How word choice sets the tone

Grade 7 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   The New Table (original story)

   [1] Noah carried a tray into the cafeteria and paused at the edge of the crowded room. [2] Voices clattered off the tile walls, and the long tables seemed to belong to somebody else. [3] Noah edged toward an empty corner and perched on the very end of a bench. [4] At the next table, a classmate named Ren was loudly arguing about the best pizza topping.

   [5] “Pineapple is a crime,” Ren declared, and Ren's friends howled with laughter. [6] Noah could not help smiling, and a small snort escaped before Noah could stop it. [7] Ren swiveled around and squinted at Noah. [8] “You like pineapple?” Ren demanded. [9] “I like the argument,” Noah admitted, and the corners of Ren's mouth twitched. [10] Within a minute, Noah was sharing a table that no longer felt like it belonged to anyone else. [11] The room was still loud, but the noise now sounded like a welcome. [12] Noah unwrapped a sandwich and, for the first time that day, was not counting the minutes until the bell.

2. 1.

   Ari reads the story. Why might the author choose “edged” instead of “walked” in sentence [3]?

   • Frightened: “edged” shows Noah is running away from something dangerous in the room.
   • Hesitant: “edged” suggests small, careful steps by someone who feels out of place.
   • Directional: “edged” tells that Noah moved sideways along the wall.
   • Identical: “edged” and “walked” both mean moving toward the corner.
3. 2.

   Bo reads the story. Why might the author choose “perched” instead of “sat” in sentence [3]?

   • Position: “perched” tells that Noah sat at the very end of the bench.
   • Uneasy: “paused” in sentence [1] is the word that shows Noah's discomfort.
   • Uneasy: “perched” suggests sitting lightly, ready to leave at any moment.
   • Relaxed: “perched” and “sat” both show Noah settling in comfortably.
4. 3.

   Jun reads the story. What does the sound of “clattered” add to the tone of sentence [2]?

   • Overwhelming: the harsh, clanging sound makes the room feel loud and hard.
   • Lively: the bouncing sound makes the room feel fun and inviting.
   • Hostile: the sound shows that the students are being cruel to Noah on purpose.
   • Onomatopoeia: the word sounds like noisy objects bumping together.
5. 4.

   Kira reads the story. What does repeating the word “belong” in sentences [2] and [10] add?

   • Ownership: the echo shows that Noah wants to own the whole cafeteria.
   • Emphasis: the word is repeated, so readers notice it twice.
   • Contrast: the echo shows the same room feeling closed at first and open later.
   • Contrast: the echo shows that Noah and Ren disagree about pizza.
6. 5.

   Luz reads the story. How does the feeling of the noise change between sentence [2] and sentence [11]?

   • From overwhelming to comforting: “clattered” gives way to “a welcome”.
   • From overwhelming to thrilling: the noise now feels like a party for Noah.
   • From overwhelming to funny: “howled with laughter” makes the noise silly.
   • From comforting to overwhelming: “a welcome” gives way to “clattered”.

7. The Empty Rink (original poem)

   Stanza 1
   [1] The rink is silent, silver, still,
   [2] its ice a sheet of sleeping glass.
   [3] The banners hang from rafters, limp,
   [4] and winter whispers as I pass.

   Stanza 2
   [5] I step onto the shining floor
   [6] and slowly, slowly, glide and glide.
   [7] The blades go shush, the blades go shush,
   [8] a hush that carries me with pride.

   Stanza 3
   [9] Then faster, faster, round the bend,
   [10] I laugh, and laughter fills the air.
   [11] The rink that slept is wide awake,
   [12] and so am I, and free of care.

8. 6.

   Milo reads the poem. What do the repeated s sounds in “silent, silver, still” add to the tone of line [1]?

   • Sharp: the hissing s sounds make the rink feel harsh and cutting.
   • Gloomy: the s sounds show the speaker is sad about the empty rink.
   • Alliteration: three words start with the same s sound.
   • Hushed: the soft s sounds are quiet, like a place holding its breath.
9. 7.

   Noah reads the poem. Why might the poet choose “limp” instead of “loose” in line [3]?

   • Lifeless: “limp” suggests banners with no energy, matching the sleeping rink.
   • Lifeless: “sleeping glass” in line 2 is the phrase that shows the rink at rest.
   • Identical: “limp” and “loose” both just tell how the banners hang.
   • Cheerful: “limp” suggests the banners are relaxed and happy.
10. 8.

    Pia reads the poem. How does the tone change from lines [1]–[4] to lines [9]–[12]?

    • From hushed to wild: “faster, faster” shows the speaker is out of control.
    • From hushed to joyful: “sleeping glass” gives way to “wide awake”.
    • From joyful to hushed: “wide awake” gives way to “sleeping glass”.
    • From hushed to unchanged: “shush” in line 7 shows the rink stays quiet.
11. 9.

    Ren reads the poem. What does the repeated “the blades go shush” in line [7] add to the tone?

    • Lonely: the repeated sound shows the speaker is skating alone and sad.
    • Soothing: the repeated, whispering sound makes the gliding feel smooth and calm.
    • Frantic: the repeated sound makes the skating feel rushed and nervous.
    • Onomatopoeia: “shush” is a word that copies the sound of the blades.
12. 10.

    Zee reads the poem. How does the tone change from lines [5]–[8] to lines [9]–[12]?

    • From calm pride to joy: “slowly, slowly” gives way to “faster, faster”.
    • From calm pride to calm pride: “hush” in line 8 continues to the end.
    • From joy to calm pride: “faster, faster” gives way to “slowly, slowly”.
    • From calm pride to sleepy peace: “slept” in line 11 shows the rink drifting off.