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: "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 fewer cans this semester. C. We collected more cans in one semester than all last year. 2. A speaker says: "Please keep the lab door shut, or the mice may escape." Which is the best paraphrase?
A. The mice have already escaped. B. Shut the door so the mice cannot get out. C. Leave the door open for the mice. 3. A speaker says: "If we leave now, we will miss the worst of the traffic." Which is the best paraphrase?
A. There is no traffic today. B. We should wait for the traffic to get worse. C. Leaving now means we avoid most of the traffic. 4. 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. 5. A speaker says: "Bees carry pollen between flowers, and without them many fruits would never form." Which is the best paraphrase?
A. Flowers grow fruit without any help. B. Many fruits only grow because bees move pollen. C. Bees make fruit taste sweet. 6. 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. The find was lucky, but others worked for years to make a medicine. C. Fleming made the medicine by himself. 7. A speaker says: "The team lost the match, yet the coach said she had never been prouder." Which is the best paraphrase?
A. The team won, so the coach was proud. B. Even though they lost, the coach was very proud. C. The coach was angry about the loss. 8. A speaker says: "Most of the rain falls in just three months of the year." Which is the best paraphrase?
A. It rains the same amount all year. B. Most of the year's rain comes in a short season. C. It never rains for three months. LessonPrint · SL.4.2 · Set 2 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Paraphrase What You Heard Set 2. Prints on its own sheet.
1. We collected more cans in one semester than all last year. 2. Shut the door so the mice cannot get out. 3. Leaving now means we avoid most of the traffic. 4. You cannot visit on Monday, but you can stay late on Friday. 5. Many fruits only grow because bees move pollen. 6. The find was lucky, but others worked for years to make a medicine. 7. Even though they lost, the coach was very proud. 8. Most of the year's rain comes in a short season. Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to SL.4.2 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.