ELA 7 Benchmark Test Study Guide – 4th 9 weeks
Name ____________________________________________
Poetry (what to study)
Class period ______
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Epic poem: a long narrative poem usually concerning a serious subject
Sonnet: a poem of only 14 lines that expresses a complete thought
Ballad: a short musical narrative song or poem
Rhyme scheme: the pattern of rhyme formed by the end rhyme in a poem (ABAB)
Antonym: a word opposite in meaning to another word
Synonym: a word having the same or nearly the same meaning as another word
Irony: when a person says or writes one thing and means another, or uses words to
convey a meaning that is the opposite of the literal meaning. Examples: As sunny as day
in winter in Alaska, This chair is as comfortable as sitting on nails, I enjoyed the movie as
much as getting a root canal.
8. Poetry themes: the overall subject or topic of a poem, what you learned from the poem,
the main idea of the poem, or the idea the poem expresses about a certain subject.
Reliable internet sources to use for research (know this)
1. A web page on a university web site
2. An article found in a scholarly journal (usually a .edu or .gov web site)
3. A blog written by a well-known university professor, published author, literary critic, or
government employee
*NO Wikipedia or wiki pages are reliable
Connotation (positive & negative). Circle the correct answer for each example.
Which word has a POSITIVE connotation?
a. skinny
b. thin
c. lean
d. bony
Which word has a POSITIVE connotation?
a. cheap
b. tightwad
c. penny-pincher
Which word has a NEGATIVE connotation?
a. fat
b. overweight
c. large
d. plump
Which word has a NEGATIVE connotation?
a. plain
b. ugly
c. unattractive
d. homely
Which word has a POSITIVE connotation?
a. ruthless
b. cutthroat
c. stern
Grammar
d. thrifty
d. vicious
Subject-Verb Agreement Directions: Choose the option that corrects an error in the underlined portion(s). If
no error exists, choose “No change is necessary.” CIRCLE your answer.
In the cabinet is the tools that you will need to unclog the bathroom sink; I have found that a plunger and a
prayer often do the trick.
A. are
B. has
C. does
D. No change is necessary.
Here are the books that Thomas and Darlene need for their research, and here is the earplugs that you’ll
require once they both doze off in boredom and start snoring.
A. is
B. are
C. dozes
D. No change is necessary.
Jasmine and Rodney have decided to double the number of cupcakes that they are baking since everyone
love moist cake and chocolate frosting.
A. has
B. is
C. loves
D. No change is necessary.
Not only those students but also their professor look forward to the final exam; everyone has exciting vacation
plans that start next Monday.
A. looks
B. have
C. starts
D. No change is necessary.
At the pet store, each iguana, mouse, and gerbil try to climb the walls of its glass cage while humans hover
outside like giant predators who are ready to strike.
A. tries
B. hovers
C. is
D. No change is necessary.
Either the dogs or the cat sleep on the bed while everyone is out; Lorraine always finds an indentation in the
center of her comforter.
A. sleeps
B. are
C. find
D. No change is necessary.
Sentence Type
Directions: For each sentence, identify if it is simple [S], compound [CD], complex [CX], or compoundcomplex [CD-CX].
1. The stories in the book called Collection Seven are about American Heroes.
_________
2. When Abe Lincoln gave a stump speech, he stood on a real stump.
_________
3. Many trees lose their leaves in the fall, and they look cold and forlorn.
_________
4. When we lived in southern Maryland, we visited Annapolis often.
_________
5. This item, discovered in the vaults, is still beautiful, and it has retained its value.
_________
6. This book describes the disasters that happened at the Paris Opera House.
_________
7. Raoul seems to be mild tempered, and he makes friends easily.
_________
8. Piangi, who is overweight, needs to lose weight and he might sing better.
_________
9. My new wool sweater shrank when I washed it in hot water.
_________
10. We operate under a jury system in this country, and as much as we complain about it, we have to
admit that we know of no better system, except possibly flipping a coin.
