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ACAP Grade 7 ELA

Last updated about 1 year ago
16 questions

The Ship on the Hill

British writer Rudyard Kipling is perhaps best known for his story collection The Jungle Book. It includes stories about a five-year-old boy named Mowgli who becomes lost in the jungles of India. A gentle panther named Bagheera befriends the boy and brings him to a wolf pack. It is there that Mowgli meets a bear cub named Baloo. Mowgli not only survives in the jungle but also grows in courage and wisdom. The Jungle Book is still read today, but the stories also live on in movies that were made based on the book.

Kipling wrote several other books set in India. He was born there in 1865 and spent his early childhood in Bombay, where his father worked as a professor of architecture. When Kipling grew older, his British parents sent him to boarding school in England. Most people think of Kipling as a British writer, and he is. But what most people do not know is that Kipling wrote The Jungle Book while living in a small Vermont town. He described his time in America as the four happiest years of his life.

Kipling Comes to Vermont
On February 17, 1892, Kipling and his new bride, Caroline, visited Brattleboro, Vermont. Caroline’s family, the Balestiers, lived there. Kipling was already a well-known writer. He and Caroline had been staying in New York City, but Kipling did not like city life. He found Vermont refreshing despite the cold weather. He wrote, "Thirty below freezing! The first shock of that clear, still air took away the breath as does a plunge into seawater." The Kiplings decided to move to Vermont.

At first, they stayed in a cottage they rented for ten dollars a month. Their oldest daughter, Josephine, was born there. Soon after the baby's birth, the Kiplings began planning a home of their own on a nine-and-a-half-acre plot of land in the small town of Dummerston, about four miles from Brattleboro's Main Street.

An architect was hired to design the house. It sits on a rocky hillside, with windows facing Mount Monadnock. The mountain rises majestically above Vermont’s green hills. Kipling found the mountain’s rocky peak inspiring.

Naulakha
Kipling named his new home Naulakha. When visiting British India, he had been inspired by the Naulakha Pavilion, which is in what is now Lahore, Pakistan. Kipling oversaw the design and construction of his home. The house sits high on the hillside. A high fieldstone foundation raised it even higher to improve the view of Mount Monadnock.

Kipling designed Naulakha to look "like a boat on the flank of a distant wave." It is long and narrow, measuring 90 feet by 22 feet. All the rooms face east with a view of the mountain. The only entrance is on the west side of the house. The entrance opens onto a long hallway that runs the length of the house and provides access to the east-facing rooms.

The prow, or front of the house, faces south. Kipling’s study, lined with built-in bookcases, is located there. Sun floods the room in the morning, which is when Kipling preferred to write. At his desk at Naulakha, Kipling wrote The Jungle Book and Captains Courageous. He wrote the Just So Stories for Little Children for Josephine. These tales include “How the Whale Got His Throat,” “How the Camel Got His Hump," "The Elephant’s Child,” and nine other fanciful stories. Kipling wrote many poems in Vermont. Naulakha gave him the privacy and time he needed. He later wrote, “When winter shut down and sleigh bells rang all over the white world that tucked us in, we counted ourselves lucky.”

Winter Fun
Kipling’s life in Vermont was not all work. He and Caroline often entertained friends with parties and dances. One of those friends, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a Scottish writer who wrote stories about the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, visited Vermont one winter. He brought along a set of downhill skis. Some people give Conan Doyle credit for introducing the sport of downhill skiing to Vermont.

Kipling enjoyed playing golf. He invented the game of “snow golf.” He painted the golf balls red so they would show up against the white snow and planted tin cans in the snow to serve as holes. With energy and enthusiasm, he lobbed the red golf balls across the crusty surface of the snow toward the tin holes.

Naulakha Today
Kipling and his family left Vermont in 1896. Kipling always hoped to return, but he never did. He once wrote, “Those four years in America will be blessed unto me for all my life.”

