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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 15 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: "Only one in ten of the seeds we planted came up, because the soil was too dry." Which is the best paraphrase?
  • A.Dry soil meant few of the seeds grew.
  • B.The soil was too wet for the seeds.
  • C.Most of the seeds grew well.
2.A speaker says: "Fleming spotted the mold by luck, but it took others years to make it useful." Which is the best paraphrase?
  • A.Nobody ever used the mold.
  • B.Fleming made the medicine by himself.
  • C.The find was lucky, but others worked for years to make a medicine.
3.A speaker says: "Wolves did not just eat elk; they changed where the elk chose to graze." Which is the best paraphrase?
  • A.The wolves changed where elk fed, not only how many there were.
  • B.The wolves ate all the elk.
  • C.The elk ate the wolves' food.
4.A speaker says: "Our class collected more cans this semester than in the whole of last year." Which is the best paraphrase?
  • A.We collected more cans in one semester than all last year.
  • B.We collected fewer cans this semester.
  • C.Last year we collected no cans.
5.A speaker says: "The team lost the match, yet the coach said she had never been prouder." Which is the best paraphrase?
  • A.Even though they lost, the coach was very proud.
  • B.The team won, so the coach was proud.
  • C.The coach was angry about the loss.
6.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.
7.A speaker says: "The bridge cut the journey from two hours to fifteen minutes." Which is the best paraphrase?
  • A.The bridge took two hours to build.
  • B.The journey became longer.
  • C.The bridge made the trip much quicker.
8.A speaker says: "The museum is closed on Mondays but open late on Fridays." Which is the best paraphrase?
  • A.The museum closes early on Friday.
  • B.You cannot visit on Monday, but you can stay late on Friday.
  • C.The museum is open every day.

LessonPrint · SL.4.2 · Set 15 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Paraphrase What You Heard

Set 15. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Dry soil meant few of the seeds grew.
  2. 2.The find was lucky, but others worked for years to make a medicine.
  3. 3.The wolves changed where elk fed, not only how many there were.
  4. 4.We collected more cans in one semester than all last year.
  5. 5.Even though they lost, the coach was very proud.
  6. 6.Leaving now means we avoid most of the traffic.
  7. 7.The bridge made the trip much quicker.
  8. 8.You cannot visit on Monday, but you can stay late on Friday.

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.