Explain a topic in a few paragraphs
Grade 7 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Inside a Honeybee Hive (informative draft)
[1] A honeybee hive can hold tens of thousands of bees living together in one warm wax home. [2] Even with so many bees in such a small space, the hive stays busy and well organized throughout the year. [3] Bees are interesting, and there is a lot to say about them.
[4] The workers do most of the daily jobs that keep the hive running smoothly through every season of the year. [5] Honey is a sweet golden food that people spread on toast and stir into their tea. [6] Workers also build new wax comb, which gives the colony a place to store food and raise young bees.
[7] There is another group of bees in the hive that we should talk about as well. [8] The queen lays the eggs that become new bees, sometimes as many as a thousand eggs in a single day. [9] Drones, the male bees, do not gather food, and their main job is to mate with a queen from another hive.
Ari sees that sentence [3] is too vague. Which sentence should replace it so readers know what the essay will explain?
- Honeybees are insects that live in many parts of the world and have lived there for ages.
- Honeybees travel long distances, and their dances show other bees where the flowers are.
- Honeybees are the most fascinating insects found anywhere on Earth, and people should learn about them.
- A hive stays organized because the workers, the queen, and the drones each have a different job.
Sentence [5] drifts away from the workers' jobs. Esme wants a replacement that belongs in the paragraph. Which sentence works?
- The workers are so busy, and they look like they are having so much fun in the hive.
- A beekeeper wears a veil and gloves and uses a smoker when checking a hive for the season.
- Young workers clean the wax cells and feed the larvae, while older workers guard the entrance and gather nectar.
- Workers do a lot of different things throughout the day in many places around the hive.
From Seed to Seedling (informative draft)
[1] A tiny seed can grow into a tall sunflower or a giant tree that stands for a hundred years. [2] Every seed contains a baby plant and a store of food that powers the first stages of its growth. [3] Seeds are fascinating, and many people enjoy planting them in the spring.
[4] The first stage begins when a seed absorbs water and swells until its hard outer coat splits open. [5] Some seeds, like apple seeds, are found inside fruit that people like to eat at lunch. [6] Once the root is anchored, the water it absorbs from the soil helps the shoot rise through the dirt.
[7] There is more to the story of how a small seed becomes a plant. [8] Leaves capture light, and the plant uses that light, water, and a gas from the air to produce sugar. [9] With enough sunlight and water, the seedling continues growing taller and stronger every week.
Jun wants the seed essay to open with a clear focus. Which sentence should replace [3] so readers know what the essay will explain?
- A seed grows in two stages: first it sprouts a root and a shoot, and then it grows leaves that make food.
- Plants grow in many places around the world and come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes.
- Seeds travel by wind, water, and animals, which carry them to new places where they can grow and start new plants far from home.
- Seeds are the most amazing part of any plant, and growing them is a lot of fun for everybody.
Kira is fixing the seed essay's last paragraph. Which sentence should replace [7] so it tells the paragraph's main idea?
- In the second stage, the young plant grows leaves that make food from the sunlight it receives.
- First, a seed absorbs water and splits its coat so a root and a shoot can come out.
- Plants need many things to grow, and they get those things in a number of different ways during their whole lives.
- The leaves of many plants are green because they contain a pigment called chlorophyll.
Sentence [5] drifts away from how a seed sprouts. Luz wants a replacement that belongs in the paragraph. Which sentence works?
- Many gardeners buy packets of seeds at a store and keep them in a cool, dry drawer at home.
- Watching a seed sprout is one of the most exciting things that a person can ever do.
- Different things happen inside the seed when it starts to change into a young plant.
- The first root grows down into the soil, and then the shoot bends upward toward the light.
Why Leaves Change Color (informative draft)
[1] Every autumn, the green leaves on many trees turn bright yellow, orange, and red before they fall. [2] The change seems sudden to people, but it happens slowly as the days get shorter and cooler. [3] Leaves are pretty, and many families like to visit places where the colors are brightest.
[4] Leaves look green in spring and summer because they hold a large amount of a green pigment called chlorophyll. [5] Rakes with wide metal teeth work well for gathering fallen leaves into big piles. [6] The yellow and orange colors were in the leaf all along, but the green chlorophyll hid them.
[7] Some other things also happen to leaves in the autumn, and they are worth noticing. [8] These red pigments form in the leaf when bright days follow cool nights, so the shade can differ from year to year. [9] Because of this, a tree can look redder in one autumn than it did in the autumn before.
Noah is fixing the leaf essay's last paragraph. Which sentence should replace [7] so it tells the paragraph's main idea?
- Leaves can change in many ways during the long autumn months before the winter comes.
- The green chlorophyll fades first, which lets the hidden yellow and orange colors show.
- Sugar maples are famous for turning a deep, bright red when the weather cools down.
- Red leaves have a different cause, because some trees make new red pigments in autumn.
Sentence [5] drifts away from why leaves look green. Pia wants a replacement that belongs in the paragraph. Which sentence works?
- Many things change in a leaf at about the same time when the autumn begins to start.
- In autumn, trees stop making chlorophyll, so the green slowly fades from the leaves.
- Fallen leaves can be turned into compost that feeds a garden the next spring and summer.
- It is lovely to watch the green fade out of the leaves in a park in the evening.
Two Kinds of Bridges (informative draft)
[1] People have built bridges for thousands of years to cross wide rivers, deep canyons, and busy roads. [2] Different bridges carry weight in different ways, and engineers choose the type that fits each place. [3] Bridges are useful, and almost every town in the country has at least one of them.
[4] A beam bridge is a strong, flat beam that rests on a support at each end, much like a plank laid over a ditch. [5] Many cities hold a fireworks show near their largest bridge on holidays and on special evenings. [6] That is why beam bridges are common over short rivers, small streams, and busy roads.
[7] Next, there is another type of bridge that works in a very different way from the first. [8] The curve pushes the weight outward and down into the solid ground at both ends of the bridge. [9] Because the curve carries weight so well, an arch bridge can stand for hundreds of years.
Ren wants the bridge essay to name what it will compare. Which sentence should replace [3] so readers know what to expect?
- Bridges have been built in many parts of the world for thousands of years and for many reasons.
- Bridges are the most important structures that people have ever built anywhere on Earth.
- Suspension bridges hang their roads from strong cables that stretch over very tall towers.
- Beam bridges and arch bridges hold weight in very different ways, and each suits a different place.
Tala is fixing the bridge essay's last paragraph. Which sentence should replace [7] so it tells the paragraph's main idea?
- Bridges come in many shapes and sizes around the world, and each one has its own design.
- A beam bridge holds weight by resting a flat beam on supports at each end.
- Stone arches built by the ancient Romans are still standing in some places today.
- An arch bridge holds weight with a curved shape, and that shape works very differently.
Sentence [5] drifts away from how beam bridges work. Zee wants a replacement that belongs in the paragraph. Which sentence works?
- Painters use special paint on steel bridges to keep the metal from rusting over many years.
- There are many facts about beams that people find interesting to learn about and discuss.
- Weight pushes down on the beam, so a long beam bridge needs extra supports in the middle.
- A long bridge at sunset is one of the most beautiful sights that a city can offer.