Free printable i-Ready practice test for Grade 7

Reading

Circle the letter of the best answer, or two letters where a question asks for two. No time limit.

1. 1.

   The toddler started to stamp his feet when he didn't get a cookie.

   Which meaning of stamp is used in this sentence?

   1. Aa tool that presses a picture or words onto paper with ink
   2. Bbring your foot down hard
   3. Ca kind of hat
   4. Da small sticker you put on a letter to pay for mailing it

2. Where the Owl Went

   The morning of the Cedar Hollow Middle School art show, my best friend, Dev Kapoor, called me at ten minutes to seven. He didn't even say hello before he told me, "Mina, my owl is gone."

   Dev's owl was the best piece in the show, and I'm not just saying that because he's my best friend. He had spent six weeks on it: a gray owl as tall as a cereal box, every feather pressed in with the tip of a paper clip. The school kiln was broken this year, so he had used air-dry clay, the kind that never gets fired. "Keep it away from water," he warned anyone who came near it, "or it turns back into mud." Ms. Abernathy, our art teacher, had given it the place of honor: a white pedestal standing by itself in the middle of the library, right under the big round skylight.

   When I got to school, Dev was standing beside the empty pedestal with his hands jammed in his pockets. Ms. Abernathy had gone to find the principal, and along the library's back wall, the rest of the show stood exactly as we had left it the afternoon before: thirty paintings, a quilt, and eleven other sculptures.

   "Somebody took it," Dev said. "And I bet I know who."

   I knew who he meant. On Tuesday, Carter Briggs had walked past the owl and announced that it looked like a potato with eyebrows. Carter's own sculpture, a clay dragon with a crooked tail, sat on the back table. And Carter came to school early every Wednesday for jazz band, which practiced in the room right next door.

   It all fit together perfectly, and that was exactly what bothered me.

   My grandmother says that when a story fits too neatly, you should treat it like a recipe from a stranger and check every ingredient. So I made myself slow down and look.

   The carpet around the pedestal squished under my sneakers, dark and damp in a wide circle whose center was directly below the skylight. A yellow mop bucket stood in the corner by the dictionaries; it hadn't been there yesterday. Above us, the last of the night's rain was still ticking on the glass.

   Then I studied the top of the pedestal. A fine layer of dust covered it everywhere except for one clean, perfectly round circle where the owl's base had been. The edges of the circle were sharp and unsmudged, and there wasn't a single crumb of clay on the pedestal or on the carpet beneath it.

   "Dev," I said, "if you were stealing something and you were scared of getting caught, would you lift it straight up like a birthday cake?"

   He frowned at the circle. "I guess not."

   "And look at the back wall. Everything over there is dry, and nothing's been touched. Only your owl was under the skylight."

   Just then the library door swung open and Carter walked in with his trumpet case, and Dev's shoulders went stiff. I grabbed his sleeve before he could say anything he'd regret.

   "Carter," I said, "when you got here for band this morning, was the library open?"

   Carter looked from the empty pedestal to Dev's face, and his eyebrows went up. "Whoa. Where's your owl?" Then he thought about my question. "The door was propped open with a cart. Mr. Delacroix was in here mopping when I walked by. Why?"

   I let out a long breath, because the wet carpet, the bucket and the clean, careful circle all pointed the same way. Someone had come in early, found rain dripping through the skylight onto a sculpture that turns back into mud, and lifted it very gently out of the way.

   We caught Mr. Delacroix, the night custodian, in the front hall, zipping up his jacket to go home.

   "The owl?" he said. "It's safe in the art room, on the drying rack. That skylight's leaked for years. When I came through at five, water was dripping right on its head." He frowned. "I left a note for Ms. Abernathy on the pedestal."

   We found the note later, on the floor behind the pedestal, where it had slipped off.

   Dev turned to Carter. "Sorry," he said. "I kind of decided it was you."

   Carter shrugged, but he was grinning. "For the record," he said, "it's a really good potato."

   2.

   Which TWO clues best support Mina's conclusion that someone moved the owl to protect it? Choose two answers.

