7th Grade CA1

   When I was a kid, I lived in a little town called Elm Ridge. Everyone knew their best friend since pre-K, which was pretty much our whole lives. In third grade, my best friend Becky and I spent all of our free time making friendship bracelets for one another, just like all the other girls in our school. We could spend hours lying together on our beds, weaving the colors as intricately as our tiny fingers could manage. Every color meant something: Red meant you were smart, white meant you were nice, blue meant you were brave, etc. I had an entire collection of bracelets. Honestly, it seemed like some of the girls in my class had hundreds or even thousands of bracelets. I kept mine in a special box and refused to leave the house without wearing at least three or four.
 But the summer after third grade, my family moved away. We moved to a bigger town, where kids did not know all of their friends since pre-K. They also did not know anything about friendship bracelets. On my first day of fourth grade, when I proudly displayed to the girls in my class a red-white-and-blue bracelet Becky had made me, they looked at me like I had two heads. These girls were into these crazy neon barrettes you bought at the mall, not bracelets you made yourself. I put my friendship bracelets in a box in one of my drawers and never dared showed them to anyone ever again.
 Even though I would never see Becky after I moved, I would look at my bracelets all the time, wishing my bed were back in my old room in Elm Ridge and that Becky were laying beside me, our tiny fingers weaving threads together for hours and hours.
Based on what the narrator says in paragraph one, why does Becky give the narrator a red-white-and-blue friendship bracelet?

• She knows the narrator is sad to be moving away.
• She is scared the narrator will forget about her.
• She and the narrator have been friends since pre-K.
• She thinks the narrator is smart, nice, and brave.

Look at the picture above. Which paragraph below paints the most vivid description of the situation?

• Next to the gray block are two people. One has his mouth open while the other has his eyes shut. One person is standing in front of the other person.
• There are two people who are standing near each other. One person leans over a gray block, and other person puts two arms up. They both are looking in one direction.
• Two male fans are extremely excited about the sport they are watching. The person with the pink sweater whistles forcefully with his eyes shut. The other person dressed in green shouts and waves a small blue flag as a red balloon floats beside him.
• Two people, standing up, are whistling and shouting aloud. One person raises his arms and waves something in his hands. The other person puts his fingers in the mouth while shutting the eyes as well.

The following passage is from page 119 of the book How to Live on Twenty-Four Hours a Day by Arnold Bennett.
 People say: "One can't help one's thoughts." But one can. The control of the thinking machine is perfectly possible. And since nothing whatever happens to us outside our own brain; since nothing hurts us or gives us pleasure except within the brain, the supreme importance of being able to control what goes on in that mysterious brain is patent¹. This idea is one of the oldest platitudes², but it is a platitude whose profound truth and urgency most people live and die without realising. People complain of the lack of power to concentrate, not aware that they may acquire the power, if they choose. And without the power to concentrate—that is to say, without the power to dictate to the brain its task and to ensure obedience—true life is impossible. Mind control is the first element of a full existence.
Read the following sentence from the passage.
And without the power to concentrate—that is to say, without the power to dictate to the brain its task and to ensure obedience—true life is impossible.
Which of these is the best paraphrase of the above sentence?

• Without the power to concentrate, without the power to dictate to the brain and ensure obedience, true life is impossible (Bennet 119).
• Without the ability to control the mind, it is not possible to live a full life in a true sense (Bennet 119).
• The power to dictate to the brain its task and to ensure obedience is what makes true life possible (Bennet 119).
• True life is impossible without the power to dictate and make the brain obey and without the power to concentrate (Bennet 119).

What are the descriptive words in the sentence below?

The flimsy roof on the house did not have a chance against the raging thunderstorm.

• roof, chance
• flimsy, raging
  
• have, against
  
• house, thunderstorm

 Brent Golding was very popular at his high school. He had a lot of friends. Brent felt that the only reason they liked him was because he played football and drove an expensive car. Most people did not realize that Brent was passionate about break dancing. He loved the freedom he experienced when he spun, flipped, and kicked to the beat. Dancing was not an acceptable thing for a football player to do. People seemed more impressed by how many pounds he could lift. Even though there seemed to be more of a future in football, Brent's heart belonged to break dancing. How could he tell his parents that he'd rather strive for a rare dance scholarship instead of a more attainable football scholarship? How could he prove that he would have a better life as a break dancer than as a wide receiver? His dilemma was he could not prove this. He did not think his parents would understand.

What is the best way to describe Brent?

• confused and frustrated
• content and hopeful
• bad-tempered and lonely
• self-centered and mean

The following passage is from page 119 of the book How to Live on Twenty-Four Hours a Day by Arnold Bennett.
 People say: "One can't help one's thoughts." But one can. The control of the thinking machine is perfectly possible. And since nothing whatever happens to us outside our own brain; since nothing hurts us or gives us pleasure except within the brain, the supreme importance of being able to control what goes on in that mysterious brain is patent¹. This idea is one of the oldest platitudes², but it is a platitude whose profound truth and urgency most people live and die without realising. People complain of the lack of power to concentrate, not aware that they may acquire the power, if they choose. And without the power to concentrate—that is to say, without the power to dictate to the brain its task and to ensure obedience—true life is impossible. Mind control is the first element of a full existence.
Select the sentence that quotes the passage correctly.

• Arnold Bennett writes, "Control of the mind is the first element of a full existence" (119).
• Arnold Bennett states, "One cannot help one's thoughts" (119).
  
