Story Elements exercise for 3 - Free Printable

To solve this problem, we need to read the story carefully and match the actions of each character to the words in the "character traits" box. Character traits are words that describe what kind of person (or dog!) someone is.

Let’s go step by step through the story and look at what each character does or says. Then we’ll pick the best trait from the list for each one.

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1. Bruce

- He moves to a new house with his family.
- On the first day, he meets Jerry and Red Rover.
- When Aunt Alice tells him Red Rover won’t bite, Bruce still doesn’t trust the dog.
- Even after seeing Red Rover play nicely with Jerry, Bruce stays scared.
- At the end, when Ann sees the little white dog on Aunt Alice’s porch, Bruce hides behind her — even though it’s just a tiny puppy!

→ Bruce is afraid of dogs, even when they’re friendly or small. That shows he is fearful.

Also, note: The story says “Bruce is afraid if she tells Bruce he will tell her parents...” — so he’s also being cautious or maybe even a bit sneaky? But the main thing is his fear.

From the list: fearful fits best.

Wait — let’s check the word list again:

adventurous
caring
determined
gracefully
rude
boisterous
curious
fair
honest
stubborn
brave
dependable
frank
mean
understanding

“Fearful” isn’t on the list! Oh no — did I miss something?

Wait — maybe we have to choose from ONLY the given words. Let’s re-read.

The instruction says: “Think about what each character does, and what this tells you about what kind of person they are.” And then there’s a box of traits.

But “fearful” is not in the box. So we must pick the closest match from the given list.

What describes someone who is scared easily? Maybe cautious? Not on list. Timid? Not on list.

Looking again: Is there a word that means “not brave”? Yes — cowardly? Not on list.

Wait — perhaps stubborn? No, stubborn means refusing to change your mind — which Bruce kind of does… he refuses to believe Red Rover is safe, even after seeing proof.

Or maybe mean? No, he’s not mean — he’s just scared.

Actually, let’s think differently. Maybe the trait is cautious, but since it’s not listed, perhaps determined? No.

Wait — here’s an idea: Maybe Bruce is afraid, and the opposite of brave is... well, “brave” is on the list. So if he’s NOT brave, maybe we don’t pick brave — but we need a positive or neutral trait that fits.

Hold on — let’s look at other characters first. Maybe that will help.

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2. Jerry

- Lives next door.
- Has a dog named Red Rover.
- Introduces Bruce and Andi to Red Rover.
- Says Red Rover won’t bite — and proves it by letting the dog lick his hand.
- Plays fetch with Red Rover every afternoon.
- Lets Bruce see how gentle the dog is.

→ Jerry is helping Bruce feel comfortable. He’s showing kindness and patience. He’s also honest — he tells the truth about Red Rover.

Best fit from list: honest (because he tells the truth about the dog), or caring (because he helps Bruce overcome fear).

Also, he plays with the dog every day — could be dependable? Or friendly — not on list.

“Caring” seems good. “Honest” also works.

But let’s see what the story emphasizes: He says “Red Rover won’t bite” — and then lets the dog lick his hand to prove it. That’s honesty + courage.

Maybe brave? He’s not afraid of the dog — but that’s normal for a dog owner.

I think caring is best — because he’s trying to help Bruce feel better.

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3. Red Rover

- Big black dog.
- Doesn’t bite — licks Jerry’s hand instead.
- Runs over to Jerry and licks his hand — very friendly.
- Later, plays fetch every afternoon — loyal and playful.
- Also, when Ann comes home, he runs to greet her — excited and happy.

→ Red Rover is clearly friendly, loyal, playful.

From the list: boisterous? That means loud and energetic — yes, he runs around and plays fetch.

Also, gracefully? Not really — he’s big and clumsy maybe? Story doesn’t say.

Dependable? He plays fetch every afternoon — so yes, reliable.

But “boisterous” might fit best — because he’s active and energetic.

Wait — the story says: “he runs over to Jerry and tells him that Red Rover will not bite if he keeps treating him that way.” Wait — that’s Jerry talking.

Actually, Red Rover’s actions: licks hand, plays fetch, greets Ann enthusiastically.

So boisterous = full of energy, lively — yes.

Also, caring? Dogs can be caring — but usually we use that for people.

Let’s keep going.

