7th Grade English Language ArtsMid-Term Review KEY

Part I: Define the following Literary Terms

narrative poem – a poem that tells a story

ballad – a poem that tells a story and is set to music

stanza – a group of lines in a poem; a poem’s paragraph.

alliteration – a repeating of the same sound at the beginning of words

mood – the atmosphere created by the author and the feeling the reader has from the work

personification – giving non-living things human characteristics

imagery – using sensory (five senses) words to create a mental picture

metaphor – comparing two things without using the words like or as simile – comparing two things using the words like or as onomatopoeia – words that sound like what they mean

tone – the writer’s attitude (emotion) of his/her work

theme – the main idea or underlying meaning in a literary work; usually suggested through thoughts or lessons learned

repetition – repeated words in a poem symbol – an object or idea that represents a feeling or emotion

Part II: Define the following Short Story Terms

plot - the story line; the beginning, middle, and end

protagonist – the main character in a literary work; this character usually shows some change or growth in a story

antagonist – the character or force that opposes the protagonist

internal conflict – conflict within the character; mental or emotional; man vs. self

external conflict – the character is dealing with an outside force; man vs. man; man vs. nature; man vs. society

setting – the time and place where a story occurs

Part III: Understand the correct spelling and usage of the words.

A) You will need to know the following words:1) Their2) There3) They’re4) Too5) To

6) Two7) Through8) Threw9) Lose10) Loss

11) Loose12) Whether13) Weather14) You’re 15) your

B) You will need to be able to correctly rewrite a paragraph with HFS words.Dear Seventh Graders,You (1) probly know by now that the TAKS (2) writting test date is fast approaching, and will be upon us sooner (3) then later. We (4) where discussing (5) were we felt each of you are concerning your preparedness, and we’re (6) truely unsure (7) weather (8) your prepared for this event. You will be doing (9) alot of (10) writting the next couple of weeks. Many of you don’t (11) appreceate it now, but we (12) definitly (13) fill that the narrative compositions you will be (14) writting the next couple of weeks will help you (15) develope the skills (16) too (17) asist you in this endeavor. The night before the TAKS test some students may find that (18) their a nervous (19) reck (20) cause (21) there wondering (22) whether they studied (23) enuff. We (24) personaly think that if (25) your focused during our (26) writting lessons and activities you will find yourself (27) quiet prepared. Basically, the point we’re attempting (28) too make, is not (29) too (30) loose focus in class, and do (31) you’re best on the test. So (32) quite whining about all the (33) writting and be (34) responsable. If you (35) recieve the instruction and (36) assistanse the 7th grade ELA teachers are providing during (37) they’re lessons, you will do just fine. We are (38) quiet confident that when the test date arrives, we will have given you the tools to succeed; however, (39) its up to you (40) weather or not you utilize those tools.(41) Sincerly,The 7th grade ELA teachers

1. probably

2. writing3. than4. were5. where6. truly7. whether8. you’re9. a lot10. writing11. appreciate12. definitely13. feel14. writing15. develop

16. to17. assist18. they’re19. wreak20. because21. they’re22. whether23. enough24. personally25. you’re26. writing27. quite28. to29. to

30. lose31. your32. quit33. writing34. responsible35. receive36. assistance37. their38. quite39. it’s40. whether41. Sincerely

Part IV: Identify Prepositions and Prepositional PhrasesAs you read this paragraph, cross out all the prepositional phrases .

Original Paragraph by John Steinbeck

1. Over the high coastal mountains and over the valleys, the gray clouds marched in from the ocean. (3)

2. The wind blew fiercely and silently, high in the air, and it swished in the brush, and it roared in the forests. (3)

3. The clouds came in puffs, in folds, in gray crags. (3)

4. The rain began with gusty showers, pauses and downpours. (1)

5. Gradually, it settled to a single tempo. (1)

6. For two days the earth drank the rain, until the earth was full. (2)

7. Then puddles formed, and in the low places little lakes formed in the fields. (2)

8. The mountains were full, and the hillsides spilled into the streams. (1)

9. And the streams and the little rivers edged up to the bank sides and worked at willows and tree roots. (2)

10. The earth whispered under the beat of the rain, and the streams thundered under the churning freshets. (3)

Part V: Identify Subjects and PredicatesRead each sentence. Draw a line under the simple predicate (verb).

