What an object in a story stands for
Grade 7 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
The Gap in the Fence (story)
[1] The fence between Jun's yard and Kira's yard had been missing one board since the previous winter, and neither family had fixed it. [2] Jun's father said the gap was Kira's family's job to repair, since the broken board faced their side. [3] Kira's mother answered that the fence line belonged to the first family to complain. [4] The adults spoke politely whenever they met at the mailboxes, and stopped talking about the fence.
[5] Meanwhile, Jun and Kira slipped through the gap each afternoon to practice batting with a tennis ball. [6] When a ball bounced into the tomato plants, Jun's father picked it up and tossed it back through the gap without a word. [7] One Saturday in June, Kira's mother arrived with a new board and a hammer. [8] Kira's mother held the board against the gap, then set it down on the grass and asked whether anyone wanted a cold drink. [9] An hour later, the four adults sat on the porch with lemonade while the hammer lay on the step. [10] The next weekend, the two families built a small wooden gate in the gap, with a latch on neither side.
Ren argues that the gap stands for a connection between the families. Which sentence is the weakest support for that reading?
- The fence had been missing one board since the previous winter, and neither family had fixed it.
- Jun and Kira slipped through the gap each afternoon to practice batting with a tennis ball on the grass.
- The next weekend, the two families built a small gate in the gap, with a latch on neither side.
- Jun's father picked up the ball and tossed it back through the gap without a word.
Esme needs two sentences that best show the gap staying open as a link between the families. Which pair does?
- [3] Kira's mother says the fence line belongs to the first family to complain; [4] the adults speak politely and stop talking about the fence.
- [1] The fence has been missing a board since winter; [2] Jun's father says repair is Kira's family's job.
- [5] Jun and Kira slip through the gap each afternoon; [3] Kira's mother says the fence line belongs to the first family to complain.
- [5] Jun and Kira slip through the gap each afternoon; [10] the families build a gate with no latch.
Luz asks how the gap helps the story build its message about neighbors. Which explanation is best?
- Though the adults argue over who should fix the gap, the children's use of it and the gate show it joining neighbors.
- A missing fence board becomes a gate after two families work together on a sunny weekend in June, following weeks of quiet dispute.
- Fences are harmful because they keep neighbors from knowing each other and from sharing a yard or a garden.
- Neighbors should settle their disagreements calmly and kindly, so that families can enjoy the neighborhood together.
Pia wants a reading of the gap that fits both the beginning and the ending. Which reading does?
- A flaw that shows two families who refuse to care for the things they share and use.
- An opening the families neglect at first, then choose to keep as a passage they share.
- A doorway that the families planned together as a welcome from the very beginning of the story.
- A hiding place that Jun and Kira use to keep secrets from the adults.
The Metronome (story)
[1] Each afternoon at four, Bo set the black metronome on top of the piano and started the same slow piece. [2] The metronome ticked like a small wooden clock, and Bo's fingers followed it carefully. [3] Esme, a jazz band player, said that the metronome made Bo sound like a machine. [4] Bo shrugged and kept practicing. [5] When the recital was announced, Bo's piano teacher said the ticking was the part of practice that told the truth.
[6] On the night of the recital, the stage felt hotter than any practice room, and Bo's hands trembled as the first notes began. [7] The notes rushed, and for four measures the melody ran ahead of itself. [8] Then Bo remembered the ticking and slowed down, counting silently, until the rhythm settled. [9] The audience clapped, and Esme, in the third row, clapped the loudest. [10] Afterward, Bo packed the metronome into the piano bench instead of the music bag and left it there for the next student.
Zee argues that the metronome stands for steady discipline that Bo can rely on. Which sentence is the weakest support for that reading?
- Then Bo remembered the ticking and slowed down, counting silently, until the rhythm settled.
- The notes rushed, and for four measures the melody ran ahead of itself.
- Bo's piano teacher said the ticking was the part of practice that told the truth.
- Esme, a jazz band player, said that the metronome made Bo sound like a machine.
Tala asks how the metronome helps the story build its message about practice. Which explanation is best?
- Machines are more reliable than people, so musicians should depend on them when performing.
- A black metronome sits on top of a piano and ticks while Bo plays a slow piece each afternoon at four.
- Bo practices with the ticking until the steadiness is Bo's own, so it holds up under stage fright.
- Careful practice prepares a person to perform well even when that person is very nervous before a crowd.
Jun wants a reading of the metronome that fits the whole story, including the last sentence. Which reading does?
- A mechanical rule that makes Bo play like a machine instead of like a musician.
- A gift that Bo plans to pass on to future students who come to the school.
- A steady inner beat that Bo learns to trust and can carry without the device.
- A sign of Bo's fear of the audience and unwillingness to take any risks.
The Pencil Stub (story)
[1] When Esme started fifth grade, the teacher, Mr. Alvarez, gave every student a new pencil and said it should be used up by June. [2] Esme's pencil was a plain yellow one with a chewed eraser, and it never looked special. [3] By spring it had shrunk to a stub too short to hold, so Esme wedged it into a plastic holder and kept writing. [4] Other students tossed their pencils into the bin, but Esme's stub stayed on the desk until the last day of school.
[5] Two years later, Mr. Alvarez announced that he was retiring, and the seventh graders were asked to write him a card. [6] Esme opened a drawer at home, found the stub among old erasers, and used it to write a single sentence. [7] Kira, who was sitting nearby, asked why Esme didn't use the new gel pens that everyone had. [8] Esme said that gel pens smudge, and slid the card into an envelope. [9] On the last day, Mr. Alvarez opened the card, read it twice, and tucked it into his shirt pocket instead of the bin. [10] Then Mr. Alvarez asked Esme how long the stub had lasted, and Esme answered, "Two years."
Milo argues that the pencil stub stands for effort that is remembered. Which sentence is the weakest support for that reading?
- By spring it had shrunk to a stub too short to hold, so Esme wedged it into a plastic holder and kept writing.
- Kira, who was sitting nearby, asked why Esme didn't use the new gel pens that everyone had.
- Other students tossed their pencils into the bin, but Esme's stub stayed on the desk until the last day of school.
- On the last day, Mr. Alvarez opened the card, read it twice, and tucked it into his shirt pocket instead of the bin.
Ari asks how the pencil stub helps the story build its message about gratitude. Which explanation is best?
- The stub shows effort used up on purpose, so writing the card with it thanks the teacher with that same effort.
- Old things are better than new things, so gel pens should be thrown away at school and replaced by pencils.
- A yellow pencil gets shorter through the year until it is too small to hold in a hand, so Esme wedges it into a holder.
- Gratitude is shown through effort that lasts for a long time and is not wasted on small tasks or on supplies.
Luz wants a reading of the stub that fits the beginning and the ending. Which reading does?
- A keepsake that the teacher hands back to remember a favorite old student.
- A classroom rule about using up supplies before the school year ends.
- Effort and care that last, which Esme returns to Mr. Alvarez as thanks.
- A sign that Esme cannot let go of the past and is afraid of change.