7th Grade ELA Pre- and Post-Assessment

Note For Tutors (Please Read!)

> Your student must try to answer all questions on the test. > You CAN read the questions on this assessment to your student. > You CANNOT help your student choose an answer. > There is no time limit. Student's Name: _________________________ Student Grade Level: If you are tutoring in the summer, please choose your student's last completed grade level. _________________________ Tutor's Name: _________________________ Tutor's Email: _________________________ Tutoring location: _________________________

Is this a pre-assessment or a post-assessment ? (Circle one) REMINDER: Please enter your student’s answers online to obtain a score! schoolonwheels.org/assessments

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Please answer all questions on your own. You may ask your tutor to read the questions to you if you need. 1. Complete the sentence [in quotation marks directly below] by putting the words EITHER and OR in the proper blanks. {Understand How to Use Correlative Conjunctions [Either/Or, Neither/Nor] | CCSS L.5.1.E} "You can _____ bake the pie _____ the bread."

a. either, or b. or, either c. either, either d. or, or

2. Read the sentence [in quotation marks directly below]. Which would would BEST connect the two independent clauses in this sentence? {Understand Conjunctions | CCSS L.5.1.A} "This mistake occurs all the time, _____ it does not have to happen.

a. Or b. But c. Since d. Because

Read the passage on the next page, then answer the questions 3, 4 and 5.

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Read the following passage, then answer the questions 3, 4 and 5 (on next page):

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3. What is Elijah’s main problem in the story? {Be Able to Read and Comprehend Grade Appropriate Texts | CCSS RL.5.10, RL.5.2, RL.5.4}

a. The key his mother needs is old and rusty. b. He is angry because his mother made him leave the city. c. His mother no longer talks to him. d. He does not want to come home when his mother calls him.

4. How does Elijah begin to solve his problem? {Be Able to Read and Comprehend Grade Appropriate Texts | CCSS RL.5.10, RL.5.2, RL.5.4}

a. He considers his mother’s feelings. b. He decides to go back to the city. c. He finds a key that opens a secret room. d. He has fun playing outside on the farm.

5. When the music box plays again, it is a symbol of: {Be Able to Read and Comprehend Grade Appropriate Texts | CCSS RL.5.10, RL.5.2, RL.5.4}

a. Hope b. Imagination c. Sacrifice d. Jealousy

Choose the correct pronoun(s) to complete the sentences in questions 11 and 12. 6. Lauren told Valerie and (I, me) that she’s going to the market. {Possessive, Subject, Object, Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns | CCSS L.6.1.A & L.6.1.B}

a. I b. Me

7. After getting into a terrible argument (she, her) and (he, him) finally reconciled. {Possessive, Subject, Object, Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns | CCSS L.6.1.A & L.6.1.B}

a. She and he b. Her and him c. All of the above

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8. What is the best way to re-write the following sentence? {Colons and Semicolons | CCSS L.6.2.A} The critic characterized the book this way. It was boring and monotonous.

a. The critic characterized the book this way--boring and monotonous. b. The critic characterized the book this way: boring and monotonous. c. The critic characterized the book this way; boring and monotonous. d. None of the above

9. What does the word "elaborate" mean in the sentence below? {Determine Meaning of a Word Meaning through Sentence Context | CCSS L.6.4.A & R.I.6.4} The teacher asked Russel to elaborate on his reasoning because she thinks it’s vague and unclear.

a. Expand b. Complicated c. Fancy d. Simple

10. The word "optimism" is made up of the prefix opti-, which means best, and the suffix -ism, which means belief or attitude. From this information, what does optimism mean? {Determine Meaning of a Word Using Knowledge of Commonly Used Prefixes & Suffixes | CCSS L.6.4.B}

a. A belief that the best things will happen in the future b. Someone who believes that the best things will happen in the future c. A belief that the worst things will happen in the future d. None of the above

11. Which sentence has a dangling modifier? {Know About Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers | CCSS L.7.1.C}

a. Having finished eating, Lilia cleared the table. b. Lilia cleared the table after she finished eating. c. Having finished eating, the table was cleared. d. Lilia finished eating, then she cleared the table.