1. Jordan slept on the sofa.

2. A tiny mosquito landed on my arm.

3. The gray spider spun a beautiful web.

4. The window in my bedroom blew open.

5. My friends and I played lacrosse in the field behind the school.

6. Sara picked up a stick from the ground.

7. The brown cow grazed in the meadow.

8. Mark sneezed loudly.

9. We played darts in the garage.

10. Marcia baked a chocolate cake in the oven.

11. The candles on the birthday cake burned brightly.

12. Isabella opened up her umbrella.

Tell whether the underlined words in each sentence are a complete subject, complete predicate, simple subject, or simple predicate.

13. The horse trotted. simple subject

14. Three mice ran across the floor. complete predicate

15. Greg's dog chews his bone. complete subject

16. Santa came on Christmas Eve. simple predicate

17. The dusty book fell off the table. simple subject

18. Sheila bought a new car. complete predicate

19. A taxi driver stopped at the corner. complete subject

20. The laundry basket was full. complete predicate

21. I read that book last week. simple predicate

22. Karen's sister came over. simple subject

Part VI: Concepts covered on DOLs; verb tense, comma usage, quotation marks usage and how to punctuate, capitalization of proper nouns

Part VII: Identify Independent and Dependent Clauses

Instructions Each sentence contains an underlined clause in CAPITAL letters. Decide whether this clause is dependent or independent and label either A or B.

A. Independent Clause B. Dependent Clause

1. If you don't fix the car, IT WILL CONTINUE TO LEAK OIL. Independent clause

2. WHILE THE CAR IS BEING FIXED, we will need to take the bus. Dependent clause

3. It isn't necessary to cram all night IF YOU HAVE STUDIED A LITTLE EACH DAY. Dependent clause

4. Before you begin studying for the exam, YOU WILL PROBABLY WANT TO REST. Independent clause

5. I can't go to the movies SINCE I DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY. Dependent clause

6. WHETHER HE ATTENDS THE PARTY OR NOT, I have decided to go. Dependent clause

7. I WILL STOP PLAYING THE DRUMS when you go to sleep. Independent clause

8. SINCE YOU'VE TAKEN YOUR EXAM IN BIOLOGY, you probably don't feel like studying for tomorrow's exam in math.Dependent clause

9. Until he apologizes to me for his rude behavior, I REFUSE TO SEE HIM. Independent clause

10. I wore my boots BECAUSE IT LOOKED LIKE IT MIGHT SNOW. Dependent clause

Part VIII: Identify the Types of Sentences Instructions Identify whether the sentence is simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex.

1.) He is at the park right now, and she is at the mall. compound

2.) Because of his age, he is considered over the hill. simple

3.) We want to buy a swimming pool for the backyard. simple

4.) It is too hot outside, so air-conditioning is needed. compound

5.) Please give me some food and beverage now. simple

6.) Because I ran into a wall, my foot hurts badly. complex

7.) Because these textbooks are too expensive, Jill cannot afford them, and she is not prepared for class. compound -complex

8.) Doug needs to clean the house and do the laundry. simple

9.) We are sitting in the car on the way to the doctor because she is sick. complex

10.) We will go to the Erie County Fair this weekend. simple

Part IX: Revising and Editing Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

A Cure For The Winter Blahs!

(1) When winter never seems to end. (2) When the snow keeps on falling and the days never get any longer. (3) When food all tastes the same, I know it’s time to plant tomatoes!

(4) Some time around the end of February, I plant my tomato seeds in little plastic pots. (5) I put two or three in each container. (6) Then I sprinkle soil over them and water them well. (7) I cover the pots in black plastic and place them in a warm place. (8) Five or six days later, I remove the plastic and take a peek. (9) Sure enough, tiny white sprouts are curling up through the soil. (10) Indoors at least, spring has finally begun!