   1. AThe carpet under the skylight was damp, and a mop bucket stood in the corner.
   2. BCarter came to school early on Wednesdays for jazz band.
   3. CThe rest of the show included thirty paintings and a quilt.
   4. DCarter had said the owl looked like a potato with eyebrows.
   5. EThe clean circle on the pedestal had sharp edges and no smudges.
3. 3.

   What does Mina's behavior when Carter walks in reveal about her?

   1. AShe wants the facts before anyone is accused.
   2. BShe is still angry at Carter for mocking the owl.
   3. CShe cares more about jazz band than about art.
   4. DShe is secretly trying to keep Carter out of trouble.
4. 4.

   Carter walked past the owl and "announced" that it looked like a potato with eyebrows. What does the word "announced" suggest?

   1. AHe took it back and apologized to Dev right away.
   2. BHe whispered it so that Dev would not hear.
   3. CHe said it as the official judge of the show.
   4. DHe said it loudly, as if he wanted an audience.
5. 5.

   Which theme does Mina's investigation develop?

   1. APeople who make fun of other people's work usually turn out to be guilty of worse things.
   2. BAn explanation that seems to fit perfectly should still be tested against the evidence.
   3. CBest friends should always share each other's suspicions.
   4. DGetting to school early is the best way to stay out of trouble.
6. 6.

   Which word shows the strongest interest?

   1. Aobsessed
   2. Bbusy
   3. Cfascinated
   4. Dinterested

7. Dim the Skyline for the Birds

   Every spring and fall, billions of birds pass over North America on their way between their winter homes and their summer nesting grounds. Most songbirds, including warblers, thrushes, and sparrows, make this journey at night, using the stars and Earth's magnetic field to find their way. When they fly over a brightly lit city, however, many of them get into serious trouble.

   Artificial light draws night-migrating birds off course, especially on cloudy or foggy nights. Confused by the glare, they circle lit buildings until they are exhausted, or they crash into windows. Scientists estimate that collisions with buildings kill hundreds of millions of birds in the United States every year.

   That is why this newspaper urges the city of Riverton to adopt a "Lights Out" policy. During the spring and fall migrations, city-owned buildings should switch off lights in empty offices, lobbies, and decorative spotlights between 11 p.m. and dawn, and the city should encourage private building owners to do the same. Several large cities already run programs like this, and where buildings have dimmed their lights, researchers have counted far fewer dead birds below their windows.

   The change would cost the city almost nothing. In fact, it would save money, because every light switched off is electricity that taxpayers no longer have to buy.

   Some readers may doubt that the problem is serious here. But last May, a reader on Linden Street found a small yellow bird lying stunned beneath her apartment window, which proves that the problem in Riverton grows worse every year.

   The birds that pass over Riverton have flown thousands of miles to reach our sky. The least we can do is turn off the lights and let them pass.

   7.

   Which reason gives the weakest support for the editorial's claim?

   1. AArtificial light draws night-migrating birds off course, especially in fog.
   2. BOne reader found a stunned bird, which the editors say proves the problem is growing.
   3. CResearchers count far fewer dead birds where buildings dim their lights.
   4. DSwitching off lights saves the city money on electricity.
8. 8.

   Which statement best summarizes the editorial?

   1. ARiverton should dim its lights during migration because the lights kill birds.
   2. BRiverton should build shelters for birds that are injured by its buildings.
   3. CBirds should learn to migrate by day so that they can avoid bright cities.
   4. DRiverton's buildings waste too much electricity in every season.
9. 9.

   The editorial says the birds are "confused by the glare." What does the word "glare" suggest about the city's lights?

   1. AThey are as natural as the light of the stars above.
   2. BThey are beautiful for the birds to look at.
   3. CThey are harsh and blinding rather than helpful.
   4. DThey are too dim for the birds to notice.
10. 10.

    The class had to stack two hundred chairs after the assembly. Everyone grabbed a few, and the job was done in five minutes.

    Which saying best fits this story?

    1. AActions speak louder than words
    2. BA penny saved is a penny earned
    3. CMany hands make light work
    4. DThe pen is mightier than the sword