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Read the two articles below about earthquakes, and then answer questions 12, 13, 14 and 15. Article 1

Earthquakes are the shaking, rolling, or sudden shock of the earth’s surface. Earthquakes happen along “fault lines” in the earth’s crust. Earthquakes can be felt over large areas although they usually last less than one minute. Earthquakes cannot be predicted—although scientists are working on it!

Most of the time, you will notice an earthquake by the gentle shaking of the ground. You may notice hanging plants swaying or objects wobbling on shelves. Sometimes you may hear a low rumbling noise or feel a sharp jolt. A survivor of the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco said the sensation was like riding a bicycle down a long flight of stairs.

The intensity of an earthquake can be measured. One measurement is called the Richter scale. Earthquakes below 4.0 on the Richter scale usually do not cause damage, and earthquakes below 2.0 usually can’t be felt. Earthquakes over 5.0 on the scale can cause damage. A magnitude of 6.0 earthquake is considered strong and a magnitude of 7.0 is a major earthquake. The Northridge Earthquake, which hit southern California in 1994, was a magnitude of 6.7.

Earthquakes are sometimes called temblors, quakes, shakers or seismic activity. The most important thing to remember during an earthquake is to DROP and COVER. Drop and cover means DROP to the floor and get under something for COVER! Article 2

Scientists learn about our changing Earth by studying earthquakes. Earthquakes are movements or vibrations in Earth. They are caused by the release of stored energy in Earth’s outer layer. This release of energy causes sudden shifts of rock as well as other kinds of changes.

Scientists “feel” and “listen to” Earth by using special instruments called seismographs (SIGH‐muh‐grafs). A seismograph detects, measures, and records the energy of earthquake vibrations.

Pressure within Earth can cause rocks in the outer layer of Earth to break. If the rocks found along a break move, the break is called a fault. When an earthquake begins, pressure from within the Earth causes rocks along faults to move and break. As they move and break, energy is released as vibrations. These vibrations are called seismic waves (SIGHZ‐mik WAYVZ), or earthquake waves.

Seismic waves travel out from the focus in all directions. As seismic waves move through Earth and along its surface, they are felt as shakings and vibrations. The farther the waves travel away from the focus, the weaker they become.

Scientists use instruments to predict when an earthquake might occur. A gravity meter tells about the rise and fall of the land surface. A strain meter measures how much rocks expand and contract. A tilt meter measures changes in the tilt of the Earth’s surface. This information helps scientists warn people of a possible earthquake.

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Read this passage from Article 1: "The most important thing to remember during an earthquake is to DROP and COVER. Drop and cover means DROP to the floor and get under something for COVER!"

12. Why are the words “drop” and “cover” capitalized? Choose the best answer below. {Determine Meaning of Words through Sentence Context) | CCSS R.I.7.4 & R.I.7.9}

a. To emphasize the importance of the words b. To emphasize the importance of the act of dropping and covering during an

earthquake c. To signal the transition between the first and the second sentence d. All of the above

Read this sentence from Article 2: "Scientists “feel” and “listen to” Earth by using special instruments called seismographs." 13. Why are there quotation marks around the word “feel” and the phrase “listen to”? Choose the best answer. {Know How to Closely Read Text (Determine Meaning of Words through Sentence Context) | CCSS R.I.7.4 & R.I.7.9}

a. To convey the fact that scientist cannot literally feel nor listen to Earth b. To convey the fact that scientist can only feel and listen to the Earth through

seismographs c. Both a and b d. None of the above

14. In what ways are the articles similar? Choose the best answer below. {Comparing and Contrasting Informational Texts | CCSS R.I.7.7}

a. Both are about earthquakes b. Both are informational texts c. Both give a definition of earthquakes. d. All of the above.

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15. In what ways are the articles different? Choose the best answer below. {Know How to Closely Read Text (Determine Meaning of Words through Sentence Context) | CCSS R.I.7.4 & R.I.7.9}

a. Article 1 gives more general information about earthquakes, while article 2 talks more specifically about how scientist learn about earthquakes.

b. Article 2 talks about seismic waves, while article 1 talks about it briefly. c. Article 2 discusses the Richter scale and how scientists use this to measure

earthquakes, while article 1 does not talk about the Richter scale. d. Both a and b

STOP : You’re done! Please tell your tutor that you have completed the assessment and remind your tutor to enter all of your answers online at schoolonwheels.org/assessments . It is the only way to check your answers.

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