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: "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. Dry soil meant few of the seeds grew. C. Most of the seeds grew well. 2. 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. 3. 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 fewer cans this semester. B. We collected more cans in one semester than all last year. C. Last year we collected no cans. 4. 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. 5. A speaker says: "If we leave now, we will miss the worst of the traffic." Which is the best paraphrase?
A. Leaving now means we avoid most of the traffic. B. We should wait for the traffic to get worse. C. There is no traffic today. 6. A speaker says: "Although the warning was given, most people did not hear it in time." Which is the best paraphrase?
A. A warning came, but too late for most people. B. Nobody gave a warning. C. Everybody heard the warning early. 7. A speaker says: "The bridge cut the journey from two hours to fifteen minutes." Which is the best paraphrase?
A. The journey became longer. B. The bridge made the trip much quicker. C. The bridge took two hours to build. 8. 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. LessonPrint · SL.4.2 · Set 5 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Paraphrase What You Heard Set 5. Prints on its own sheet.
1. Dry soil meant few of the seeds grew. 2. You cannot visit on Monday, but you can stay late on Friday. 3. We collected more cans in one semester than all last year. 4. Even though they lost, the coach was very proud. 5. Leaving now means we avoid most of the traffic. 6. A warning came, but too late for most people. 7. The bridge made the trip much quicker. 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.