Patterns of Events is a free printable Grade 4 English worksheet on recognizing the pattern of events tales from different cultures share, aligned to Common Core standard RL.4.9. 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 20 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.
Patterns of Events
RL.4.9
NameDate
Circle the right answer.
1.In a Greek myth, Arachne boasts she weaves better than a goddess and is turned into a spider. In a fable, a hare boasts of his speed and loses the race. What pattern do they share?
A.Kindness to a stranger is rewarded.
B.Boasting leads to a fall.
C.A small creature outwits a bigger one.
2.In a Greek myth, Odysseus comes home dressed as a beggar. In an English legend, King Alfred hides as a helper in a cowherd's hut. What pattern do they share?
A.The hero must pass three tests.
B.A great person goes unrecognized in disguise.
C.A greedy person loses everything.
3.In a Scottish tale, a boy must finish three impossible tasks to free his sister. In an Indian tale, a prince must answer three riddles to win the throne. What pattern do they share?
A.An animal is really an enchanted person.
B.Boasting leads to a fall.
C.The hero must pass three tests.
4.In an ancient story from Mesopotamia and in a Hindu story, a god warns one good man to build a boat before a great flood. What pattern do they share?
A.One warned person survives a flood that destroys others.
B.A lost shoe leads to a wedding.
C.A small creature tricks a bigger one.
5.In a Russian tale, a prince spares a wolf and the wolf later carries him to safety. In a fable, a lion spares a mouse and the mouse later frees him from a net. What pattern do they share?
A.Boasting leads to a fall.
B.A creature that is spared later returns the favor.
C.Ignoring a warning brings trouble.
6.In a Chinese tale, Yeh-Shen is mistreated by her stepmother but a king finds her by her lost slipper. In a French tale, Cinderella's lost slipper leads a prince to her. What pattern do they share?
A.A trickster is tricked in return.
B.A lost shoe leads to a mistreated girl being found.
C.A flood destroys a village.
7.An Aboriginal Australian story tells how the kangaroo got its pouch. An African story tells how the zebra got its stripes. What pattern do they share?
A.Each is about a hero in disguise.
B.Each ends with three wishes.
C.Each explains how an animal came to look the way it does.
8.In a Greek myth, Pandora opens a jar she was told to leave shut. In a Japanese tale, Urashima opens a box he was told never to open and grows old at once. What pattern do they share?
A.Ignoring a warning brings trouble.
B.Wishes are wasted through greed.
C.The hero must pass three tests.
LessonPrint · RL.4.9 · Set 20 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Patterns of Events
Set 20. Prints on its own sheet.
1.Boasting leads to a fall.
2.A great person goes unrecognized in disguise.
3.The hero must pass three tests.
4.One warned person survives a flood that destroys others.
5.A creature that is spared later returns the favor.
6.A lost shoe leads to a mistreated girl being found.
7.Each explains how an animal came to look the way it does.
8.Ignoring a warning brings trouble.
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to RL.4.9 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.