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Grade 7 English Language Arts practice sheet

Ontario Curriculum · from Gradelings · Name: ______________________

  1. Question 1

    What type of sentence is this?

    Our class planted tomatoes in the school garden.

    • Compound-complex
    • Simple
    • Complex
    • Compound
    Show answer

    Simple

    Hint: Count the clauses. This has just one independent clause (one subject–verb unit that can stand alone).

  2. Question 2

    Which sentence has a predicate adjective?

    • The lake is in Ontario.
    • The lake looks calm.
    • We swam in the lake.
    Show answer

    The lake looks calm.

    Hint: Calm describes the lake after the linking verb looks.

  3. Question 3

    Which revision makes the sentence parallel?

    Zoe would rather read a book than watching TV.

    • Zoe would rather reading a book than watch TV.
    • Zoe would rather read a book than to watching TV.
    • Zoe would rather read a book than watch TV.
    Show answer

    Zoe would rather read a book than watch TV.

    Hint: Both sides of “than” should match: read… watch.

  4. Question 4

    What do the dashes show? The answer—if there is one—is not easy.

    • the end of the sentence
    • an interruption or break in the sentence
    • a list of items
    Show answer

    an interruption or break in the sentence

    Hint: A pair of dashes sets off an interrupting thought.

  5. Question 5

    Which punctuation mark belongs in the blank?

    Ravi studied for hours ___ as a result, he aced the quiz.

    • : (colon)
    • , (comma)
    • ; (semicolon)
    Show answer

    ; (semicolon)

    Hint: “As a result” links two complete sentences, so a semicolon goes before it. A comma alone would make a comma splice.

  6. Question 6

    Why should readers be careful about the narrator's description of Lena in the first paragraph?

    The New Kid

    When Lena joined our class in October, I decided right away that she thought she was better than everyone else. She sat at the back, answered questions in two or three words and spent every lunch hour bent over a sketchbook.

    In November, Ms. Varga paired us for a project on local birds. I expected to do all the work. Instead, Lena opened her sketchbook and slid it across the table. Every page was full of birds: chickadees, crows, a heron standing on one leg, each one labelled in tiny, careful letters.

    “I didn't know anyone here,” she said, not looking up. “Drawing is easier than talking.” I thought about all the lunches I had walked right past her table. “Could you show me how you drew the heron?” I asked. She looked up then, and for the first time, she smiled.

    • Lena asked the narrator to describe her that way.
    • It is based on assumptions the narrator made before getting to know her.
    • The narrator is describing a different student.
    • The narrator was not in the class in October.
    Show answer

    It is based on assumptions the narrator made before getting to know her.

    Hint: Notice the words “I decided right away.” Did the narrator know Lena yet?

  7. Question 7

    A story is told by a narrator who only knows one character's thoughts. What is this called?

    • second person
    • omniscient third person
    • limited third person
    Show answer

    limited third person

    Hint: The narrator sticks to one character's mind.

  8. Question 8

    Which literary device does this excerpt use?

    The smell of fresh bread carried Jay back to his grandfather's kitchen, where he once stood on a stool to help knead the dough.

    • Foreshadowing
    • Hyperbole
    • Flashback
    • Onomatopoeia
    Show answer

    Flashback

    Hint: A smell sends Jay back to a scene from his past. Interrupting the present to show the past is a flashback.

  9. Question 9

    Which word best describes the mood of this passage?

    The hallway lights flickered. Behind a closed door, a phone rang and rang. Maya held her breath and reached for the handle.

    • Bored
    • Relaxed
    • Playful
    • Tense
    Show answer

    Tense

    Hint: Flickering lights and a held breath make readers wonder what will happen next.

  10. Question 10

    What pattern does the first paragraph use?

    Less Sleep, Lower Scores

    A school survey found that students who slept fewer than seven hours had more trouble paying attention. Because they were tired, many missed instructions and made careless errors.

    Therefore, the council suggests a later start time. Sources for this report are listed in the bibliography below.

    • compare and contrast
    • cause and effect
    • sequence
    Show answer

    cause and effect

    Hint: Tiredness causes errors.

Answer key

  1. 1. Simple (Clauses & Sentences)
  2. 2. The lake looks calm. (Grammar Gears)
  3. 3. Zoe would rather read a book than watch TV. (Modifiers & Parallelism)
  4. 4. an interruption or break in the sentence (Punctuation Power)
  5. 5. ; (semicolon) (Semicolons, Colons & Dashes)
  6. 6. It is based on assumptions the narrator made before getting to know her. (Close Reading)
  7. 7. limited third person (Whose Story?)
  8. 8. Flashback (Literary Devices)
  9. 9. Tense (Tone & Mood)
  10. 10. cause and effect (Patterns & Features)

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