(11) Now I put my seedlings by a sunny window. (12) There they become green and leafy, even though it still looks like winter outside. (13) Soon I have to make a decision: Which plants shall I keep? (14) I “thin” my seedlings by distinguishing the big plants from the little plants and throwing them away. (15) One healthy plant remains in each pot.

(16) At last the weather is warming up. (17) The days are long and sunny, and at night the temperature never dips below freezing.

(18) Tomatoes love rich, dark soil. (19) I loosen the earth with a garden fork. (20) Then I dig in a bag of manure from the garden center. (21) Each tomato plant needs plenty of room to grow. (22) I make holes three feet apart and put a plant in each one.

(23) For the next two months, all I have to do is wait and water, wait and water. (24) Tomatoes love the heat, but they get very thirsty. (25) After a while, I notice yellow flowers appearing on little stems. (26) Then tiny green tomatoes emerge from under the flowers. (27) Still I wait and water, wait and water.

(28) The plants have now become so big that they are bending under their own weight. (29) By “staking” my tomatoes, I prevent them from toppling over. (30) All the time, those green fruit are swelling and darkening.

(31) Finally it happens: Nearly five months after I planted my first seed, I pick my first tomato. (32) As I hold the tomato in my hand, I think back to those last cold days of February. (33) It was worth the wait!

____ 11. Read the title of this report.

A Cure For The Winter Blahs!

What is the correct way to write this title?a. a Cure for the Winter Blahs!b. A Cure For the Winter Blahs!c. A Cure for the Winter Blahs!d. A cure for the Winter Blahs!

____ 12. Read these sentences.

(1) When winter never seems to end. (2) When the snow keeps on falling and the days never get any longer.

What type of sentences are these?a. simple sentencesb. sentence fragmentsc. complex sentencesd. compound sentences

____ 13. Read this sentence.

(12) There they become green and leafy, even though it still looks like winter outside.

As it is used in the sentence, what part of speech is the word like?a. verbb. prepositionc. conjunctiond. adverb

____ 14. Read this sentence.

In fact, the tomatoes are becoming too crowded in their pots.

Where should this sentence be placed to add support to one of the writer’s ideas?a. after sentence 9b. after sentence 11c. after sentence 12d. after sentence 14

____ 15. Which word or phrase should be used to replace the underlined pronoun in sentence 14?a. the weaklingsb. the strong onesc. the plantsd. it

____ 16. To help link ideas between paragraphs 4 and 5, what transitional sentence should be added to the end of paragraph 4.a. I must put the young tomatoes into bigger pots.b. It’s time to put the young tomatoes into their permanent home outside.c. I have visions of ripe tomatoes hanging from big green vines.d. Now, at night, I sleep with the window open.

____ 17. How should sentence 29 be written so that the ideas are most precisely stated?a. Some tomato plants need “staking” to avoid falling over.b. “Staking” your tomato plants with bamboo poles can prevent them from falling over.c. I prevent my tomatoes from toppling over by “staking” them: driving a bamboo pole into the earth

beside each plant and tying the stem to the stake.d. “Staking” is best done when the plants are young to avoid damaging the roots.

____ 18. Which revision of sentence 32 makes use of a present participle?a. I hold the tomato in my hand and think back to those last cold days of February.b. Holding the tomato in my hand, I think back to those last cold days of February.c. I hold that tomato in my hand; I think back to those last cold days of February.d. I think back to those last cold days of February because I am holding the tomato in my hand.

____ 19. Before writing his rough draft, the student made these notes.

• planting seeds indoors• thinning young plants• preparing the soil• transplanting outdoors• watering

What important step does he not mention here that he later decided to include in his report?a. adding manureb. placing seeds in warm placec. pulling out the smaller plantsd. staking the plants

____ 20. Which source would most likely provide further information on the activity described in this report?a. a book: A Brief History of Gardeningb. a magazine article: “Tomato Pests and Diseases”c. a TV program: “Cooking with Tomatoes”d. a website: “Making Things Grow”

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