__________
Phrases
Noun Phrase: group of words that functions in a sentence as subject, object, or prepositional object.
Adjective Phrase: a group of words that describe a noun or pronoun in a sentence
Adverb Phrase: a group of words that describe a verb in a sentence
Identify the following underlined phrases as adjective (adj.) or adverb (adv.)
Dad made a pitcher of orange juice.
__________
The trout stream winds through the forest.
__________
Have you read Aesop’s fable about the fox and the grapes?
__________
Alice was early with her science report.
__________
At dawn they prepared for the rescue attempt.
__________
She seems happy with her new job.
__________
The kitten chased a ball of yarn.
__________
The bicycle with the flat tire is mine.
__________
From the doctor’s office she drove to the library.
____________
A boy from New Orleans has a seat beside me.
__________
Revising sentences
Redundancy means too many words are used (wordiness). Rewrite the sentences below to
reduce or eliminate redundancy.
My mother had a really, really positive, amazing effect on my total life experience.
______________________________________________________________________
John was a good student. He was very smart. John was concerned, though, that he
wouldn't make it to college.
______________________________________________________________________
In films, the world has been terrorized by many things, and King Kong was a
gigantic ape that threatened New York City.
________________________________________________________________________________
Context Clues
Directions: Read each sentence and determine the meaning of the word using cross sentence clues or your prior
knowledge.
Dignity: Even when the police officers put the handcuffs on my mother, she maintained her dignity, holding her
head up high as she was marched off the protest site.
Definition: ___________________________________________________________________________
Splendid: The rays from the rising sun shined splendidly through our kitchen window.
Definition: ___________________________________________________________________________
Injustice: Kevin thought that it was a great injustice that girls could wear earrings in the school while the boys
could not.
Definition: ___________________________________________________________________________
Yearn: Even though John had a good job and a nice family, he yearned for more.
Definition: ___________________________________________________________________________
Confiscate: Joanne’s mother came up to the school to get the cell phone the teacher had confiscated.
Definition: ___________________________________________________________________________
Benevolence: The children in the orphanage might have starved had it not been for the benevolence of the nuns, who
sacrificed their own small salaries to provide food for the children.
Definition: ________________________________________________________________________________
Misplaced Modifiers: A modifier should be placed as close as possible to the word it modifies. A modifier placed too far
away is called a misplaced modifier. Such a word or phrase seems to modify the wrong word in the sentence.
Underline the misplaced modifiers in the following sentences. Write MM next to each sentence that has a misplaced
modifier and C next to each sentence that is correct.
1. A new library with three stories will be built on Main Street.
_________
2. Listening to records, time passed very quickly.
_________
3. I read a magazine at the barbershop about computers.
_________
4. The band marched down Pine Street playing its instruments.
_________
5. We just moved into a house built in 1820 with two fire places.
_________
6. Strolling through the fields, the sun began to set.
_________
7. We built a cabinet for the bedroom with three shelves.
_________
8. In school I wrote poetry about my dreams for the future.
_________
9. Looking for a summer job, Bill talked to every store owner in town.
_________
10. Perched on the bird feeder, I watched the robin eating seeds.
_________
11. Walking down the aisle, the curtain rose.
_________
12. To play tennis well, a good racquet.
_________
13. If you exercise every day, your health will improve.
_________
14. After visiting Yosemite, other parks seemed rather ordinary.
_________
15. Being very tired, the alarm was not heard.
_________
Synonyms and Antonyms: When a word has a synonym that means the two words have similar meanings. When a word
has an antonym that means the words have opposite meanings. For the following words, use a dictionary or a thesaurus, to
look up a synonym and an antonym of each one.
Word
Synonym
Antonym
1. lure
_______________
_______________
2. culminate
_______________
_______________
3. refrain
_______________
_______________
4. counterfeit
_______________
_______________
5. extravagant
_______________
_______________
6. dupe
_______________
_______________
7. deteriorate
_______________
_______________
8. industrious
_______________
_______________
9. solemn
_______________
_______________
10. dismal
_______________
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