How Characters Respond is a free printable Grade 2 English worksheet on describing how a character reacts to what happens, aligned to Common Core standard RL.2.3. It prints 2 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions, 21 of them with different questions, so no two pupils in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 12 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

One paper per pupil

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. 21 of these 25 sets ask different questions — this skill does not have 25 questions to give. The rest reorder them, so no two pupils have the same paper in front of them.

How Characters Respond

RL.2.3

NameDate

Read the story, then answer the questions.

1.Read the text, then answer the questions.

What the Tide Left

Every low tide, Grandad and Tess walked out to the rock pools. Tess wanted to take a starfish home. Grandad said no. "It would die in a bucket," he said. "Look at it here instead." Tess crouched for a long time. She saw the starfish move — slowly, on hundreds of tiny feet she had not known it had. She did not ask again. On the way back she said, "It's better in the pool anyway."

1. How does Tess respond when Grandad says no?
2. What does Grandad do instead of just refusing?

2.Read the text, then answer the questions.

The Lion and the Mouse

A lion lay sleeping in the sun. A mouse ran across his paw and woke him. The lion caught the mouse in one hand. "Please let me go," said the mouse. "One day I may help you." The lion laughed. How could a mouse help a lion? But he opened his hand. Weeks later the lion walked into a hunter's net. He roared and pulled, and the ropes only tightened. The mouse heard him. She came at once and gnawed the ropes, one strand at a time, until the lion could step free.

1. What does the mouse do that shows what she is like?
2. How does the lion respond when the mouse asks to be let go?

LessonPrint · RL.2.3 · Set 12 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — How Characters Respond

Set 12. Prints on its own sheet.

1.1. She crouches and watches the starfish for a long time instead of arguing. 2. He gives a reason and tells her to look at it where it is.
2.1. She keeps her promise and comes at once to help. 2. He laughs at the idea, but he opens his hand anyway.

More practice for RL.2.3

Say how a character reacted when something happened to them.

Teaching this next? How Characters Respond to Challenges is the 40-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 2 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to RL.2.3 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.