Read between the lines and prove it

Grade 7 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Saturdays at Rossi's

   [1] Every Saturday at five in the morning, Noah walked three blocks to Rossi's Bakery, where Grandpa Leo had baked bread for forty years. [2] Noah's job was to shape the rolls, and Grandpa Leo checked each tray before it went into the oven. [3] Lately, Grandpa Leo had started tapping each roll with a finger instead of looking at it. [4] "The light in here is poor," Grandpa Leo said when Noah asked, and then Grandpa Leo asked Noah to read the recipe card aloud. [5] The card was taped above the mixer, written in thin pencil that had faded over the years. [6] On Monday at school, a classmate named Ren asked what Noah did on weekends. [7] "Nothing much," Noah said, and quickly changed the subject to the science quiz. [8] The next Saturday, Noah carried a lamp from the storeroom to the counter, and Grandpa Leo said nothing about it. [9] The week after that, there were two lamps, and the recipe card had been copied in thick black marker and taped to the wall at eye level. [10] Grandpa Leo studied the new card for a long moment, then nodded once and handed Noah the flour scoop.

2. 1.

   Esme asks: “Why does Grandpa Leo circle the rolls and ask Noah to read the card aloud?” Which choice gives a supported inference and the two best sentences?

   • Grandpa Leo does not trust Noah to shape the rolls. Proof: [2] and [4].
   • Grandpa Leo checks the rolls by touch before baking. Proof: [2] and [3].
   • Grandpa Leo is having trouble seeing small details. Proof: [3] and [4].
   • Grandpa Leo is going blind and must close the bakery. Proof: [3] and [5].
3. 2.

   Kira asks what the story suggests about how Noah feels about Grandpa Leo's problem. Which choice gives the best-supported inference and proof?

   • Noah wants to help quietly without embarrassing Grandpa Leo. Proof: [8] and [9].
   • Noah moved a lamp and made a new card. Proof: [8] and [9].
   • Noah wants to help quietly without embarrassing Grandpa Leo. Proof: [1] and [6].
   • Noah is embarrassed by the bakery and by Grandpa Leo. Proof: [6] and [7].
4. 3.

   Zee asks: “In [4], Grandpa Leo says the light is poor. What else might be going on?” Which choice is best supported?

   • Grandpa Leo wants Noah to learn the recipe by heart. Proof: [4] and [10].
   • The faded, small writing is hard for him to read, not only the light. Proof: [5] and [9].
   • The lamp in the storeroom is broken. Proof: [4] and [8].
   • The faded, small writing is hard for him to read, not only the light. Proof: [2] and [7].
5. 4.

   Tala asks what the reader can infer from [10]. Which choice gives the best-supported inference and its proof?

   • Grandpa Leo plans to give the whole bakery to Noah in the near future. Proof: [9] and [10].
   • Grandpa Leo was angry that Noah changed things without asking. Proof: [8] and [10].
   • Grandpa Leo accepted the help and still trusts Noah with the work. Proof: [9] and [10].
   • Grandpa Leo studied the new card for a long moment before nodding. Proof: [9] and [10].

6. Salt on Winter Roads

   [1] When snow falls, road crews often spread salt on the pavement to keep it from becoming dangerously icy. [2] Pure water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit), but salty water must get colder before it freezes. [3] Salt dissolves into the thin layer of water on top of ice, and the salty mixture melts the ice around it. [4] This works well when the air is near freezing, but the effect weakens as the temperature drops. [5] Below about minus 9 degrees Celsius (15 degrees Fahrenheit), ordinary road salt melts ice very slowly. [6] On extremely cold days, crews often spread sand as well, because the gritty surface helps tires grip the road. [7] Sand does not melt ice at all; it only adds traction. [8] Some cities now spray a salty liquid called brine on roads before a storm begins. [9] Brine keeps ice from bonding tightly to the pavement, so plows can scrape the road clean more easily. [10] Salt has costs, though: it can damage plants near the road, and it can speed up rust on cars.

7. 5.

   Bo asks: “The air is minus 20 degrees Celsius during a storm. What will crews most likely do?” Which choice has the best-supported inference?

   • Add sand, because salt alone would melt the ice only very slowly. Proof: [5] and [6].
   • Spread salt, which melts ice by mixing with a thin layer of water. Proof: [1] and [3].
   • Stop using salt, because it no longer works at all. Proof: [4] and [5].
   • Spray brine instead, since brine works best in extreme cold. Proof: [8] and [9].
8. 6.

   Ren asks what happens if a city relies on sand alone to clear an icy road. Which choice is best supported?

   • Tires would grip better, but the ice would still be there. Proof: [6] and [7].
   • Sand would make the road more dangerous than it was before. Proof: [6] and [7].
   • Sand melts the ice slowly while it adds traction. Proof: [6] and [7].
   • Sand would clear the ice faster than salt does in deep cold. Proof: [3] and [7].
9. 7.

   Jun asks what trade-off the article suggests cities face with road salt. Which choice gives the best-supported inference?

   • Salt can damage plants near the road and can speed up rust on cars. Proof: [9] and [10].
   • Cities should stop using salt altogether because its costs are too great. Proof: [9] and [10].
   • Salt makes roads safer but harms plants and cars, so cities must balance both. Proof: [4] and [5].
   • Salt makes roads safer but harms plants and cars, so cities must balance both. Proof: [1] and [10].
10. 8.

    Pia asks why the writer includes [2] about pure water and salty water. Which choice gives the best-supported inference?

    • Salty water stays liquid at temperatures where pure water would freeze. Proof: [2] and [3].
    • Pure water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius, or 32 degrees Fahrenheit, as the article says. Proof: [2] and [4].
    • Salty water freezes sooner than pure water, which is why roads ice up. Proof: [2] and [3].
    • Salt melts ice because salt is warmer than the ice it lands on. Proof: [3] and [5].

11. The Escape Artist

    [1] Octopuses have no bones, and that fact makes them some of the best escape artists in the ocean. [2] The only hard part of an octopus is its beak, which is shaped like a parrot's. [3] An octopus can squeeze through any opening that is larger than its beak. [4] In aquariums, keepers have sometimes found an octopus outside its tank. [5] Keepers often fasten lids with clips and cover the drains. [6] Octopuses are also curious and good at solving problems. [7] In studies, captive octopuses have learned to unscrew jar lids to reach the food inside. [8] They seem to learn by watching other octopuses and by trying things for themselves. [9] An octopus with nothing to explore may become restless, so many aquariums add toys and puzzles to the tank. [10] Because an octopus can slip through a small gap, keepers must check a tank carefully every day.

12. 9.

    Luz asks: “A gap in a tank lid is much narrower than an octopus's beak. What does the article suggest?” Which choice has the best proof?

    • The octopus can squeeze through the gap, because it has no bones. Proof: [1] and [3].
    • An octopus can squeeze through any opening that is larger than its beak. Proof: [3] and [10].
    • The octopus probably cannot squeeze through, since its beak is wider than the gap. Proof: [2] and [3].
    • The octopus will escape through the gap anyway, because octopuses are so curious. Proof: [3] and [6].
13. 10.

    Ari asks what [7] and [8] together suggest about octopuses. Which choice is best supported?

    • Octopuses prefer food in jars to any other kind of food. Proof: [7] and [9].
    • Octopuses can learn new skills from experience and from each other. Proof: [1] and [10].
    • Octopuses can learn new skills from experience and from each other. Proof: [7] and [8].
    • Octopuses learn to open jars after keepers carefully teach them how. Proof: [5] and [7].