Home / English / Printables / Grade 4 / Paraphrase What You Heard 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.
One paper per student
Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.
Paraphrase What You Heard SL.4.2
Name Date
Circle the right answer.
1. 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. You cannot visit on Monday, but you can stay late on Friday. C. The museum closes early on Friday. 2. 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. Nobody gave a warning. C. A warning came, but too late for most people. 3. A speaker says: "The team lost the match, yet the coach said she had never been prouder." Which is the best paraphrase?
A. The coach was angry about the loss. B. The team won, so the coach was proud. C. Even though they lost, the coach was very proud. 4. A speaker says: "Our class collected more cans this semester than in the whole of last year." Which is the best paraphrase?
A. Last year we collected no cans. B. We collected more cans in one semester than all last year. C. We collected fewer cans this semester. 5. A speaker says: "Fleming spotted the mold by luck, but it took others years to make it useful." Which is the best paraphrase?
A. The find was lucky, but others worked for years to make a medicine. B. Nobody ever used the mold. C. Fleming made the medicine by himself. 6. 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. 7. A speaker says: "Wolves did not just eat elk; they changed where the elk chose to graze." Which is the best paraphrase?
A. The elk ate the wolves' food. B. The wolves changed where elk fed, not only how many there were. C. The wolves ate all the elk. 8. 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. Leave the door open for the mice. C. The mice have already escaped. LessonPrint · SL.4.2 · Set 19 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Paraphrase What You Heard Set 19. Prints on its own sheet.
1. You cannot visit on Monday, but you can stay late on Friday. 2. A warning came, but too late for most people. 3. Even though they lost, the coach was very proud. 4. We collected more cans in one semester than all last year. 5. The find was lucky, but others worked for years to make a medicine. 6. Dry soil meant few of the seeds grew. 7. The wolves changed where elk fed, not only how many there were. 8. Shut the door so the mice cannot get out. Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to SL.4.2 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.