School Improvement in Maryland

Using the State Curriculum: Reading/ELA, Grade 7

Reading/ELA | Informational | Literary | Writing | Language | Listening | Speaking

Sample Assessments: Each sample assessment item gives an idea of how an assessment item on the MSA might be presented. The items appropriately measure the content of the State Curriculum and may be formatted similarly to those appearing on the MSA; however, these are sample items only and have not appeared on any MSA form.

Standard 3.0 Comprehension of Literary Text

Indicator 3. Analyze elements of narrative texts to facilitate understanding and interpretation

Objective i. Analyze the point of view

Selected Response Item
Read this passage about a family’s dinner table conversation from the novel Absolutely Normal Chaos.
The narrator is best described as someone who—
  1. has a good memory
  2. acknowledges her family’s faults
  3. insists upon good manners
  4. enjoys spending time with her family
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_ela_7_034.xml

Correct Answer:
B

Selected Response Item

Read the poem 'The Traveler' and answer the following question.

Details in this poem mostly suggest that the speaker

  1. imagines the wind as a desperate visitor
  2. fears the effects of bad weather
  3. believes the wind wants to return home
  4. dislikes hearing loud noises
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_ela_7_067.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Selected Response Item
Read the article titled 'Absolutely Normal Chaos' and answer the following questions. Circle the letter of the correct answer.

When telling about the circumstances of the dinner table conversation, the narrator often—

  1. makes fun of her younger family members
  2. adds ideas she might share with her parents
  3. provides comments that clarify the situation
  4. talks about the kind of food the family enjoys
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_ela_7_083.xml

Correct Answer:
C

Assessment limit:
Connections between point of view and meaning
Resources for Objective 3.A.3.i:
Lesson Seeds | SAMPLE ASSESSMENTS |