SAMPLE TEST
2006-2008
READING/LITERATURE
GRADE
7
Vocabulary
Read to Perform a Task
Demonstrate General Understanding
Develop an Interpretation
Examine Content and Structure: Informational Text
Examine Content and Structure: Literary Text
It is the policy of the State Board of Education and a priority of the Oregon Department of Education
that there will be no discrimination or harassment on the grounds of race, color, sex, marital status,
religion, national origin, age or handicap in any educational programs, activities, or employment.
Persons having questions about equal opportunity and nondiscrimination should contact the State
Superintendent of Public Instruction at the Oregon Department of Education.
Office of Assessment & Information Services
Oregon Department of Education
255 Capitol Street NE
Salem, OR 97310
(503) 947-5600
Susan Castillo
State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Jim Leigh
Mathematics Assessment Specialist
Doug Kosty
Assistant Superintendent
Ken Hermens
Language Arts Assessment Specialist
Tony Alpert
Director, Assessment and Evaluation
Leslie Phillips
Science, and Social Sciences Assessment Specialist
Steve Slater
Manager, Scoring, Psychometrics and Validity
Dianna Carrizales
Extended Assessment Specialist
Kathleen Vanderwall
Manager, Test Design and Administration
Sheila Somerville
Electronic Publishing Specialist
INTRODUCTION
TO
READING
AND
LITERATURE
SAMPLE TESTS
The Oregon Department of Education provides sample
tests to demonstrate the types of reading selections and
questions students at grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10
might encounter on the Oregon Statewide
Assessments. Passages on the test represent literary,
informative and practical reading selections students
might see both in school and other daily reading
activities. These sample questions were taken from
previous years’ tests. They were designed to assess
students’ abilities to:
understand word meaning within the context of a
selection (Vocabulary);
locate information in common resources (Read to
Perform a Task);
understand information that is directly stated
(Demonstrate General Understanding);
understand ideas which are not directly stated but
are implied (Develop an Interpretation);
analyze informative reading selections and form
conclusions about the information (Examine
Content and Structure of Informational Text);
analyze the use of literary elements and devices
such as plot, theme, setting, personification and
metaphor in literature (Examine Content and
Structure of Literary Text).
generate individual and class discussion;
call attention to helpful strategies students can use to
prepare for and take the test; and
share ideas with parents of ways to help reduce test
anxiety and promote good study habits at home.
In addition to gaining practice in reading and answering test
questions, some students also may benefit from practice in
marking bubbles on a separate answer sheet, as required on
the actual test. An answer sheet for students to mark is
provided at the end of each student test booklet.
An answer key for this test is provided at the end of this
introduction. In addition to the correct answer, the key also
identifies which reporting category each question is designed
to assess (the bolded titles in the left column of this
introduction indicate the reporting categories adopted in 2003
with student accountability starting in 2005-2006).
A table below the answer key converts the number of items
correct on the sample test to a score similar to the scores
students will receive on the Oregon Statewide Assessment
(called a RIT score). However, this test is only a practice
test. Scores on this sample test may not be substituted for
the actual Oregon Statewide Assessment.
WHY PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH A SAMPLE
TEST?
Most students feel some anxiety when they approach a test.
The more confident students feel about their knowledge of
the topic, the less anxious they will feel. It also may help
students feel less anxious if they are familiar with the types of
reading selections and questions they will encounter on the
test. It is important that students feel comfortable with the
test format and have some test-taking strategies to help them
achieve the best possible score.
HOW TO USE THE SAMPLE TEST
The Oregon Department of Education has provided sample
tests periodically beginning in 1997. The latest—Grade 7
Sample Test 2004-2006—appears in the student test booklet
here. Students my take this sample test as a practice activity
to prepare for the actual test.
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Oregon Department of Education
A list of test-taking strategies and tips follows this
introduction. Teachers may use the tips to:
In using the sample test, teachers may wish to have students
take the entire sample test, or complete a passage and its
questions and then discuss it in class before proceeding to
the next selection. Students may benefit from re-reading the
passages and analyzing both the correct and incorrect
answers.
