Story Elements Practice Worksheet

Creative writing lesson 8: Practice: story building blocks · Set 39 · 40 questions

Writer's tip (Build it block by block): Decide which building block the question is about. Use that lesson’s tip: who has the problem, where and when, what goes wrong, how it is fixed, or what comes first. Check your choice against the story text.

1. 1.Read the story. Which word best describes Saanvi?
   One quiet Sunday, Saanvi was visiting her grandpa’s flat. Grandpa could not find his reading glasses anywhere. Saanvi looked under the sofa and behind every cushion. At last she laughed, for the glasses were on his head! Grandpa chuckled and gave Saanvi a big hug. (a) lazy (b) rude (c) helpful
2. 2.Read the story. Which sentence shows the problem?
   One warm evening, Imran opened the garden shed. A long snake was curled up near the door. Imran stepped back slowly and did not touch it. Mr Reddy, a snake rescuer, carried it away safely. Imran learnt that snakes should be left to experts. (a) A long snake was curled up near the door. (b) Imran learnt that snakes should be left to experts. (c) One warm evening, Imran opened the garden shed.
3. 3.Read the story so far. Which sentence is the best ENDING?
   One hot afternoon, Kabir played cricket by the village pond. Farhan hit the ball so hard that it splashed into the water. Kabir tried to reach it, but his arms were too short. He tied a basket to a stick and scooped the ball out. (a) Sneha told stories until the lights came back on. (b) Kabir and Farhan cheered and went on with the game. (c) Meera shared her parathas with Tenzin to say thank you.
4. 4.Read this. What is most likely to happen next?
   Ananya tripped and scraped her knee. (a) Her knee grew a flower. (b) Her knee began to glow like a bulb. (c) Her knee began to hurt and bleed a little.
5. 5.Read the story. How is the problem solved?
   One breezy evening, Tanmay played marbles in the back yard. His lucky blue marble rolled into a deep drain. Tanmay could not reach it with his arm or a stick. His sister Gita stuck clay on a stick and lifted it out. Tanmay thanked Gita and kept his marble safe. (a) Clay on a stick lifts the marble out (b) A marble rolls into a deep drain (c) A saucer of milk tempts the kitten out
6. 6.Read the story. Where does it take place?
   On a busy Monday, Meera rode the school bus to class. At lunch, Meera saw that her tiffin box was missing. Meera and her friend Tenzin searched seat by seat. The red box was hiding under the very last seat. Meera shared her parathas with Tenzin to say thank you. (a) a tall building (b) the school bus (c) the village square
7. 7.Fill the gap with the right sequence word.
   How to cross the road:
   First, stop at the edge of the pavement.
   ___, look right, left and right again.
   Next, wait until the road is clear.
   Finally, walk straight across the road. (a) Finally (b) Then (c) First
8. 8.Every story needs a problem. Which of these is a problem? (a) the school library (b) A car tyre goes flat on a long trip (c) in the dry season
9. 9.Which is the best solution to this problem?
   “A puppy has torn a page of a library book” (a) The torn page is mended with tape (b) The baker fixes one letter in icing (c) A snake rescuer carries it away safely
10. 10.Read the story. Who is the main character?
    In the dry season, Lakshmi walked to the village square. The old well had dried up, and people had no water. Lakshmi asked everyone to dig a pond to catch the rain. Raju and the others dug every evening for a month. When the rains came, Lakshmi’s pond filled to the brim. (a) Dev (b) Raju (c) Lakshmi
11. 11.Read the story. Which sentence tells you the setting (where and when)?
    On a Friday afternoon, Dev walked into the school library. His puppy had torn a page of the book he borrowed. Dev was scared, but he told the librarian the truth. Ms Fernandes smiled and showed him how to tape it. Dev mended the page neatly and felt proud of himself. (a) Dev mended the page neatly and felt proud of himself. (b) On a Friday afternoon, Dev walked into the school library. (c) Dev was scared, but he told the librarian the truth.
12. 12.Read the start of the story. What happens next?
    One hot afternoon, Kabir played cricket by the village pond. Farhan hit the ball so hard that it splashed into the water. (a) Kabir tried to reach it, but his arms were too short. (b) Imran stepped back slowly and did not touch it. (c) Tenzin followed its hoofprints down the muddy path.
13. 13.Read the story. Which of these is a character in it?
