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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 7 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: "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 ate all the elk.
  • C.The wolves changed where elk fed, not only how many there were.
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: "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.
4.A speaker says: "Although the warning was given, most people did not hear it in time." Which is the best paraphrase?
  • A.Nobody gave a warning.
  • B.Everybody heard the warning early.
  • C.A warning came, but too late for most people.
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: "Coral is not a plant; it is made of tiny animals." Which is the best paraphrase?
  • A.Coral is really animals, not a plant.
  • B.Coral is made only of rock.
  • C.Coral is a kind of seaweed.
7.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.Last year we collected no cans.
  • C.We collected more cans in one semester than all last year.
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.The museum is open every day.
  • C.You cannot visit on Monday, but you can stay late on Friday.

LessonPrint · SL.4.2 · Set 7 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Paraphrase What You Heard

Set 7. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.The wolves changed where elk fed, not only how many there were.
  2. 2.Shut the door so the mice cannot get out.
  3. 3.Dry soil meant few of the seeds grew.
  4. 4.A warning came, but too late for most people.
  5. 5.Leaving now means we avoid most of the traffic.
  6. 6.Coral is really animals, not a plant.
  7. 7.We collected more cans in one semester than all last year.
  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.