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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 19 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: "Mr. Grant planted an acorn on the day his granddaughter was born. He wore a straw hat in summer. His house had a red door. Forty years later, his granddaughter read books in the shade of the huge oak in his yard." Which earlier detail set up the ending?
  • A.He wore a straw hat in summer.
  • B.Mr. Grant planted an acorn on the day his granddaughter was born.
  • C.His house had a red door.
2.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.Her school was three blocks away.
  • C.Grandpa wrote the spare-key hiding place on a card in Zoe's backpack.
3.Read: "Pia always counted the steps from her house to the corner: forty-two. Her backpack was purple. She liked rainy days. When fog hid the whole street one morning, Pia counted forty-two steps and found the corner." Which earlier detail set up the ending?
  • A.She liked rainy days.
  • B.Pia always counted the steps from her house to the corner: forty-two.
  • C.Her backpack was purple.
4.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 liked math best.
  • B.He kept a flashlight in his desk.
  • C.Marcus sat by the window in Room 9.
5.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.She drank her tea without sugar.
  • B.The lighthouse keeper wrote down the name of every ship that passed.
  • C.Her cat slept on the stairs.
6.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.Leo's grandmother taught him to whistle loudly with two fingers.
  • C.They lived near the river.
7.Read: "Rae's family hid a big box in the hall closet. Rae was eleven. They lived on a quiet street. On her brother's birthday, he opened the box and found a new bike." Which earlier detail set up the ending?
  • A.They lived on a quiet street.
  • B.Rae's family hid a big box in the hall closet.
  • C.Rae was eleven.
8.Read: "Ana crossed the old bridge every day on her way to school. She noticed that its railing was loose. The river below was full of fish. A week later, after Ana's letter to the mayor, workers fixed the railing." Which earlier detail set up the ending?
  • A.She noticed that its railing was loose.
  • B.Ana crossed the old bridge every day on her way to school.
  • C.The river below was full of fish.

LessonPrint · RL.4.1 · Set 19 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Which Detail Set Up the Ending?

Set 19. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Mr. Grant planted an acorn on the day his granddaughter was born.
  2. 2.Grandpa wrote the spare-key hiding place on a card in Zoe's backpack.
  3. 3.Pia always counted the steps from her house to the corner: forty-two.
  4. 4.He kept a flashlight in his desk.
  5. 5.The lighthouse keeper wrote down the name of every ship that passed.
  6. 6.Leo's grandmother taught him to whistle loudly with two fingers.
  7. 7.Rae's family hid a big box in the hall closet.
  8. 8.She noticed that its railing was loose.

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