2023: NY Grade 7 - ELA

"Size implies maturity. Yes, I was the size of an adult (actually, bigger than most!), but I was still just a kid." (paragraph 1)

"As a card-carrying Good Boy, I wanted to meet adults’ expectations and get their praise, but as a Regular Kid, I wanted to be like my peers and get their friendship. . . ." (paragraph 1)

"Weekends, I hung out with my only close friend left in the projects, Norbert." (paragraph 5)

"And back and forth we’d go, trying to one-up the other in a cultural heritage version of rock, paper, scissors." (paragraph 9)

"We would shut ourselves in my room to play chess and talk about our plans for the future." (paragraph 5)

". . . both of us had started to take an interest in finding out more about our ethnic origins." (paragraph 6)

"And back and forth we’d go, trying to one-up the other in a cultural heritage version of rock, paper, scissors." (paragraph 9)

". . . I had a friend in whom I could confide any thought or feeling, knowing he would never make fun of me." (paragraph 9)

He believes he needs to change the way he plays basketball.

He understands he may not be a strong player because of his age.

He discovers the other players know more ways to score in basketball.

He realizes he needs to practice more if he wants to improve as a player.

Kareem and Coach Donahue understand the importance of studying.

Kareem is beginning to understand and appreciate Coach Donahue’s personality.

Kareem expected Coach Donahue’s decision to have him play varsity.

Kareem is worried that Coach Donahue is disappointed by his performance as a player.

“The scary thing about being so tall when you’re so young is that people automatically treat you as if you’re older.” (paragraph 1)

“My refuge from the explosive turmoil outside, and the implosive turmoil I had started to feel inside, was basketball.” (paragraph 4)

“We even took the subway to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to find out more about Filipino and African cultures.” (paragraph 9)

“I hurried away on a mission to tell anyone who would listen that I would be playing varsity that afternoon.” (paragraph 15)

The authors describe the various interests that Kareem and Norbert have.

The authors use cause and effect to describe how Kareem and Norbert became friends.

The authors present a problem Kareem and Norbert encounter and describe how they solve it.

The authors compare and contrast the friendship of Kareem and Norbert to the friendships of other students.

They introduce the conflict the speaker feels about her opportunities in different places.

They contrast the speaker’s experiences and feelings about living in different places.

They compare phases in the speaker’s life when she wanted to be in a different place.

They show the causes and effects of the speaker deciding to live in a different place.

Indicating the main places the speaker wishes to revisit

Emphasizing how strongly the speaker wishes to return to the sea

Illustrating some of the speaker’s most cherished memories

Revealing the speaker’s concern about some features of the sea

'Searching my heart for its true sorrow, / This is the thing I find to be: / That I am weary of words and people, / Sick of the city, wanting the sea;' (lines 1–4)

'If I could hear the green piles groaning / Under the windy, wooden piers, / See once again the bobbing barrels, / And the black sticks that fence the weirs;' (lines 17–20)

'If I could see the weedy mussels / Crusting the wrecked and rotting hulls, / Hear once again the hungry crying / Overhead, of the wheeling gulls.' (lines 21–24)

'Feel once again the shanty straining / Under the turning of the tide, / Fear once again the rising freshet, / Dread the bell in the fog outside,' (lines 25–28)

'Wanting the loud sound and the soft sound' (line 7)

'Crusting the wrecked and rotting hulls,' (line 22)

'Fear once again the rising freshet,' (line 27)

'I am too long away from the water;' (line 35)

“. . . she landed in Takoma Park, at Ahimsa House.” (paragraph 2)

“But he loved hearing stories about the people who lived there.” (paragraph 3)

“When Josh was five, he discovered the cello.” (paragraph 4)

“The next day, Mom signed him up for cello lessons . . . ” (paragraph 5)

by giving Josh an opportunity to express his feelings

by letting the narrator share a memory with her brother

by revealing how Josh has grown in his ability to play the cello

by allowing the narrator to make dinner while her brother is occupied

confused

frustrated

sad

tired

"Everyone took turns cooking" (paragraph 1)

"Cottage Cheese Contraption, invented by an old woman" (paragraph 2)

"when Mom served chai lattes at the Sunflower Café" (paragraph 3)

"fried it all into a delicious hot mush, while Josh 'talked' to me" (paragraph 9)

Josh does not wish to have a discussion with the narrator.

Josh communicates with the narrator by using the cello as his voice.

Josh only pretends to communicate with the narrator.

Josh does not want the narrator to share his feelings with their mother.

by sharing the narrator’s memories

by describing the narrator’s opinions

through the narrator’s reactions to events

through the narrator’s dialogue

a reference to an idea

a small but important role

an accomplishment of a goal

an explanation or definition of an event

It introduces the distrust that existed in Liz Bedell’s family.

It foreshadows that Liz Bedell and her family will be surprised by the truth.

It establishes the position Liz Bedell’s grandfather had in the family.

It shows how little Liz Bedell knew about her past.

by demonstrating Liz Bedell’s experience in different states

by identifying important people that Liz Bedell knows

by revealing the effect of Liz Bedell’s grandfather’s influence on her

by showing how Liz Bedell chose to honor her great-great aunt’s legacy

“I have got 4 brothers and part of them will vote for you anyway . . .”

“. . . if you will let your whiskers grow I will try and get the rest of them to vote for you . . . ”

“. . . you would look a great deal better for your face is so thin . . .”

“All the ladies like whiskers and they would tease their husbands to vote for you . . .”

Grace Bedell became shy around the large crowd.

Meeting Abraham Lincoln was worrisome for Grace Bedell.

Grace Bedell lost interest in the candidate by the time of the meeting.

Receiving a kiss from Abraham Lincoln made Grace Bedell nervous.

". . . she dismissed as ‘family myth’ a story her grandfather often told about his Aunt Grace Bedell.” (paragraph 1)

“Her grandfather encouraged her to pursue a lifelong interest in politics.” (paragraph 8)

“As to the whiskers, having never worn any, do you not think people would call it a piece of silly affectation . . . ?” (paragraph 14)

“He explained that this Lincoln exhibition was the first time, to his knowledge, that the two letters had been displayed together.” (paragraph 16)