Show it with sights, sounds and smells

Grade 7 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   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.

2. 1.

   Bo reads a mood that pulls two ways. Which description fits the details best?

   • 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.
   • Uneasy calm: the stillness seems peaceful, yet the dull sky and one slap of water hint that a change is coming.

3. 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.

4. 2.

   Esme reads a mood that pulls two ways. Which description fits the details best?

   • Calm: the quiet room and the passing car show that Bo is relaxed and ready for sleep, with nothing on Bo's mind.
   • Boredom: the slow clock and the repeated packing show that Bo has nothing to do tonight.
   • 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.
5. 3.

   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?

   • Steam curled from the soup pot, and the windows fogged while Ari pulled up a stool beside the stove.
   • The kitchen was very warm, and Ari felt very happy and safe there, with the whole house feeling cozy.
   • The kitchen had a stove, a table, four chairs, a sink and a refrigerator against the far wall.
   • Steam hissed from the soup pot, and a pan crashed to the floor with a harsh clatter, and Ari jumped.
6. 4.

   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.
   • Vendors shouted prices over crates clattering, and the smell of grilled corn drifted past Noah's elbow.
   • 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.
7. 5.

   The hallway was quiet after school. Luz revises a flat sentence. Which revision adds sensory detail and keeps the lonely mood?

   • The hallway was so quiet that Pia felt lonely and sad as Pia walked toward the exit.
   • The hallway had lockers, posters, a trophy case, a clock, a drinking fountain and two doors.
   • Distant laughter rolled down the hallway as the last club let out and the doors banged.
   • Locker doors stood open on empty shelves, and Pia's footsteps echoed all the way to the exit.
8. 6.

   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?

   • Scrawny sounds graceful and admiring, while slender sounds weak and critical, so A has a harsher tone.
   • 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.
9. 7.

   A: The shopkeeper is frugal. B: The shopkeeper is stingy. Pia compares two word choices. How does the tone change?

   • Both words say the shopkeeper spends carefully, so the writer's opinion of the shopkeeper is the same.
   • Frugal presents careful spending as selfish, while stingy presents it as sensible, so A sounds more critical.
   • Frugal suggests the shopkeeper has little money, while stingy suggests the shopkeeper has a great deal.
   • Frugal presents careful spending as sensible, while stingy presents it as selfish, so B sounds more critical.

10. 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.

11. 8.

    Ren wants the tense mood to hold. Which sentence works against it, and why?

    • Sentence 4: the clicking shoes are too loud for a scene that needs to stay quiet and still.
    • Sentence 3: its cheerful poster pulls toward humor while the other details build suspense.
    • Sentence 2: the snapped pencil is too small a detail to help build suspense in the scene as it unfolds.
    • Sentence 1: the silence is just an absence of sound, so it adds nothing to the mood of the scene.

12. 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.

13. 9.

    Tala wants the cozy mood to hold. Which sentence works against it, and why?

    • Sentence 2: the shrill clang is harsh and sudden, while the other details are soft and warm.
    • Sentence 3: the cocoa is a plain object, so it adds nothing to the feeling of the cabin.
    • Sentence 4: the snow against the glass is cold, so it spoils the warm feeling of the room.
    • Sentence 1: the popping fire is a noise, and noise cannot belong in a calm and cozy scene.

14. 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.

15. 10.

    Zee wants the solemn mood to hold. Which sentence works against it, and why?

    • 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 1: the empty lot is a plain place, so it adds nothing to the solemn mood of the scene.
    • Sentence 2: the shrinking taillights are too bright and busy for a scene that needs to stay hushed.