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8th grade English Language Arts practice sheet

Maine Learning Results · from Gradelings · Name: ______________________

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  1. Question 1

    Why does the author describe Mateo's practicing in so many places?

    Fourth Down

    Mateo had practiced the kick a thousand times, in the backyard, in the school gym, even in the hallway at night until his dad said to stop. Now the whole season came down to one play.

    The stadium lights blurred. His teammates were shouting something, but the words sounded like they were underwater. Mateo took two steps back, then one to the left, exactly as always. He thought of Coach's advice: “Don't aim at the goalposts. Aim at the one blade of grass in front of you.”

    His foot met the ball with a sound like a snapping branch. For one long second nobody moved. Then the crowd's roar rolled over him, and Mateo realized he had been holding his breath since the whistle.

    • To show how hard he has worked to prepare.
    • To show that his dad is angry.
    • To suggest he plays several sports.
    • To show that he is bored.

  2. Question 2

    Which literary device does this excerpt use?

    By midnight, the moon was a ghostly balloon drifting over the lake.

    • Onomatopoeia
    • Metaphor
    • Simile
    • Flashback

  3. Question 3

    The suffix “-ful” in “thankful” means…

    • without
    • full of
    • before
    • again

  4. Question 4

    What does the reader expect from the first paragraph?

    Dev's Big Day

    Dev had spent a month preparing for the school's Be On Time Award. He set three alarms, packed his bag the night before and left home an hour early. He reached the school gate at 7:15 a.m., ready to be the first one there.

    The gate was locked. A sign taped to it read: “School closed today for Professional Development Day.”

    • that the school will move
    • that Dev will quit the contest
    • that Dev will oversleep
    • that Dev will arrive first and win the award

  5. Question 5

    Whose thoughts does the reader learn?

    Outside the Doors

    Amara stood outside the hospital doors, her backpack heavy on her shoulder. She wondered whether her grandmother would remember her today. Nurses hurried past, and she could not tell what any of them were thinking; their faces gave nothing away.

    • Amara's
    • her grandmother's
    • the nurses'
    • everyone's

  6. Question 6

    A book has a title page, table of contents, chapters, a glossary and an index. It is most likely…

    • a letter to a friend
    • a non-fiction book
    • a poem
    • a text message

  7. Question 7

    What does scanning a text help you do?

    • predict the ending
    • write a new paragraph
    • decide the theme
    • find a specific fact, name or date

  8. Question 8

    Why did the post spread so fast?

    A Post That Spread

    Last Tuesday, a photo went around the school group chat: a long line of people outside an electronics store, with the caption “Free phones tomorrow! Share now!” Within an hour it had 400 shares.

    Nobody checked the store's website, which said nothing about a giveaway. The photo was actually from a sale three years earlier.

    • Its facts had been checked.
    • The store paid for it.
    • People shared it without checking because it was exciting.
    • Social media shows only true posts.

  9. Question 9

    Tap the sentences in the best order.

    • Find reliable sources and take notes.
    • Write a draft, then revise and proofread it.
    • Choose a topic and a question to answer.
    • Organize your notes into an outline.

  10. Question 10

    Which is a plural of “knife”?

    • knives
    • knifes
    • knivz
    • knifs

Answer key

  1. 1. To show how hard he has worked to prepare. (Close Reading)
  2. 2. Metaphor (Literary Devices)
  3. 3. full of (Word Study)
  4. 4. that Dev will arrive first and win the award (Irony, Satire & Allusion)
  5. 5. Amara's (Whose Story Is It?)
  6. 6. a non-fiction book (Forms, Patterns & Visuals)
  7. 7. find a specific fact, name or date (Reading Detective)
  8. 8. People shared it without checking because it was exciting. (Digital Citizens)
  9. 9. Choose a topic and a question to answer. → Find reliable sources and take notes. → Organize your notes into an outline. → Write a draft, then revise and proofread it. (Write It Better)
  10. 10. knives (Precise Words & Spelling)

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.

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