Reading Comprehension Riddles

Strengthen inference and vocabulary with reading comprehension riddles that turn close reading into a game.

Classic Clues

I solve the problem and tie loose ends. What am I?

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The resolution.

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I change because of story events. Who am I?

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A dynamic character.

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I ask why the author included a detail. What am I?

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Author purpose.

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I hint early at what happens later. What am I?

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Foreshadowing.

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I am words around an unknown word that help meaning. What am I?

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Context clues.

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I compare similarities and differences. What am I?

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Compare and contrast.

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I know one character thoughts and feelings. Who am I?

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Third-person limited narrator.

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I sum up the main idea of a paragraph. What am I?

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A topic sentence.

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I am an argument backed by evidence. What am I?

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A claim.

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I say one thing is another, like 'time is a thief.' What am I?

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A metaphor.

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Themed Challenge Riddles

I compare two things using like or as. What am I?

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A simile.

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I list key words alphabetically with page numbers. What am I?

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An index.

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I ask who, what, when, where, why, and how. What am I?

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The 5W plus H strategy.

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I am where tension rises and conflicts grow. What am I?

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Rising action.

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I explain character motivation using text evidence. What am I?

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An inference paragraph.

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I am the lesson or message of a story. What am I?

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Theme.

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I am the time and place of a story. What am I?

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Setting.

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I am the problem characters must face. What am I?

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Conflict.

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I am a clue that supports your answer. What am I?

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Text evidence.

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I am the short version of the important events. What am I?

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A summary.

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Party and Classroom Extras

I am the voice telling the story. What am I?

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Narrator.

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I am a phrase not meant literally. What am I?

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An idiom.

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I am the feeling a text gives readers. What am I?

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Mood.

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I am the author attitude toward a subject. What am I?

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Tone.

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I am the most important point in nonfiction. What am I?

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Main idea.

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I am the smaller facts that support a point. What am I?

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Details.

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I am a guess based on clues and knowledge. What am I?

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An inference.

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I am the question students ask while reading. What am I?

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A comprehension check.

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I am the chart that follows beginning, middle, and end. What am I?

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A plot map.

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What has words but never speaks?

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A book.

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FAQ

Are answers included?
Yes. Every riddle includes the answer.

How should I use these?
Use them for classrooms, family activities, newsletters, discussion prompts, or themed events.

Want more related riddles?
Follow the internal links near the top for more themed clues.

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