Explain a topic in a few paragraphs

Grade 7 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Why We Have Seasons (informative draft)

   [1] Many people picture a cold winter and a hot summer, but few know what makes the weather change. [2] The answer has to do with Earth's tilted axis, the imaginary line that runs through the North and South Poles. [3] As Earth circles the Sun once each year, the tilt stays pointed in the same direction in space.

   [4] Different parts of Earth lean toward the Sun at different times of the year. [5] When the Northern Hemisphere leans toward the Sun, it gets more direct sunlight and longer days. [6] That extra light makes the stuff there heat up, and the weather gets nice for a few months.

   [7] Six months later, the Southern Hemisphere leans toward the Sun, and the seasons switch places around the world. [8] So when it is winter in North America, it is summer in Australia. [9] In short, the tilt of Earth's axis explains why the seasons come and go each year.

2. 1.

   Kira wants sentence [4] to connect to [3] with a transition. Which version shows the right relationship between the ideas?

   • For example, different parts of Earth lean toward the Sun at different times of the year.
   • In contrast, different parts of Earth lean toward the Sun at different times of the year.
   • As a result, different parts of Earth lean toward the Sun at different times of the year.
   • In conclusion, different parts of Earth lean toward the Sun at different times of the year.
3. 2.

   Luz wants sentence [6] of the seasons essay to be precise. Which sentence names what warms and keeps the facts true?

   • That extra sunlight warms the land and oceans, and summer begins in the Northern Hemisphere.
   • That extra sunlight warms the land and oceans, and summer begins in the Southern Hemisphere.
   • That extra sunlight totally cooks the land, so summer is hot and awesome there for months.
   • That extra light makes the stuff there get warm, and the weather turns nice for a while.
4. 3.

   Milo wants one sentence after [8], before the conclusion, that names a common misunderstanding and corrects it. Which sentence does both?

   • The tilt of Earth's axis is what changes the seasons, and the tilt stays the same during the whole year.
   • Some people believe summer happens when Earth is closest to the Sun, and this belief is quite common among adults.
   • Some people believe summer happens when Earth is closest to the Sun, but the tilt of Earth's axis changes the seasons.
   • Earth's axis is tilted about twenty-three degrees away from an upright line to its path around the Sun.

5. How Camels Survive the Desert (informative draft)

   [1] Camels have crossed hot deserts for thousands of years, carrying people and heavy loads from one distant oasis to another. [2] These animals can travel for days with very little water, which seems almost impossible to people who have not seen it. [3] Their bodies have several features that help them survive in the harsh desert.

   [4] A camel's thick coat keeps the heat of the sun off its skin. [5] Fat stored in the hump gives the camel energy when food is hard to find across the sand. [6] Its eyes and nose also have special stuff that keeps the blowing sand out.

   [7] Water is the other big challenge in the desert, and camels handle it well. [8] A very thirsty camel can drink many gallons of water in just a few minutes at a watering hole. [9] Together, these features let camels cross deserts that would stop most other animals.

6. 4.

   Noah reads the camel essay and wants sentence [4] to connect to [3]. Which version shows the right relationship between the ideas?

   • As a result, a camel's thick coat keeps the heat of the sun off its skin.
   • In conclusion, a camel's thick coat keeps the heat of the sun off its skin.
   • For example, a camel's thick coat keeps the heat of the sun off its skin.
   • In contrast, a camel's thick coat keeps the heat of the sun off its skin.
7. 5.

   Pia wants sentence [6] of the camel essay to name its features exactly. Which sentence is precise and true?

   • Its eyes and nose also have special things that keep the blowing sand out.
   • Its long double eyelashes and nostrils that can close keep the blowing sand out.
   • Its wide padded feet and short tail keep the blowing sand out of its eyes.
   • Its eyelashes are super cool, and its nose just shuts so the sand cannot get in.
8. 6.

   Ren wants one sentence after [8], before the conclusion, that names a common misunderstanding about camels and corrects it. Which sentence does both?

   • Many people think a camel stores water in its hump, but the hump holds fat that gives it energy.
   • A camel's hump holds fat that gives it energy when food is hard to find in the desert.
   • A camel's wide, padded feet spread its weight so it does not sink into soft sand.
   • Many people think a camel stores water in its hump, and the idea has been repeated for years.

9. How Bats Find Their Way (informative draft)

   [1] At dusk, bats leave their roosts and swoop through the evening sky to catch insects. [2] Many bats can find a tiny moth in total darkness, which puzzled scientists for decades before they discovered the explanation. [3] The explanation is a skill called echolocation, which uses sound instead of sight to locate objects.

   [4] A bat sends out high-pitched calls that people usually cannot hear. [5] The call bounces off objects, and the echo returns to the bat's sensitive ears a split second afterward. [6] The bat's brain uses the echo stuff to figure out where the thing is.

   [7] Echolocation works so remarkably well that it helps bats navigate in places with almost no light. [8] Some kinds of bats can even distinguish the size and shape of an insect from its echo. [9] Together, sound and sight give bats the tools they need to move and feed at night.

10. 7.

    Tala reads the bat essay and wants sentence [4] to begin the explanation in [3]. Which version shows the right relationship between the ideas?

    • In contrast, a bat sends out high-pitched calls that people usually cannot hear.
    • First, a bat sends out high-pitched calls that people usually cannot hear.
    • As a result, a bat sends out high-pitched calls that people usually cannot hear.
    • In conclusion, a bat sends out high-pitched calls that people usually cannot hear.
11. 8.

    Ari wants one sentence after [8], before the conclusion, that names a common misunderstanding about bats and corrects it. Which sentence does both?

    • Many people think bats are blind, and the old saying shows how widespread the belief is.
    • Many people think bats are blind, but every kind of bat can see, and some see very well.
    • Bats can see, and some kinds have excellent eyesight even when the light is dim.
    • Bats are the only mammals that can truly fly, using wings made of thin skin.

12. The Far Side of the Moon (informative draft)

    [1] When we look at the Moon, we always see the same face, with the same dark patches and bright craters. [2] That face never changes because the Moon rotates exactly once for each complete trip it makes around Earth. [3] Because we always see one face, the other side of the Moon remains hidden from people on Earth.

    [4] The hidden far side has many more craters and far fewer dark, flat plains. [5] Spacecraft have photographed the far side, so scientists can compare the two halves in great detail. [6] The Moon's flat dark spots are big areas of old stuff that cooled and got hard long ago.

    [7] The Moon is lit by the Sun, so one half of it is always illuminated, just as one half of Earth is. [8] As the Moon travels around Earth, we see different amounts of that bright half, and these changes are called the phases. [9] Together, these facts explain what astronomers and families notice when they look up at the Moon.

13. 9.

    Jun wants sentence [6] of the Moon essay to name the dark spots exactly. Which sentence is precise and true?

    • The Moon's dark spots are super old puddles of melted rock that froze way back in time.
    • The Moon's flat dark spots are big areas of old stuff that got hard long ago in its early days.
    • The Moon's flat dark plains are dried ocean beds that emptied long ago when the water drained away.
    • The Moon's flat dark plains are ancient lava flows that cooled and hardened long ago.
14. 10.

    Bo wants one sentence after [8], before the conclusion, that names a common misunderstanding about the Moon and corrects it. Which sentence does both?

    • Many people call the far side the dark side, but it gets as much sunlight as the near side.
    • Many people call the far side the dark side, and the nickname is used in songs and stories.
    • The Moon takes about twenty-seven days to travel once around Earth on its steady path.
    • The far side gets as much sunlight as the near side over the course of a full month.