Lesson 1: Reading

Directions: On the following pages are passages and multiple-choice questions for Grade 7 Reading Practice Test, a practice opportunity for the Nebraska State Accountability (NeSA). Each question will ask you to select an answer from among four choices. For all questions: • Read each passage. Then answer each question carefully by choosing the best answer. • Mark your answers for ALL of the questions. Remember only one of the choices provided is the correct answer. SP10R07XP01 23 STOP.

READING patient,” Dad explained. While we waited, we sat and talked. Silence is a blank space that begs to be filled. It’s like the dough—it swells up and fills a room with emptiness unless you punch it down with words. It felt good to be still and listen to each other. It felt good to open up and share our thoughts. As the flour dust in the kitchen quietly settled, time seemed to slow down. The dough was going to rise at its own pace. We could do nothing to make it rise faster. As I accepted that, I stopped watching the clock and drumming my fingers on the tabletop. I started enjoying the quiet time with Dad. My father taught me how to bake bread, but I think I learned something more. I learned to appreciate the slowly ticking rhythm of time. I learned to relax and let the bread rise. 1. Why is the narrator feeling stressed? A. The narrator does not want to move away. B. The narrator dislikes baking bread with father. C. The narrator does not make the swim team. D. The narrator has never made bread. 2. What is the meaning of the phrase, “you’d think I was being knighted” in paragraph 5? A. It was a chance to do something with Dad after work. B. It was an opportunity to improve my bread-baking skills. C. It was exciting to use the new stainless steel mixing bowl. D. It was an honor to be included in my father’s baking activities. 3. The word deflated is used in paragraph 8. Which word is the antonym of deflated? A. contracted B. expanded C. collapsed D. swerved SP10R07XP01 45 Go on to the next page.

READING 4. What type of figurative language is found in the sentence, “Silence is a blank space that begs to be filled”? A. irony B. simile C. metaphor D. hyperbole 5. What does the author suggest would fill the emptiness of blank space? A. baking B. talking C. drumming D. working 6. What is the theme of the story? A. It is important to find ways to relax. B. It is important to know how to bake bread. C. It is difficult to relax in times of stress. D. It is difficult to enjoy time with family. 7. What organizational pattern is used in the story? A. spatial B. sequential C. compare/contrast D. fact/opinion SP10R07XP01 65 Go on to the next page.

READING Adventurous Storyteller Jack London, one of America’s major writers of adventure tales, was born in California in 1876. During his life, London worked at many jobs. His broad life experiences would become the background for his writing. London loved to read. As a teenager, he spent many hours educating himself at the Oakland, California, public library. He attended college at the University of California at Berkeley, but he stayed for only six months. He thought Berkeley was “not lively enough” and wanted to do something more exciting. London wrote stories about working people and the hard times they had making a living. He knew their problems first hand. He worked as a sailor, rancher, factory employee, railroad hobo, and gold prospector, to name just a few of his many jobs. London grew up near the waterfront in Oakland. He loved the water. When he was fifteen years old, he bought a small sailboat called a sloop. Later he sailed to Japan on a schooner, which is a much larger sailing boat. Like many people of the time, London caught the Klondike Gold Rush Fever. In l897, he headed for Alaska. He didn’t find gold, but he discovered something even more valuable. He discovered that people enjoyed listening to the stories he made up with his vivid imagination. London entertained the miners with story after story. Later, using his experiences during the Gold Rush, he created many more colorful stories. London resolved to live a full, exciting life. He once said, “I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.” Each day, he pushed himself. Once London determined that he was going to be a writer, nothing could stop him. His goal was to write at least one thousand words every day. He refused to stop even when he was sick. In eighteen years, the writer published fifty-one books and hundreds of articles. He was the best-selling and highest-paid author of his day. Many people also considered him to be the best writer. White Fang and The Call of the Wild are his most famous stories and are about surviving in the Alaskan wilderness. Readers can enjoy Jack London’s energy and his talent for telling wonderful stories each time they open one of his novels. SP10R07XP01 67 Go on to the next page.

READING Jack London Timeline 1876 Born in San Francisco, California 1887 Buys a sloop and learns to sail 1897 Takes part in the Klondike Gold Rush 1899 Gets magazine assignments from Overland Monthly and Atlantic Monthly 1903 Publishes “Call of the Wild” 1904 Publishes “The Sea Wolf” 1905 Purchases 1,400 acres known as Beauty Ranch 8. Why was Jack London able to write on many topics? A. He had a variety of experiences and jobs. B. He was drawn to the Klondike Gold Rush. C. He pushed himself to reach goals. D. He was the best-selling and highest-paid author. 9. Why did Jack London not complete college? A. He traveled to Alaska in 1897. B. He was hired to sail to Japan. C. He spent much of his time writing. D. He was not interested enough. SP10R07XP01 87 Go on to the next page.

READING 10. What do a sloop and schooner have in common? A. They were both built in Japan. B. They were both owned by Jack London. C. They are both types of watercraft. D. They were both made in the early 1900s. 11. When did Jack London discover he first had a talent for storytelling? A. when he went to college B. when he went to Alaska C. when he was a teenager D. when he worked as a sailor 12. Which word best describes Jack London? A. cautious B. unfocused C. imaginative D. compassionate 13. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage? A. identify books written by Jack London B. provide information on Jack London’s life C. support the statement that London was the “best writer” D. describe life during the Klondike Gold Rush SP10R07XP01 89 STOP.

Grade 7 Practice Test Answers 1. C 2. D 3. B 4. C 5. B 6. A 7. B 8. A 9. D 10. C 11. B 12. C 13. B