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Paraphrase What You Heard is a free printable Grade 4 English worksheet on choosing the paraphrase that keeps what a speaker meant, aligned to Common Core standard SL.4.2. 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.

Paraphrase What You Heard

SL.4.2

NameDate

Circle the right answer.

1.A speaker says: "Please keep the lab door shut, or the mice may escape." Which is the best paraphrase?
  • A.Shut the door so the mice cannot get out.
  • B.The mice have already escaped.
  • C.Leave the door open for the mice.
2.A speaker says: "Only one in ten of the seeds we planted came up, because the soil was too dry." Which is the best paraphrase?
  • A.The soil was too wet for the seeds.
  • B.Most of the seeds grew well.
  • C.Dry soil meant few of the seeds grew.
3.A speaker says: "Most of the rain falls in just three months of the year." Which is the best paraphrase?
  • A.It never rains for three months.
  • B.Most of the year's rain comes in a short season.
  • C.It rains the same amount all year.
4.A speaker says: "Although the warning was given, most people did not hear it in time." Which is the best paraphrase?
  • A.Everybody heard the warning early.
  • B.A warning came, but too late for most people.
  • C.Nobody gave a warning.
5.A speaker says: "If we leave now, we will miss the worst of the traffic." Which is the best paraphrase?
  • A.We should wait for the traffic to get worse.
  • B.There is no traffic today.
  • C.Leaving now means we avoid most of the traffic.
6.A speaker says: "The museum is closed on Mondays but open late on Fridays." Which is the best paraphrase?
  • A.The museum is open every day.
  • B.The museum closes early on Friday.
  • C.You cannot visit on Monday, but you can stay late on Friday.
7.A speaker says: "Coral is not a plant; it is made of tiny animals." Which is the best paraphrase?
  • A.Coral is a kind of seaweed.
  • B.Coral is made only of rock.
  • C.Coral is really animals, not a plant.
8.A speaker says: "Bees carry pollen between flowers, and without them many fruits would never form." Which is the best paraphrase?
  • A.Many fruits only grow because bees move pollen.
  • B.Flowers grow fruit without any help.
  • C.Bees make fruit taste sweet.

LessonPrint · SL.4.2 · Set 12 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Paraphrase What You Heard

Set 12. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Shut the door so the mice cannot get out.
  2. 2.Dry soil meant few of the seeds grew.
  3. 3.Most of the year's rain comes in a short season.
  4. 4.A warning came, but too late for most people.
  5. 5.Leaving now means we avoid most of the traffic.
  6. 6.You cannot visit on Monday, but you can stay late on Friday.
  7. 7.Coral is really animals, not a plant.
  8. 8.Many fruits only grow because bees move pollen.

More practice for SL.4.2

Put part of what you heard or saw into your own words.

Teaching this next? Paraphrasing What You Heard is the 40-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 4 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to SL.4.2 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.