    One Monday morning, Aryan sat down in his classroom. He found that he had left his homework at home. Aryan told Ms Gill the truth before she even asked. Ms Gill let him bring it the next day. Aryan made a checklist so he would never forget again. (a) Ms Gill (b) Riya (c) Vihaan
14. 14.These sentences come from one story. Which one is the BEGINNING? (a) Lakshmi gave Manav a bunch of carrots as thanks. (b) One busy morning, Manav walked to the vegetable market. (c) Manav ran after the goat and held out a carrot.
15. 15.Read the story. What is the problem in it?
    One foggy morning, Fatima waited at the railway station. Her train was three hours late. Fatima opened her bag and found a book of puzzles. She and an old man, Mr Iyer, solved puzzles together. The train came, and Fatima had made a new friend. (a) A boy gets lost in a big crowd (b) Solving puzzles together passes the time (c) A train is three hours late
16. 16.Read the story so far. Which sentence is the best ENDING?
    On her birthday morning, Riya hurried to the bakery. The cake said “Happy Birthday, Rita” instead of Riya! Riya laughed and asked politely if it could be fixed. Uncle Jacob, the baker, added a neat y in icing. (a) Riya carried home a cake with her name spelt right. (b) In five minutes, Vihaan’s dad came running to him. (c) The train came, and Fatima had made a new friend.
17. 17.Read the story. What is the problem in it?
    On a busy Monday, Meera rode the school bus to class. At lunch, Meera saw that her tiffin box was missing. Meera and her friend Tenzin searched seat by seat. The red box was hiding under the very last seat. Meera shared her parathas with Tenzin to say thank you. (a) The box is found under the last seat (b) A tiffin box goes missing at lunch time (c) A puppy cannot find its owner
18. 18.Read the story. Which word best describes Isha?
    On the first day of school, Isha walked into a new school. She knew nobody and sat all alone at lunch. Then Isha saw another girl sitting alone too. Isha smiled and asked Maria to share her lunch. By evening, Isha and Maria were best friends. (a) lazy (b) friendly (c) selfish
19. 19.Read the story. Which word best describes Zoya?
    On a festive night, Zoya danced in the wedding hall. Aunt Lata cried out that she had lost a gold earring. Zoya looked carefully under every chair and table. The earring was shining beside the flower stand. Zoya gave it back, and Aunt Lata thanked her warmly. (a) lazy (b) unkind (c) careful
20. 20.These steps to make a clay pot are mixed up. Which step comes FIRST? (a) Roll it into a ball. (b) Leave the pot in the sun to dry. (c) Knead the clay until it is soft.
21. 21.Read the story so far. Which sentence is the best ENDING?
    One sunny morning, Rohan cycled up the hill road. Halfway up, the chain of his bicycle slipped off. Rohan sat down and studied the chain slowly. Mr Das, a kind farmer, showed him how to fix it. (a) Rohan rode on, proud that he could fix a chain now. (b) This time Maria’s castle stood tall until sunset. (c) Kabir and Farhan cheered and went on with the game.
22. 22.Read the story. Which sentence tells how the problem is solved?
    On competition day, Nisha stood on stage in the town hall. Her mind went blank on the word “necessary”. Nisha recalled the rhyme Mrs Sen had taught her. She spelt it slowly, letter by letter, and got it right. Nisha won the silver cup and thanked Mrs Sen. (a) She spelt it slowly, letter by letter, and got it right. (b) On competition day, Nisha stood on stage in the town hall. (c) Her mind went blank on the word “necessary”.
23. 23.Read the story so far. Which sentence is the best ENDING?
    On Sports Day, Neel lined up at the sports ground. His running shoes had been mixed up, and they were too big! Neel did not panic and looked at the names inside. Coach Iqbal swapped them back with a boy in the next lane. (a) Zoya gave it back, and Aunt Lata thanked her warmly. (b) Neel ran in the right shoes and came second. (c) His sister Pema gave Tenzin the first cup of butter tea.
24. 24.Read the story. Which word best describes Maria?
    During the Christmas holidays, Maria went to the beach. Each time she built a castle, the waves washed it away. Maria thought hard and moved further up the sand. Her friend Kunal dug a moat to keep the water out. This time Maria’s castle stood tall until sunset. (a) patient (b) lazy (c) unkind
25. 25.Read the start of the story. What happens next?
    On a Friday afternoon, Dev walked into the school library. His puppy had torn a page of the book he borrowed. (a) Dev was scared, but he told the librarian the truth. (b) Riya laughed and asked politely if it could be fixed. (c) Ayaan ran home and told Maa what had happened.
