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 18 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.
Phaethon loses control of the sun's chariot, and it flies so low that it scorches the land.
A hare offers itself as food to a hungry stranger, who puts the hare's picture up in the night sky.
Echo is cursed so that she can only repeat the last words other people say.
Sun and Moon invite Water to visit; Water fills their house, so they climb up to live above it.
A.why there is a hare shape on the moon
B.why we hear echoes
C.why there are deserts
D.why the sun and moon are in the sky
2.Write the letter of what each myth explains.
People cut pieces off the sky to eat and waste them, so the sky moves far away from them.
Maui catches the sun with ropes and makes it promise to cross the sky more slowly.
Narcissus falls in love with his own reflection in a pool and turns into a flower.
Anansi tries to hide all the world's wisdom in a pot, but drops it and the wisdom scatters.
A.why the days are long enough to work in
B.where the narcissus flower comes from
C.why everybody has a little wisdom
D.why the sky is high above us
3.Write the letter of what each myth explains.
Fox tricks Bear into fishing with his tail through the ice, and the tail freezes off.
Prometheus steals fire from the gods and carries it down to people.
Persephone eats pomegranate seeds in the underworld, so each year she must go back there and her mother Demeter grieves.
Pandora opens a jar she was told to keep shut, and troubles fly out into the world.
A.why the year has seasons
B.how people first got fire
C.why there are troubles in the world
D.why bears have short tails
LessonPrint · RL.3.2 · Set 18 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — What Does the Myth Explain?
Set 18. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. Phaethon loses control of the sun's chariot, and it flies so low that it scorches the land. — C (why there are deserts) 2. A hare offers itself as food to a hungry stranger, who puts the hare's picture up in the night sky. — A (why there is a hare shape on the moon) 3. Echo is cursed so that she can only repeat the last words other people say. — B (why we hear echoes) 4. Sun and Moon invite Water to visit; Water fills their house, so they climb up to live above it. — D (why the sun and moon are in the sky)
2.1. People cut pieces off the sky to eat and waste them, so the sky moves far away from them. — D (why the sky is high above us) 2. 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. Narcissus falls in love with his own reflection in a pool and turns into a flower. — B (where the narcissus flower comes from) 4. Anansi tries to hide all the world's wisdom in a pot, but drops it and the wisdom scatters. — C (why everybody has a little wisdom)
3.1. Fox tricks Bear into fishing with his tail through the ice, and the tail freezes off. — D (why bears have short tails) 2. Prometheus steals fire from the gods and carries it down to people. — B (how people first got fire) 3. Persephone eats pomegranate seeds in the underworld, so each year she must go back there and her mother Demeter grieves. — A (why the year has seasons) 4. Pandora opens a jar she was told to keep shut, and troubles fly out into the world. — C (why there are troubles in the world)
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to RL.3.2 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.