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Once Upon a Time is a free printable Grade 2 English worksheet on what a story's beginning and ending do for the reader, aligned to Common Core standard RL.2.5. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students 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.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Once Upon a Time

RL.2.5

NameDate

Circle the right answer.

1.In many tales, something happens three times. What does that do?
  • A.It makes the story true
  • B.It builds up to the most important time
  • C.It tells you the story is over
2.A story opens "It was the night before the big race." What does this beginning do?
  • A.Ends the story
  • B.Tells the reader when the story happens and hints at what is coming
  • C.Tells who won the race
3.Which line is most likely to begin a fairy tale?
  • A.From then on, everyone was happy.
  • B.And that was the end of the wolf.
  • C.There was once a poor girl who lived by a dark wood.
4.A tale begins "Long ago, in a land far away, there lived a king." What does the opening tell you first?
  • A.Who the story is about and where it happens
  • B.How the story ends
  • C.Why the king was sad
5.Why do so many old tales start with the same words?
  • A.Readers know at once what kind of story it will be
  • B.Because the writer forgot how to start
  • C.Because the words rhyme
6.A story ends "...and so the little red hen ate the bread all by herself." What has the ending done?
  • A.Shown what happened because of the others' choices
  • B.Introduced a new character
  • C.Started a new problem
7.The middle of a story usually shows what?
  • A.The problem getting bigger and the characters trying to fix it
  • B.The title and the author
  • C.The characters living happily ever after
8.What is the main job of the ending of a story?
  • A.To finish the action and show how things turned out
  • B.To meet the characters for the first time
  • C.To give the title

LessonPrint · RL.2.5 · Set 12 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Once Upon a Time

Set 12. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.It builds up to the most important time
  2. 2.Tells the reader when the story happens and hints at what is coming
  3. 3.There was once a poor girl who lived by a dark wood.
  4. 4.Who the story is about and where it happens
  5. 5.Readers know at once what kind of story it will be
  6. 6.Shown what happened because of the others' choices
  7. 7.The problem getting bigger and the characters trying to fix it
  8. 8.To finish the action and show how things turned out

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to RL.2.5 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.