Sample tests also may be shared with parents to help them
understand the types of questions their child will encounter
on the test and to practice with their child.
Sample questions may be reprinted in newsletters or shared
at community meetings to help constituents better
understand the state assessment system. Although the
sample tests are not as comprehensive as the actual tests,
they do provide examples of the subject area content and
difficulty level students will encounter as part of Oregon’s
high academic standards.
2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 7
i
Test-Taking Tips
Students: Use these tips to help you prepare for the test.
If you are not sure of an answer to a
question try these tips:
Before the test
Develop a positive attitude. Tell
yourself, “I will do my best on this test.”
- Get rid of the answers that you know
are not correct and choose among the
rest.
Get a good night’s sleep the night before
the test.
- Read through all the answers very
carefully, and then go back to the
question. Sometimes you can pick up
clues just by thinking about the
different answers you have been given
to choose from.
Get up early enough to avoid hurrying to
get ready for school.
Eat a good breakfast (and lunch, if your
test is in the afternoon).
During the test
- Go back and skim the story or article to
see if you can find information to
answer the question. (Sometimes a
word or sentence will be underlined to
help you.)
Stay calm.
Listen carefully to the directions the
teacher gives.
Ask questions if you don’t understand
what to do.
- If you get stuck on a question, skip it
and come back later.
Before you read a selection on the test,
preview the questions that follow it to
help focus your reading.
- It is OK to guess on this test. Try to
make your best guess, but make sure
you answer all questions.
After reading a selection, read the entire
question and all the answer choices.
Stop and think of an answer. Look to
see if your answer is similar to one of
the choices given.
After the test
Before you turn your test in, check it
over. Change an answer only if you
have a good reason. Generally it is
better to stick with your first choice.
Read each test question carefully.
Try to analyze what the question is
really asking.
Make sure you have marked an answer for
every question, even if you had to guess.
Slow down and check your answers.
Make sure your answer sheet is clearly
marked with dark pencil. Erase any
stray marks.
Pace yourself. If you come to a
difficult passage or set of questions, it
may be better to skip it and go on, then
come back and really focus on the
difficult section.
Don’t worry about the test once it is
finished. Go on to do your best work on
your other school assignments.
This is not a timed test. If you need
more time to finish the test, notify
your teacher.
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2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 7
Reading and Literature
DIRECTIONS
Read each of the passages. Then read the questions that follow and decide on the BEST
answer. There are a lot of different kinds of questions, so read each question carefully
before marking an answer on your answer sheet.
THE BAOBAB TREE
Almost everyone is familiar with trees, but in this article by Ann Stalcup, she tells of the
special relationship between the Dogon people of Mali and Africa’s most unusual tree.
THE BAOBAB IS AFRICA’S MOST fascinating and unusual tree. It is
usually leafless, making it look as though its roots, not its branches,
are stretching high into the air. For the Dogon people of Mali, it is
an essential part of their lives. Every part of the tree is of use to
them.
Found in the hot, dry areas of Africa known as the savannas,
the baobab lives up to a thousand years and grows to a height of 60
feet. The trunk is often 50 feet around. If you can imagine a group
of 12 eight-year-olds holding hands in a circle, that is roughly the
size of the trunk. Few other trees are as massive or have such a long
life.
The Dogon people live at the base of the 125-mile-long
Bandiagara Cliffs, where baobabs thrive in the rocky ground. The
Dogon strip the bark off the trees in yard-long sections and weave
the fibers into rope. Tribes in other areas also make paper and cloth
from the bark. No matter how much bark is stripped, the baobab is
able to heal itself and keep growing.
Twice a year, when the rains come, a sparse covering of leaves
briefly appears. The leaves are used as medicine and for flavoring
soup. At twilight, huge purple-and-white flowers open, hanging
down on thick stems. The next morning, the blossoms fall to the
ground, and large fruits, or pods, eventually take their place.
