What Does the Myth Explain? is a free printable Grade 3 English worksheet on matching an origin myth to the thing in the world it explains, aligned to Common Core standard RL.3.2. It prints 3 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 15 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.
What Does the Myth Explain?
RL.3.2
NameDate
Write the letter of the match next to each one.
1.Write the letter of what each myth explains.
Tortoise tricks the birds at a feast, they take back the feathers they lent him, and he falls.
Sun and Moon invite Water to visit; Water fills their house, so they climb up to live above it.
People cut pieces off the sky to eat and waste them, so the sky moves far away from them.
Arachne boasts she weaves better than the goddess Athena and is turned into a spider.
A.why spiders spin webs
B.why the sky is high above us
C.why the sun and moon are in the sky
D.why a tortoise's shell looks cracked
2.Write the letter of what each myth explains.
Echo is cursed so that she can only repeat the last words other people say.
A hare offers itself as food to a hungry stranger, who puts the hare's picture up in the night sky.
Anansi tries to hide all the world's wisdom in a pot, but drops it and the wisdom scatters.
Maui catches the sun with ropes and makes it promise to cross the sky more slowly.
A.why the days are long enough to work in
B.why everybody has a little wisdom
C.why we hear echoes
D.why there is a hare shape on the moon
3.Write the letter of what each myth explains.
Narcissus falls in love with his own reflection in a pool and turns into a flower.
Phaethon loses control of the sun's chariot, and it flies so low that it scorches the land.
Prometheus steals fire from the gods and carries it down to people.
Fox tricks Bear into fishing with his tail through the ice, and the tail freezes off.
A.why there are deserts
B.how people first got fire
C.why bears have short tails
D.where the narcissus flower comes from
LessonPrint · RL.3.2 · Set 15 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — What Does the Myth Explain?
Set 15. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. Tortoise tricks the birds at a feast, they take back the feathers they lent him, and he falls. — D (why a tortoise's shell looks cracked) 2. Sun and Moon invite Water to visit; Water fills their house, so they climb up to live above it. — C (why the sun and moon are in the sky) 3. People cut pieces off the sky to eat and waste them, so the sky moves far away from them. — B (why the sky is high above us) 4. Arachne boasts she weaves better than the goddess Athena and is turned into a spider. — A (why spiders spin webs)
2.1. Echo is cursed so that she can only repeat the last words other people say. — C (why we hear echoes) 2. A hare offers itself as food to a hungry stranger, who puts the hare's picture up in the night sky. — D (why there is a hare shape on the moon) 3. Anansi tries to hide all the world's wisdom in a pot, but drops it and the wisdom scatters. — B (why everybody has a little wisdom) 4. Maui catches the sun with ropes and makes it promise to cross the sky more slowly. — A (why the days are long enough to work in)
3.1. Narcissus falls in love with his own reflection in a pool and turns into a flower. — D (where the narcissus flower comes from) 2. Phaethon loses control of the sun's chariot, and it flies so low that it scorches the land. — A (why there are deserts) 3. Prometheus steals fire from the gods and carries it down to people. — B (how people first got fire) 4. Fox tricks Bear into fishing with his tail through the ice, and the tail freezes off. — C (why bears have short tails)
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to RL.3.2 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.