26. 26.These sentences come from one story. Which one is the BEGINNING? (a) Aarav jumped and jumped, but he could not reach it. (b) One windy afternoon, Aarav flew his kite in the playground. (c) Aarav thanked Kiran, and the kite flew high again.
27. 27.Read the story. How is the problem solved?
    On bake sale day, Kiara set up a stall at the school gate. By noon, nobody had bought a single cookie. Kiara made a bright sign that said “Fresh Cookies!” Her friend Zubin rang a bell to call people over. Soon Kiara had sold every cookie for the library fund. (a) The window is opened to let it out (b) A bright sign and a bell bring buyers (c) Nobody buys anything from the stall
28. 28.Read this. What is most likely to happen next?
    Arjun watered the drooping plant every day for a week. (a) Its leaves stood up green and fresh again. (b) The plant flew out of its pot. (c) The plant dried up even more.
29. 29.These steps to fly a kite are mixed up. Which step comes FIRST? (a) Let out the string slowly as it rises. (b) Tie the string to the kite. (c) Hold the kite up to the wind.
30. 30.Read the story. When does it take place?
    One rainy morning, Ayaan walked down the muddy lane. A passing scooter sprayed mud all over his white uniform. Ayaan ran home and told Maa what had happened. Maa quickly gave him a clean spare uniform. Ayaan reached school just as the bell rang. (a) one rainy morning (b) one bright morning (c) on Sports Day
31. 31.Read this. What is most likely to happen next?
    Pooja’s balloon touched a thorny bush. (a) The balloon grew bigger and bigger. (b) The balloon burst with a pop. (c) The thorns blew up the balloon again.
32. 32.Read this. What is most likely to happen next?
    The car ran out of petrol on the road. (a) The car slowly came to a stop. (b) The car went faster and faster. (c) The car filled its own tank.
33. 33.These sentences come from one story. Which one is the BEGINNING? (a) Back on land, Anjali and Appa laughed with relief. (b) Anjali pressed her rubber slipper hard over the crack. (c) One bright morning, Anjali went boating on the backwaters.
34. 34.Read the story. Which of these is a character in it?
    On a festive night, Zoya danced in the wedding hall. Aunt Lata cried out that she had lost a gold earring. Zoya looked carefully under every chair and table. The earring was shining beside the flower stand. Zoya gave it back, and Aunt Lata thanked her warmly. (a) Maria (b) Aunt Lata (c) Arjun
35. 35.Read the story. Which sentence shows the problem?
    On the first day of school, Isha walked into a new school. She knew nobody and sat all alone at lunch. Then Isha saw another girl sitting alone too. Isha smiled and asked Maria to share her lunch. By evening, Isha and Maria were best friends. (a) She knew nobody and sat all alone at lunch. (b) By evening, Isha and Maria were best friends. (c) On the first day of school, Isha walked into a new school.
36. 36.Read the story. Where does it take place?
    Early one Saturday, Ishaan ran to the colony park. The seat of the old swing had cracked in two. Ishaan asked the other children to help him mend it. Mrs Rao gave them a strong plank and some rope. By noon, Ishaan was swinging high on the new seat. (a) the colony park (b) the back yard (c) her flat in Pune
37. 37.Fill the gap with the right sequence word.
    How to plant a seed:
    First, fill a small pot with soil.
    Then, make a hole with your finger.
    ___, drop the seed in and cover it.
    Finally, water the pot and keep it in the sun. (a) First (b) Next (c) Finally
38. 38.These steps to wash your hands are mixed up. Which step comes FIRST? (a) Wet your hands under the tap. (b) Rub soap all over them. (c) Scrub between your fingers.
39. 39.Read the story. How is the problem solved?
    On Pongal morning, Aditi drew a rangoli on the front step. A gust of wind blew the coloured powder everywhere. Aditi did not give up and started all over again. Her brother Sid held up a board to block the wind. By noon, Aditi’s rangoli was the brightest on the street. (a) Wind blows away the rangoli powder (b) The torn page is mended with tape (c) A board held up blocks the wind
40. 40.Read the story. Which sentence tells you the setting (where and when)?
    On a hot summer night, Sneha read in her flat in Pune. Suddenly the lights went out, and her little brother cried. Sneha found a torch and made shadow animals on the wall. Her brother Arjun giggled at a shadow rabbit. Sneha told stories until the lights came back on. (a) On a hot summer night, Sneha read in her flat in Pune. (b) Suddenly the lights went out, and her little brother cried. (c) Her brother Arjun giggled at a shadow rabbit.

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