Study Island
Copyright © 2014 Edmentum - All rights reserved.
Generation Date: 12/10/2014
Generated By: Cheryl Shelton
Title: Grade 7 Blizzard Bag 2014-2015 ELA-Day 2
It was my twelfth birthday. Thanks to my over-active imagination, I had convinced myself
that my mom was going to get me a new skateboard. I could not contain my excitement. I really
needed a new skateboard, and not because I was bored with my old one. My old skateboard
was falling apart.
Upon waking up, I ran straight to my mom and asked her to give me my gift. She responded
by telling me that I would have to wait until after I got home from school. She went on to say
that if she told me what the gift was I would not be able to concentrate on my school work.
Those words ensured that I would be so excited about getting my new skateboard that I would
be unable to work.
After a whole day of counting down the minutes, I arrived home from school. My mom was
nowhere to be found. I called her office but did not get an answer. She did not answer her cell
phone either.
Just as my frustration was peaking, my mom pulled into the driveway. She stepped out of the
car, asking, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
I excitedly blurted out, "You said I would get my present after school, and it is officially "after
school.'"
"Oh, is that all? I assumed that you missed your dear mother," she teased. I later regretted
my response. "No, that's not all! It's everything!" When I asked her where my gift was, she
pointed at the J.C. Penney bag she held.
She told me, "It's a new suit for you to wear to church."
I muttered in disbelief, "But you said that if you told me about the gift, I would be thinking
about it all day long."
My mom responded, "I didn't say you would be thinking about it because it's a great gift."
1. Which detail is important and should be included in a summary of this passage?
A. After a whole day of counting down the minutes, I arrived home from school.
B. She responded by telling me that I would have to wait until after I got home from school.
C. I really needed a new skateboard, and not because I was bored with my old one.
D. "You said I would get my present after school, and it is officially 'after school.'"
The Case of the Missing Library Book
Mr. Berry, the librarian, had a reputation for being strict and for never making mistakes. He
maintained complete order in the library and could tell immediately if a book was missing or
misplaced. He did not say much. This struck fear into the students. They always said that Mr.
Berry did not have to talk. When someone was careless with a book, the look on Mr. Berry’s
face told that person everything he or she needed to know.
All of this contributed to making Tom feel terrible about losing the copy of Animal Farm that
he had borrowed nearly four weeks earlier. It was as if the book had disappeared from the face
of the earth. In fact, Tom had completely forgotten about the book until he received an
overdue notice from Mr. Berry through the mail. Tom did not look forward to facing the
librarian directly. When he left for school that morning, he felt as if he were going to his
execution.
Tom’s fear increased with each tick of the clock. It was already fourth period by the time he
talked himself into going to see Mr. Berry. As he walked to the library, his palms were sweating
and he felt as though he had butterflies performing acrobatics in his stomach. When he walked
through the doors, he saw that the library was deserted, except for Mr. Berry. Tom was happy
that nobody would witness the embarrassing scene that was sure to erupt.
Upon seeing Tom, Mr. Berry said, "Oh Tom, I owe you an apology. I guess I made a mistake. I
didn't realize that you had already returned Animal Farm." At first, Tom didn't know what to
say, and then, much to his surprise, he found himself telling Mr. Berry that he hadn't returned
the book, that he'd lost it, and that he'd looked all over for it but couldn't find it. Tom could not
stop the words from coming out of his mouth.
When Tom finished, Mr. Berry smiled and said, "Well, somebody found it and returned it.
That's the important thing. It's important to remember that everybody makes mistakes. I guess
we both did in this case." Tom smiled too; he felt relieved. As he made his way back to class, he
decided that he really liked Mr. Berry and that he would try to use the library more often.
2. Why was Tom afraid of Mr. Berry?
A. Mr. Berry had a reputation for being strict.
B. Tom had seen Mr. Berry be mean to people.
C. Mr. Berry had been mean to him in the past.
D. Tom's parents told him to be afraid of all adults.
3. The students are afraid of Mr. Berry because
A. he is not talkative.
B. he has a bad temper.
C. he says mean things to them.
D. he gives them detention.
Olympic athletes spend hours training starting at an early age. Those who do make it to the
Olympic Games often do not win medals—and these are the top athletes of the world. Wilma
Rudolph not only made it to the Olympics, she won three gold medals.
