Skip to content
LessonPrint

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 6 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

Next set

One paper per student

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425

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: "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.Rae was eleven.
  • B.Rae's family hid a big box in the hall closet.
  • C.They lived on a quiet street.
2.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.Mr. Grant planted an acorn on the day his granddaughter was born.
  • B.His house had a red door.
  • C.He wore a straw hat in summer.
3.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.His dog was called Max.
  • B.The school track was behind the gym.
  • C.Eli's sneakers had a hole in the left toe.
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 kept a flashlight in his desk.
  • B.He liked math best.
  • C.Marcus sat by the window in Room 9.
5.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.
6.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.
7.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.
8.Read: "Before the camping trip, Dev packed an extra rain jacket. The tent was blue and orange. His sister brought her guitar. On the second night it poured, and Dev's sister borrowed the jacket." Which earlier detail set up the ending?
  • A.The tent was blue and orange.
  • B.His sister brought her guitar.
  • C.Before the camping trip, Dev packed an extra rain jacket.

LessonPrint · RL.4.1 · Set 6 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Which Detail Set Up the Ending?

Set 6. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Rae's family hid a big box in the hall closet.
  2. 2.Mr. Grant planted an acorn on the day his granddaughter was born.
  3. 3.Eli's sneakers had a hole in the left toe.
  4. 4.He kept a flashlight in his desk.
  5. 5.Leo's grandmother taught him to whistle loudly with two fingers.
  6. 6.The lighthouse keeper wrote down the name of every ship that passed.
  7. 7.The new boy, Sami, carried a sketchbook everywhere.
  8. 8.Before the camping trip, Dev packed an extra rain jacket.

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