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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 8 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: "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.
2.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.
3.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.
4.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.Most of the seeds grew well.
  • B.Dry soil meant few of the seeds grew.
  • C.The soil was too wet for the seeds.
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.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.
6.A speaker says: "The museum is closed on Mondays but open late on Fridays." Which is the best paraphrase?
  • A.You cannot visit on Monday, but you can stay late on Friday.
  • B.The museum closes early on Friday.
  • C.The museum is open every day.
7.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.
8.A speaker says: "Bees carry pollen between flowers, and without them many fruits would never form." Which is the best paraphrase?
  • A.Many fruits only grow because bees move pollen.
  • B.Flowers grow fruit without any help.
  • C.Bees make fruit taste sweet.

LessonPrint · SL.4.2 · Set 8 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Paraphrase What You Heard

Set 8. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Shut the door so the mice cannot get out.
  2. 2.The wolves changed where elk fed, not only how many there were.
  3. 3.Coral is really animals, not a plant.
  4. 4.Dry soil meant few of the seeds grew.
  5. 5.The find was lucky, but others worked for years to make a medicine.
  6. 6.You cannot visit on Monday, but you can stay late on Friday.
  7. 7.Even though they lost, the coach was very proud.
  8. 8.Many fruits only grow because bees move pollen.

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.