How a story builds its message
Grade 7 Reading Worksheet
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
The Lantern Parade (story)
[1] Every October, the town of Ashby held a lantern parade in which each family carried a paper lantern painted by hand. [2] Zee's grandmother, who had marched in the first parade, kept a drawer of old lanterns and repainted one each year. [3] This year, Zee suggested putting small electric lights inside the lanterns because candles had caused two small fires at earlier parades. [4] The parade committee voted the idea down, and several older neighbors said that a lantern without a flame was only a paper box.
[5] Zee's grandmother said nothing at the meeting, but that evening the grandmother took a tray of paint and a battery light from the drawer. [6] The grandmother cut a window in the side of the oldest lantern and set the light inside, just behind the painted moon. [7] On the night of the parade, the lantern glowed softly and showed the moon and the painted river more clearly than any candle had. [8] A neighbor who had voted no asked where the grandmother had bought the light. [9] The grandmother handed the neighbor a brush and a paper lantern from the drawer. [10] The next year, the committee voted again, and the parade began with a line of painted lanterns that shone without a flame.
Pia asks how the grandmother's quiet choice in [5]–[6] helps develop the theme. Which explanation is best?
- It shows the grandmother cutting a window in an old lantern and setting a light behind the moon.
- It shows that new technology should replace old customs as soon as the old ones cause trouble.
- It shows that the committee was wrong to vote and that the older neighbors were being stubborn.
- It shows that a tradition can change without being lost, by acting instead of arguing.
Luz compares two themes: a tradition must stay the same, or a tradition can survive change. Which choice judges them best?
- Tradition must stay the same: several older neighbors say a lantern without a flame is a paper box.
- Both fit equally well, because the neighbors object at first and then accept the lantern later on.
- Tradition can survive change: the town of Ashby holds a lantern parade each October with local families.
- Tradition can survive change: the next parade begins with painted lanterns that shine without a flame.
Milo needs two sentences that together show a tradition surviving a change. Which pair does?
- [6] The grandmother sets the light behind the painted moon; [4] The committee votes down the idea of electric lights.
- [1] Each family carries a paper lantern painted by hand; [2] Zee's grandmother repaints one lantern each year.
- [3] Zee suggests putting electric lights inside the lanterns; [4] the committee votes the idea down and neighbors object.
- [6] The grandmother sets a light behind the painted moon; [10] the next parade opens with painted lanterns that shine.
The Handwritten Recipe (story)
[1] Kira found a stained index card in a kitchen drawer with the words "Grandma's tamales" at the top and a list of ingredients in faded pencil. [2] The card gave the amounts of masa, pork and chili, but the step for the filling stopped in the middle of a sentence. [3] Kira's first batch came out dry, and the second tasted flat. [4] Kira called an aunt, who said the secret was a spoonful of broth in the masa. [5] A cousin said the secret was roasting the chilies first, and an uncle said it was adding a pinch of cinnamon.
[6] At the next family dinner, Kira set out three small pans so that the relatives could taste each version. [7] The relatives argued kindly over which pan was closest, and each one remembered Grandma using a different trick on a different day. [8] Kira wrote each trick on a new card, along with the name of the person who remembered it. [9] The new card was crowded, with arrows and notes squeezed into the margins. [10] Kira slid it into the drawer behind the stained card, and left room for the next relative who would remember something else.
Ari asks how the three pans in [6] help develop the theme. Which explanation is best?
- They show that Kira's own batches were worse than any relative's version of the recipe.
- They show that recipes are not worth keeping, because each relative remembers them differently.
- They give the relatives three versions of the tamales to taste at the family dinner table.
- They show that no single person holds the whole recipe, so the tradition lives in many memories.
Jun compares two themes: a tradition has one correct form, or a tradition is kept alive by many people. Which choice judges them best?
- One correct form exists: the original card stays in the drawer, with the new card slid behind it.
- Many people keep it alive: Kira adds each relative's trick and leaves room for the next one.
- Many people keep it alive: Kira finds a stained index card in a kitchen drawer at the start.
- Both fit equally well, because the story shows an original card and then several new tricks too.
Noah needs two sentences that together show a tradition kept alive by many people. Which pair does?
- [7] Each relative remembers Grandma using a different trick; [3] Kira's first batch comes out dry.
- [1] Kira finds a stained index card in a drawer; [2] the step for the filling stops in the middle of a sentence.
- [7] Each relative remembers Grandma using a different trick; [10] Kira leaves room for the next relative.
- [3] Kira's first batch comes out dry and the second tastes flat; [4] Kira calls an aunt about the secret.
The Whistle at the Fall Festival (story)
[1] At the fall festival, Noah was asked to referee the last tug-of-war match of the day, and the teams were the sixth graders against the seventh graders. [2] Tala, Noah's closest friend, anchored the seventh-grade rope. [3] With the rope trembling at the line, Noah saw Tala wrap the rope once around a wrist, which was against the rule. [4] The seventh graders pulled the sixth graders over the line, and the crowd cheered. [5] Noah blew the whistle, held up a hand, and called the pull unfair.
[6] Tala's face went red, and the seventh graders groaned. [7] A sixth grader asked Noah to say again which rule had been broken, and Noah explained it in a level voice. [8] The teams pulled a second time with every hand open, and the sixth graders won by an arm's length. [9] Tala walked away from the rope without speaking to Noah and ate lunch at a different table. [10] The next morning, Tala left a rolled-up rule sheet in Noah's locker with one line circled, the line about the referee's call being final.
Bo asks how Tala's eating lunch at a different table in [9] helps develop the theme. Which explanation is best?
- It shows that Noah made a mistake and should have let the foul go without a whistle.
- It shows that friends cannot be fair to each other, so referees should avoid refereeing friends.
- It shows what Noah's fair call costs: it strains the friendship even though the call was right.
- It shows that Tala sat apart at lunch and did not speak to Noah after the game ended.
Kira reads to the end. Which message keeps both what fairness gains and what it costs?
- A story about a tug-of-war match between two grades at a fall festival with a large crowd.
- Following the rules fairly keeps a contest honest and lets the winners feel proud of what they did.
- Calling a foul on a friend can cost you that friend's goodwill and leave you eating lunch alone.
- Following the rules fairly keeps a contest honest, though it can cost you a friend's goodwill.
Pia compares two themes: friendship matters more than rules, or rules apply to friends too. Which choice judges them best?
- Friendship matters more than rules: Tala stops speaking to Noah and eats lunch alone, which shows the harm.
- Rules apply to friends too: Noah calls the pull unfair and explains the rule in a level voice.
- Rules apply to friends too: the sixth graders and seventh graders are from different grades at school.
- Both fit equally well, because Tala is hurt by the call and the rule still decides the match.
Zee needs two sentences that together show the rules applying even to a friend. Which pair does?
- [5] Noah calls the pull unfair; [8] the teams pull again with open hands and the sixth graders win.
- [9] Tala walks away without speaking to Noah; [10] Tala leaves a rolled-up rule sheet in Noah's locker.
- [1] Noah is asked to referee the last match of the day; [2] Tala anchors the seventh-grade rope.
- [5] Noah blows the whistle and calls the pull unfair; [6] Tala's face goes red, and the seventh graders groan.