The hard, oval fruits, called monkey bread, are almost a foot
long and hang like lanterns from the trees. They are filled with
seeds that grow in a cotton candy-like pulp. The pulp is eaten or
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2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 7
Reading and Literature
used to flavor cool drinks. Unfortunately, it tastes more like cotton
balls than cotton candy!
Now that tourists occasionally visit
the remote Dogon country, another use
has been discovered for the baobab
fruits. When the dark brown fruit
hardens and the pulp inside dries, the
pod is made into a rattle. Circular
designs are often carved in the pod,
exposing the white inner flesh.
Many believe that there are no
young baobab trees. For the first 40
years, the baobab is shaped like an evergreen tree, its thick
branches growing straight out and widening at the base. It looks
nothing like the older tree.
Although these great trees live to a ripe old age, eventually,
they begin to crumble, the fragments loosening and blowing away
until nothing is left. Sometimes, the huge base is cut open and used
as a cistern, a receptacle for storing water. Regardless of age, the
baobab is precious to the Dogon people. Without it, their lives
would be very different.
1
The baobab is an essential part of the Dogon people's lives. The word essential most
likely means
A.
B.
C.
D.
exciting.
strange.
unusual.
necessary.
2
Why does the author want the reader to imagine a group of eight-year-olds holding
hands in a circle?
A.
B.
C.
D.
To help young children learn how to read
To help young readers learn the parts of the tree
To help the reader understand the fictional story
To help the reader understand the size of the trunk
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2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 7
Reading and Literature
3
Why do the Dogon people make rattles from the pods of the fruit?
A.
B.
C.
D.
To heal wounds
To sell as souvenirs
To meet basic needs
To flavor cold drinks
4
Which statement about the baobab is true?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The baobab has a narrow trunk.
The baobab lives for only a few years.
The shape of the baobab changes with age.
The fruit pulp of the baobab is sweet and delicious.
5
Which information from the article is a FACT?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The fruit tastes more like cotton balls than cotton candy.
Many believe that there are no young baobab trees.
The baobab is the most fascinating and unusual tree in Africa.
The Dogon people live at the base of the Bandiagara Cliffs.
THE BASEBALL QUIZ
Willie Morris’s GOOD OLD BOY is a book about the adventures of a boy growing up in
Yazoo City, Mississippi in the 1940s.
LIKE MARK TWAIN AND HIS COMRADES growing up a century
before in another village many miles to the north and on the other
side of the Mississippi, my friends and I had but one great ambition
in the 1940s. Theirs in Hannibal, Mo., was to be steamboatmen,
ours in Yazoo City, Miss., was to be major league baseball players.
In the summers, we thought and talked of little else. We
memorized batting averages, fielding averages, slugging averages;
we knew the rosters of the Cardinals and the Red Sox better than
their own managers must have known them; and to hear the
broadcasts from all the big-city ball parks with their memorable
names—the Polo Grounds, Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, Yankee
Stadium—was to set our imaginations churning for the glory and
riches those faraway places would one day bring us.
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2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 7
Reading and Literature
Peewee Baskin went to St. Louis on his vacation to see the
Cards, and when he returned with the autographs of Stan Musial,
Red Schoendienst, Country Slaughter, Marty Marion, Joe
Garagiola, and a dozen others, we could hardly keep
down our envy.
I had bought a baseball cap in Jackson, a real one
from the Brooklyn Dodgers, and a Jackie Robinson
Louisville Slugger, and one day when I could not even
find any of the others for catch or for baseball talk, I sat
on a curb on Grand Avenue with the most dreadful
feelings of being caught forever by time—trapped there
always in my scrawny and helpless condition. I’m
ready, I’m ready, I kept thinking to myself, but that
faraway future when I would wear a cap like that and
be a hero for a grandstand full of people seemed so far away I
knew it would never come. I must have been the most dejected
looking boy you ever saw, sitting hunched up on the curb and
dreaming of glory in the great mythical cities of the North.
