What the Script Tells You is a free printable Grade 3 English worksheet on reading character and plot from dialogue and stage directions, aligned to Common Core standard RL.3.5. 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 1 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
1.KING: Who ate the royal cake? COOK: (pointing) It was the dog! DOG: (licking crumbs off its nose) Woof. — Which stage direction proves the dog ate the cake?
A.licking crumbs off its nose
B.Who ate the royal cake?
C.pointing
2.OWL: Who is making that noise? MOUSE: (freezing still) Not me! OWL: (turning its head slowly) I can hear you. — Why does the mouse freeze still?
A.It wants to play with the owl
B.It has fallen asleep
C.It hopes the owl will not find it
3.(A busy market. Stalls line the street.) SELLER: Fresh apples! Two for a coin! GIRL: I will take four, please. — Where does this scene take place?
A.On a boat
B.At a busy market
C.In a school
4.In a play script, what do stage directions such as (yawning) show?
A.The title of the play
B.Actions and feelings that are not spoken aloud
C.The words a character shouts
5.ANA: (holding up a muddy shoe) Look what the puppy did! GRANDMA: (trying not to laugh) Oh dear. Puppies love shoes. — How does Grandma really feel?
A.She is frightened
B.She finds it funny
C.She is furious
6.(Night. A tent in a field. Rain drums on the roof.) DAD: Is your sleeping bag dry? ELLA: (shivering) Not really. — What does the first stage direction tell you?
A.Ella is warm and dry
B.The scene is a sunny beach
C.The scene is a tent in a field on a rainy night
7.PRINCE: I will cross the river alone. SERVANT: (grabbing his arm) The water is too fast! PRINCE: (pulling free) Then I will find a bridge. — What does the servant think of the plan?
A.It is dangerous because the water is too fast
B.The prince should swim faster
C.It is a clever plan
8.JO: The bus has gone! KIM: (looking at her watch) It left two minutes early. JO: Now we will have to walk. — What is the problem in this scene?
A.Kim has lost her watch
B.Jo does not like the bus driver
C.The bus left early, so they must walk
LessonPrint · RL.3.5 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — What the Script Tells You
Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.
1.licking crumbs off its nose
2.It hopes the owl will not find it
3.At a busy market
4.Actions and feelings that are not spoken aloud
5.She finds it funny
6.The scene is a tent in a field on a rainy night
7.It is dangerous because the water is too fast
8.The bus left early, so they must walk
Questions about What the Script Tells You
What does the What the Script Tells You worksheet cover?
It practices reading character and plot from dialogue and stage directions — 8 questions for Grade 3, all on Common Core RL.3.5: Use the words chapter, scene and stanza, and say how each part builds on the last. The instruction to students is “Read each script, then circle the right answer”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.
Which Common Core standard does What the Script Tells You practice?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.5 — RL.3.5, under Reading: Literature for Grade 3. The published standard reads: “Refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems when writing or speaking about a text, using terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza; describe how each successive part builds on earlier sections.” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.
What age or grade is this worksheet for?
What the Script Tells You is written for Grade 3, typically ages 8-9. It is one of the sheets on RL.3.5, so it suits any student working at that standard — including older students revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.
Does What the Script Tells You come with an answer key?
Yes. All 8 answers are generated from the same problems as the questions, so the key cannot drift out of step with the sheet. It starts on a fresh sheet of paper, after the questions, so it is not handed out with the class by accident.
How many different versions of What the Script Tells You can I print?
25 — one per student, and all 25 ask different questions. Set 1 downloads the whole class as a single PDF. Every version is fixed to its own address, so a sheet printed today holds the same problems when you reopen it next week.
Is What the Script Tells You free to print and photocopy?
Yes. What the Script Tells You, its answer key and its 25 versions are free to print and photocopy for your own class, with no account, no email capture and no subscription at the download step. Please do not resell them or republish them as your own.
More practice for RL.3.5
Use the words chapter, scene and stanza, and say how each part builds on the last.