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ELA 7

English Language Arts 7 · Worksheets

Year-end challenge

Ten questions of mixed difficulty, covering Nonfiction and media, Paragraphs, Reading for meaning, Sentences and conventions, Stories. Print it, or work through it on screen — the answer key starts on its own page.

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Year-end challenge

English Language Arts 7 · maddyhelps.com

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Date
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Circle the best answer for each question. Use the space to note the evidence or reasoning that decided it.

  1. Read: “Noah stood at the edge of the deep end for a long time. He looked down at the water, then back toward the shallow end. When the instructor called his name, he took one step backward.” Noah is most likely feeling

    1. a) annoyed at the instructor for calling him
    2. b) bored of waiting for his turn to swim
    3. c) afraid of going into the deep water
    4. d) cold from standing beside the pool

  2. An article about Maple Grove School says, “Most students walk to school.” A table beside it shows: walk 38%, bus 34%, car 22%, bike 6%. Which statement about the claim is correct?

    1. a) It is not supported, because 38% is less than half.
    2. b) It cannot be checked without the number of students.
    3. c) It is supported, because walking has the biggest number.
    4. d) It is supported, because walking and biking make up most.

  3. Read: “After the storm passed. We walked down to the river to see how high it was.” What is the problem with this writing?

    1. a) It is a run-on, so it needs a period after the word “river.”
    2. b) The first part is a fragment and should be joined to the second.
    3. c) Nothing is wrong, since both parts start with a capital letter.
    4. d) The second part is a fragment, because it starts with “We.”

  4. A poster for a park cleanup asks, “Do you want your little brother or sister playing in broken glass?” The question is mainly meant to

    1. a) give readers a fact about how dirty the park is
    2. b) find out how many readers have brothers or sisters
    3. c) ask readers for their opinion about the park
    4. d) make readers picture a danger so they want to help

  5. Read: “At Pine Ridge School, a Grade 7 class noticed that full lunch trays were being thrown out every day. For a month, they weighed the food waste after lunch and recorded it. They showed their numbers to the principal, who changed the lunch order. By June, the waste had dropped by half.” Which is the best summary?

    1. a) A class measured the school's food waste, and their numbers led to a change that halved it.
    2. b) Schools throw out too much food, and every principal should change the lunch order.
    3. c) A Grade 7 class weighed the food waste left after lunch every day for a whole month.
    4. d) The principal changed the lunch order after students complained about the cafeteria food.

  6. Read: “The raft was halfway across the lake when Kai noticed water pooling around his feet. The shore was still far away, and the wind was picking up.” Which sentence would best continue the rising action?

    1. a) Then one of the barrels tied under the raft broke loose.
    2. b) Years later, Kai would laugh about that day with his kids.
    3. c) Kai had built the raft with his uncle the summer before.
    4. d) Kai reached the shore safely and dried off by the fire.

  7. Point: “Recess should be longer in winter.” Detail: “It takes most students about seven minutes to put on snow pants, boots and mittens.” Which sentence best explains how the detail supports the point?

    1. a) Some students, especially the younger ones, take even longer than that.
    2. b) Snow pants, boots and mittens are important to wear during a cold Alberta winter.
    3. c) That leaves only eight minutes of a fifteen-minute recess for playing outside.
    4. d) This is why recess should be longer in the winter, as I said before.

  8. Which of these is a complete sentence?

    1. a) Stop.
    2. b) Because nobody had told us about the test.
    3. c) Running down the hall before the bell.
    4. d) The boy with the red backpack by the door.

  9. Read this section of a guide: “Pack at least two litres of water. Wear a hat and sunscreen. Tell someone where you are going and when you plan to be back.” Which heading fits this section best?

    1. a) Before You Hike: Staying Safe
    2. b) Why Hikers Love the Mountains
    3. c) Animals You Might See on the Trail
    4. d) The History of Hiking in Alberta

  10. Read: “Our town's only swimming pool closed last year because its roof was unsafe. Families had to drive forty minutes to go swimming. This spring, the town started a fundraiser to fix the roof, and local businesses promised to match every dollar raised.” How is this paragraph mainly organized?

    1. a) step-by-step instructions
    2. b) compare and contrast
    3. c) cause and effect
    4. d) problem and solution

Answer key · Year-end challenge

English Language Arts 7 · maddyhelps.com

  1. c) afraid of going into the deep water — Looking back toward the shallow end and stepping away when he is called show he wants to get away from the deep water, not into it. Nothing in the passage mentions shivering, so “cold” is a guess about pools in general rather than something this passage shows.
  2. a) It is not supported, because 38% is less than half. — “Most” means more than half, and 38% is not. Walking is the most common way, which is what makes the claim sound right, but “more than any other way” and “most students” are different claims. Walking and biking together make only 44%, still under half.
  3. b) The first part is a fragment and should be joined to the second. — “After the storm passed” tells when, but not what happened, so it cannot stand alone. Joining it with a comma fixes it: “After the storm passed, we walked down to the river.” A capital letter and a period do not make a sentence; a complete thought does.
  4. d) make readers picture a danger so they want to help — This is a rhetorical question: nobody is expected to answer it, because the answer is obvious. Its job is to make readers imagine a child they love getting hurt, so they feel they should help. It gives no facts about the park, and it is not really asking what anyone thinks.
  5. a) A class measured the school's food waste, and their numbers led to a change that halved it. — A summary covers the beginning, middle and end in a few words: the problem, what the class did, and the result. Weighing the waste is accurate but covers only the middle, and “complained about the cafeteria food” changes what happened, because the class brought numbers, not complaints.
  6. a) Then one of the barrels tied under the raft broke loose. — Rising action adds complications that raise the tension, and a barrel breaking loose makes things worse. Reaching the shore safely and laughing about it years later both let the tension go too early, and the uncle detail is background that stops the action.
  7. c) That leaves only eight minutes of a fifteen-minute recess for playing outside. — An explanation connects the detail to the point: seven minutes of dressing leaves just eight of fifteen for playing, so the time really is lost. The line about warm clothes is true but explains nothing, another detail still needs explaining, and repeating the point is not an explanation.
  8. a) Stop. — “Stop.” is a command, and in a command the subject “you” is understood, so it is a complete thought. The other three are longer, but the first has no subject and no complete verb, the second has no verb at all, and the third starts with “because” and never finishes the idea. Length does not make a sentence.
  9. a) Before You Hike: Staying Safe — A heading tells the reader what a section is about, and every sentence here is a safety step to take before setting out. The other headings would suit a book about hiking, but not this section of it.
  10. d) problem and solution — The paragraph names a problem (the pool closed, so families drive far) and then describes what is being done about it. The word “because” pulls readers toward cause and effect, but that is only one sentence; the paragraph as a whole moves from a problem to a solution.