Wilma Rudolph was born on June 23, 1940, in St. Bethlehem, Tennessee. She came from a
very big family. She was the 17th of 19 children in her family. The family moved to Clarksville,
Tennessee, which is where Wilma grew up. When Wilma was young, she had polio and scarlet
fever. The polio left her without the use of one of her legs. She needed to wear leg braces to
walk. Eventually, she was able to walk with a special shoe. After about three years, she didn't
need the special shoe anymore.
In high school, Wilma played basketball and ran track. She broke all the state basketball
records and won all her track meets. Wilma went to Tennessee State University and started
training for the Olympics. In July of 1960, Wilma went to the Olympics in Rome, Italy. She won
three gold medals and was called the "World's Fastest Woman." She was later named female
athlete of the year.
Wilma became a coach and an athletic consultant in Chicago, Illinois. She died in 1994 of a
brain tumor. Wilma will be remembered for her courage as a young child overcoming her
illness, her athletic ability, and her dedication to reaching her goals. To this day, Wilma's life
continues to inspire people to reach their personal goals.
4. According to the passage, by overcoming childhood diseases and going on to win Olympic
medals, Wilma Rudolph became
A. an inspiration to others.
B. a sportscaster.
C. a well-known doctor.
D. a critic of others.
5. According to the passage, Wilma was courageous because
A. she was a successful basketball player.
B. she was one of the youngest in a large family.
C. she overcame her illness and became a successful athlete.
D. she participated in the 1960 Summer Olympics.
It is hard to keep the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles down. The last two sequels, in the early
1990s, nearly flipped them on their backs. However, writer-director Kevin Munroe has changed
all of that.
Munroe made a movie that is more in tune with the dark side of the original comic book. The
earlier Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movies were much sillier. This change alone should make
the comic book fans very happy.
Munroe's TMNT is much darker and grittier than the earlier movies. TMNT succeeds because
it takes its heroes seriously. This is the same reason the Superman and Batman franchises have
continued to do well.
Many people did not like the first three movies. The live-action turtles looked fake and
goofy. The CGI world of TMNT is much more realistic.
6. Which of the following best summarizes the newspaper article above?
A.
The characters in TMNT look real. This is because the entire movie is done using CGI, or
computer animation. The movies are now much sillier than the originals.
B.
TMNT is a good movie because it is computer-animated. This is the same reason that
Superman and Batman have continued to be liked by wide audiences.
C.
Kevin Munroe successfully made TMNT more like the original comic book than the earlier
movies. It is a darker, more realistic movie that takes its heroes seriously.
D.
People who enjoy the original comic book will love TMNT. These movies have done well
for so long because Kevin Munroe wrote and directed all of them.
7.
Keela's New Ride
by Bryan Ellett
Keela always got whatever she wanted. Her father gave her a new bike, a nicer bike than any
of her friends had. One day, Keela went into a store and left the bike out front, and when she
came back outside, the bike was gone. She didn't care; she could just get another one!
Keela's father said he would not buy her a new bike, and he said that she would have to do
chores to earn enough money to buy another one. So, for the next two months, Keela took out
the trash, did the dishes, and scooped the dog's poop. Finally, Keela's father told her that she
had earned enough money for a new bike. "I'd better work for a few more days," she told him,
"because I need enough money to buy a bike lock, too."
Which of these themes is reflected in this passage?
A. It is better to buy used bikes because they won't get stolen.
B. Parents should never give anything to their children for free.
C. Children should always volunteer to help with the chores.
D. People value things more when they have to work for them.
A gourmet cooking authority makes a cooking arena. In Kitchen Stadium, chefs from around
the world compete against his academy, led by four chefs. The authority is Chairman Kaga. The
four chefs are Iron Chefs.
This is the premise for the Japanese television show known as Iron Chef. The show began in
1993 in Japan and aired over 300 episodes in six years. In the show, two chefs compete against
each other to make the best multicourse meal in one hour. Each dish in the meal must have at
least a little of the signature ingredient chosen for that episode. That special item can be
anything from asparagus to octopus. A group of celebrity judges tastes each dish the chefs
prepared and announces a winner.
The show became a small hit in the U.S. when the Food Network picked it up and dubbed in
English. Today, Iron Chef brought about a U.S. spin-off titled Iron Chef America. The original Iron
Chef is still popular in both Japan and the U.S.
8. Which of these gives the best summary of this passage?
A.
A Japanese television show about competing chefs has become a hit in Japan and the U.S.
The show, Iron Chef, is a gourmet cooking show.
B.
