Cecil County Public Schools
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Grade 7 Unit 8
Information, Argument,
and Persuasion
Unit Assessment
Student Test M Booklet
Part I – Comprehension & Vocabulary
Part II –Writing & Grammar
2010-2011
Grade 7 Unit 8
Part I: Comprehension and Vocabulary
Directions:
Read “Barbara Jordan: Congresswoman” on pages 1-3 in the Assessment Selections
Booklet and then answer questions 1-12.
1.
The title “Barbara Jordan: Congresswoman” tells you that this article will most
likely
A. list the educational accomplishments of Barbara Jordan.
B. analyze a speech given by Barbara Jordan in Congress.
C. explore Barbara Jordan’s career as a politician.
2.
The subheadings in the article best reveal that
A. events will be told in chronological order.
B. causes and effects will be stated.
C. events will be classified by importance.
3.
In lines 13-18, the author uses cause-and-effect organization to
A. illustrate the meaning of love.
B. explain a bias about education.
C. show the relationship of events.
4.
Which piece of information do you find under the subheading “Education”?
A. John Ed Patten encouraged Jordan.
B. Jordan won an oratorical contest.
C. She won a seat in the Texas Senate.
5.
Which piece of information from lines 27-31 contains an opinion?
A. Jordan was part of the debate team at Phillis Wheatley High School.
B. During high school, Jordan easily won various debate contests.
C. In Chicago, Jordan won a national oration contest.
Grade 7 Unit 8: Information, Argument, and Persuasion
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6.
Barbara Jordan was the first black woman to serve in the Texas State Senate, and the
first black to be elected from any southern state to the U.S. House of Representatives.
What source could you best use to verify the facts in the above lines?
A. reliable print or online source
B. personal observations
C. scientific experiment
7.
Under the subheading “Career,” you learn that Jordan taught
A. at Phillis Wheatley High School.
B. in a small school in Boston.
C. at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.
8.
Which piece of information would you find under the subheading “Career”?
A. Jordan used to recite poems at her church.
B. Tom Freeman coached Jordan.
C. Jordan started a law practice in Houston.
9.
She became nationally known for her persuasive speaking skills, particularly after
giving a compelling speech in favor of the impeachment of President Nixon.
The word compelling in the lines above best reveals the author’s bias that
A. Jordan was an effective public speaker.
B. effective speaking skills take practice.
C. President Nixon deserved to be impeached.
10.
The subheading “Career” is divided into two parts for the reader by the text feature
of
A. italics.
B. dates.
C. fancy language.
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11.
Which sentence best shows the author’s bias?
A. Barbara’s grandfather, John Ed Patten, often encouraged Barbara.
B. At an early age, Barbara was often asked to recite poems and stories at her
church.
C. She had a strong voice and a lively manner of speaking.
12.
Under which subheading would you find information about Barbara Jordan’s
extracurricular activities in high school?
A. Childhood
B. Education
C. In the Texas Senate
Directions:
Read “Burning Out” by Nadya Labi on pages 4-5 in the Assessment Selections Booklet and
then answer questions 13-25.
13.
Which persuasive technique does the author use in lines 7-8?
A. testimonial
B. bandwagon appeal
C. loaded language
14.
Based on the word “Hah!” in line 9, which sentence best describes the author’s bias?
A. Research studies do not reflect children’s behavior.
B. Private school programs are too demanding.
C. Children no longer have time to enjoy themselves.
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15.
Which sentence best summarizes the findings of the Michigan survey mentioned in
lines 10-14?
A. Time diaries completed by children in 1997 revealed that type of household affected
how much free time children had.
B. Ethnic background was a minor factor in determining family income for most
children under the age of 12.
C. Family income level and ethnic background did not strongly influence the amount of
free time children had.
16.
Which statement from the essay expresses the author’s opinion?
A. “they all sounded a little like Steven” (lines 13-14)
B. “kids ages 3 to 12 spend 29 hours a week in school” (line 15)
C. “They also did more household chores” (lines 16-17)
17.
The information in lines 15-18 best supports the author’s argument by showing that
A. parents require their children to do too many chores.
B. children have busier schedules today than they did years ago.
C. parents expect more from children than they used to.
18.
Which statement is a fact based on the information in lines 19-23?
A In 1981, children spent more than half of their free time playing sports.
B. In 1997, children had 25% of their day as free time.
C. In 1981, children spent more time playing sports than they did in 1997.
19.
Which counterargument does the author address in lines 38-43?
A. Parents are unhappy with many current television programs.
B. Children are watching less television than they used to.
C. Parents are glad that their children are watching television.
Grade 7 Unit 8: Information, Argument, and Persuasion
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20.
What is the main idea of the selection?
A. Children should be seen and not heard.
B. Children need more time for play.
C. Children enjoy their organized activities.
21.
The persuasive technique that the author uses in lines 30-34 is an appeal to
A. pity.
B. authority.
C. fear.
22.