That summer the local radio station started a baseball quiz
program. A razor blade company offered free blades and the
station chipped in a dollar, all of which went to the first listener to
telephone with the right answer to the day’s baseball question. If
there was no winner, the next day’s pot would go up a dollar. At
the end of the month they had to close down the program because I
was winning all the money. It got so easy, in fact, that I stopped
phoning in the answers some afternoons so that the pot could build
up and make my winnings more spectacular. I netted about $25
and a ten-year supply of double-edged, smooth-contact razor blades
before they gave up. One day, when the jackpot was a mere two
dollars, the announcer tried to confuse me. “Babe Ruth,” he said,
“hit sixty home runs in 1927 to set the major league record. What
man had the next highest total?” I telephoned and said, “George
Herman Ruth. He hit fifty-nine in another season.” My adversary,
who had developed an acute dislike of me, said that was not the
correct answer. He said it should have been Babe Ruth. This
incident angered me, and I won for the next four days, just for the
heck of it. And when the announcer set a policy that I couldn’t win
any more money I told the right answers to Rivers Applewhite, who
thought I was the smartest baseball man who ever lived, and with
whom I split the profits 50-50.
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2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 7
Reading and Literature
6
Willie calls the announcer his adversary. The word adversary means
A. fan.
B. superior.
C. opponent.
D. sponsor.
7
Why did Willie temporarily stop calling in answers to the baseball quiz?
A. On some days he didn’t know the answer.
B. The announcer was using trick questions.
C. The announcer found out that Willie had been cheating.
D. Willie wanted to win a more impressive amount of money.
8
Why did the announcer set a policy that Willie couldn’t win any more money?
A. No one else could compete with Willie.
B. Willie acted rude.
C. Willie and Rivers began to cheat the station.
D. Other people began to complain that it wasn’t fair.
9
Which statement below is probably true about the town of Yazoo City?
A. The city was almost the size of St. Louis.
B. It was a typical small town of the times.
C. The people who lived there were dissatisfied with the quality of life.
D. People there spent too much time trying to earn money.
10
Why does the author compare Hannibal, Missouri to Yazoo City, Mississippi?
A. To suggest that children everywhere share dreams
B. To show the isolation of Yazoo City
C. To illustrate how the river sharply divides different cultures
D. To emphasize that they both have similar sounding state names
11
The author’s tone in this selection can best be described as
A. nervous.
B. conversational.
C. depressed.
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D. persuasive.
2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 7
Reading and Literature
DISCOVER SCIENCE TABLE OF CONTENTS
A table of contents can give you more information than just page numbers! Look at the
following table of contents to discover what might be found within the covers of
DISCOVER SCIENCE.
Unit 1
Life Science
Chapter 1
8
Classifying Living Things
10
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
How are All Living Things Alike?
How Do Scientists Classify Living Things into Kingdoms?
12
Lesson 3
How Do Scientists Divide Kingdoms into Smaller Groups?
Activity: Using Features to Classify Objects
Activity: Using Identification Keys and Charts
Chapter Review
Plant Processes
Chapter 2
Activity: Taking Color from Leaves
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
What Are Plant Cells Like?
How Do Plants Take in Materials?
Activity: Observing the Movement of Water Through Celery
Lesson 3
Lesson 4
Lesson 5
How do Plants Make and Use Food?
How Do Plants Produce Seeds?
How Do Plants Reproduce Without Flowers or Cones?
Chapter Review
Invertebrates and Vertebrates
Chapter 3
Activity: Comparing Sizes of Animal Groups
Lesson
Lesson
Lesson
Lesson
1
2
3
4
What Kinds of Organisms Are in the Animal Kingdom?
How Are Invertebrates Classified?
How Are Arthropods Classified?
How are Vertebrates Classified?
