Summarize a story fairly, without opinions

Grade 7 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   The Substitute Goalie (story)

   [1] When the regular goalie came down with the flu, the coach asked for a volunteer, and Esme raised a hand before thinking it through. [2] Esme had played defense for two seasons and had never stopped a penalty kick. [3] During the first half, three shots slipped past, and the other team's fans cheered each one. [4] At halftime, the coach did not give a speech but handed Esme a notebook of the opposing team's habits.

   [5] Esme learned that their striker kicked to the right corner and that most of their shots came in low. [6] In the second half, Esme stopped a low shot by diving right, then stopped another, and the cheering from the home side grew louder. [7] The match ended three to two for the other team. [8] Walking off the field, Esme told the coach that the notebook should have gone to every goalie at the start of the season. [9] At the next practice, the coach copied the notebook pages and taped them inside the equipment shed.

2. 1.

   Pia wants a summary that shows what changes for the substitute goalie. Which summary does?

   • Esme volunteers as goalie, lets in three shots in the first half, and watches the team lose the match by a single goal, three to two, after a long afternoon.
   • Esme improves after the coach gives an inspiring halftime speech to the whole team, and the other side wins by one goal in the end.
   • Esme heroically saved the game in the second half after a terrible first half, even though the team still lost the match.
   • Esme lets in three first-half shots, uses the coach's notebook on the other team's habits, and stops two second-half shots before the team loses.
3. 2.

   Luz finds a slanted sentence: “Esme foolishly volunteered, then wisely studied the notebook.” Which rewrite keeps the facts and drops the slant?

   • Esme volunteered to play goalie and read the notebook on the other team's habits at halftime.
   • Esme volunteered to play goalie when the regular goalie came down with the flu before the match.
   • Esme volunteered without thinking and then luckily found the notebook very useful during the break.
   • Esme volunteered to play goalie and read the notebook after the coach criticized the first half of play.
4. 3.

   Zee reads a draft summary. Which sentence in it goes beyond what the story says?

   • Esme had played defense for two seasons and had not yet stopped a penalty kick.
   • The other team's fans cheered each of the three shots that slipped past Esme.
   • At the next practice, the coach copied the notebook pages and taped them inside the shed.
   • Esme was embarrassed by the early goals and wanted to leave the match.
5. 4.

   Bo has room for two sentences. Which pair keeps the cause and effect and stays neutral?

   • A substitute goalie lets in three shots, then uses the coach's notebook to stop two in the second half. The team loses three to two, and the coach benches the regular goalie for good.
   • A nervous substitute goalie blows three early shots, then gets lucky late in the match. The team deserved to lose, and the coach's notebook came far too late to matter.
   • A substitute goalie lets in three shots, then uses the coach's notebook on the other team's habits to stop two. The team still loses three to two, and the coach posts copies of the pages.
   • A substitute goalie stops two shots late in the match, and that is why the coach hands the goalie a notebook at halftime. The team then loses by one goal, three to two.

6. Two Colors, One Poster (story)

   [1] Milo and Tala were asked to make a poster for recycling week, and each arrived with a different idea. [2] Milo wanted a calm green background with white letters, because green seemed the natural color for recycling. [3] Tala wanted bright orange letters, since last year's posters had faded into the hallway walls. [4] They argued through most of lunch, and the art teacher finally suggested that they stop guessing and test both.

   [5] On Wednesday, they hung two small samples side by side outside the cafeteria and gave each student one sticker to vote. [6] The orange sample received thirty-one stickers, and the green sample received fourteen. [7] However, several students left notes saying the green one looked peaceful, and two wrote that the orange letters were hard to read from the far end of the hall. [8] Tala read the notes twice and suggested outlining the orange letters in dark green. [9] Milo agreed after checking that the outlined letters could be read from across the hallway. [10] The final poster hung by the front doors, and the art teacher asked both of them to explain their test to the class.

7. 5.

   Ari wants a summary that shows how the disagreement gets settled. Which summary does?

   • Milo and Tala disagree about colors, test both with a student vote and notes, and combine the ideas by outlining the orange letters in dark green.
   • Milo and Tala disagree about the colors for a recycling poster, argue through most of lunch, and the art teacher steps in to help them settle it.
   • Milo's calm green design lost to Tala's louder orange one in the vote, so Milo gave in and let Tala make the poster alone.
   • The art teacher picks orange letters after the sticker vote, so Tala's idea wins and the green becomes just a border on the poster.
8. 6.

