Free printable STAAR practice test for Grade 7

Reading Language Arts

Circle the letter of the best answer, and one letter in each row of a table and for each numbered blank. No time limit.

1. 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."

   1.

   Why was Dev's owl the only piece in the show that was moved?

   1. AIt was the only piece standing under the leaking skylight.
   2. BIt was the only piece too tall to fit on the back table.
   3. CIt was the only piece that Carter had made fun of.
   4. DIt was the only piece in the show that was still unfinished.
2. 2.

   How does the story's first-person point of view affect the mystery?

   1. AReaders see the events through Dev's eyes, so they share his anger at Carter.
   2. BReaders see only the clues Mina notices, so they can try to solve the case with her.
   3. CReaders hear Carter's private thoughts, so they know at once that he is innocent.
   4. DReaders learn the solution from Ms. Abernathy, who explains it in the final scene.
3. 3.

   Why does the author have Dev explain early in the story that air-dry clay "turns back into mud" when it gets wet?

   1. AIt plants a clue that explains why someone would rush to move the owl.
   2. BIt suggests that the owl melted away overnight in the rain.
   3. CIt proves that Ms. Abernathy was the one who broke the kiln.
   4. DIt explains why Carter thought the owl looked like a potato.
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 said it as the official judge of the show.
   2. BHe whispered it so that Dev would not hear.
   3. CHe said it loudly, as if he wanted an audience.
   4. DHe took it back and apologized to Dev right away.
5. 5.

   Which theme does Mina's investigation develop?

   1. AArt is worth more when the whole school can see it.
   2. BPeople who make fun of other people's work usually turn out to be guilty of worse things.
   3. CAn explanation that seems to fit perfectly should still be tested against the evidence.
   4. DBest friends should always share each other's suspicions.
6. 6.

   Which event happens after Mina studies the circle on the pedestal but before she talks to Mr. Delacroix?

   1. AMs. Abernathy sets the owl under the skylight.
   2. BCarter says the owl looks like a potato with eyebrows.
   3. CDev calls Mina at ten minutes to seven.
   4. DCarter says Mr. Delacroix was mopping in the library.
7. 7.

   Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980. The eruption flattened forests for miles around the volcano.

   Which sentence best combines the two sentences without changing what they mean?

   1. AMount St. Helens erupted in 1980, the eruption flattened forests for miles around the volcano.
   2. BMount St. Helens erupted in 1980 the eruption flattened forests for miles around the volcano.
   3. CThe 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens flattened forests.
   4. DThe 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens flattened forests for miles around the volcano.
8. 8.

   Students at our middle school should keep their phones in their lockers during class time. A survey by our school's student council found that two out of three students check their phones at least once during each class. Without the constant buzz of new messages, students can pay closer attention to their teachers and classmates. Some parents argue that their children need phones nearby in case of an emergency. (1) ______, the front office can reach any student within minutes, and students can call home from there. Keeping phones in lockers during class would help students focus while still letting families stay in touch.

   Which word or phrase best fills the blank?

   (1)	AHowever	BLikewise	CFor example	DFor instance

9. 9.

   In your research paper, you must ______ every source you used.

   Which word best completes the sentence?

   1. Asight
   2. Bcite
   3. Ccitte
   4. Dsite
10. 10.

    Which sentence uses capital letters correctly?

    1. AThe Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France.
    2. BThe Statue of liberty was a gift from the people of France.
    3. Cthe Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France.
    4. DThe Statue of Liberty was a gift from the People of France.