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7th grade ELA Benchmark 2

Last updated almost 6 years ago
17 questions
Directions: These two passages, a play and an article, are about Henry Ford and the invention of the Model T automobile. Read the first passage and answer the questions. Then read the second passage and answer the questions that follow.
Travels: A Play in Two Acts
By Kaden Barkov

Act I

(Fred and Jarred are talking near the fence that separates their properties.)

Jarred: Tom’s supposed to come by today. You all expecting anything?

Fred: Abby is waiting for some ribbon so she can finish Miss Anna’s wedding dress. Miss Anna is getting married tomorrow! I hope Tom makes it through all this mud.

Jarred: Yeah, rain’s been so bad this spring that the frogs are drowning.

Fred: Didn’t Tom say he was going to buy an automobile? He oughta have fun trying to get through the mud and potholes.

Jarred: Why in the world would a fella want an automobile, for goodness sake? They’re noisy. Putt, putt, putt, BANG. They make stinky smoke. Flat tires - you don’t get flat tires on a horse.

Fred: Don’t think much of automobiles, do you, Jarred?

Jarred: Nope, there’s no future in ‘em. Give me a good horse and wagon anytime. The animals are gonna go nuts. All we need is a bunch of crazy bulls bashing down the fences. Can you imagine driving an automobile when you go out courtin’? Women would run away from you.

Fred: I hope Tom gets here soon. Abby is really fretting. (Fred notices Abby approaching.) Yup! Here she comes now.

(Abby enters stage right and runs to Fred.)

Abby: (anxiously) Fred, have you seen Tom? I don’t know what I’ll do if he doesn’t get here.

Fred: It’s all right, Abby. He’ll be here soon.

Abby: That’s easy for you to say, Fred. You don’t have to do all that sewing.

Fred: Well, if push comes to shove, I think I can help sew on ribbons.

(There’s a cloud of smoke and a putt, putt, putt, BANG in the distance.)

Abby: What in the dickens is that, Fred?

Fred: (laughing) That would be Tom, I reckon. Better get out of the road.

Act II

(Fred, Jarred, and Abby stare in wonder as Tom drives up to them.)

Tom: Howdy, howdy. (Tom turns off the car and jumps out.) Beautiful day for a ride in a Model T. How’re you all doing?

Abby: We’re sure glad to see you, Tom. You got my ribbon?

Tom: (Tom reaches into the car, pulls out a box, and hands it to Abby.) Right here, young lady.

Abby: (obviously relieved) Oh, thank you, Tom. I’ll get those ribbons sewn on right now. Nice automobile!

Fred: If you don’t mind, Tom, I’ll leave you to visit with Jarred. I need to get the horse and wagon ready so I can take Abby to Miss Anna’s. Nice automobile!

Tom: You go right ahead, Fred. Jarred and I have a lot to talk about.

(Fred exits left to the barn.)

Jarred: See you got one of those new-fangled motorcars, Tom?

Tom: I did. (gesturing to the car) You want a ride, Jarred?

Jarred: No way. Not on your life. I wouldn’t ride in that thing for love nor money.

Tom: How about just sitting in it? I won’t drive; I promise. I won’t even start it up.

Jarred: (reluctantly) Well . . . I guess it won’t hurt to sit in it -- just for a bit, mind you.

(Tom sits in the driver’s seat and motions for Jarred to get into the car. He enters.)

Jarred: So when did you get this thing, Tom?

Tom: A couple of months ago. I’ve wanted an automobile for a long time, but they were too expensive. Then after Henry Ford figured out how to mass-produce them, the prices dropped way down.

Jarred: What are those three things on the floor for?

Tom: They’re pedals for operating the automobile. Takes a bit of fancy footwork, I’ll tell you.

Jarred: Just out of curiosity, of course, how do you start this thing?

Tom: The first thing you have to do is put these blocks in front of the wheels.

(Tom removes the blocks from behind the seat and puts them in front of the wheels. He stays at the front of the car as Fred drives up in his wagon.)

Jarred: Why do you have to do that?

Tom: The car has a tendency to jump forward when you start it. The blocks stop that.

Jarred: I had a horse that tended to buck whenever I got on it.

(Fred reaches them in his wagon.)

Tom: Hey, Fred. How’s it going?

Fred: Just waiting for Abby to finish up. Then we’re heading over to Miss Anna’s.

(Abby walks up with the wedding dress wrapped in a sheet. Fred jumps down from the wagon and takes the dress from her. He lays it in the back of the wagon and then helps Abby into the wagon.)

Abby: I can’t thank you enough for the beautiful ribbons, Tom. Guess we’d better be going, Fred.

(Fred starts slowly down the road. He hits a pothole in the road and breaks a rear axle. The wagon tips to the side and Abby tumbles out.)

Abby: The dress! The dress! Is the dress all right? (Abby scrambles up and runs to the back of the wagon. She grabs the dress and holds it tightly. Tom and Jarred jump out of the car and run over to the wagon.)

Fred: Oh, my. What are we going to do now?

Tom: May I suggest the automobile? We can get it to Miss Anna’s in no time flat.

