What Does the Myth Explain? is a free printable Grade 3 English worksheet on matching an origin myth to the thing in the world it explains, aligned to Common Core standard RL.3.2. It prints 3 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.
Narcissus falls in love with his own reflection in a pool and turns into a flower.
Prometheus steals fire from the gods and carries it down to people.
Tortoise tricks the birds at a feast, they take back the feathers they lent him, and he falls.
Sun and Moon invite Water to visit; Water fills their house, so they climb up to live above it.
A.why a tortoise's shell looks cracked
B.where the narcissus flower comes from
C.how people first got fire
D.why the sun and moon are in the sky
2.Write the letter of what each myth explains.
People cut pieces off the sky to eat and waste them, so the sky moves far away from them.
Fox tricks Bear into fishing with his tail through the ice, and the tail freezes off.
Arachne boasts she weaves better than the goddess Athena and is turned into a spider.
A hare offers itself as food to a hungry stranger, who puts the hare's picture up in the night sky.
A.why there is a hare shape on the moon
B.why bears have short tails
C.why spiders spin webs
D.why the sky is high above us
3.Write the letter of what each myth explains.
Maui catches the sun with ropes and makes it promise to cross the sky more slowly.
Persephone eats pomegranate seeds in the underworld, so each year she must go back there and her mother Demeter grieves.
Anansi tries to hide all the world's wisdom in a pot, but drops it and the wisdom scatters.
Echo is cursed so that she can only repeat the last words other people say.
A.why the days are long enough to work in
B.why we hear echoes
C.why everybody has a little wisdom
D.why the year has seasons
LessonPrint · RL.3.2 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — What Does the Myth Explain?
Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. Narcissus falls in love with his own reflection in a pool and turns into a flower. — B (where the narcissus flower comes from) 2. Prometheus steals fire from the gods and carries it down to people. — C (how people first got fire) 3. Tortoise tricks the birds at a feast, they take back the feathers they lent him, and he falls. — A (why a tortoise's shell looks cracked) 4. Sun and Moon invite Water to visit; Water fills their house, so they climb up to live above it. — D (why the sun and moon are in the sky)
2.1. People cut pieces off the sky to eat and waste them, so the sky moves far away from them. — D (why the sky is high above us) 2. Fox tricks Bear into fishing with his tail through the ice, and the tail freezes off. — B (why bears have short tails) 3. Arachne boasts she weaves better than the goddess Athena and is turned into a spider. — C (why spiders spin webs) 4. A hare offers itself as food to a hungry stranger, who puts the hare's picture up in the night sky. — A (why there is a hare shape on the moon)
3.1. Maui catches the sun with ropes and makes it promise to cross the sky more slowly. — A (why the days are long enough to work in) 2. Persephone eats pomegranate seeds in the underworld, so each year she must go back there and her mother Demeter grieves. — D (why the year has seasons) 3. Anansi tries to hide all the world's wisdom in a pot, but drops it and the wisdom scatters. — C (why everybody has a little wisdom) 4. Echo is cursed so that she can only repeat the last words other people say. — B (why we hear echoes)
Questions about What Does the Myth Explain?
What does the What Does the Myth Explain? worksheet cover?
It practices matching an origin myth to the thing in the world it explains — 3 questions for Grade 3, all on Common Core RL.3.2: Retell a tale, state its message, and show which details carry it. The instruction to students is “Write the letter of the match next to each one”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.
Which Common Core standard does What Does the Myth Explain? practice?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.2 — RL.3.2, under Reading: Literature for Grade 3. The published standard reads: “Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.
What age or grade is this worksheet for?
What Does the Myth Explain? is written for Grade 3, typically ages 8-9. It is one of the sheets on RL.3.2, so it suits any student working at that standard — including older students revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.
Does What Does the Myth Explain? come with an answer key?
Yes. All 3 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 What Does the Myth Explain? 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 What Does the Myth Explain? free to print and photocopy?
Yes. What Does the Myth Explain?, 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.3.2
Retell a tale, state its message, and show which details carry it.