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Which Detail Set Up the Ending? is a free printable Grade 4 English worksheet on finding the earlier detail a story's ending depends on, aligned to Common Core standard RL.4.1. 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 14 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.

Which Detail Set Up the Ending?

RL.4.1

NameDate

Read each story, then circle the right answer.

1.Read: "Tess practiced free throws every evening until dark. Her team wore red. She had two younger brothers. In the final game, Tess made the winning shot from the free-throw line." Which earlier detail set up the ending?
  • A.Her team wore red.
  • B.Tess practiced free throws every evening until dark.
  • C.She had two younger brothers.
2.Read: "The lighthouse keeper wrote down the name of every ship that passed. Her cat slept on the stairs. She drank her tea without sugar. Years later, her notebooks helped a museum name a lost ship." Which earlier detail set up the ending?
  • A.Her cat slept on the stairs.
  • B.The lighthouse keeper wrote down the name of every ship that passed.
  • C.She drank her tea without sugar.
3.Read: "Every morning June fed the stray cat behind the bakery. June's mother worked at the post office. June walked to school with her cousin. When winter came, the cat followed June home and slept by her door." Which earlier detail set up the ending?
  • A.June's mother worked at the post office.
  • B.June walked to school with her cousin.
  • C.Every morning June fed the stray cat behind the bakery.
4.Read: "Eli's sneakers had a hole in the left toe. His dog was called Max. The school track was behind the gym. Halfway through the big race, his shoe split open, and he finished in his socks." Which earlier detail set up the ending?
  • A.Eli's sneakers had a hole in the left toe.
  • B.His dog was called Max.
  • C.The school track was behind the gym.
5.Read: "Marcus sat by the window in Room 9. He kept a flashlight in his desk. He liked math best. That afternoon the power went out, and Marcus lit the way to the door." Which earlier detail set up the ending?
  • A.He kept a flashlight in his desk.
  • B.He liked math best.
  • C.Marcus sat by the window in Room 9.
6.Read: "The new boy, Sami, carried a sketchbook everywhere. He sat at the back of the bus. He had moved from Ohio in June. When the class needed someone to paint the mural, everyone turned to Sami." Which earlier detail set up the ending?
  • A.He had moved from Ohio in June.
  • B.The new boy, Sami, carried a sketchbook everywhere.
  • C.He sat at the back of the bus.
7.Read: "Grandpa wrote the spare-key hiding place on a card in Zoe's backpack. Zoe played the trumpet. Her school was three blocks away. The day Grandpa's bus was late, Zoe read the card and let herself in." Which earlier detail set up the ending?
  • A.Zoe played the trumpet.
  • B.Grandpa wrote the spare-key hiding place on a card in Zoe's backpack.
  • C.Her school was three blocks away.
8.Read: "Leo's grandmother taught him to whistle loudly with two fingers. They lived near the river. Leo's favorite color was green. When Leo got lost at the fair, he whistled, and his grandmother found him in minutes." Which earlier detail set up the ending?
  • A.Leo's favorite color was green.
  • B.They lived near the river.
  • C.Leo's grandmother taught him to whistle loudly with two fingers.

LessonPrint · RL.4.1 · Set 14 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Which Detail Set Up the Ending?

Set 14. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Tess practiced free throws every evening until dark.
  2. 2.The lighthouse keeper wrote down the name of every ship that passed.
  3. 3.Every morning June fed the stray cat behind the bakery.
  4. 4.Eli's sneakers had a hole in the left toe.
  5. 5.He kept a flashlight in his desk.
  6. 6.The new boy, Sami, carried a sketchbook everywhere.
  7. 7.Grandpa wrote the spare-key hiding place on a card in Zoe's backpack.
  8. 8.Leo's grandmother taught him to whistle loudly with two fingers.

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to RL.4.1 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.