Show it with sights, sounds and smells
Grade 7 Reading Worksheet
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Use this
[1] The moving truck sat in the driveway with its back open. [2] Zee carried the last box past the apple tree that Zee had climbed every summer. [3] A neighbor waved from across the street, and the porch light flickered on early. [4] Zee waved back and kept walking.
Ari reads a mood that pulls two ways. Which description fits the details best?
- Cheerful: the neighbor's wave and the lit porch light show that the move is a happy, welcome event for Zee.
- Bittersweet: the warm porch light and the wave comfort Zee, while the open truck and old tree show what is left.
- Gloomy: the open truck and the empty driveway show that nothing good is left behind in the old house.
- Tense: the flickering light and the quick walk show that Zee is hurrying to escape from the house and street.
Use this
[1] The lake lay flat and silver under a sky the color of dishwater. [2] Not a single leaf moved on the shoreline maples. [3] Esme sat on the dock and listened to the water slap once against the post, then fall silent again.
Bo reads a mood that pulls two ways. Which description fits the details best?
- Uneasy calm: the stillness seems peaceful, yet the dull sky and one slap of water hint that a change is coming.
- Joyful: the silver water and the dock show that Esme is having a perfect afternoon by the lake, relaxed and glad.
- Peaceful: the flat lake, the still leaves and the silence show a scene with nothing but rest in it, start to finish.
- Frantic: the slap of water and the dull sky show that Esme is in a rush to leave the dock and the lake.
Use this
[1] The night before the trip, Bo repacked the backpack for the third time. [2] The zipper rasped, the map crackled, and the clock refused to move past nine. [3] Outside, a car passed with its headlights sweeping across the ceiling, and Bo's eyes followed them.
Esme reads a mood that pulls two ways. Which description fits the details best?
- Boredom: the slow clock and the repeated packing show that Bo has nothing to do tonight.
- Calm: the quiet room and the passing car show that Bo is relaxed and ready for sleep, with nothing on Bo's mind.
- Restless excitement: the repeated packing and the slow clock show that Bo is too eager to settle down.
- Dread: the rasping zipper and the sweeping headlights show that Bo is afraid of the trip ahead.
The kitchen was nice, and Ari felt good there. Jun revises a flat sentence. Which revision adds sensory detail and keeps the warm, welcoming mood?
- The kitchen had a stove, a table, four chairs, a sink and a refrigerator against the far wall.
- Steam curled from the soup pot, and the windows fogged while Ari pulled up a stool beside the stove.
- Steam hissed from the soup pot, and a pan crashed to the floor with a harsh clatter, and Ari jumped.
- The kitchen was very warm, and Ari felt very happy and safe there, with the whole house feeling cozy.
The market was busy. Kira revises a flat sentence. Which revision adds sensory detail and keeps the lively mood?
- The market was very busy, with many people there, and Noah felt it was a lively place to be.
- Rows of stalls stood under a gray tarp while a single vendor counted coins in silence until the sun went down.
- The market had stalls, tables, signs, boxes, baskets, bags and bins in the long, crowded rows.
- Vendors shouted prices over crates clattering, and the smell of grilled corn drifted past Noah's elbow.
A: Tala's grandfather was a slender man. B: Tala's grandfather was a scrawny man. Milo compares two word choices. How does the tone change?
- Both words mean exactly the same thing, so the tone of the two sentences does not change in either one.
- Slender sounds graceful and kind, while scrawny sounds weak and critical, so B has a harsher tone.
- Slender suggests an older man and scrawny suggests a younger man, so the age changes in each.
- Scrawny sounds graceful and admiring, while slender sounds weak and critical, so A has a harsher tone.
A: The runners strolled up the hill. B: The runners trudged up the hill. Noah compares two word choices. How does the tone change?
- Strolled suggests a relaxed, easy walk, while trudged suggests heavy, tired steps, so B sounds like hard work.
- Trudged suggests a relaxed, easy walk, while strolled suggests heavy, tired steps, so A sounds like hard work.
- Both words describe walking up a hill, so the tone is the same and the sound differs a little.
- Strolled suggests the runners are in a hurry, while trudged suggests they are in no rush to arrive.
Use this
[1] The hallway outside the testing room went silent. [2] Kira's pencil tip snapped, and the crack seemed loud as a branch. [3] A cheerful poster of dancing puppies smiled from the wall. [4] The proctor's shoes clicked closer.
Ren wants the tense mood to hold. Which sentence works against it, and why?
- Sentence 2: the snapped pencil is too small a detail to help build suspense in the scene as it unfolds.
- Sentence 3: its cheerful poster pulls toward humor while the other details build suspense.
- Sentence 4: the clicking shoes are too loud for a scene that needs to stay quiet and still.
- Sentence 1: the silence is just an absence of sound, so it adds nothing to the mood of the scene.
Use this
[1] The cabin fire popped softly. [2] A shrill alarm bell clanged outside the window. [3] Luz wrapped both hands around a mug of cocoa. [4] Snow pressed against the glass, and the room stayed warm.
Tala wants the cozy mood to hold. Which sentence works against it, and why?
- Sentence 3: the cocoa is a plain object, so it adds nothing to the feeling of the cabin.
- Sentence 1: the popping fire is a noise, and noise cannot belong in a calm and cozy scene.
- Sentence 2: the shrill clang is harsh and sudden, while the other details are soft and warm.
- Sentence 4: the snow against the glass is cold, so it spoils the warm feeling of the room.
Use this
[1] The last bus left the empty lot. [2] Jun stood by the fence and watched the taillights shrink. [3] The evening sky faded to a dull gray. [4] A bright balloon bounced past, squeaking cheerfully.
Zee wants the solemn mood to hold. Which sentence works against it, and why?
- Sentence 1: the empty lot is a plain place, so it adds nothing to the solemn mood of the scene.
- Sentence 3: the dull gray sky is a color, so it cannot help build a mood in the scene.
- Sentence 4: the bright, squeaking balloon is playful, while the other details are quiet and gray.
- Sentence 2: the shrinking taillights are too bright and busy for a scene that needs to stay hushed.
