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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 20 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.What is the main job of the ending of a story?
  • A.To meet the characters for the first time
  • B.To finish the action and show how things turned out
  • C.To give the title
2.What is the main job of the beginning of a story?
  • A.To introduce the characters and where they are
  • B.To list the pages
  • C.To tell how the problem is solved
3.A story opens "It was the night before the big race." What does this beginning do?
  • A.Tells the reader when the story happens and hints at what is coming
  • B.Tells who won the race
  • C.Ends the story
4.The middle of a story usually shows what?
  • A.The problem getting bigger and the characters trying to fix it
  • B.The characters living happily ever after
  • C.The title and the author
5.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
6.A tale begins "Long ago, in a land far away, there lived a king." What does the opening tell you first?
  • A.How the story ends
  • B.Why the king was sad
  • C.Who the story is about and where it happens
7.In a tale, a wolf says "I'll huff and I'll puff!" again and again. Why repeat it?
  • A.So the reader can join in and expect what comes next
  • B.Because the wolf forgot his words
  • C.To show the story has ended
8.Which line is most likely to end a fairy tale?
  • A.And from that day on, the giant never came back.
  • B.Long ago, a giant lived on a hill.
  • C.Once upon a time, there was a giant.

LessonPrint · RL.2.5 · Set 20 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Once Upon a Time

Set 20. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.To finish the action and show how things turned out
  2. 2.To introduce the characters and where they are
  3. 3.Tells the reader when the story happens and hints at what is coming
  4. 4.The problem getting bigger and the characters trying to fix it
  5. 5.Shown what happened because of the others' choices
  6. 6.Who the story is about and where it happens
  7. 7.So the reader can join in and expect what comes next
  8. 8.And from that day on, the giant never came back.

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