How the place and time shape what happens

Grade 7 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   The Last Ferry (story)

   [1] On Marrow Island, the only way to the mainland is the ferry, and the last boat of the day leaves at five o'clock. [2] Ari had practiced for the school play since September, and today was the final rehearsal. [3] The director insisted on running the whole show once more, so Ari's solo would not come until a quarter to five. [4] From the side of the stage, Ari could see the harbor through a tall window. [5] Wind was pushing whitecaps toward the dock, and the ferry's horn sounded twice, the signal that it was loading early.

   [6] When the solo began, Ari's voice shook on the first line. [7] The song lasted only two minutes, but the walk down to the dock took ten. [8] At the final note, Ari skipped the applause, grabbed a backpack, and bolted for the door. [9] The road down the hill was steep and slick with spray, so Ari took the stone steps two at a time. [10] The ramp was already rising when Ari jumped aboard and landed hard on the deck. [11] Leaning on the rail, Ari listened to the engines hum and began to sing the song again, quietly this time, with only the engines to hear.

2. 1.

   Bo asks why Ari skips the applause. Which explanation is best supported by the setting?

   • The first line went badly, and Ari is too embarrassed to stay and hear what the audience thinks of the whole song.
   • The wind and whitecaps show a storm is coming, so Ari must leave before the harbor closes.
   • The solo ends close to five, the walk takes ten minutes, and the early horn warns that the boat may leave sooner.
   • Ari is annoyed that the director ran the whole show again and wants to leave without a word.
3. 2.

   Bo looks for the sentence that shows a detail of the place making Ari's time shorter than the schedule says. Which sentence is it?

   • “The ramp was already rising when Ari jumped aboard and landed hard on the deck.”
   • “The director insisted on running the whole show once more, so Ari's solo would not come until a quarter to five.”
   • “From the side of the stage, Ari could see the harbor through a tall window.”
   • “Wind was pushing whitecaps toward the dock, and the ferry's horn sounded twice, the signal that it was loading early.”
4. 3.

   Esme separates what the island causes from what Ari chooses. Which statement does that best?

   • The island creates the rush, but Ari chooses to give up the applause, which shows how much catching the boat matters.
   • Ari is simply an impatient person, and the ferry, the harbor and the steep road just happen to appear in the story.
   • The ferry and the road are decoration; the story is about stage nerves, and Ari would have left the stage early anywhere.
   • The ferry schedule forces each action, so Ari had no real choice about leaving before the applause.
5. 4.

   Kira looks for the sentence that shows the boat giving Ari something the school could not. Which sentence is it?

   • “The ramp was already rising when Ari jumped aboard and landed hard on the deck.”
   • “When the solo began, Ari's voice shook on the first line.”
   • “Leaning on the rail, Ari listened to the engines hum and began to sing the song again, quietly this time, with only the engines to hear.”
   • “From the side of the stage, Ari could see the harbor through a tall window.”
6. 5.

   Luz separates what the boat causes from what Ari chooses at the end. Which statement does that best?

   • The boat's noise and privacy make quiet singing possible; singing the song again is Ari's own choice, showing pride in it.
   • The boat is just a place to stand; Ari would have sung the same way anywhere on the island.
   • The engines' hum makes Ari sing, so the singing says nothing about how Ari feels about the song, the solo or the school play.
   • Ari sings because Ari is a confident performer, and the boat, the engines' hum and the wind had no part in the choice.

7. Cold Night at the Greenhouse (story)

   [1] The school greenhouse is a long glass room at the edge of the soccer field, and in March it held two hundred tomato seedlings that Luz and Milo had tended since January. [2] On the coldest night of the month, the heater inside stopped working. [3] When Luz unlocked the door the next morning, frost covered the inside of the glass, and the tray nearest the door had already gone limp. [4] The thermometer on the wall read thirty-one degrees. [5] The custodian said the repair crew could not come until afternoon.

   [6] Luz wanted to move all the trays to the warm science wing, but the glass doors opened onto a wide field, and a cold wind swept across it. [7] Carrying open trays outside would only expose the seedlings to more frost. [8] Milo spotted a stack of gym mats beside the supply shed. [9] Together, the two spread the mats over the trays and tucked the edges under the benches, trapping what little warmth the ground still held. [10] By lunch the thermometer had climbed to thirty-five, and most of the seedlings were standing again. [11] Luz stayed through lunch, brushing frost from the glass and counting the seedlings that were green.

8. 6.

   Ari asks why Luz does not carry the trays to the warm science wing. Which explanation is best supported?

   • Luz is cautious and dislikes change, so Luz refused any plan that moved the plants.
   • The glass doors open onto a windy field, so carrying open trays outside would expose the seedlings to more frost.
   • The frost on the glass shows the seedlings are already lost, so moving them would be pointless.
   • The science wing is locked until afternoon, so there is nowhere warm to put the trays until the custodian arrives with the key.
9. 7.

   Noah looks for the sentence that shows the glass room making the cold worse for the seedlings. Which sentence is it?

   • “The school greenhouse is a long glass room at the edge of the soccer field, and in March it held two hundred tomato seedlings that Luz and Milo had tended since January.”
   • “When Luz unlocked the door the next morning, frost covered the inside of the glass, and the tray nearest the door had already gone limp.”
   • “By lunch the thermometer had climbed to thirty-five, and most of the seedlings were standing again.”
   • “The custodian said the repair crew could not come until afternoon.”
10. 8.

    Ren asks why the mats help in a glass room. Which explanation fits the setting best?

    • The mats soak up the frost and carry it out of the room, which is why the seedlings recover.
    • A glass room loses heat fast, so covering the trays holds in the little warmth the ground still has.
    • The reading of thirty-one shows the heater is permanently broken, so the mats are a long-term fix.
    • Milo likes gym equipment and enjoys using it, so the mats were simply the first thing Milo grabbed that cold morning.
11. 9.

    Tala looks for the sentence that shows the open field limiting Luz's plan. Which sentence is it?

    • “The school greenhouse is a long glass room at the edge of the soccer field, and in March it held two hundred tomato seedlings that Luz and Milo had tended since January.”
    • “Luz wanted to move all the trays to the warm science wing, but the glass doors opened onto a wide field, and a cold wind swept across it.”
    • “Milo spotted a stack of gym mats beside the supply shed.”
    • “Luz stayed through lunch, brushing frost from the glass and counting the seedlings that were green.”
12. 10.

    Zee separates what the cold causes from what Luz chooses at the end. Which statement does that best?

    • The frost and the cold glass make the seedlings fragile; staying through lunch is Luz's own choice, showing care for them.
    • The greenhouse is just a backdrop, and Luz would have stayed through lunch in any place.
    • The cold keeps Luz in the greenhouse, so staying through lunch shows nothing about Luz, since the seedlings leave no other choice.
    • Luz is a patient person, and the frost, the glass and the thermometer play no part in the choice.