   Noah reads a draft summary. Which sentence in it goes beyond what the story says?

   • Milo felt defeated after the sticker vote and wanted to quit the project.
   • Several students left notes saying the green sample looked peaceful to them.
   • Milo agreed to the outlined design after checking that it could be read from across the hallway.
   • Two students wrote that the orange letters were hard to read from the far end of the hall.
9. 7.

   Jun has room for two sentences. Which pair keeps the cause and effect and stays neutral?

   • Milo and Tala test a green poster and an orange poster, and orange wins the sticker vote thirty-one to fourteen. Student notes lead them to outline the orange letters in dark green, and the final poster hangs by the front doors.
   • Milo and Tala test a green poster and an orange poster with a sticker vote, and orange wins thirty-one to fourteen. Student notes lead them to outline the orange letters, and the art teacher awards the poster first prize at the end of recycling week.
   • Milo and Tala test a green poster and an orange poster with a sticker vote, and orange wins thirty-one to fourteen. The final poster then hangs by the front doors for the rest of recycling week.
   • Tala's orange poster crushed Milo's dull green one in a sticker vote, thirty-one to fourteen. Milo then had to settle for a green outline, and the final poster hangs by the front doors of the school.

10. Nine Minutes (story)

    [1] Ren spent three weeks preparing a nine-minute talk on how the school's solar panels worked, including a live demonstration with a small lamp and a motor. [2] On the morning of the assembly, the principal announced that two earlier events had run long, so each remaining speaker would have five minutes. [3] Ren sat in the gym bleachers staring at the note cards. [4] The demonstration alone took four minutes, and it was the part Ren enjoyed most.

    [5] Ren considered dropping the explanation of the data instead, but the data were what proved the panels cut the electric bill. [6] Pia, sitting nearby, suggested showing the demonstration as a video clip. [7] Ren decided that the live motor was the talk's main surprise, so Ren trimmed the demonstration to ninety seconds and cut the two slides on the history of solar power. [8] At the podium, Ren ran the demonstration, showed the data chart for two minutes, and finished with ten seconds to spare. [9] The principal thanked Ren and later asked for the chart to be posted outside the office.

11. 8.

    Esme wants a summary that shows how Ren handles the new time limit. Which summary does?

    • When the assembly cuts Ren's nine-minute talk to five, Ren trims the demonstration and drops the history slides but keeps the data chart, and finishes on time.
    • Pia convinces Ren to replace the live demonstration with a video clip, so Ren cuts the history slides, keeps the chart, and finishes early.
    • Ren panicked when the assembly ran late, then raced through a sloppy talk that barely squeezed into the five minutes, with the chart flashing past.
    • Ren prepares a nine-minute talk on how the school's solar panels work, then learns on the morning of the assembly that each speaker will have five minutes.
12. 9.

    Milo finds a slanted sentence: “Ren selfishly kept the flashy demonstration and tossed out the history slides.” Which rewrite keeps what was kept and what was cut?

    • Ren kept a shortened demonstration and the data chart and cut the two slides on the history of solar power.
    • Ren cut the two slides on the history of solar power from the talk to save time.
    • Ren kept a shortened demonstration and the data chart and cut the history slides after the principal ordered it.
    • Ren decided that the exciting demonstration mattered more than history, so the history slides had to go.
13. 10.

    Zee has room for two sentences. Which pair keeps the cause and effect and stays neutral?

    • Ren's nine-minute talk is cut to five minutes. Ren drops the demonstration entirely, and the principal gives Ren extra time to show the data chart to the school.
    • Ren's nine-minute solar-panel talk is cut to five minutes at the last moment. Ren shortens the demonstration, drops the history slides, keeps the data chart, and finishes early.
    • Ren's brilliant talk was almost ruined when the assembly ran late. Ren survived by throwing out the boring history slides and speeding through the rest of the data.
    • Two earlier events run long because Ren cuts the history slides, so the principal limits each remaining speaker to five minutes. Ren finishes with ten seconds to spare.