Figures of speech and allusions
Grade 7 Reading Worksheet
Circle the best answer.
The fog wrapped the street in a gray blanket. Ari reads the sentence. Why might the writer use a figure of speech here instead of plain words?
- It makes the fog feel hot and dangerous, as if the street were burning.
- It tells the reader that the fog was gray and covered the whole street, block after block.
- It shows the fog was so thick that people on the street could not breathe.
- It makes the fog feel thick and soft, covering the street the way a blanket does.
Read this first
Story card (fable by Aesop)
A hungry fox saw ripe grapes high on a vine. It jumped again and again but could not reach them. At last it walked away, saying the grapes were probably sour anyway.
Sentences: Noah did not make the team. Noah said the team was boring anyway, and Tala called it sour grapes.Bo reads the story card and the sentences. What does Tala mean by sour grapes?
- Noah is pretending not to want something that Noah could not get.
- Noah is starting something that will cause many troubles that cannot be undone.
- Noah tried again and again to reach something high that stayed out of reach.
- Noah is telling the truth that the team is boring and not worth joining.
Milo's inbox had a million messages waiting after the long weekend. Jun reads the sentence. Why might the writer use a figure of speech here instead of plain words?
- It tells the reader that Milo received a large number of messages over the weekend.
- It shows Milo gave up and did not read any of them.
- It gives the exact number of messages Milo received during the long weekend.
- It stresses how huge the pile of messages felt to Milo.
Story card (children's tale)
Goldilocks walks into the home of three bears while they are out. She tries three bowls of porridge: one too hot, one too cold, and one just right. She also tries chairs and beds until she finds the ones that are just right.
Sentence: Luz tested the pool, too cold at one end and too warm at the other, and then, like Goldilocks, found the middle just right.Kira reads the story card and the sentence. What does the Goldilocks comparison say about Luz?
- Luz kept starting a job that did not get finished, again and again.
- Luz kept testing choices until finding the one that fit exactly.
- Luz gave up after the first try and left the pool.
- Luz walked into a stranger's home without asking, as Goldilocks did.
Tala's notebook was a treasure map. Doodles, arrows and stars pointed toward the answers. Luz reads both sentences. Which choice names the figure of speech and says what it suggests?
- metaphor: Tala drew doodles, arrows and stars in the margins of the notebook
- simile: the notebook's marks guided Tala to the answers
- metaphor: the notebook's marks guided Tala to the answers
- metaphor: the notebook's marks confused Tala about where the answers were
The first notes of the violin rose like birds leaving a branch. Milo reads the sentence. Why might the writer use a figure of speech here instead of plain words?
- It makes the notes feel heavy and slow, like a stone sinking in a pond.
- It tells the reader that the violin played its first notes at the start of the piece.
- It makes the notes feel light and free, as if they lifted off together.
- It shows that the music made the whole audience want to fly.
Story card (Winnie-the-Pooh books by A. A. Milne)
Eeyore is a gloomy gray stuffed donkey who expects things to go badly. He sighs a lot, and he even loses his tail.
Sentences: Before the picnic, Tala sighed, “It will rain, the food will spoil, and we will get lost.” Zee said, “Stop being an Eeyore.”Noah reads the story card and the sentences. What does Zee mean by calling Tala an Eeyore?
- Tala is gloomy and expects things to go badly.
- Tala is a gray stuffed animal.
- Tala has a gift for making each plan a success.
- Tala is cheerful and expects a great day.
Noah's thoughts raced around like pinballs. Each one bounced off the next before it could settle. Pia reads both sentences. Which choice names the figure of speech and says what it suggests?
- simile: Noah's thoughts stayed calm and settled in one place
- metaphor: Noah's thoughts moved fast and bounced between ideas
- simile: Noah was playing a pinball game
- simile: Noah's thoughts moved fast and bounced between ideas
The old swing sighed whenever the wind pushed it, and Kira listened from the porch. Tala reads the sentence. Why might the writer use a figure of speech here instead of plain words?
- It tells the reader that the swing made a sound when the wind pushed it.
- It shows that the swing was alive and wanted to leave.
- It gives the swing a tired, sad feeling, as if it were a person.
- It makes the swing sound new and happy, ready to be played on.
Story card (Greek myth)
The Titan Atlas was condemned to hold up the sky on his shoulders. Statues often show him bent under the heavy weight.
Sentence: Running the class fundraiser alone, Bo felt like Atlas, holding up the whole sky.Ren reads the story card and the sentence. What does the comparison to Atlas say about Bo's feeling?
- Bo was chasing something just out of reach.
- Bo found the job light and easy, like carrying a feather.
- Bo is a giant who lives in the sky above the school.
- Bo felt weighed down by a huge responsibility.