Figures of speech and allusions
Grade 7 Reading Worksheet
Circle the best answer.
The old radiator coughed and grumbled all through math class. Kira kept working anyway. Zee reads both sentences. Which choice names the figure of speech and says what it suggests?
- hyperbole: the radiator made loud, rough noises
- personification: the radiator made loud, rough noises
- personification: Kira worked through math class
- personification: the radiator ran quietly and smoothly
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 thick and soft, covering the street the way a blanket does.
- It shows the fog was so thick that people on the street could not breathe.
- It tells the reader that the fog was gray and covered the whole street, block after block.
- It makes the fog feel hot and dangerous, as if the street were burning.
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 telling the truth that the team is boring and not worth joining.
- Noah tried again and again to reach something high that stayed out of reach.
- 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.
By the time the bus came, Pia had waited a million years. The bus was ten minutes late. Esme reads both sentences. Which choice names the figure of speech and says what it suggests?
- hyperbole: the wait felt shorter than it was
- hyperbole: the wait felt far longer than it was
- hyperbole: the bus arrived ten minutes late
- personification: the wait felt far longer than it was
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 stresses how huge the pile of messages felt to Milo.
- 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.
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 walked into a stranger's home without asking, as Goldilocks did.
- Luz kept testing choices until finding the one that fit exactly.
- Luz kept starting a job that did not get finished, again and again.
- Luz gave up after the first try and left the pool.
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: the notebook's marks guided Tala to the answers
- simile: the notebook's marks guided Tala to the answers
- metaphor: Tala drew doodles, arrows and stars in the margins of the notebook
- 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 tells the reader that the violin played its first notes at the start of the piece.
- It shows that the music made the whole audience want to fly.
- It makes the notes feel light and free, as if they lifted off together.
- It makes the notes feel heavy and slow, like a stone sinking in a pond.
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 shows that the swing was alive and wanted to leave.
- It tells the reader that the swing made a sound when the wind pushed it.
- It makes the swing sound new and happy, ready to be played on.
- It gives the swing a tired, sad feeling, as if it were a person.
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 found the job light and easy, like carrying a feather.
- Bo felt weighed down by a huge responsibility.
- Bo is a giant who lives in the sky above the school.
- Bo was chasing something just out of reach.