The fire station burned to the ground on the night of the town's biggest fire-safety fair.
Grade 9 English Language Arts practice sheet
Nunavut Curriculum · from Gradelings · Name: ______________________
Question 1
A learner writes questions in the margin while reading. This is a way to…
- stay active and track understanding
- make the text longer
- avoid thinking
stay active and track understanding
Hint: Questions keep your mind on the meaning.
Question 2
Which sentence is the best summary of this passage? “Honeybees dance to tell the hive where flowers are. A longer wiggle means a farther flower. The angle shows the direction.”
- Honeybees are insects.
- Honeybees use dance to share the location of food.
- Flowers grow in many places.
Honeybees use dance to share the location of food.
Hint: It captures the key idea.
Question 3
Which literary device does this excerpt use?
- Metaphor
- Situational irony
- Verbal irony
- Alliteration
Situational irony
Hint: The opposite of what is expected happens: a fire station burns during a fire-safety event.
Question 4
“If we let students use phones in class, next they'll want to sleep in class!” This is…
- ethos
- a rebuttal
- a slippery slope
- a statistic
a slippery slope
Hint: It claims one small step will lead to an extreme result.
Question 5
Which form best tells a made-up story?
- an instruction manual
- a news report
- a short story
a short story
Hint: Narratives tell events with characters.
Question 6
Why might a designer choose a close-up photo of a worried face for an article?
- To list the facts
- To show the whole setting
- To draw attention to emotion
- To make the text easier to read
To draw attention to emotion
Hint: A close-up focuses the viewer on a person's feelings.
Question 7
Which word could mean a study of living things?
- chronology
- geology
- biology
- astronomy
biology
Hint: Bio means life, and -ology means the study of.
Question 8
In science, the word “mass” means…
- a large crowd
- a church service
- the amount of matter in an object
the amount of matter in an object
Hint: Words can have subject-specific meanings.
Question 9
Which sentence uses a dash correctly for emphasis?
- She — had only one goal to win.
- She had only one goal — to win.
- She had — only one goal to win.
- She had only — one goal to win.
She had only one goal — to win.
Hint: A dash can set off a strong, emphasized addition.
Question 10
Choose the best transition. “The trail was steep. ____, we reached the summit before noon.”
- Even so
- In addition
- Similarly
- For example
Even so
Hint: The second sentence is a surprise given the first, so the transition shows contrast.
Answer key
- 1. stay active and track understanding (Reading with a Purpose)
- 2. Honeybees use dance to share the location of food. (Summarizing Texts)
- 3. Situational irony (Literary Elements)
- 4. a slippery slope (Argument & Rhetoric)
- 5. a short story (Form & Composing)
- 6. To draw attention to emotion (Forms & Features)
- 7. biology (Word Detective)
- 8. the amount of matter in an object (Vocabulary & Spelling)
- 9. She had only one goal — to win. (Grammar & Style)
- 10. Even so (Revise & Edit)
Want more than 10 questions?
In Gradelings the questions change every time and adjust to your child, with hints and kind feedback. See all english language arts units.