Show it with sights, sounds and smells

Grade 7 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. 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.

2. 1.

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

   • Bittersweet: the warm porch light and the wave comfort Zee, while the open truck and old tree show what is left.
   • Cheerful: the neighbor's wave and the lit porch light show that the move is a happy, welcome event for Zee.
   • 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.

3. 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.

4. 2.

   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.
   • 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.
   • Peaceful: the flat lake, the still leaves and the silence show a scene with nothing but rest in it, start to finish.

5. 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.

6. 3.

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

   • Dread: the rasping zipper and the sweeping headlights show that Bo is afraid of the trip ahead.
   • 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.
   • Calm: the quiet room and the passing car show that Bo is relaxed and ready for sleep, with nothing on Bo's mind.
7. 4.

   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 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 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.
8. 5.

   The market was busy. Kira revises a flat sentence. Which revision adds sensory detail and keeps the lively mood?

   • 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 was very busy, with many people there, and Noah felt it was a lively place to be.
   • The market had stalls, tables, signs, boxes, baskets, bags and bins in the long, crowded rows.
9. 6.

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

   • Distant laughter rolled down the hallway as the last club let out and the doors banged.
   • The hallway was so quiet that Pia felt lonely and sad as Pia walked toward the exit.
   • Locker doors stood open on empty shelves, and Pia's footsteps echoed all the way to the exit.
   • The hallway had lockers, posters, a trophy case, a clock, a drinking fountain and two doors.
10. 7.

    A: The runners strolled up the hill. B: The runners trudged up the hill. Noah compares two word choices. How does the tone change?

    • Trudged suggests a relaxed, easy walk, while strolled suggests heavy, tired steps, so A sounds like hard work.
    • Strolled suggests a relaxed, easy walk, while trudged suggests heavy, tired steps, so B sounds like hard work.
    • Strolled suggests the runners are in a hurry, while trudged suggests they are in no rush to arrive.
    • Both words describe walking up a hill, so the tone is the same and the sound differs a little.
11. 8.

    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 suggests the shopkeeper has little money, while stingy suggests the shopkeeper has a great deal.
    • Frugal presents careful spending as selfish, while stingy presents it as sensible, so A sounds more critical.
    • Frugal presents careful spending as sensible, while stingy presents it as selfish, so B sounds more critical.

12. 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.

13. 9.

    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.

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 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.
    • 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.