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. Thor in a Wedding Veil

   A Norse myth, retold from a poem first written down in Iceland more than 700 years ago

   Thor woke one morning, reached for his hammer, and closed his fist on empty air.

   He searched beneath the furs of his bed and behind the woodpile, overturned benches and peered into barrels, then tugged at his red beard and roared until the rafters of his hall rattled. Mjolnir, the hammer that kept the giants out of Asgard, the home of the gods, was gone.

   Loki the trickster wandered in at the noise and asked, "Lost something?" Thor did not find the question amusing.

   Still, Loki could be useful when he wanted to be, so he borrowed the goddess Freyja's cloak of falcon feathers and flew north, over the icy mountains, to the land of the giants. There, on a grassy hill, sat Thrym, lord of the giants, braiding gold collars for his dogs and combing the manes of his horses, as relaxed as a farmer on a summer evening.

   "Welcome, Loki," Thrym called. "Tell me, how are things among the gods these days? I imagine someone is missing a hammer."

   "You took it," said Loki.

   "I did," said Thrym, looking pleased with himself. "And I buried it eight miles under the earth. No one will dig it up but me, and I will do that on one condition. Bring me Freyja, the most beautiful of the goddesses, to be my bride."

   Loki flew home with the news, and together he and Thor went to Freyja. She was so furious at the idea that her whole hall shook, and the famous gold necklace at her throat snapped and scattered across the floor. "Marry a giant?" she said. "Find someone else to send."

   When the gods gathered for a council, everyone understood that without Mjolnir, Asgard was defenseless. At last Heimdall, the watchman of the gods, spoke up. "Since Freyja will not go," he said slowly, "let Thor go in her place, dressed as a bride. Put a veil over his face, Freyja's necklace around his neck, and a ring of household keys on his belt. Let him collect his hammer himself."

   The hall went silent, and every face turned slowly toward Thor.

   "Never," Thor rumbled. "The gods would laugh at me forever."

   "The giants," said Loki sweetly, "will be moving into Asgard by next week if you don't get your hammer back. But don't worry, because I'll come along as your bridesmaid."

   So it was settled, and the gods wrapped Thor in a long linen gown, fastened the mended necklace around his thick neck, and draped a veil over his face and beard. Loki dressed as a maid, and then the two of them drove north in Thor's chariot, pulled by his goats, and the mountains cracked and fire leaped from the earth as the furious bride rode by.

   Thrym was overjoyed when the veiled figure arrived. "Spread fresh straw on the benches!" he shouted to his servants. "Freyja is here at last!"

   When the wedding feast began, the bride ate an entire ox, eight salmon, and every one of the sweet cakes that had been baked for the women, then washed it all down with three barrels of mead.

   Thrym stared in astonishment. "I have never seen a bride with such an appetite."

   Loki leaned close to the giant's ear. "My lady was so eager to marry you," he whispered, "that she could not eat a bite for eight nights."

   Satisfied, Thrym lifted the edge of the veil to steal a kiss, and he leaped backward the whole length of the hall. "Why are Freyja's eyes so fierce? They burn like coals!"

   "My lady was so eager to marry you," Loki said smoothly, "that she has not slept for eight nights."

   Thrym nodded, deeply flattered. "Then let the wedding begin," he cried. "Bring in the hammer to bless the bride! Lay Mjolnir in her lap!"

   Two servants staggered in under its weight and set the great hammer on the bride's knees. Beneath the veil, Thor's heart laughed with delight as he closed his fist around the handle, rose to his full height, and tore the veil away. The giants who had chuckled at the bride's appetite stopped chuckling and scattered like startled geese, and Thrym's hall emptied faster than it had filled.

   Thor drove home with Mjolnir across his knees, still wearing the wedding gown. If any of the gods laughed at him, they were wise enough to do it very quietly.

   1.

   Readers know the bride is Thor, but Thrym does not. How does this difference shape the wedding feast?

   1. AReaders believe Loki's excuses just as completely as Thrym does.
   2. BReaders learn where Thrym buried the hammer before Thor does.
   3. CThrym's puzzled remarks become funny, because readers understand what he cannot.
   4. DReaders suspect that Thrym has known the truth from the very beginning of the feast.
2. 2.

   What do Loki's answers at the feast reveal about him?

   1. AHe thinks fast and can make a lie sound believable.
   2. BHe wants the giants to discover Thor's secret.
   3. CHe cares more about the feast than about the hammer.
   4. DHe is too frightened of Thrym to say anything.
3. 3.

   Loki speaks "sweetly" when he warns that the giants will move into Asgard. What does this word choice suggest?

   1. AHe is teasing Thor, using a gentle tone for a harsh warning.
   2. BHe is afraid of Thor and wants to calm him down.
   3. CHe is trying to win back Freyja's friendship after making her angry.
   4. DHe is speaking too softly for the other gods to hear.
4. 4.

   How does the last sentence of the myth connect to Thor's protest, "The gods would laugh at me forever"?

   1. AIt shows that Loki ordered the other gods to stop laughing.
   2. BIt answers his fear: with the hammer back, any laughing is done very quietly.
   3. CIt shows that Thor laughed at the giants instead of the gods.
   4. DIt shows that the gods never noticed he was wearing a gown.
5. 5.

   Which theme does the myth develop?

   1. AThe strongest hero never needs help from anyone else.
   2. BTreasure matters more than keeping a promise.
   3. CCleverness and a willingness to look foolish can succeed where force would fail.
   4. DIt is unwise to borrow what belongs to someone else.
6. 6.

   Why does Thrym order the hammer brought into the hall?

   1. ALoki has asked him to return it to the gods.
   2. BHe means to frighten the bride's bridesmaid.
   3. CHe wants to show his guests how deep in the earth he had buried it.
   4. DHe wants it laid in the bride's lap to bless the wedding.
7. 7.

   The seventh-grade class (1) ______ raising money for its trip to Philadelphia.

   Which word or words best complete the sentence?

   (1)	Ais	Bare	Cwere	Dhave been

8. 8.

   In which sentence should the words in bold be set off with commas?

   1. AAnyone who wants to join the chess club should talk to Mr. Hayes after school.
   2. BPlants that get plenty of sunlight usually grow faster than plants kept in the dark.
   3. CEvery student who turns in a permission slip can go on the field trip.
   4. DDeath Valley a desert valley in eastern California is one of the hottest places in North America.
9. 9.

   Jalen is writing an argument about whether middle schools should have recess.

   Which sentence would be the strongest claim for the argument?

   1. ARecess has good parts and bad parts.
   2. BAt our school, recess is a fifteen-minute break after lunch.
   3. CMiddle schools should keep a daily recess, because a short break outdoors helps students focus during afternoon classes.
   4. DDo middle school students still need recess?
10. 10.

    The geese gathered on the pond in late October they flew south a week later.

    This is a run-on sentence. Which choice fixes it correctly?

    1. AThe geese gathered on the pond in late October and, they flew south a week later.
    2. BThe geese gathered on the pond in late October, they flew south a week later.
    3. CThe geese gathered on the pond in late October. they flew south a week later.
    4. DThe geese gathered on the pond in late October, and they flew south a week later.