Various friends lived at Naulakha until about 1942. Then it was abandoned for 50 years. In 1993, the Landmark Trust, an organization dedicated to preserving important homes, purchased Naulakha and began restoring it. Kipling’s original furnishings were still there. Today, the house looks just as it did when Kipling lived there. The Landmark Trust rents Naulakha to those who wish to stay for a night, a week, or a month. Temporary residents can sit at Kipling’s desk and enjoy the view that meant so much to Rudyard Kipling during his days in America.
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1

How does the first paragraph contribute to the development of ideas in the passage?

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1

Part A

What is the author's most likely purpose for mentioning Kipling skiing and golfing in Vermont?

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1

Part B

Which sentence from the passage best supports the answer in part A?

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2

Read the paragraph from the passage. Then, select the two sentences that best support how people today are able to experience Kipling's home as he did.

Various friends lived at Naulakha until about 1942. Then it was abandoned for 50 years. In 1993, the Landmark Trust, an organization dedicated to preserving important homes, purchased Naulakha and began restoring it. Kipling's original furnishings were still there. Today, the house looks just as it did when Kipling lived there. The Landmark Trust rents Naulakha to those who wish to stay for a night, a week, or a month. Temporary residents can sit at Kipling's desk and enjoy the view that meant so much to Rudyard Kipling during his days in America.
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1

Which sentence best provides two central ideas of the passage?

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4

Read the sentence from the passage.

[Kipling] once wrote, "Those four years in America will be blessed unto me for all my life."

Write an essay analyzing the reasons why Kipling would write this quote to describe his time in America. Use evidence from the passage to support your response.

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1

A student is writing an editorial. Read the student's paragraph.

I believe that students should be allowed to use their cell phones in class. Many people use cell phones in all parts of their life, so students would be better prepared for the adult world if they teamed to use their cell phones responsibly. If they had their own devices. it would also allow students to do research during class without the hassle of going to a computer lab or setting up laptops in the classroom. Students could also use one of the many educational applications available to practice a skill or review a topic. With responsible use. cell phones could be a valuable addition to the classroom.

Which sentence should be added to the paragraph to make the student's claim stronger?

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1

A student is writing a report that explains the process of single-stream recycling. The student will trace the movement of recyclable objects from a house to the sorting center.

What information should be in the concluding section of the report?

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2

Read the paragraph from a student's story. Select the two sentences that best demonstrate use of sensory details.

The sounds and smells of the Alabama National Fair surrounded me from all sides. The thick, oily scent of the funnel cakes frying and the sugary sweetness of the cotton candy machine made my stomach grumble. The loud noises from the rides sounded fun. The twangy sounds of the country band playing in the distance reminded me of summer nights with my friends. I couldn't wait to go explore!
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1

A student is researching the question 'Why do people need sleep?" for a report. Read the two sources the student found.

Source 1
People spend about a third of their lives sleeping. Some animals sleep even more than this. But why is sleep so important to living things? Scientists are still trying to answer this question. One thing we do know is that sleep impacts physical and mental health. Sleeping plays a role in healing. It is also linked to forming memories.

Source 2
People go through four different sleep stages while sleeping, from a light stage to a deep stage that produces dreams. Each stage of sleep affects the body differently, suggesting that the stages have different purposes.

Based on both sources, which additional question would be most useful as the student continues researching the topic?

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2

A student is writing a research report about opportunities for rock climbing in her town. Which sources would most likely provide relevant information about the topic? Choose two answers.

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1

Which sentence uses correct subject-verb agreement?

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1

Which sentence should be revised because it has a dangling modifier?

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1

Which sentence contains a word that is misspelled?

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1

Read the sentence.

As my mom was investigating our genealogy, she discovered that our family members came from several different countries.

Based on the root "genea" and the suffix "-logy," what does the word genealogy mean?

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1

Read the sentence.

Even though a lot of my sister's stuff was concealed under the bed, the fact that she did not completely clean her bedroom was evident.

Based on how the words are used in the sentence, what are the meanings of the words concealed and evident?