Figures of speech and allusions

Grade 7 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Situation

   After the fair, the cafeteria floor was covered in glitter, paper and spilled punch. Milo found a smart way to clean all of it in one afternoon.

2. 1.

   Tala reads the situation. Which story would a writer compare it to?

   • Hercules: a hero cleaned a huge, dirty stable in one day by sending two rivers through it.
   • Sisyphus: a king had to push a boulder up a hill, and it rolled back down each time.
   • King Midas: a king wished that everything he touched would turn to gold, and soon his food did too.
   • Atlas: a Titan was made to hold up the sky on his shoulders and could not put it down.

3. Sentence

   When Ren opened the group chat to settle one small argument, it turned into Pandora's box, and soon half the class was complaining about something new.

4. 2.

   Noah reads the sentence. Which plain-words version keeps both the meaning and the strength?

   • Ren started the argument on purpose and enjoyed the chaos that followed in the group chat.
   • Ren opened a real box in the group chat, and the complaints came out of it.
   • Ren tried to settle one small argument, but it set off a flood of new complaints.
   • Ren opened the group chat and read a few more messages from classmates.

5. Situation

   Kira studied for weeks and scored 89 on the test. The cutoff for an A was 90, so the A stayed just out of reach.

6. 3.

   Luz reads the situation. Which story would a writer compare it to?

   • Tantalus: a man stood in water below hanging fruit, but both moved away whenever he reached.
   • King Midas: a king wished that everything he touched would turn to gold, and it did at once.
   • Sour grapes: a fox could not reach some grapes, so it said they were probably sour anyway.
   • The Tortoise and the Hare: a slow tortoise beat a fast hare that stopped to nap during a race.
7. 4.

   The line for the water fountain was a mile long, and Kira shuffled forward like a snail. Ren reads the sentence. Which plain-words version keeps both the meaning and the strength?

   • The line stretched for one mile, and Kira moved like a real snail.
   • The line was very long, and Kira moved forward very slowly.
   • The line was very long, so Kira gave up and went home.
   • The line was a little long, and Kira moved forward slowly.

8. Story card (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll)

   Alice sits at a tea table with the Hatter, the March Hare and the Dormouse. They ask riddles with no answers, change seats, and say things that make no sense.
   Sentence: The planning meeting was a Mad Hatter's tea party: three people talked at once and nobody answered a question.

9. 5.

   Jun reads the story card and the sentence. What does the allusion add that plain words like disorganized would not?

   • It adds a calm, polite scene where the people at the table take turns speaking.
   • It says the meeting was not well organized and people talked over one another.
   • It shows that the people at the meeting were dreaming about a faraway land.
   • It adds a silly, confusing scene where talk goes nowhere and nothing makes sense.

10. Situation

    Jun told the teacher that the dog ate the project, but then the finished project fell out of Jun's own backpack.

11. 6.

    Esme reads the situation. Which story would a writer compare it to?

    • The Lion and the Mouse: a lion spared a tiny mouse, and later the mouse freed the lion from a net.
    • Pinocchio: a wooden puppet's nose grew longer whenever he told a lie, so the lie showed.
    • The Ant and the Grasshopper: a grasshopper played through the summer and had no food in winter, while an ant had stored some.
    • The Boy Who Cried Wolf: a shepherd boy shouted false alarms until no one believed him.
12. 7.

    The afternoon crawled by, and the clock seemed to nap on the wall. Kira reads the sentence. Which plain-words version keeps both the meaning and the strength?

    • The afternoon passed at an ordinary speed, and the clock kept time.
    • The afternoon crawled across the floor, and the clock fell asleep.
    • The afternoon passed very slowly, and time felt almost stopped.
    • The afternoon passed slowly because the clock was broken.

13. Story card (play and novel by J. M. Barrie)

    Peter Pan is a boy who refuses to grow up. He lives in Neverland, where he can fly and avoids grown-up duties.
    Sentence: Zee's older cousin acted like Peter Pan, skipping chores and planning for fun.

14. 8.

    Milo reads the story card and the sentence. What does the allusion add that plain words like lazy would not?

    • It adds that the cousin does not like doing chores or following rules.
    • It adds that the cousin is young, small and full of magic, and can fly.
    • It shows the cousin will not change and will not leave home.
    • It adds the picture of someone who refuses to grow up and take on duties.
15. 9.

    This week Jun had the Midas touch: each project went smoothly with barely any effort. Zee reads the sentence. Which plain-words version keeps both the meaning and the strength?

    • This week Jun's projects went fine and were finished on time.
    • This week Jun's projects succeeded because Jun cheated on them.
    • This week Jun's touch turned each of the projects into gold.
    • This week Jun's projects each succeeded with little effort.

16. Story card (fable by Aesop)

    A shepherd boy shouts “Wolf!” as a joke, and villagers rush to help. He does it again. When a real wolf comes, no one believes him and no one comes.
    Sentence: After three fake emergency texts, Noah's real message was ignored: it was a cry-wolf moment.

17. 10.

    Bo reads the story card and the sentence. What does the allusion add that plain words like ignored would not?

    • It adds the idea that repeated false alarms made people stop believing a real one.
    • It says Noah's message was not answered by the people who got it.
    • It shows that Noah lied on purpose to trick the whole class.
    • It adds the idea that Noah was in real danger from an animal.