Activity: Observing Fish
Chapter 4
Chapter Review
Populations and Communities
Activities: Estimating Numbers of Organisms
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
Lesson 3
What Are Populations and Communities?
How Do Different Populations Share an Environment?
How Do Different Populations Affect Each Other?
Activity: Making a Model of Predator-Prey Relationships
Lesson 4
Lesson 5
How Do Populations Change?
How Do Communities Change Naturally?
Chapter Review
Unit 1 Review
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23
25
30
32
34
35
36
38
41
42
46
52
60
62
63
64
68
76
82
89
92
94
95
96
98
102
106
108
114
120
124
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2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 7
Reading and Literature
12
Which chapter has an activity using Identification Keys?
A. Chapter 1
B. Chapter 2
C. Chapter 3
D. Chapter 4
13
Using this table of contents, which of the following is true?
A.
B.
C.
D.
All chapters have at least four lessons.
All chapters have two activities.
All chapters end with a unit review.
All chapters are about animals.
14
Some plants do not need seeds to reproduce. Which Lesson in Chapter 2 would explain
this scientific fact?
A. Lesson 2
B. Lesson 3
C. Lesson 4
D. Lesson 5
THE SODA-POP WAR
Coke? Pepsi? Dr Pepper? How about 7-Up? Which do you prefer? Do you really like the
taste best, or has successful advertising played a part in causing you to have a favorite?
Read this article from SODA POPPERY by Stephen N. Tchudi to see what soda-pop
companies do to try to make you loyal to them.
THE WAR AMONG THE SODA POPPERS isn’t always as open and
obvious as it has been between Coke and Pepsi. Sometimes it is a
subtle war, and rather than focusing on the merits of a particular
soft drink, the manufacturers attempt to win you over in a
different way.
In the late 1950s, advertisers became interested in the
psychology of how people are persuaded to buy things. In a book
called The Hidden Persuaders, Vance Packard told Americans about
something called “motivational research,” in which advertisers
tried to dip into the subconscious mind of the consumer to find out
what would really sell a product.
Now, the soda-pop industry always had some understanding
of this technique. It knew, for example, that you can sell a lot of
soda pop by having celebrities endorse it, because people
subconsciously associate themselves with the star. Or you can sell
pop by having a catchy tune that people hum and whistle without
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2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 7
Reading and Literature
realizing it. Or you can sell soft drinks by showing a pretty girl in a
bathing suit holding a soda because, subconsciously, men and
women want to be with or look like her.
But in the 1960s and ’70s motivational research and
advertising became more intense and more expensive, and the
soda companies risked vast sums of money on new psychological
research. Among other things, they learned that Americans like to
think of themselves as young, healthy, and vigorous. Increasingly
soft-drink ads began to stress youth. Pepsi created new slogans:
“Now It’s Pepsi, for Those Who Think Young,” “Come Alive,
You’re in the Pepsi Generation,” and “Join the Pepsi People,
Feelin’ Free.” Coke offered ads showing young folks engaged in
vigorous work and play, drinking Coca-Cola. The Dr Pepper
company launched its highly successful “Be a Pepper” theme,
which featured youthful dancers who symbolized what being a
Pepper was all about.
Perhaps the most elaborate youth campaign has been carried
out by the Seven-Up Company. In the 1960s, 7-Up was described
as “Wet and Wild,” trying to get rid of its old image of a stomach
remedy. In the 1970s, the company invested forty million dollars
on the theme, “America’s Turning 7-Up.” Softball players,
skateboarders, swimmers, horseback riders, and other youthful,
athletic types were shown in vigorous pursuits. The theme was
featured on television and radio commercials, on billboards and
bus posters, and on grocery-store displays. Since the average cost
of a bottle of pop in those days was about thirty-five cents, the
Seven-Up Company thus spent the gross income from 120 million
bottles of pop on advertising alone.
