Same Author, Same Characters is a free printable Grade 3 English worksheet on comparing two stories in a series by what stays and what changes, aligned to Common Core standard RL.3.9. 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 1 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
1.In Story 1, Hare boasts and loses a race. In Story 2, Hare boasts and falls in a river. What message do both share?
A.Rivers are dangerous
B.Boasting leads to trouble
C.Races are unfair
2.Both stories by the same author begin with a character finding a strange object. What does that show?
A.The two stories are exactly the same
B.The author likes to start plots the same way
C.The objects are the main characters
3.In the first fox story the fox tricks a goat. In the second a crane tricks the fox. What changes?
A.Nothing changes at all
B.This time the fox is the one who is fooled
C.The fox turns into a goat
4.Story 1 is told by Max. Story 2 tells the same day through his sister's eyes. What is the same?
A.The events of the day
B.What each character thinks about it
C.The narrator
5.In Story 1, Kit the cat learns to share. In Story 2, Kit learns to tell the truth. What stays the same?
A.Kit never changes
B.Kit learns a lesson by the end
C.The lesson Kit learns
6.In Story 1, Tess is shy at her new school. In Story 3, she welcomes a new student herself. What does comparing them show?
A.Tess has grown more confident
B.Tess has moved to a third school
C.Tess is still too shy to speak
7.In both books about Mr. Pottle, one of his inventions goes wrong in a funny way. What do the plots share?
A.Mr. Pottle never invents anything
B.An invention causes a funny problem
C.Every invention works perfectly
8.In Story 1, Ruby solves a mystery with a magnifying glass. In Story 2, she solves one by asking questions. What is different?
A.That there is a mystery
B.How Ruby solves the mystery
C.Who the detective is
LessonPrint · RL.3.9 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Same Author, Same Characters
Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.
1.Boasting leads to trouble
2.The author likes to start plots the same way
3.This time the fox is the one who is fooled
4.The events of the day
5.Kit learns a lesson by the end
6.Tess has grown more confident
7.An invention causes a funny problem
8.How Ruby solves the mystery
Questions about Same Author, Same Characters
What does the Same Author, Same Characters worksheet cover?
It practices comparing two stories in a series by what stays and what changes — 8 questions for Grade 3, all on Common Core RL.3.9: Compare two books from a series on theme, setting and plot. The instruction to students is “Circle the right answer”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.
Which Common Core standard does Same Author, Same Characters practice?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.9 — RL.3.9, under Reading: Literature for Grade 3. The published standard reads: “Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters (e.g., in books from a series).” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.
What age or grade is this worksheet for?
Same Author, Same Characters is written for Grade 3, typically ages 8-9. It is one of the sheets on RL.3.9, so it suits any student working at that standard — including older students revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.
Does Same Author, Same Characters come with an answer key?
Yes. All 8 answers are generated from the same problems as the questions, so the key cannot drift out of step with the sheet. It starts on a fresh sheet of paper, after the questions, so it is not handed out with the class by accident.
How many different versions of Same Author, Same Characters can I print?
25 — one per student, and all 25 ask different questions. Set 1 downloads the whole class as a single PDF. Every version is fixed to its own address, so a sheet printed today holds the same problems when you reopen it next week.
Is Same Author, Same Characters free to print and photocopy?
Yes. Same Author, Same Characters, its answer key and its 25 versions are free to print and photocopy for your own class, with no account, no email capture and no subscription at the download step. Please do not resell them or republish them as your own.
More practice for RL.3.9
Compare two books from a series on theme, setting and plot.