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Show Don’t Tell Worksheet

Creative writing lesson 10: Show, don’t tell · Set 807 · 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 Neel is bored? (a) Neel kicked a pebble round and round the empty yard. (b) Neel was bored. (c) Neel grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road.
  2. 2.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Yash was angry.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  3. 3.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Kabir is happy? (a) Kabir was happy. (b) Kabir’s knees shook, and he hid behind the door. (c) Kabir beamed and hugged everyone in sight.
  4. 4.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Joseph felt very tired.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  5. 5.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Ananya is tired? (a) Ananya was tired. (b) Ananya licked her lips as the smell of dosas drifted in. (c) Ananya dragged her feet upstairs and flopped on the bed.
  6. 6.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Maria is hungry? (a) Maria sat alone, hugging her knees and sniffing. (b) Maria’s tummy rumbled loudly in the middle of class. (c) Maria was hungry.
  7. 7.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Meera gobbled the rice and asked for a second helping.”     (a) happy (b) hungry (c) bored
  8. 8.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Sahil’s teeth chattered, and he pulled his shawl tighter.”     (a) cold (b) tired (c) happy
  9. 9.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Sahil froze and held his breath as the floor creaked.”     (a) tired (b) scared (c) cold
  10. 10.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Kavya felt very bored.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  11. 11.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Nisha is cold? (a) Nisha was cold. (b) Nisha’s nose turned pink, and she pulled on a woolly cap. (c) A tear rolled slowly down Nisha’s cheek.
  12. 12.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “A tear rolled slowly down Riya’s cheek.”     (a) hungry (b) bored (c) sad
  13. 13.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Sahil is tired? (a) Sahil counted the ceiling fans for the tenth time. (b) Sahil was tired. (c) Sahil’s eyelids drooped, and he yawned again and again.
  14. 14.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Maria felt very cold.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  15. 15.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Joseph kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch.”     (a) scared (b) tired (c) hungry
  16. 16.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Priya is cold? (a) Priya could barely keep her eyes open at dinner. (b) Priya’s nose turned pink, and she pulled on a woolly cap. (c) Priya was cold.
  17. 17.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Rohan is hungry? (a) Rohan was hungry. (b) Rohan gobbled the rice and asked for a second helping. (c) Rohan could barely keep his eyes open at dinner.
  18. 18.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Nisha’s nose turned pink, and she pulled on a woolly cap.”     (a) scared (b) tired (c) cold
  19. 19.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Dev’s eyelids drooped, and he yawned again and again.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  20. 20.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Imran kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch.”     (a) hungry (b) cold (c) scared
  21. 21.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Neel’s teeth chattered, and he pulled his shawl tighter.”     (a) angry (b) bored (c) cold
  22. 22.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Riya is scared? (a) Riya froze and held her breath as the floor creaked. (b) Riya was scared. (c) Riya’s teeth chattered, and she pulled her shawl tighter.
  23. 23.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Aarav is sad? (a) Aarav’s heart thumped, and he hid under the sheet. (b) A tear rolled slowly down Aarav’s cheek. (c) Aarav was sad.
  24. 24.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Meera’s knees shook, and she hid behind the door.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  25. 25.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Sneha was hungry.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  26. 26.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Aarav’s tummy rumbled loudly in the middle of class.”     (a) tired (b) happy (c) hungry
  27. 27.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Simran’s tummy rumbled loudly in the middle of class.”     (a) cold (b) angry (c) hungry
  28. 28.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Diya is tired? (a) Diya hummed a tune and could not stop smiling. (b) Diya could barely keep her eyes open at dinner. (c) Diya was tired.
  29. 29.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Joseph is hungry? (a) Joseph’s tummy rumbled loudly in the middle of class. (b) Joseph was hungry. (c) A tear rolled slowly down Joseph’s cheek.
  30. 30.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Saanvi was sad.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  31. 31.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Kabir is hungry? (a) Kabir was hungry. (b) Kabir could barely keep his eyes open at dinner. (c) Kabir gobbled the rice and asked for a second helping.
  32. 32.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Aryan is bored? (a) Aryan was bored. (b) Aryan’s shoulders drooped as he walked slowly home. (c) Aryan sighed and flipped through the same comic again.
  33. 33.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Simran counted the ceiling fans for the tenth time.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  34. 34.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Meera is bored? (a) Meera sighed and flipped through the same comic again. (b) Meera was bored. (c) Meera rubbed her hands and blew on her fingers.
  35. 35.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Manav threw down the pencil and shouted, “Not fair!””     (a) scared (b) angry (c) happy
  36. 36.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Diya kicked a pebble round and round the empty yard.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  37. 37.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Aarav felt very cold.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  38. 38.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Kavya is angry? (a) Kavya sat alone, hugging her knees and sniffing. (b) Kavya was angry. (c) Kavya threw down the pencil and shouted, “Not fair!”
  39. 39.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Sahil is cold? (a) Sahil was cold. (b) Sahil shivered and stamped his feet in the snow. (c) Sahil folded his arms and glared at his brother.
  40. 40.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Ananya froze and held her breath as the floor creaked.”     (a) scared (b) sad (c) cold

Answer key

  1. Neel kicked a pebble round and round the empty yard.
  2. telling
  3. Kabir beamed and hugged everyone in sight.
  4. telling
  5. Ananya dragged her feet upstairs and flopped on the bed.
  6. Maria’s tummy rumbled loudly in the middle of class.
  7. hungry
  8. cold
  9. scared
  10. telling
  11. Nisha’s nose turned pink, and she pulled on a woolly cap.
  12. sad
  13. Sahil’s eyelids drooped, and he yawned again and again.
  14. telling
  15. hungry
  16. Priya’s nose turned pink, and she pulled on a woolly cap.
  17. Rohan gobbled the rice and asked for a second helping.
  18. cold
  19. showing
  20. hungry
  21. cold
  22. Riya froze and held her breath as the floor creaked.
  23. A tear rolled slowly down Aarav’s cheek.
  24. showing
  25. telling
  26. hungry
  27. hungry
  28. Diya could barely keep her eyes open at dinner.
  29. Joseph’s tummy rumbled loudly in the middle of class.
  30. telling
  31. Kabir gobbled the rice and asked for a second helping.
  32. Aryan sighed and flipped through the same comic again.
  33. showing
  34. Meera sighed and flipped through the same comic again.
  35. angry
  36. showing
  37. telling
  38. Kavya threw down the pencil and shouted, “Not fair!”
  39. Sahil shivered and stamped his feet in the snow.
  40. scared

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