15
The first paragraph of this article mentions that the battle to win over consumers is a
“subtle war.” This means that
A. some soft-drink manufacturers occasionally break rules to get kids to drink
their pop.
B. the people who want you to drink their pop often use an indirect approach to get
you on their side.
C. other soft drinks rank below Coke and Pepsi in popularity.
D. big soda-pop manufacturers tell you that smaller brands don’t taste as good.
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2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 7
Reading and Literature
16
According to this article, which is the most accurate statement made about the
advertising campaign the Seven-Up company used in the 1960s and ‘70s?
A. The ads wanted to make people believe that 7-Up is healthier than drinks
with caffeine.
B. The ads were featured in grocery stores and on billboards to attract adults who
go to the grocery store and those who drive.
C. The ads were not very expensive for the company because in those days a bottle
of pop cost only thirty-five cents.
D. The company believed that it was worth it to spend a lot of money to make
people want to be like the people in the ads.
17
This article states that “the soda companies risked vast sums of money on new
psychological research.” This means that the companies
A. used a lot of money hoping to figure out what would make people want to buy
their pop.
B. used borrowed money to test why people would want to drink a certain kind
of pop.
C. made some poor business decisions about which kinds of pop to make.
D. tried to use expensive, good-quality ingredients to improve the flavor of
their drinks.
18
Which of the following statements from this article is a fact rather than an opinion?
A. Be a Pepper.
B. America’s Turning 7-Up.
C. Vance Packard wrote The Hidden Persuaders.
D. You can sell pop by having a catchy tune.
19
Which sentence from the passage best states the main idea of this selection?
A. “Perhaps the most elaborate youth campaign has been carried out by the SevenUp Company.”
B. “Now, the soda-pop industry always had some understanding of this technique.”
C. “The Dr Pepper company launched its highly successful ‘Be a Pepper’ theme.”
D. “Rather than focusing on the merits of a particular soft drink, the manufacturers
attempt to win you over in a different way.”
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2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 7
Reading and Literature
THE PRINCESS AND THE TIN BOX
James Thurber writes about many aspects of American life. THE PRINCESS AND THE TIN
BOX, however, makes its point in a unique way.
ONCE UPON A TIME, IN A FAR COUNTRY, there lived a king whose
daughter was the prettiest princess in the world. Her eyes were
like the cornflower, her hair was sweeter than the hyacinth, and
her throat made the swan look dusty.
From the time she was a year old, the princess had been showered
with presents. Her nursery looked like Cartier’s window.
Her toys were all made of gold or platinum or diamonds
or emeralds. She was not permitted to have wooden
blocks or china dolls or rubber dogs or linen books,
because such materials were considered cheap for the
daughter of a king.
When she was seven, she was allowed to attend the
wedding of her brother and throw real pearls at the bride
instead of rice. Only the nightingale, with his lyre of
gold, was permitted to sing for the princess. The
common blackbird, with his boxwood flute, was kept out
of the palace grounds. She walked in silver-and-samite
slippers to a sapphire-and-topaz bathroom and slept in
an ivory bed inlaid with rubies.
On the day the princess was eighteen, the king sent a royal
ambassador to the courts of five neighboring kingdoms to announce
that he would give his daughter’s hand in marriage to the prince who
brought her the gift she liked the most.
The first prince to arrive at the palace rode a swift white stallion
and laid at the feet of the princess an enormous apple made of solid
gold which he had taken from a dragon who had guarded it for a
thousand years. It was placed on a long ebony table set up to hold the
gifts of the princess’s suitors. The second prince, who came on a gray
charger, brought her a nightingale made of a thousand diamonds,
and it was placed beside the golden apple. The third prince, riding on
a black horse, carried a great jewel box made of platinum and
sapphires, and it was placed next to the diamond nightingale. The
fourth prince, astride a fiery yellow horse, gave the princess a gigantic
heart made of rubies and pierced by an emerald arrow. It was placed
next to the platinum-and-sapphire jewel box.
