Show, Don't Tell: Revealing Character and Emotion — Answers
Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the 7th Grade narrative writing worksheet.
Success TutoringWorksheetsAnswer sheet7th Grade · English · Narrative WritingShow, Don't Tell: Revealing Character and Emotion — Answers
Part A: Find the showing
Telling names a feeling (She was nervous). Showing lets the reader work it out from details (Her hands shook as she opened the envelope). Read the passage, then answer.
Lena stood at the edge of the stage, gripping her violin so hard that her knuckles turned white. Out in the hall, someone coughed. She swallowed, then swallowed again, but her mouth stayed dry as paper.
"You're on," whispered the stage manager.
Lena's feet did not move. She counted the floorboards between the curtain and the chair in the spotlight. Fourteen. Fourteen steps. She had rehearsed this piece every night for three months.
She took the first step.
(Passage written for this worksheet.)
Answer: Any three: she grips the violin so hard her knuckles turn white; she swallows twice; her mouth is dry as paper; her feet do not move; she counts the floorboards.
Answer: It shows she is hardworking and determined, and that this performance matters a great deal to her.
- ATo show the moment Lena finds the courage to begin
- BBecause the writer ran out of ideas
- CTo describe the stage
- DTo introduce a new character
Answer: To show the moment Lena finds the courage to begin
A one-sentence paragraph slows the reader down and makes this small action feel like a big victory.
Answer: Telling: Lena was very nervous. The original is more interesting because it lets the reader see and feel her nerves through a physical detail, rather than just being told.
Part B: Tell to show
- Arlo was angry.
- Mia was excited.
- The old man was lonely.
- Zoe was embarrassed.
- Ben was exhausted.
- Ben's eyelids drooped and his head kept sliding off his hand.
- Zoe's cheeks burned, and she stared very hard at her shoes.
- The old man set two cups on the table out of habit, then slowly put one back.
- Arlo slammed the cupboard door so hard that the plates rattled.
- Mia bounced on her toes, checking the clock every thirty seconds.
Answer: Arlo was angry. → Arlo slammed the cupboard door so hard that the plates rattled.; Mia was excited. → Mia bounced on her toes, checking the clock every thirty seconds.; The old man was lonely. → The old man set two cups on the table out of habit, then slowly put one back.; Zoe was embarrassed. → Zoe's cheeks burned, and she stared very hard at her shoes.; Ben was exhausted. → Ben's eyelids drooped and his head kept sliding off his hand.
Part C: Your rewrites
Rewrite each sentence using the technique named. Do not use the emotion word.
Answer: Model: Tom pressed his back against the fence and kept his eyes on the dog, not daring to blink. (Any body language that shows fear is correct.)
Answer: Model: "Did you see mine?" Grace asked everyone who walked past. "I used the special brushes. I did the sky three times until it was right." (Any dialogue that shows pride is correct.)
Answer: Model: The smell of warm cinnamon and melting butter drifted out of the oven and wrapped around us. (Any precise sensory detail is correct.)
Answer: Model: Nina watched him ride in circles. Of course he gets a new one, she thought. I've been riding our cousin's old bike for two years. (Any thought that reveals jealousy is correct.)
Answer: When the detail is not important or the writer wants to move the story along quickly, for example: Three weeks passed. Writers show the important moments and tell the less important ones.
Part D: Your turn
Model answer: The envelope sat on the kitchen bench all afternoon. Ava walked past it four times before she picked it up. Her thumb slid under the flap, stopped, then tore it open in one movement. She read the first line. Then she read it again, slowly, her lips moving. "Dad," she called, but it came out as a croak. She cleared her throat. "Dad! Come here!" She was already laughing as he ran in, and she pushed the letter into his hands and pointed at the words: We are pleased to offer you a place. Her legs suddenly felt like jelly, so she sat down right there on the kitchen floor, still clutching the empty envelope against her chest. Outside, a bird sang, and for once she noticed how bright the afternoon was.
Success criteria:
- The emotion is never named
- At least three showing techniques (action, body language, dialogue, thought, senses)
- Details are specific and fit the emotion
- The scene has a clear moment of change
- Dialogue, if used, is correctly punctuated
- Accurate spelling and varied sentences
Marking tips
- Give credit for correct method even when the final answer slips — the working shows where the thinking went right.
- For open-ended tasks, use the success criteria as a checklist rather than looking for one "right" answer.
- Celebrate what went well first, then pick one thing to work on next.