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4. Aunt Alice

- Tells Bruce that Red Rover won’t bite.
- When Ann brings home the little white dog, Aunt Alice says: “When Ann and Miss Babs were leaving, she calls home from school each day, she pretends that Babe is walking along beside her. One early morning, Andi sees a cute little white dog sitting on Aunt Alice’s porch to keep up. She picks up the little dog and puts it in her bag. She wants to keep it. When she comes home that night, she goes to her room and goes to her closet. There on the floor is the little white dog. Someone has put its own blanket down for the dog.”

Wait — actually, rereading:

> “Aunt Alice is allergic to their dogs.” → So she doesn’t like dogs? But then later, she allows the little dog to stay?

Actually, the text says:

> “On the first day at Aunt Alice’s house, their aunt introduces Bruce and Andi to Jerry who lives next door. Jerry has a dog named Red Rover. It doesn’t start out funny, though. Bruce and Andi’s family has just moved to a new town. Bruce is in fourth grade, and Andi is in fifth. They are staying at their aunt’s house until their parents find a new house. Bruce and Andi aren’t very happy about this because their dog Babe can’t stay at Aunt Alice’s house with them. Aunt Alice is allergic to their dogs.”

Then later:

> “One early morning, Andi sees a cute little white dog sitting on Aunt Alice’s porch to keep up. She picks up the little dog and puts it in her bag. She wants to keep it. When she comes home that night, she goes to her room and goes to her closet. There on the floor is the little white dog. Someone has put its own blanket down for the dog.”

Who put the blanket down? Probably Aunt Alice — because she’s the adult in the house.

And then: “She knows the dog can’t stay at Aunt Alice’s house. She is afraid if she tells Bruce he will tell her parents, and then the dog and her puppies will have to go.”

Wait — that last part is confusing. Let me parse it.

Actually, the sentence is: “She knows the dog can’t stay at Aunt Alice’s house. She is afraid if she tells Bruce he will tell her parents, and then the dog and her puppies will have to go.”

“She” refers to Andi — she’s afraid to tell Bruce because he’ll tell their parents, and then the dog will have to leave.

But who allowed the dog to stay in the closet? Probably Aunt Alice — because she’s the one running the house.

And earlier, Aunt Alice said Red Rover won’t bite — so she’s knowledgeable about dogs, even though she’s allergic.

Now, when Andi secretly brings the dog home, and finds it in her closet with a blanket — that suggests Aunt Alice knew and allowed it, despite her allergy.

That shows Aunt Alice is kind, understanding, maybe even compassionate.

From the list: understanding — yes! She understands Andi’s feelings and lets the dog stay quietly.

Also, caring — same thing.

But “understanding” is on the list — perfect.

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Back to Bruce.

We said he’s fearful — but “fearful” isn’t on the list.

What trait from the list matches someone who is scared and won’t try new things?

Look at the list again:

adventurous — opposite of Bruce
caring — not really
determined — no
gracefully — no
rude — no
boisterous — no
curious — no, he’s not curious
fair — no
honest — he’s not lying, but not highlighted
stubborn — YES! He refuses to change his mind about the dog, even after seeing evidence. He sticks to his fear.
brave — no
dependable — not shown
frank — no
mean — no
understanding — no

So stubborn might be the best fit — because he won’t let go of his fear, even when shown otherwise.

Some might argue he’s just cautious, but since “stubborn” is on the list and he refuses to accept that the dog is safe, it fits.

Alternatively, is there another angle?

Wait — the story says: “Bruce hides behind her [Andi]” when he sees the little dog — so he’s avoiding confrontation or facing his fear. That’s not necessarily stubborn — it’s fear.

But since “fearful” isn’t an option, and “stubborn” is the only one that remotely fits his refusal to change his behavior, we’ll go with that.

Perhaps the intended answer is cautious, but it’s not listed. So among the options, stubborn is acceptable.

Let’s check online or standard interpretations — but since we can’t, we’ll reason.

Another thought: Maybe Bruce is honest — because he admits he’s scared? But the story doesn’t say he says anything — he just hides.

No.

I think stubborn is the best available choice.

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Now, let’s summarize:

- Bruce: Stubborn (refuses to believe the dog is safe, even after proof)
- Jerry: Caring (helps Bruce feel comfortable with the dog) OR Honest (tells the truth about the dog). Let’s pick caring — because he’s actively helping.
- Red Rover: Boisterous (energetic, plays fetch, runs around) OR Dependable (plays fetch every afternoon). “Boisterous” is more descriptive of his personality — lively and noisy.
- Aunt Alice: Understanding (lets Andi keep the dog secretly, provides blanket)

Wait — for Red Rover, is “boisterous” accurate? The story says he “runs over”, “plays fetch”, “greets Ann” — yes, energetic.

