A reusable water bottle costs about $15. If you would otherwise buy a $2 bottle of water three times a week, it pays for itself in less than three weeks.
7th grade English Language Arts practice sheet
Alaska content standards · from Gradelings · Name: ______________________
Question 1
Put the parts of a plot in order, from beginning to end.
- Climax: the turning point
- Falling action: events after the turning point
- Exposition: characters and setting are introduced
- Rising action: the conflict builds
- Resolution: the conflict is settled
Exposition: characters and setting are introduced → Rising action: the conflict builds → Climax: the turning point → Falling action: events after the turning point → Resolution: the conflict is settled
Hint: Picture a mountain: the story introduces its people, climbs as the conflict builds, peaks at the turning point, then comes down to an ending.
Question 2
Which description of the same person sounds the most admiring?
- Lena is determined and never gives up on an idea.
- Lena is pushy about her ideas.
- Lena is stubborn and never lets go of an idea.
- Lena is obsessed with her own ideas.
Lena is determined and never gives up on an idea.
Hint: Compare the describing words: determined, stubborn, pushy, obsessed. Which one is a compliment?
Question 3
Which persuasive appeal does this mostly use?
- Logos (logic and evidence)
- Pathos (emotion)
- Ethos (credibility)
Logos (logic and evidence)
Hint: The argument uses numbers and reasoning. Appeals to logic and evidence are logos.
Question 4
Which word is a subordinating conjunction?
- but
- since
- and
- yet
since
Hint: Subordinating conjunctions (because, although, if, while…) begin dependent clauses. And, but, or, so and yet are coordinating conjunctions.
Question 5
Which revision fixes the dangling modifier?
Running down the hill, my hat flew off.
- Running down the hill, a hat flew off.
- Running down the hill, my hat flew off in the wind.
- Running down the hill, I lost my hat.
- My hat flew off, running down the hill.
Running down the hill, I lost my hat.
Hint: A hat can't run! The sentence needs someone who was running, right after the comma.
Question 6
Which word correctly completes the sentence?
Keep your keys in your pocket so you don't _____ them.
- loose
- lose
lose
Hint: Lose (one o) means to misplace or not win. Loose (two o's) means not tight.
Question 7
What does the speaker mean by “surface feeling brave”?
The Library Is an Ocean
The library is an ocean,
And every shelf a wave;
I dive in every afternoon
And surface feeling brave.
- The speaker is scared of the library.
- Reading leaves the speaker feeling stronger and more confident.
- The speaker is learning to swim.
- The speaker gets wet after lunch.
Reading leaves the speaker feeling stronger and more confident.
Hint: Diving and surfacing are part of the ocean comparison. What is the speaker really doing in the library?
Question 8
Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
- The path was icy; therefore, we walked slowly.
- The path was icy, therefore, we walked slowly.
- The path was icy therefore; we walked slowly.
The path was icy; therefore, we walked slowly.
Hint: Use a semicolon before the conjunctive adverb and a comma after it.
Question 9
What point of view is this?
The Last Bus
I ran as fast as I could, but the bus doors closed in front of me. My heart sank. I would have to walk home in the dark.
- second person
- third person
- first person
first person
Hint: The narrator says I and my.
Question 10
Tele means “far”. A telescope is used to…
- measure heat
- see things far away
- hear things far away
- write messages
see things far away
Hint: Tele (far) + scope (to look at).
Answer key
- 1. Exposition: characters and setting are introduced → Rising action: the conflict builds → Climax: the turning point → Falling action: events after the turning point → Resolution: the conflict is settled (Literary Devices)
- 2. Lena is determined and never gives up on an idea. (Tone & Mood)
- 3. Logos (logic and evidence) (Persuasive Power)
- 4. since (Clauses & Sentences)
- 5. Running down the hill, I lost my hat. (Modifiers & Parallelism)
- 6. lose (Word Mix-Ups)
- 7. Reading leaves the speaker feeling stronger and more confident. (Poetry Lab)
- 8. The path was icy; therefore, we walked slowly. (Punctuation Power)
- 9. first person (Whose Story?)
- 10. see things far away (Roots & Word Parts)
Want more than 10 questions?
In Gradelings the questions change every time and adjust to your child, with hints and kind feedback. See all English language arts units.