• Arnold Bennett reports, "This platitude is old but very true" (119).
• Arnold Bennett says, "The control of the thinking machine is perfectly possible" (119).

The last few sheets of paper shriveled in the burning flame of the fireplace. They were the remnants of Edie’s story. She had labored night and day for nine months to carefully put her story idea into words. Now, those words were eaten by the fire that swallowed up her papers like a starving animal. Edie’s eyes watered as she thought of the time and effort she put into that story. That work was lost in a matter of seconds after she read the rejection letter from the publishing house.
 However, as Edie continued to think about her story, she knew she could write a better story than before. She took up a pad of paper and pen and began to chew over ideas. Edie mapped out her story as carefully as a doctor preparing to perform a surgery. She wanted this work to be perfect in every way. Staying up all night, Edie outlined her story until she was satisfied with the results. She looked over the papers and was radiant.

Which of the following sentences from the passage offers the best visual description of how Edie worked on her next story?

• "She wanted this work to be perfect in every way."
• "Edie mapped out her story as carefully as a doctor preparing to perform a surgery."
• "She took up a pad of paper and pen and began to chew over ideas."
• "Staying up all night, Edie outlined her story until she was satisfied with the results."

  The last few sheets of paper shriveled in the burning flame of the fireplace. They were the remnants of Edie’s story. She had labored night and day for nine months to carefully put her story idea into words. Now, those words were eaten by the fire that swallowed up her papers like a starving animal. Edie’s eyes watered as she thought of the time and effort she put into that story. That work was lost in a matter of seconds after she read the rejection letter from the publishing house.
 However, as Edie continued to think about her story, she knew she could write a better story than before. She took up a pad of paper and pen and began to chew over ideas. Edie mapped out her story as carefully as a doctor preparing to perform a surgery. She wanted this work to be perfect in every way. Staying up all night, Edie outlined her story until she was satisfied with the results. She looked over the papers and was radiant.

Which of the following sentences from the passage offers the best visual description of what happened to Edie's first story?

• "Edie's eyes watered as she thought of the time and effort she put into that story."
• "She had labored night and day for nine months to carefully put her story idea into words."
• "Now, those words were eaten by the fire that swallowed up her papers like a starving animal."
• "That work was lost in a matter of seconds after she read the rejection letter from the publishing house."

  Mikkel loved dance music. He was familiar with all of the popular techno and hip-hop artists. Mikkel longed to be a DJ. He had friends that owned their own speakers, stereo equipment, and turntables. Sometimes, he would go and help them when they were hired to play music at events. He learned all of their tricks. Mikkel just wished that he could afford his own equipment, so he could make money doing what he loved—playing music.
 Mikkel looked through his belongings to see if he could sell anything. He had a skateboard and a bicycle that he never used anymore. He also had an old guitar that he had never learned to play. He could probably get a couple hundred bucks for these items, but it was not enough to buy DJ equipment. He needed a job, one that would not interfere with school or his passion.
 Mikkel thought about his skills and his interests. He wanted to get a job that would help him develop into a better DJ. He checked the local music shop to see if the owners needed any part-time help, but they did not. Then, he gathered his courage and called the local radio station to ask if there were any job opportunities there. The radio station did not need his help either.
 Mikkel told Spike, one of his DJ friends, about wanting to get his own equipment. Spike offered to pay Mikkel for helping him set up and take down his equipment at events. Spike also told Mikkel that he would be willing to sell his old equipment to him for a good price. That was the kind of break Mikkel needed. He knew that with the right equipment he would be able to start his own DJ business. He felt very fortunate to have a friend like Spike.

What is the main conflict in the story?

• The music store does not want Mikkel's help.
• The local radio station will not hire Mikkel.
•  Mikkel cannot afford to buy DJ equipment.
• Mikkel does not want to sell his belongings.

When I was a kid, I lived in a little town called Elm Ridge. Everyone knew their best friend since pre-K, which was pretty much our whole lives. In third grade, my best friend Becky and I spent all of our free time making friendship bracelets for one another, just like all the other girls in our school. We could spend hours lying together on our beds, weaving the colors as intricately as our tiny fingers could manage. Every color meant something: Red meant you were smart, white meant you were nice, blue meant you were brave, etc. I had an entire collection of bracelets. Honestly, it seemed like some of the girls in my class had hundreds or even thousands of bracelets. I kept mine in a special box and refused to leave the house without wearing at least three or four.
 But the summer after third grade, my family moved away. We moved to a bigger town, where kids did not know all of their friends since pre-K. They also did not know anything about friendship bracelets. On my first day of fourth grade, when I proudly displayed to the girls in my class a red-white-and-blue bracelet Becky had made me, they looked at me like I had two heads. These girls were into these crazy neon barrettes you bought at the mall, not bracelets you made yourself. I put my friendship bracelets in a box in one of my drawers and never dared showed them to anyone ever again.
 Even though I would never see Becky after I moved, I would look at my bracelets all the time, wishing my bed were back in my old room in Elm Ridge and that Becky were laying beside me, our tiny fingers weaving threads together for hours and hours.

Which sentence from the story shows that the bracelets are important to the narrator?

• I put my friendship bracelets in a box in one of my drawers and never dared showed them to anyone ever again.
• These girls were into these crazy neon barrettes you bought at the mall, not bracelets you made yourself.
• Honestly, it seemed like some of the girls in my class had hundreds or even thousands of bracelets.
• I kept mine in a special box and refused to leave the house without wearing at least three or four.