School Improvement in Maryland

Public Release Items: Reading Grade 7

Public release items have appeared on MSA forms and then are released for public viewing and use. Releasing items is one step to ensuring that schools, districts, and other stakeholders understand how the content standards are assessed on the MSA.

 (1) Selected Response Public Release
Read "Scrambled Eggs" and answer the following question.

The title "Scrambled Eggs" is most likely used to emphasize the

  1. mood of the story
  2. characters in the story
  3. setting of the story
  4. conflict in the story

/share/assessment_items/xml/items/msa_ela_7_001.xml

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 (2) Selected Response Public Release
Read "Scrambled Eggs" and answer the following question.

Which word best describes the judge?

  1. Clever
  2. Harsh
  3. Patient
  4. Thoughtful

/share/assessment_items/xml/items/msa_ela_7_003.xml

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 (3) Selected Response Public Release
Read "Scrambled Eggs" and answer the following question.

Which of these best describes how the innkeeper's attitude toward the farmer changes?

  1. Impatient to accepting
  2. Confused to disappointed
  3. Trusting to demanding
  4. Pleased to annoyed

/share/assessment_items/xml/items/msa_ela_7_004.xml

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 (4) Selected Response Public Release
Read this sentence from paragraph 3 of "Scrambled Eggs" and answer the following question.

At first, the farmer thought it was a joke, but he soon realized the innkeeper was quite serious.

Why does the farmer most likely think that the innkeeper is joking at first?

  1. The innkeeper speaks in a teasing manner.
  2. The innkeeper uses a foreign word for money.
  3. The bill is for much more than the original cost.
  4. The bill he is given is on a large sheet of paper.

/share/assessment_items/xml/items/msa_ela_7_005.xml

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 (5) Selected Response Public Release
Read "Tackling the Trash" and answer the following question.

In what unit of study would you most likely read "Tackling the Trash"?

  1. Famous Young Americans
  2. America's Important Rivers
  3. People Who Make a Difference
  4. Towns Along the Mississippi

/share/assessment_items/xml/items/msa_ela_7_006.xml

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 (6) Selected Response Public Release
Read "Tackling the Trash" and answer the following question.

How is the information in Paragraphs 5-7 organized?

  1. In spatial order
  2. By comparison/contrast
  3. From least to most important
  4. In sequential/chronological order

/share/assessment_items/xml/items/msa_ela_7_009.xml

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 (7) Selected Response Public Release
Read "Tackling the Trash" and answer the following question.

What could the author have done to explain why Chad was so successful at raising money for his project?

  1. Provide a picture of the used houseboat that was named "The Miracle"
  2. Describe the cities where Chad hosted his community-wide cleanup days
  3. Include direct quotations from people who donated money for the clean-up
  4. List the community groups and organizations Chad approached to ask for donations

/share/assessment_items/xml/items/msa_ela_7_010.xml

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 (8) Selected Response Public Release
Read "Tackling the Trash" and answer the following question.

Which sentence would make the best topic sentence for a summary of this article?

  1. Chad Pregracke of East Moline, Illinois, realized that cleaning up the polluted Mississippi River was a job that would require a great deal of money.
  2. Chad Pregracke planned to clean up the polluted Mississippi River shoreline by beginning in Iowa and ending in Missouri.
  3. Chad Pregracke made a decision to clean up the litter polluting the shoreline of the Mississippi River near his hometown of East Moline, Illinois.
  4. Chad Pregracke was skilled at convincing organizations to help him in his goal of cleaning up the litter polluting the Mississippi River.

/share/assessment_items/xml/items/msa_ela_7_012.xml

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 (9) Selected Response Public Release
Read "Scrambled Eggs" and answer the following question.

Read paragraph 8.

"Yes, I certainly am," replied the lawyer as he tried to catch his breath.

In this paragraph the phrase to catch his breath shows that the lawyer wishes to

  1. slow down
  2. stop coughing
  3. breathe rapidly
  4. breathe normally

/share/assessment_items/xml/items/msa_ela_7_020.xml

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 (10) Selected Response Public Release
Read "Scrambled Eggs" and answer the following question.

Read this sentence from paragraph 10.

"I lost track of time while I was boiling two bushels of corn and planting them in my field this morning."

In this sentence the phrase lost track of time most likely means that the speaker

  1. misplaced his watch
  2. forgot how to tell time
  3. did not notice time passing
  4. did not pay attention to his task

/share/assessment_items/xml/items/msa_ela_7_021.xml

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 (11) Selected Response Public Release
Read "Scrambled Eggs" and answer the following question.

Read this sentence which is paragraph 12.

"Well, if scrambled eggs can turn into chicks, then why not?

When the lawyer asks this question, he most likely wanted to

  1. make the judge angry
  2. show off his legal skills
  3. send a message to the judge
  4. cause people in the courtroom to laugh

/share/assessment_items/xml/items/msa_ela_7_022.xml

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 (12) Selected Response Public Release
Read "Scrambled Eggs" and answer the following question.

In paragraph 3 the innkeeper's words suggest that he is probably feeling

  1. annoyed
  2. determined
  3. justified
  4. outraged

/share/assessment_items/xml/items/msa_ela_7_023.xml

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 (13) Brief Constructed Response Public Release
Read "Scrambled Eggs" and answer the following question.

Explain a theme developed in this story. Use details from the story to support your answer. Write your answer in your answer book.

/share/assessment_items/xml/items/msa_ela_7_002.xml

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 (14) Brief Constructed Response Public Release
Read "Tackling the Trash" and answer the following question.

Explain whether or not "Tackling the Trash" is an effective title for this article. Use information from the article in your explanation. Write your answer in your answer book.

/share/assessment_items/xml/items/msa_ela_7_007.xml

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 (15) Brief Constructed Response Public Release
Read "Tackling the Trash" and answer the following question.

Explain how the information in the chart helps to clarify the main ideas of the article. Use information from the chart and the article in your explanation. Write your answer in your answer book.

/share/assessment_items/xml/items/msa_ela_7_008.xml

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 (16) Brief Constructed Response Public Release
Read "Tackling the Trash" and answer the following question.

Choose one of Chad's qualities. Explain how you or someone you know displays that same quality. Use information from the article in your explanation. Write your answer in your answer book.

/share/assessment_items/xml/items/msa_ela_7_011.xml

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