Fred: Don’t see that we have any other choice, Abby.

(Tom goes back to the car and starts it up.)

Jarred: You know, Abby, I could go with Tom and hold the dress -- keep it safe and clean. I mean, I wouldn’t normally ride in a car, Abby, but for you, I’d do anything.

Abby: (smiling) Why, Jarred, that’s the sweetest thing. I’d be honored if you’d do that.
(Tom drives up and Jarred gets in. Abby hands him the dress and closes the door.)

Abby: You all be careful now, you hear?

(Abby and Fred stand with their arms around each other as Tom and Jarred drive off.)
1

How does the form of the play affect how its story is told?

1

Which sentence from the passage explains why Tom was able to purchase a Model T car?

1

Read the sentences from the passage.

Tom: I did. (gesturing to the car) You want a ride, Jarred?

Jarred: No way. Not on your life. I wouldn't ride in that thing for love nor money.

What does Jarred mean when he uses the phrase "for love nor money"?

1

Toward the end of the play, Fred's wagon breaks down. Why does the author most likely include this event?

This question has two parts. Answer Part One and then answer Part Two.
1

Part One

What is the main way that the author contrasts Jarred's views about automobiles with the views of the other characters?

1

Part Two

Which sentence from the passage best supports the answer in Part One?

Henry Ford: An American Innovator
By Lucy Morales

Henry Ford and his Model T had such an impact on American lives that we sometimes forget that Ford did not invent the automobile. He didn’t invent the first automobile in the United States, and he didn’t even invent the first mass-produced automobile; however, Henry Ford was a genius as an inventor and a businessman.

While European engineers had been experimenting with steam-powered vehicles throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Americans began building vehicles with gasoline-powered motors in the 1890s. It is believed that the Baushke brothers in Benton Harbor, Michigan, build the first car in the United States. The Duryea brothers were the first Americans to build a commercially successful automobile. Ransom Eli Olds developed the first mass-produced automobile.

So what did Henry Ford do? He greatly improved the assembly line and later installed the first conveyor-belt assembly line. Ford made his first car, called the Quadricycle, in 1896. He introduced the Model T, his third car, in 1908. In 1913, Ford installed the moving assembly line, which could soon produce a car in ninety-three minutes.

And what about the business genius of Henry Ford? First, he sold the car as inexpensively as possible, and then he paid his employees enough so they could afford to buy the cars themselves. This helped push wages and automobile sales up and up all over the country. Now, Americans were mobile like never before. When workers bought cars, they moved out of the cities, and subsequently, new homes were built in the suburbs.

People were no longer tied to walking or to train lines. They could get around easier and faster and on their own schedules. There were other business benefits as well -- it became easier for salespeople to travel away from home, and farmers could get to town faster. Life became easier for people in the cities and on the farms. By the time the Model T was taken out of production to be replaced by new models in 1927, fifteen million Model Ts had been sold and the United States was a very different nation.
1

The author of the passage says that Henry Ford was a genius. Which statement from the passage supports that idea?

1

Read the sentence from the passage.

"Ransom Eli Olds developed the first mass-produced automobile."

What does the word mass-produced mean?

1

Which of the following best describes how the author structures the passage to suit her purpose?

1

Read the sentences from the passage.

"Now, Americans were mobile like never before. When workers bought cars, they moved out of the cities, and subsequently, new homes were built in the suburbs."

Based on the context in which the word mobile appears, which of these statements is true?

1

What is one central idea in the passage?

1

Read the sentence from the passage.

"First, he sold the car as inexpensively as possible, and then he paid his employees enough so they could afford to buy the cars themselves."

Which word is a synonym for inexpensively as it is used in the passage?

Questions 13 and 14 refer to more than one passage. Be sure to read the question carefully.

This question has two parts. Answer Part One and then answer Part Two.
1

Part One

How do the structures of "Travels: A Play in Two Acts" and "Henry Ford: An American Inventor" support the main idea shared by both passages?

1

Part Two

Which detail from "Henry Ford: An American Innovator" best supports the answer in Part One?

The following questions are related to grammar. Answer the questions according to the passage.
1

Read the paragraph.

(1) Bicycles, a popular form of transportation for many people, are easy to use. (2) They are in my opinion, good for traveling short distances. (3) It is important to make sure the bicycle has enough air in the tires before riding it. (4) Without a doubt, no one likes changing a flat tire!

Which revision should be made to the paragraph?

1

Read the sentence.

The International Space Station a large satellite in outer space, orbits Earth at speeds of about 17,500 miles per hour.

Which revision should be made to the sentence?

1

Read the sentences from a student’s story. (1) Carrying a heavy basket, Sam was able to board the bus that was filled with fruit and vegetables. (2) It took some effort to walk down the narrow aisle, and there were several kind passengers who offered to let him have their seat. (3) One passenger moved over to a seat next to a window, and the boy sat in the empty seat and placed the basket on his lap. (4) Feeling the bus move forward, Sam was happy to be on his way home after a day of shopping at the market. Which sentence contains a misplaced modifier?