The phrase “believe it or not” in line 39 suggests that the author believes
A. parents should be happy that children watch so little television.
B. parents should worry about how much television children watch.
C. children spend too much of their free time watching television.
23.
Which sentence is an effective paraphrase of the sentence in lines 45-47?
A. Parents, teachers, and politicians have all tried to get children to read more books.
B. Although adults have tried to get children to read more, their efforts have failed.
C. Children today are too busy with other activities to spend much time reading.
24.
Which sentence best describes the author’s use of facts and opinions in this essay?
A. She supports her opinions with research studies and statements from experts.
B. The essay contains many strong opinions but very few supporting details.
C. It is difficult to distinguish which statements are facts and which are opinions.
25.
Which of the following text features would most help the reader to better
understand the text?
A. italicizing the questions
B. a pie graph that shows how Steven spends his time
C. numbers and dates written out
Grade 7 Unit 8: Information, Argument, and Persuasion
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Directions:
For questions 26-30, use your knowledge from prior units to answer questions about both
selections.
26.
What do you learn in the introductory paragraph of “Burning Out at Nine?”
A. Steven is 12.
B. Children spend 9 hours with their single mothers.
C. TV viewership declined 25% since 1981.
27.
In “Barbara Jordan: Congresswoman,” all of the following are external conflicts
EXCEPT
A. Barbara Jordan was born to a poor family.
B. Barbara worked to do well in school.
C. Barbara competed in an oration contest.
28.
What is one positive effect of children’s busy schedules?
A. Children have less free time.
B. There are more messed up kids.
C. Children are watching less TV.
29.
Which of the following events is the effect of the following statement from the
selection “Barbara Jordan: Congresswoman”?
She had a strong voice, and a lively manner of speaking.
A. She won first place in the Texas State Ushers Oratorical Contest.
B. She passed the bar exams in both Texas and Massachusetts.
C. She served on the House Ways and Means Committee.
30.
What causes Barbara Jordan to run for the Texas Legislature in the selection
“Barbara Jordan: Congresswoman”?
A. She wanted to start her own law practice to make money.
B. She was coached in public speaking skills.
C. She wanted to make a difference in the lives of people.
Grade 7 Unit 8: Information, Argument, and Persuasion
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BCR
Directions:
Answer the following question. Write two or three paragraphs for your response on the
provided BCR sheet.
Persuasive Techniques:
 Emotional Appeals (messages that create strong feelings, such as pity or fear)
 Appeals to Authority (references to people who are experts on a subject)
 Loaded Language (words with strongly positive or strongly negative connotations)
Select one or two persuasive technique(s) that the author Nadya Labi uses effectively to support
her claim in “Burned Out at Nine?” Use details from the essay to support your choice(s).
Vocabulary
Directions:
Answer questions 31-35 using context clues and your knowledge of idioms to choose the
best definition of the underlined idiom in each sentence.
31.
People would not face up to the fact that race relations still needed to be improved.
A. review
B. confront
C. defend
32.
At long last, people recognized that they must work together to build a tolerant
society.
A. prior to a meeting
B. after much time
C. before morning
33.
Jordan wanted tolerance in the worst way.
A. very much
B. extremely slowly
C. mainly now
Grade 7 Unit 8: Information, Argument, and Persuasion
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34.
Steven Guzman is only 12, but he’s booked solid.
A. smart
B. an avid reader
C. very busy
35.
He wakes up at 6 every weekday morning, downs a five-minute breakfast, reports to
school at 7:50, returns home at 3:15, hits the books from 5 to 9 (with a break for
dinner) and goes to sleep at 10:30.
A. slaps the books
B. studies
C. plays basketball
Directions:
Choose the best answer for questions 36-40 by using your knowledge of context clues to
determine the specific meaning of the given multiple-meaning word.
36.
They spent many weekend afternoons together, working at his junkyard business.
In which of the following sentences does the word spent mean the same as in the
sentence above?
A. After a day of playing sports in the heat, they were spent.
B. They spent all their allowance on the video game.
C. Yesterday, they spent the day shopping.
37.
She served on the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Judiciary
Committee.
In which of the following sentences does the word served mean the same as in the
sentence above?
A. He served as the school president for 2 years.
B. The waiter served them the soup.
C. She served the tennis ball over the net.
.
Grade 7 Unit 8: Information, Argument, and Persuasion
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38.
Involvement in sports, in particular, rose almost 50% from 1981 to 1997.
In which of the following sentences does the word rose mean the same as in the
sentence above?
A. Her face turned a bright rose after tripping in front of the class.
B. The number of students passing the test rose this year.
C. He rose up out of bed.
39.
Boys now spend an average of four hours a week playing sports; girls log half that
time.
In which of the following sentences does the word log mean the same as in the
sentence above?
A. They removed the fallen log from the road.
B. The pilot will log 20 hours this week.
C. I need to log in to the computer to type my paper.
40.
