Touching Spirit Bear
Common Formative Assessment
7th Grade
Total Points ___________/12_pts_______
Name________________________________
Date________________________________
Period ________________________________
1. Cole is banished to an island in Southeast Alaska. What is the meaning of
the word banished?
(1 pt)
a.
b.
c.
d.
paroled
included
exiled
introduced
2. Cole’s attitude changed dramatically throughout the novel. Compare his
attitude at the beginning of the book to his attitude at the end of the novel. Use
two (2) text-based details to support your answer.
(2 pt)
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1
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3. Why does Cole throw the Spirit Bear’s fur into the water?
a.
b.
c.
d.
To symbolize that he would tell the truth from then on.
He was allergic to it and made his fingers swell.
It was just a matted and fuzzy wad of white hair.
He felt guilty for taking it in the first place.
4. Which sentence best summarizes this novel?
a.
b.
c.
d.
(1 pt)
(1 pt)
A bad boy is sent to an island.
A troubled teen discovers himself.
Spirit Bears are an endangered species and should be protected.
Circle Justice is an effective method of justice.
5. Based on the information in the story, what will Cole do once he leaves the
island?
(1 pt)
a.
b.
c.
d.
Go to live with his father.
Lead canoe adventures in Alaska.
Participate in the Native American Circle Justice System.
Rob another hardware store in Minneapolis.
6. What word in the following sentence is an example of personification?
“Curtains of northern lights danced wildly under the Big Dipper.”
(1 pt)
a.
b.
c.
d.
Curtains
Danced
Wildly
Big Dipper
2
7. At the beginning of the novel, Cole Matthews is a difficult character to like?
How does the author manage to make us care about what happens to him?
Provide two (2) details from the story to support your answer.
(2 pt)
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3
8. It might be said that the theme in Touching Spirit Bear is “coming to terms
with the past.” Provide two (2) text details that support this theme.
(2 pt)
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4
9. Why was Cole envious of the dead baby sparrows?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Their misery was over and he was still suffering.
They had known a home and he had not.
They were part of the circle. “You live, die, and rot.”
They liked eating bugs and worms.
5
(1 pt)