How a story builds its message
Grade 7 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
What the Tide Left (story)
[1] For six summers, Ari and I built a sand castle at the same stretch of beach and kept a list on the back of a ticket stub of every tower that fell. [2] This year, Ari's family stayed home, and I carried the shovel and the bucket down to the shore alone. [3] I dug a trench around a small castle and packed the walls with the care Ari would have noticed, even though there was nobody to point it out to. [4] The tide came in sooner than I expected, and the first wave licked the base of the castle.
[5] A group of younger children arrived with plastic scoops and stood watching me work. [6] One of them asked whether the castle belonged to anyone, and I said it belonged to whoever was still there when the water arrived. [7] We dug a channel to lead the tide away from the front wall, and the children cheered each time the sea crept up and then slid back. [8] By late afternoon, the castle lay flat, with only the trench visible. [9] I crossed out the line for this year's list and wrote a new one beneath it, leaving the number of towers blank. [10] Then I handed the shovel to the smallest child and walked up the beach to find a postcard stand.
Esme asks how the last paragraph changes what the list in [1] means. Which explanation is best?
- The list becomes a reminder that the narrator regrets building alone this year at the beach.
- The list shows that the narrator plans to stop building sand castles and will not return to the shore.
- The list still records just the towers that fell and shows nothing new about the narrator by the end.
- The list first counts fallen towers as a game; the blank number shows the narrator letting go of counting.
Kira reads the narrator's line in [6], that the castle belongs to whoever is still there when the water arrives. Which theme does the whole story show?
- The castle belongs to whoever keeps it, so people should hold on to what they build.
- Things made to be washed away can still matter, because the making can be shared and passed on.
- A story about a beach, a rising tide and a sand castle built over six summers.
- Friends who stop coming to the beach should be replaced by younger children as soon as possible.
Milo argues that the story shows a person learning to let go. Which sentence is the weakest support for that reading?
- [3] The narrator digs a trench and packs the walls with the care Ari would have noticed.
- [10] The narrator hands the shovel to the smallest child and walks up the beach.
- [8] By late afternoon, the castle lies flat, with just the trench still visible on the sand.
- [9] The narrator crosses out the line for this year's list and writes a new one beneath it.
Tala wants a theme that does not claim more than the story shows. Which statement does that best?
- Summers at the beach are special times to remember with family and friends in later years.
- Old friends matter less once new friends can be found at the same stretch of beach.
- Letting go of an old ritual is easy once you find new people to share it with.
- Letting go of an old ritual can leave room for a new one, though the loss is still felt.
The Rematch (story)
[1] Ren had lost to Kira in the school chess final twice, once in October and once in January, and both times Ren had left the room before the handshake could happen. [2] This time the match stretched into a third hour, and the room had emptied until only a handful of watchers remained. [3] Ren moved a knight to attack the queen, and Kira stared at the board for a long moment with a hand pressed over the mouth. [4] Kira then moved the queen to a square where it could be captured for nothing. [5] Ren noticed the mistake immediately, and for a moment neither of them spoke or even seemed to breathe.
[6] "Take it back," Ren said. [7] The teacher supervising the match looked up from a stack of papers. [8] Kira gave a shake of the head and said that a move was a move, and that Ren should simply take the queen. [9] Ren took the queen and won twenty moves later, and the watchers applauded briefly before gathering their coats. [10] Kira held out a hand across the table without any trace of anger. [11] Ren shook it and then stayed in the room, carrying the pieces back to the shelf one at a time until the last of the watchers had left.
Ari asks how the ending changes what Ren's walking out of earlier matches in [1] means. Which explanation is best?
- The earlier walk-outs still show just that Ren is upset about losing to Kira in the school chess final.
- The walk-outs show that Ren disliked Kira, and staying shows that Ren finally forgave Kira completely.
- Leaving before the handshake shows Ren cannot lose well; staying to tidy the pieces shows that has changed.
- The walk-outs show that Ren did not want to play chess again until the teacher forced a rematch.
Bo reads Kira's line in [8], that a move is a move. Which theme does the whole story show?
- A story about a chess final that runs into a third hour and ends with a handshake.
- How a person handles a win or a loss shows character more than the result does.
- Winning matters little, so players should stop trying to win the games they play at school.
- A move cannot be taken back, so players should think carefully before moving a piece.
Zee argues that the story is about grace in winning and losing. Which sentence is the weakest support for that reading?
- [11] Ren shook it, then stayed in the room, carrying the pieces back to the shelf one at a time.
- [1] Ren had lost to Kira twice and both times left the room before the handshake.
- [6] “Take it back,” Ren said, right after seeing that the queen could be captured for nothing.
- [2] This time the match stretched into a third hour, with only a handful of watchers left.
Luz wants a theme that does not claim more than the story shows. Which statement does that best?
- Winning does not matter, and competitors should stop caring about scores.
- Grace can matter more than the score, yet the score still counts to the players.
- Being gracious leads to winning in the end, so a gracious player will win more games.
- Games are a good way for students to spend an afternoon after school with other players.
The Waiting Room (story)
[1] Every other Thursday, Luz went with a neighbor, Mrs. Okoye, to the clinic to translate between Mrs. Okoye's language and English. [2] The waiting room smelled of soap, and the fluorescent light hummed steadily above a long row of plastic chairs. [3] On this Thursday, the nurse explained that a new medicine should be taken twice a day, and Luz translated the instruction as once a day. [4] Mrs. Okoye nodded politely and wrote the instructions on the back of her hand with a pen from her purse. [5] Halfway down the hall, Luz went cold and stopped walking.
[6] Luz turned around and found the nurse still standing at the front desk. [7] "I said it wrong," Luz said, and the nurse's face stayed calm. [8] The nurse repeated the instructions slowly, and Luz said them again in Mrs. Okoye's language, this time checking each word before speaking it. [9] Mrs. Okoye crossed out the line on her hand and rewrote it carefully. [10] Outside, Mrs. Okoye admitted to understanding the first time but not wanting to correct a child. [11] Luz walked beside Mrs. Okoye to the bus stop without speaking, and Mrs. Okoye took Luz's arm for the crossing.
Pia asks how Mrs. Okoye's remark in [10] changes the meaning of Luz's mistake. Which explanation is best?
- It shows that Mrs. Okoye plans to stop bringing a child to the clinic from now on and will bring an adult.
- It shows that Luz should not have said anything, because the instructions were already understood.
- It shows nothing new, because the mistake and the correction already told the whole story.
- The mistake was not the whole story: Mrs. Okoye understood, and Luz's honesty mattered more than the error.
Ren reads Mrs. Okoye's remark in [10], that Mrs. Okoye did not want to correct a child. Which theme does the whole story show?
- Adults should not correct children in front of others, because it can make the children feel small.
- Children should not translate for adults at medical visits, because the risk of mistakes is too high.
- A story about a clinic, a nurse and a neighbor who needs help with language at a visit.
- Speaking up about a mistake takes courage, and it can build trust despite the discomfort.