But also, he’s gentle — licks hand, doesn’t bite. So maybe not boisterous? Boisterous can imply roughness.

Alternative: dependable — because he plays fetch every afternoon without fail.

Or loyal — not on list.

“Gracefully”? Unlikely.

I think dependable is safer — consistent behavior.

But let’s see what the worksheet likely expects.

In many such worksheets, Red Rover would be seen as friendly or loyal, but since those aren’t options, dependable or boisterous.

Given that he plays fetch *every* afternoon, dependable fits.

For Jerry: He introduces the dog, reassures Bruce, plays with the dog — caring is strong.

For Aunt Alice: Clearly understanding.

For Bruce: Still stuck.

Wait — another idea: Is Bruce mean? No.

Is he rude? No.

What about curious? No, he avoids the dog.

Perhaps the intended answer for Bruce is afraid, but since it’s not listed, maybe they expect cautious — not listed.

Let’s look back at the trait list — is there “timid”? No.

Perhaps I missed something.

Another approach: Let’s assign based on clear evidence.

Final decision:

- Bruce: Since he won’t change his mind about the dog being dangerous, even after seeing it’s friendly, that’s stubborn.
- Jerry: He is kind and helpful — caring.
- Red Rover: He plays fetch every day — dependable. Also, he’s energetic — but dependable is more consistently shown.
- Aunt Alice: She allows the dog to stay despite her allergy — understanding.

Yes.

So:

Bruce - stubborn
Jerry - caring
Red Rover - dependable
Aunt Alice - understanding

But let’s double-check Red Rover.

The story says: “Every afternoon, Bruce and Andi walk home from school together. One early morning, Andi sees a cute little white dog...” — wait, that’s later.

Earlier: “Jerry runs over to Jerry and tells him that Red Rover will not bite if he keeps treating him that way.” — that’s Jerry speaking.

Then: “After that, Jerry plays fetch with Red Rover every afternoon.” — so Red Rover participates reliably — hence dependable.

Also, when Ann comes home, “the dog runs to greet her” — so he’s consistent in his greetings — dependable.

Okay.

Now, for the final answer, we need to write the trait for each.

The question is: “Here is a description of a book that you might like to read. Think about what each character does, and what this tells you about what kind of person they are.”

And then we have four characters: Bruce, Jerry, Red Rover, Aunt Alice.

So we assign one trait to each.

Final assignments:

- Bruce: stubborn
- Jerry: caring
- Red Rover: dependable
- Aunt Alice: understanding

But let’s confirm if “dependable” is used for animals — yes, it can be.

Some might say Red Rover is “boisterous”, but “dependable” is supported by “every afternoon”.

Also, for Jerry, is “honest” better? He says the dog won’t bite, and it’s true — so honest. But he also cares enough to show Bruce — so caring encompasses both.

I think caring is fine.

Perhaps the worksheet expects:

Bruce - fearful (but not on list) — so maybe they have a different interpretation.

Another thought: In some contexts, “brave” is for overcoming fear — Bruce doesn’t overcome, so not brave.

I think our reasoning is sound.

So, Final Answer:

Bruce: stubborn
Jerry: caring
Red Rover: dependable
Aunt Alice: understanding

But let’s write it as per format.

Since the user didn’t specify how to present, but typically for such tasks, we list each character with their trait.

Also, note: The story mentions “Ann” and “Miss Babs” — but the question is about Bruce, Jerry, Red Rover, Aunt Alice — as per the context.

The initial setup is about Bruce and Andi, but the characters to analyze are likely the main ones interacting: Bruce, Jerry, Red Rover, Aunt Alice.

Yes.

So, Final Answer:

Bruce: stubborn
Jerry: caring
Red Rover: dependable
Aunt Alice: understanding

But to be precise, let’s see if there’s any official key — but since we can’t, we go with logic.

One last check: For Aunt Alice, is “caring” better than “understanding”? “Understanding” implies she comprehends Andi’s feelings and acts accordingly — which she does by providing the blanket. “Caring” is similar, but “understanding” is more specific to empathy.

Both are on the list — “caring” and “understanding”.

The story shows she understands Andi’s desire to keep the dog, so “understanding” is apt.

Similarly, for Jerry, “caring” is good.

I think it’s solid.

Final Answer:

Bruce: stubborn
Jerry: caring
Red Rover: dependable
Aunt Alice: understanding