As a result, she refused to allow poverty, or other people’s prejudices about race or the
fact that she was a woman keep her from succeeding in what she chose to do.
In which of the following sentences does the word race mean the same as in the
sentence above?
A. The boat was caught in the race of the sea.
B. She had to race to the finish line.
C. They were not accepted because of their race.
Grade 7 Unit 8: Information, Argument, and Persuasion
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Stop here and close your booklet until
given further directions by your teacher.
Grade 7 Unit 8: Information, Argument, and Persuasion
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Part II: Writing and Grammar
Grade 7 Unit 8
Directions:
Read the Persuasive Essay on pages 6-7 in the Assessment Selections Booklet and then
answer questions 51-62
51.
To correctly punctuate the appositive phrase in sentence 1, place commas after
A. “Park” and “park”
B. “Park” and “Grantville”
C. “Grantville” and “place”
52.
To punctuate the items in a series in sentence 2 place commas after
A. “large” and “paths”
B. “once” and “visitors”
C. “areas” and “trees”
53.
Choose the correct way to punctuate the beginning of sentence 3 with a comma.
A. Lately the park has,
B. Lately, the park has
C. Lately the park, has
54.
Choose the correct place to insert a colon in sentence 4.
A. 70:0 p.m.
B. 700: p.m.
C. 7:00 p.m.
55.
The purpose of sentences 5 and 6 is to
A. state the thesis statement.
B. combine the sentences.
C. describe the solution.
Grade 7 Unit 8: Information, Argument, and Persuasion
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56.
The purpose of sentence 8 is to
A. support the author’s opinion.
B. summarize the author’s position.
C. answer an opposing argument.
57.
Identify the transition in sentence 11.
A. Another way
B. could improve
C. side of
58.
In sentence 12, the writer includes language such as “more appealing” and “attract
more visitors” to
A. give you a summary.
B. persuade the reader.
C. show the organization.
59.
To punctuate the appositive phrase in sentence 13, place commas after
A. “Gophers” and “stand”
B. “stand” and “benefit”
C. “group” and “increase”
60.
Choose the correct place to insert a colon in sentence 14.
A. Park:
B. way:
C. following:
61.
The writer’s call to action states that
A. residents want to plant flowers and trees.
B. new trees would not benefit the public.
C. money should be used for improvements.
Grade 7 Unit 8: Information, Argument, and Persuasion
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62.
The writer includes language such as “care and attention” and “beautiful Grantville
landmark” to
A. convince the reader.
B. summarize the essay.
C. entertain the reader.
Directions:
Using your knowledge of grammar, answer questions 63-70.
63.
Which of the following sentences has a correctly punctuated appositive phrase?
A. My teacher, the grammar expert, loves appositive phrases.
B. My teacher the grammar expert, loves appositive phrases.
C. My teacher the grammar, expert, loves appositive phrases.
64.
In the following sentence, identify the appositive.
My favorite candy, Snickers, satisfies hunger.
A. My favorite candy, Snickers
B. Snickers
C. Satisfies hunger
65.
Which of the following sentences uses commas correctly?
A. After breakfast I took the dog, for a walk.
B. After, breakfast I took the dog, for a walk.
C. After breakfast, I took the dog for a walk.
66.
Which is the correct placement of the comma in the following sentence?
Yesterday my little brother fell into the pool.
A. little,
B. Yesterday,
C. fell,
Grade 7 Unit 8: Information, Argument, and Persuasion
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67.
Which of the following sentences uses commas in a series correctly?
A. I bought bananas, yogurt and cereal at the store.
B. I bought bananas yogurt, and cereal at the store.
C. I bought bananas, yogurt, and cereal at the store.
68.
Which of the following sentences uses commas in a series correctly?
A. Mark Susan, and Mary went to the beach.
B. Mark, Susan, and Mary went to the beach.
C. Mark, Susan, and, Mary went to the beach.
69.
Which greeting is correctly punctuated?
A. Dear, Sir or Madam
B. Dear Sir or Madam,
C. Dear Sir or Madam:
70.
Which sentence is correctly punctuated?
A. For class I need: pens, paper, and highlighters.
B. For class I need, pens, paper, and highlighters.
C. For class: I need pens, paper, and highlighters.
Grade 7 Unit 8: Information, Argument, and Persuasion
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Answer Key
1. C
2. A
3. C
4. B
5. B
6. A
7. C
8. C
9. A
10. A
11. C
12. B
13. A
14. C
15. C
16. A
17. B
18. B
19. B
20. B
21. B
22. C
23. B
24. A
25. B
26. A
27. B
28. C
29. A
30. C
31. B
32. B
33. A
34. C
35. B
36. C
37. A
38. B
39. B
40. C
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1. 51. B
52. C
53. B
54. C
55. A
56. A
57. A
58. B
59. A
60. C
61. C
62. A
63. A
64. B
65. C
66. B
67. C
68. B
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69. C
2. 70. A
Grade 7 Unit 8: Information, Argument, and Persuasion
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