The Iron Chefs were chosen by Chairman Kaga to lead his academy of cooking in Japan.
Chairman Kaga chose four different chefs.
C.
Chairman Kaga created a special kitchen arena for chefs to compete against each other.
He wanted to find the best chefs in the world.
D.
The show Iron Chef was on the air for six years and aired more than 300 episodes in Japan
and the U.S. Chairman Kaga was the authority.
Dozens of local musicians showed up yesterday to participate in the fourth annual Celebration
of Music Education. It was held at the downtown public library. Musicians were between the
ages of 11 and 17. The event is put on each year to raise awareness of the benefits of music
education programs. The celebration also raises money to help fund these programs.
Each participant played a song that he or she wrote for the program. Musicians appeared
solo and as parts of larger groups. Song subjects varied from a favorite Popsicle flavor to the
difficulty of succeeding on final exams. Several songs were even about the meaning of life.
These kids were talented! Many in the audience were tapping their feet to the beat.
Several civic leaders were in attendance. They were there to show their support for the
important cause. Mayor Trisha McGown spoke during a break between musical acts. She said,
“These children are our future. I want to be certain that the creative abilities of these kids are
properly cultivated before they lead the world.”
9. Which detail from the second paragraph would be most important to include in a summary
of the passage?
A. Audience members were tapping their feet.
B. Songs were about a variety of subjects.
C. The kids involved were talented.
D. Some songs were about the meaning of life.
10. Which of these best summarizes the passage?
A.
The Celebration of Music Education, featuring student performances and attended by
civic leaders, was held yesterday at the library.
B.
The Celebration of Music Education was held yesterday and featured students performing
many types of songs solo and with larger groups.
C.
The Celebration of Music Education is an annual program held to raise awareness of the
benefits of music education and to raise funds.
D.
The Celebration of Music Education was attended by many civic leaders who wanted to
show their support for the important cause.
The Cat Hater
by Bryan Ellett
When Samuel was a kid, his family had a dog. It wasn't a purebred or anything, just a mutt,
but Samuel's family loved it very much. They only owned the one dog, but they loved all dogs,
every dog they saw. When they would take the mutt to the dog park, Samuel and all of the
members of the family would pet every dog they saw and scratch them behind the ears and say
things like, "Aren't you beautiful!"
But there was something else they all agreed on, too: cats were terrible! For reasons no one
knew, Samuel's family was one of those families that loved dogs but hated cats. And so, Samuel
grew up hating cats too. When Samuel was 18, he left home for college, and still he hated cats.
Samuel and his friend Max rented an apartment in college. One night, they were watching TV
when Max said, "There is something wrong with this apartment. It just doesn't feel right
without an animal. I think we should get a cat." Samuel agreed that it didn't feel right without
an animal, and he knew that dogs weren't allowed in the apartment. But, he hated cats, so he
said, "You can get one if you want, but I'm not paying for anything!"
So Max bought a cat and named it Mitsy, and Samuel refused to help take care of it. Still, he
was around the cat a lot. After a few weeks, he began to like it when the cat would rub her
head on Samuel's leg, and he liked how she stalked and pounced on roaches. Within two
months, Samuel thought Mitsy was one of the greatest animals in history. He was sure his
family would make fun of him when they found out!
11.
Max said, "There is something wrong with this apartment. It just doesn't feel right without an
animal. I think we should get a cat." Samuel agreed that it didn't feel right without an animal,
and he knew that dogs weren't allowed in the apartment.
Based on these sentences, Samuel and Max would most likely agree with which of these
statements?
A. Dogs should be allowed everywhere cats are allowed.
B. Cats are not good animals to have as pets in apartments.
C. Animals make important companions for humans.
D. People who love animals should not live in apartments.
12.
After a few weeks, he began to like it when the cat would rub her head on Samuel's leg, and he
liked how she stalked and pounced on roaches. Within two months, Samuel thought Mitsy was
one of the greatest animals in history.
Based on these sentences from the story, Samuel would likely agree with which of these
statements?
A. Cats will never be as good of pets as dogs are.
B. It is important to be open-minded and try new things.
C. It is important to help your roommate pay for things.
D. A cat will be your favorite animal if you live with one long enough.
13. What is a recurring theme in a story such as this?
A. A person should form his or her own opinions.
B. No one can like both dogs and cats equally.
C. Once a person has an opinion, he or she should never change it.
D. It is important to hold the same opinions as one's family.