighter.
  31. showing
  32. telling
  33. hungry
  34. telling
  35. Kavya’s nose turned pink, and she pulled on a woolly cap.
  36. telling
  37. showing
  38. telling
  39. sad
  40. Ishaan sighed and flipped through the same comic again.

Free creative writing lessons, practice and worksheets at talentjr.in/creative-writing-for-kids