How the place and time shape what happens

Grade 7 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   The Dry Summer (story)

   [1] By August, the creek behind Jun's farmhouse had shrunk to a thin ribbon of mud. [2] The county had banned watering lawns and washing cars, and every house on Cutler Road posted its water use on a chart at the general store. [3] Jun's family grew vegetables, and their well was deeper than most, but the water in it was dropping every week. [4] At dinner, Jun's parents spoke quietly about whether the beans would last until September.

   [5] Next door, Mr. Okafor's garden had already turned brown, because his shallow well had run dry in July. [6] He sat on his porch each evening, staring at the cracked rows, and he no longer waved when Jun rode by. [7] Jun had noticed that the chart at the store showed Mr. Okafor's house using almost no water at all.

   [8] On Saturday, Jun carried two full buckets across the property line and set them beside the brown rows. [9] “My well is deeper,” Jun said. [10] “And the beans are almost ready to pick.” [11] Mr. Okafor looked at the buckets for a long moment, then at the sky, where not a single cloud had formed in weeks. [12] He picked up one bucket and said that he would pay the water back in tomatoes, if the rain ever came.

2. 1.

   Kira asks how the drought limits what Mr. Okafor can do. Which statement is best supported by the story?

   • The creek has shrunk to a ribbon of mud, which sets the season but has no effect on what he can do in August.
   • His shallow well has run dry, so he cannot water the garden even though the county ban covers only lawns and cars.
   • The county's ban stops him from watering the garden, so he would water it again if the ban were lifted this week.
   • His age keeps him from carrying heavy buckets, so he can just wait for a neighbor to offer help.
3. 2.

   Luz asks what the move from Jun's dinner table to Mr. Okafor's porch adds. Which statement explains how the setting changes Jun's response?

   • The scene moves from Jun's worry about the beans to a neighbor already losing a whole garden, which gives Jun a reason to act.
   • The scene moves next door just to give the story a second place; what happens there does not change anything Jun later does.
   • Nothing changes between the houses; the drought is the same everywhere and Jun's feelings stay the same.
   • The move shows Jun's family is worse off than Mr. Okafor, so Jun decides to hide the family's water.
4. 3.

   Milo asks how the drought gives Jun a reason to carry the buckets. Which statement is best?

   • The chart and the brown rows show Jun that the drought is hurting a neighbor more than Jun's own family.
   • Jun hopes Mr. Okafor will share tomatoes later, so the buckets are a way to get something back.
   • The county requires neighbors to share water in August, so Jun is following the chart posted at the general store.
   • Jun is simply a generous person, so the drought and the brown rows had little to do with the decision.
5. 4.

   Pia asks what Mr. Okafor's look from the buckets to the empty sky shows. Which statement is best supported?

   • The look shows he has not changed and accepts the water the way he usually accepts favors.
   • The look at the sky is a pause in the action that adds beauty but does not change what he decides to do next.
   • He accepts the help because the drought leaves no other water, yet he still hopes the weather will turn.
   • The empty sky makes Mr. Okafor angry about the offer, so the bucket is taken just to avoid an argument.
6. 5.

   Ren asks what the dry setting adds to Mr. Okafor's promise in [12]. Which statement is best?

   • He wants Jun to keep bringing water each week, so the promise to repay in tomatoes really asks for more water later.
   • He is proud and insists on repaying each favor in kind, so the drought has no part in what he promises Jun.
   • Promising tomatoes ties his repayment to the rain, so he expects to recover only if the drought ends.
   • The chart shows he owes water, so repaying in tomatoes follows the town's rules about sharing it in a dry summer.

7. Lost in the Night Market (story)

   [1] The night market in the old harbor district opens at sundown, and by eight o'clock its narrow lanes are packed shoulder to shoulder. [2] Kira had promised to stay beside Pia and Noah, who were shopping for a birthday present for their cousin. [3] But the lanes bent in every direction, and the stalls selling lanterns, scarves, and spices were strung with so many colored lights that Kira could not tell one corner from the next. [4] A drumbeat from the music stage swallowed every voice. [5] When Kira turned to say that the paper lantern was perfect, Pia and Noah were gone.

   [6] For a moment Kira stood still, letting the crowd flow around. [7] Shouting would only be lost in the drumming, and walking in any direction might lead farther from the group. [8] Kira looked up, past the glowing lanterns, to the tall clock tower that rose above the rooftops. [9] Earlier, the three had agreed that if they were separated, they would meet beneath the clock at nine. [10] Kira slipped through the crowd toward the tower, checking each turn against its dark shape in the sky. [11] At five minutes to nine, Kira stood under the clock, and the first friendly face to appear through the crowd was Noah's.

8. 6.

   Zee asks how looking up in [8] changes Kira's situation. Which statement is best supported?

   • Kira is exactly as lost after looking up as before, since the tower is not part of the market.
   • Looking up makes Kira lose sight of the lanes, so Kira becomes more lost than before and cannot find the tower.
   • Looking up is a pause that shows the lanterns are pretty, but it does not change what Kira does next in the market.
   • Kira stops reacting to the crowd and uses a tall landmark above it, which solves the problem the lanes created.
9. 7.

   Ari asks why Kira looks up toward the clock tower. Which statement shows the setting giving Kira a reason?

   • Kira hoped the tower would offer a quiet place away from the drumming where a rest was possible before nine.
   • The lanterns, stalls and crowd hide everything at street level, while the tall tower rises above the rooftops.
   • Kira loves clocks and was already planning to stand beneath one, so the market made no difference to the choice.
   • Market rules say lost visitors must report to the tower, so Kira had to go there when the group was lost.
10. 8.

    Bo asks why Kira stands still in [6] and [7] instead of searching. Which statement is best supported?

    • Kira is tired of walking and prefers to rest until Pia and Noah return on their own, since the market is so loud.
    • The lanes are narrow, which tells the reader the market is crowded but does not change Kira's choice to stop.
    • The vendors have blocked the lanes with stalls, so Kira cannot walk anywhere until the market closes for the night.
    • Walking blindly through the bending lanes could lead Kira farther away, and shouting is lost in the drums.
11. 9.

    Esme asks how Kira's situation changes between the lanes and standing under the clock. Which statement is best supported?

    • Standing under the clock is just where the story stops, and the place does not decide who finds Kira in the end.
    • Under the clock Kira is more lost than in the lanes, since the tower stands apart from the market itself.
    • Kira is just as lost under the clock as in the lanes, and Noah finds Kira by luck, not because of the place.
    • Kira goes from lost among look-alike lanes to a fixed place the group chose, so the others can find Kira there.
12. 10.

    Jun asks why Kira waits under the clock until nine instead of searching the lanes. Which statement fits the setting best?

    • Kira wanted to buy the paper lantern first and used the wait to return to that stall before the others came.
    • The lanes bend and the lights confuse, so waiting at an agreed landmark is safer than searching.
    • The market closes at nine, so Kira had to be under the clock before the gates shut for the night.
    • Kira is a patient person who likes waiting, so the market had no effect on the choice to stay put there.