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ELA 7

English Language Arts 7 · Worksheets

Writing a story

Ten questions of mixed difficulty, covering Writing a story. Print it, or work through it on screen — the answer key starts on its own page.

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Writing a story

English Language Arts 7 · maddyhelps.com

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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: “‘Where were you?’ Mom asked. ‘At Jen's,’ I said. ‘You said you'd be home by six.’” What is the main problem with how this dialogue is set out?

    1. a) A new paragraph should start each time the speaker changes.
    2. b) Dialogue should never use the word “said” more than once.
    3. c) The quotation marks should be left off the spoken words.
    4. d) Mom's question should end with a period, not a question mark.

  2. A student's story plan says: “Maya goes to the lake. She swims. She eats lunch. She goes home.” What does this plan most need?

    1. a) a list of what Maya eats for lunch
    2. b) a problem that Maya has to face
    3. c) more friends to swim with Maya
    4. d) a title that names the lake

  3. Which line of dialogue best shows that Coach is worried, without saying so?

    1. a) “Has anyone heard from Tyler? He's never this late.”
    2. b) “I am very worried about Tyler,” Coach said to us.
    3. c) “Okay, everybody, let's start the warm-up now, please.”
    4. d) “Tyler is one of the players on this team.”

  4. Which sentence shows, rather than tells, that Sam is nervous?

    1. a) Sam was the kind of person who got nervous easily.
    2. b) Sam wiped his palms on his jeans for the third time.
    3. c) Sam felt more nervous than he had ever felt before.
    4. d) Sam was very, very nervous about giving his speech.

  5. Which sentence is punctuated correctly?

    1. a) “If we leave now” said Dad, “we'll beat the traffic.”
    2. b) “If we leave now,” said Dad. “we'll beat the traffic.”
    3. c) “If we leave now,” said Dad, “we'll beat the traffic.”
    4. d) “If we leave now,” said Dad, we'll beat the traffic.”

  6. Showing takes more words than telling, so writers save it for the moments that matter. In which part of a story is a quick telling sentence the better choice?

    1. a) the scene where the main character hears bad news
    2. b) the big argument between the two best friends
    3. c) skipping over three dull days of driving on the highway
    4. d) the moment when the main character finally faces the bear

  7. Which line of dialogue is punctuated correctly?

    1. a) “I'll meet you at the rink,” said Jonah.
    2. b) “I'll meet you at the rink.” said Jonah.
    3. c) “I'll meet you at the rink”, said Jonah.
    4. d) “I'll meet you at the rink” said Jonah.

  8. Which opening sentence would best make a reader want to keep going?

    1. a) Hi, my name is Kyle, and this is the story of my very long week.
    2. b) This is a story about something that happened to me.
    3. c) The note in my locker said only, “Don't open the gym door.”
    4. d) It was a normal day, just like any other day at school.

  9. A student wrote, “Grandma was kind.” Which revision best shows her kindness instead of telling it?

    1. a) Grandma was the kindest, most wonderful grandmother anyone could ever hope to have.
    2. b) Everyone who knew Grandma always said that she was an extremely kind woman.
    3. c) Grandma was kind, generous, thoughtful and caring to everyone she ever met.
    4. d) Grandma kept a jar of cookies for the neighbour kids and knew all their names.

  10. You are writing a short story of about 500 words for class. Which plan is best?

    1. a) one afternoon when a girl gets locked out and must find a way in
    2. b) a boy's whole life, from the day he is born until he is ninety
    3. c) ten friends who each go on a different adventure over one summer
    4. d) a war between three planets that lasts for a hundred years

Answer key · Writing a story

English Language Arts 7 · maddyhelps.com

  1. a) A new paragraph should start each time the speaker changes. — All three lines are crammed into one paragraph, so the reader cannot tell who says the last line; it is Mom, but it looks like the narrator. Starting a new paragraph for each new speaker fixes that, and then the last line does not even need a tag.
  2. b) a problem that Maya has to face — A story is built on a conflict: something the character wants and something in the way. Without one, the plan is just a list of events, and more friends or more detail about lunch will not change that.
  3. a) “Has anyone heard from Tyler? He's never this late.” — Asking around, and pointing out that Tyler is never late, lets the reader hear the worry. The second line names the feeling outright, which is telling, and the other two give no sign of worry at all.
  4. b) Sam wiped his palms on his jeans for the third time. — Wiping sweaty palms again and again is something the reader can picture, and it lets them work out that Sam is nervous. The other sentences name the feeling, and “very, very” or “more than ever” makes it louder without making it visible.
  5. c) “If we leave now,” said Dad, “we'll beat the traffic.” — Dad's sentence is interrupted by the tag, not finished, so there is a comma before and after “said Dad,” and each part of his speech gets its own quotation marks. A period after “Dad” is the tempting mistake: it treats the second half as a new sentence, when the small “we” shows it is the rest of the first one.
  6. c) skipping over three dull days of driving on the highway — A quick summary like “The next three days were all highway and gas stations” moves the reader past time when nothing important happens. The bear, the argument and the bad news are the scenes readers came for, so that is where showing earns its extra words. The rule is not “always show”; it is show what matters.
  7. a) “I'll meet you at the rink,” said Jonah. — When a spoken sentence is followed by a tag like “said Jonah,” its period turns into a comma, and the comma goes inside the closing quotation mark. A period there would end the sentence before the tag, and leaving the comma out runs the speech straight into the tag.
  8. c) The note in my locker said only, “Don't open the gym door.” — The note raises a question the reader wants answered right away: what is behind the gym door? The other openings introduce the writer or announce that a story is coming, which uses up the first sentence without making anything happen.
  9. d) Grandma kept a jar of cookies for the neighbour kids and knew all their names. — The cookie jar and knowing every child's name are actions that prove kindness without using the word. Piling up adjectives like “generous, thoughtful and caring” is still telling, just longer, and having other people say she was kind is telling too.
  10. a) one afternoon when a girl gets locked out and must find a way in — A short story has room for one main character and one problem, told in detail. A whole life, ten adventures or a hundred-year war can only be summarized in 500 words, and a summary has no scenes for the reader to live through.