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 4. Analyze elements of poetry to facilitate understanding and interpretation

Objective b. Analyze language and structural features to determine meaning

Assessment limit: Literal versus figurative meanin

Selected Response Item

Read the poem 'Leaving The Library' and answer the following question.

Read these lines from the poem.

"A V of Canada geese
flies overhead
squawking like
a rusty door."

This comparison mostly suggests that the geese

  1. are a dark brown color
  2. fly over an old door
  3. make harsh, screeching sounds
  4. are upset about flying away
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_ela_7_069.xml

Correct Answer:
C
Resources for Objective 3.A.4.b:
Lesson Seeds | SAMPLE ASSESSMENTS |