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2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 7
Reading and Literature
Now the fifth prince was the strongest and handsomest of all the
five suitors, but he was the son of a poor king whose realm had been
overrun by mice and locusts and wizards and mining engineers so
that there was nothing much of value left in it. He came plodding up
to the palace of the princess on a plow horse and he brought her a
small tin box filled with mica and feldspar and hornblende which he
had picked up on the way.
The other princes roared with disdainful laughter when they saw
the tawdry gift the fifth prince had brought to the princess. But she
examined it with great interest and squealed with delight, for all her
life she had been glutted with precious stones and priceless metals,
but she had never seen tin before or mica or feldspar or hornblende.
The tin box was placed next to the ruby heart pierced with an emerald
arrow.
“Now,” the king said to his daughter, ”you must select the gift
you like best and marry the prince that brought it.”
The princess smiled and walked up to the table and picked up the
present she liked the most. It was the platinum-and-sapphire jewel
box, the gift of the third prince.
“The way I figure it,” she said, “is this. It is a very large and
expensive box, and when I am married, I will meet many admirers
who will give me precious gems with which to fill it to the top.
Therefore, it is the most valuable of all the gifts my suitors have
brought me and I like it the best.”
The princess married the third prince that very day in the midst of
great merriment and high revelry. More than a hundred thousand
pearls were thrown at her and she loved it.
Moral: All those who thought the princess was going to select the tin box
filled with worthless stones instead of one of the other gifts will kindly stay
after class and write one hundred times on the blackboard “I would rather
have a hunk of aluminum silicate than a diamond necklace.”
20
Which statement below best states the author’s message in The Princess and the Tin Box?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Fairy tales aren’t at all like reality.
What you expect will not always happen.
Princesses are not always persuaded by greed.
Sometimes choices are hard to make.
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2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 7
Reading and Literature
21
Why do the first four princes arrive on beautiful horses while the fifth rides a
plow horse?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Because he was strong and handsome
Because he wanted to be chosen for his merits
Because he was very poor
Because he thought she’d like it
22
What makes the structure of this story most effective?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The character development
The “Once upon a time” beginning
The surprise ending
The realistic quality of the story
23
Why did Thurber organize the story the way he did?
A.
B.
C.
D.
To develop the princess’ character
To mislead the reader
To set the scene
To show passage of time
24
The fifth prince’s gift is described as tawdry. Tawdry means
A.
B.
C.
D.
shabby.
silly.
large.
priceless.
Office of Assessment and Information Services
Oregon Department of Education
12
2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 7
Grade 7 Reading/Literature
SAMPLE TEST KEY 2004-2006
Item
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
Key
D
D
B
C
D
C
D
A
B
A
B
A
B
D
B
D
A
C
D
B
C
C
B
A
Score Reporting Category
Vocabulary
Examine Content and Structure: Informational Text
Demonstrate General Understanding
Demonstrate General Understanding
Examine Content and Structure: Informational Text
Vocabulary
Demonstrate General Understanding
Develop an Interpretation
Develop an Interpretation
Examine Content and Structure: Literary Text
Examine Content and Structure: Literary Text
Read to Perform a Task
Read to Perform a Task
Read to Perform a Task
Vocabulary
Develop an Interpretation
Vocabulary
Examine Content and Structure: Informational Text
Demonstrate General Understanding
Develop an Interpretation
Demonstrate General Understanding
Examine Content and Structure: Literary Text
Examine Content and Structure: Literary Text
Vocabulary
CONVERTING TO A RIT SCORE
Number correct
RIT Score
Number Correct
RIT Score
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
185
193
198
202
205
208
211
213
215
217
219
221
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
223
225
227
229
231
234
236
239
243
247
255
262
Office of Assessment and Information Services
Oregon Department of Education
2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 7
13
Office of Assessment and Information Services
Oregon Department of Education
2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 7
14
Oregon Department of Education
255 Capitol St NE, Salem, Oregon 97310 (503) 947-5600