Summarize a story fairly, without opinions

Grade 7 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   The Other Side of the Table (story)

   [1] The Debate Club at Maple Middle School held practice rounds every Tuesday, and Jun had won the last three. [2] This week the coach drew topics from a hat, and Jun's card said Jun must argue that students should have no homework on weekends. [3] "But I think weekend homework helps," Jun protested, and a few teammates laughed. [4] The coach tapped the card and said a rule was a rule.

   [5] That night Jun read articles, copied statistics onto note cards, and practiced in front of the bathroom mirror. [6] On Tuesday, Jun's opening speech used a study about sleep and a survey of tired seventh graders. [7] Pia, who argued the other side, listened closely and answered with a point about practicing math. [8] Jun had no reply ready and stumbled through two sentences before the timer rang. [9] The judge gave the round to Pia but wrote that Jun's argument was the most carefully sourced. [10] Afterward, Jun asked Pia to explain the math point again and copied it onto a fresh note card.

2. 1.

   Ari summarizes “The Other Side of the Table” for the newsletter. Which sentence is an objective summary?

   • Pia answers Jun's speech with a point about practicing math, wins the round, and then explains that point to Jun once more.
   • Jun was unfairly forced to defend a side Jun hated, lost to Pia through bad luck, and then gave up on the weekend homework question.
   • Jun spends the night reading articles and copying statistics, then opens the round with a study about sleep and a survey of seventh graders.
   • Jun is assigned a debate side that Jun disagrees with, prepares carefully, loses the round to Pia, and then asks Pia to explain the winning point.
3. 2.

   Bo checks four sentences from a draft summary. Which one contains a judgment the story does not support?

   • Jun stumbled through two sentences after Pia answered with a point about practicing math, and then the timer rang.
   • The judge gave the round to Pia but wrote that Jun's argument was the most carefully sourced.
   • Jun protested when the coach assigned the side, and a few teammates laughed at the protest from their chairs.
   • Jun gave a weak opening speech built on a study about sleep and a survey of tired seventh graders.
4. 3.

   Kira drafts summary sentences. Which sentence states what the story shows, not a guess about a feeling or a plan?

   • Jun was terrified of losing to Pia in front of the entire club that afternoon.
   • Jun decided that weekend homework should be banned after hearing what Pia had said.
   • Jun's opening speech used a study about sleep and a survey of tired seventh graders.
   • Pia answered with the math point because Pia wanted to embarrass Jun in front of the judge.

5. The Seedling Swap (story)

   [1] Every May, the community garden held a seedling swap, and Zee brought a tray of tomato plants that had sprouted too thickly. [2] At the swap table, Luz offered a pot of basil in exchange, but Zee noticed brown spots on the lowest leaves. [3] Zee hesitated, because trading healthy tomatoes for a sick plant seemed like a bad deal. [4] Luz explained that the spots came from watering in the evening and would not spread if the leaves stayed dry.

   [5] Zee asked the garden manager, who agreed and showed how to trim the spotted leaves. [6] The trade went ahead, and Zee carried the basil home in a box lined with a towel. [7] For two weeks Zee watered only the soil, always in the morning, and snipped a few leaves every Saturday. [8] By June the basil had grown new bright leaves, and Zee gave the first handful to Luz for pesto. [9] Luz laughed and said the tomatoes at home were already taller than the fence.

6. 4.

   Milo summarizes “The Seedling Swap” for the newsletter. Which sentence is an objective summary?

   • Zee made a risky trade for a sick basil plant, and Luz cleverly got the better end of the swap at the garden.
   • Zee ends the spring with a healthy basil plant, and Luz receives the first handful of leaves to make into pesto at home.
   • Zee brings a tray of tomato plants to the swap and hesitates when Luz offers a basil plant with brown spots on the leaves.
   • Zee trades tomato seedlings for a spotted basil plant, learns how to treat the spots, and later shares the healthy basil with Luz.
7. 5.

   Ren cuts the summary to two sentences. Which event must stay because it answers Zee's doubt about the trade?

   • Luz laughs and says the tomatoes at home are already taller than the garden fence by now.
   • Zee carries the basil home in a box lined with a towel after the trade at the garden table.
   • Zee snips a few spotted leaves each Saturday for the next two weeks to help the basil recover.
   • Luz explains that the spots come from evening watering and will not spread if the leaves stay dry.
8. 6.

   Tala drafts summary sentences. Which sentence states what the story shows, not a guess about a feeling or a plan?

   • Zee was embarrassed to have brought tomato plants that had sprouted too thickly in the tray.
   • Luz hoped Zee would refuse the trade, because Luz wanted to keep the basil plant for pesto.
   • Zee planned to avoid swaps with Luz after seeing how much work the basil needed.
   • By June the basil had grown new bright leaves, and Zee shared the first handful with Luz.

9. The Morning Announcement (story)

   [1] Pia had volunteered to read the morning announcements for the first time, and the script lay on the desk in the school office. [2] The script listed the science fair winners and thanked the visiting judge, Dr. Tsvetkova. [3] In the hallway, Pia tried the judge's name three times, and it came out differently each time. [4] The secretary suggested skipping the name, but Pia worried that the judge would feel left out.

   [5] Instead, Pia phoned the judge's office, asked how to say the name, and wrote the sounds in marker above it. [6] On Monday, Pia read the announcements slowly, and the name came out right except for one syllable. [7] The speakers crackled, and a few students in the hallway giggled. [8] That afternoon the judge sent a note thanking Pia for trying at all. [9] On Tuesday, Pia read the whole script again with a cheat sheet taped to the desk.

10. 7.

    Zee summarizes “The Morning Announcement” for the newsletter. Which sentence is an objective summary?

    • Pia worries about mispronouncing a judge's name, asks the judge's office how to say it, and reads it almost right on the air.
    • Pia embarrassed the school by botching a judge's name on the air, though the judge was kind enough to forgive it.
    • Pia tries a visiting judge's name three times in the hallway before school, and the secretary suggests that Pia skip it.
    • Pia reads the announcements slowly on Monday morning, and the judge sends a note thanking Pia for the effort.
11. 8.

    Luz checks four sentences from a draft summary. Which one contains a judgment the story does not support?

    • That afternoon the judge sent a note thanking Pia for the attempt.
    • The speakers crackled, and a few students in the hallway giggled during the reading.
    • The secretary lazily suggested skipping the name instead of helping Pia practice it.
    • The secretary suggested skipping the name, but Pia worried the judge would feel left out.
12. 9.

    Jun cuts the summary to two sentences. Which event must stay because it solves Pia's problem with the name?

    • Pia phones the judge's office and asks how to say the name before the broadcast.
    • Pia tapes a cheat sheet to the desk and reads the whole script again on Tuesday.
    • The speakers crackle on Monday, and a few students giggle in the hallway nearby.
    • The secretary suggests skipping the name, but Pia decides the judge would feel left out.
13. 10.

    Ari drafts summary sentences. Which sentence states what the story shows, not a guess about a feeling or a plan?

    • The secretary wanted Pia to fail so that someone else could read the announcements.
    • The judge was offended by the one syllable that Pia pronounced wrongly on Monday.
    • That afternoon the judge sent Pia a note thanking Pia for trying at all.
    • Pia was so nervous that Pia almost quit before the first morning reading.