Log inSign up for FREE
Library

7th Grade English Midterm Exam

Last updated 12 months ago
45 questions
7th Grade English Midterm Exam Instructions
  1. Read Each Passage Carefully:There are three reading passages in this exam. Take your time reading each one before answering the questions.
  2. Answer All Questions:Each passage is followed by multiple-choice questions. Questions will ask you to:Analyze story elements like plot and theme. Make inferences based on the text. Cite text evidence to support your answers. Identify types of sentences and their purposes.
  3. Use the Hint Button if Needed:If you're unsure about a question, click the pink Hint button at the bottom of the screen for help. Use hints wisely—they’re there to guide you!
  4. Check Your Work:Before moving to the next section, review your answers to ensure they are complete and accurate.
  5. Stay Focused and Do Your Best:This exam is a chance to show what you’ve learned. Take your time, and don’t rush!
Good luck—you’ve got this!
Prometheus
myth retold by Lilian Stoughton Hyde

1 There once lived a race of huge giants called Titans. These giants were fierce, turbulent, and lawless—always fighting among themselves and against Jupiter, the king of the gods.

2 One of the Titans, whose name was Prometheus, was wiser than the rest. He often thought about what would be likely to happen in the future.

3 One day, Prometheus said to his brother Titans: “What is the use of wasting so much strength? In the end, wisdom and forethought will win. If we are going to fight against the gods, let us choose a leader and stop quarrelling among ourselves.”

4 The Titans answered him by a shower of great rocks and uprooted trees.

5 Prometheus, after escaping unhurt, said to his younger brother: “Come, Epimetheus, we can do nothing among these Titans. If they keep on, they will tear the earth to pieces. Let us go and help Jupiter to overcome them.”

6 Epimetheus agreed to this, and the two brothers went over to Jupiter, who called the gods together and began a terrible battle. The Titans tore up enormous boulders and cast them at the gods, while Jupiter hurled his thunderbolts and his lightnings in all directions. Soon the sky was a sheet of flame, the sea boiled, the earth trembled, and the forests took fire and began to burn.

7 At last the gods—partly by the help of the wise counsel of Prometheus—conquered the Titans, took them to the ends of the earth, and imprisoned them in a deep underground cavern. Neptune, the sea-god, made strong bronze gates with heavy bolts and bars, to keep the giants down, while Jupiter sent Briareus and his brothers, three giants with fifty heads and a hundred hands each, to stand guard over them.

8 All but one of the Titans who had fought against the gods were imprisoned in this cavern. This one who was not shut in with the others was Atlas, whose enormous strength was greater than that of his brothers, while his disposition was less quarrelsome. He was made to stand and hold up the sky on his head and hands.

9 As the Titans could now make no more trouble, there was comparative peace and quiet on the earth. Nevertheless, Jupiter said that, although the men who remained on the earth were not so strong as the Titans, they were a foolish and wicked race. He declared that he would destroy them—sweep them away, and have done with them, forever.

10 When their king said this, none of the gods dared to say a word in defence of mankind. But Prometheus, the Titan, who was earth-born himself, and loved these men of the earth, begged Jupiter so earnestly to spare them, that Jupiter consented to do so.

11 At this time, men lived in dark, gloomy caves. Their friend, Prometheus, taught them to build simple houses, which were much more comfortable than the caves had been. This was a great step forward, but men needed more help yet from the Titan. The beasts in the forests, and the great birds that built their nests on the rocks, were strong; but men were weak. The lion had sharp claws and teeth; the eagle had wings; the turtle had a hard shell; but man, although he stood upright with his face toward the stars, had no weapon with which he could defend himself.

12 Prometheus said that man should have Jupiter’s wonderful flower of fire, which shone so brightly in the sky. So he took a hollow reed, went up to Olympus, stole the red flower of fire, and brought it down to earth in his reed.

13 After this, all the other creatures were afraid of man, for this red flower had made him stronger than they. Man dug iron out of the earth, and by the help of his new fire made weapons that were sharper than the lion’s teeth; he tamed the wild cattle by the fear of it, yoked them together, and taught them how to draw the plough; he sharpened strong stakes, hardening them in its heat, and set them around his house as a defence from his enemies; he did many other things besides with the red flower that Prometheus had made to blossom at the end of the reed.

14 Jupiter, sitting on his throne, saw with alarm how strong man was becoming. One day he discovered the theft of his shining red flower, and knew that Prometheus was the thief. He was greatly displeased at this act.

15 “Prometheus loves man too well,” said he. “He shall be punished.” Then he called his two slaves, Strength and Force, and told them to take Prometheus and bind him fast to a great rock in the lonely Caucasian Mountains. At the same time he ordered Vulcan, the lame smith-god, to rivet the Titan’s chains—in a cunning way that only Vulcan knew.

16 There Prometheus hung on the rock for hundreds of years. The sun shone on him pitilessly, by day—only the kindly night gave him shade. He heard the rushing wings of the sea-gulls, as they came to feed their young who cried from the rocks below. The sea-nymphs floated up to his rock to give him their pity. A vulture, cruel as the king of the gods, came daily and tore him with its claws and beak.

17 But this frightful punishment did not last forever. Prometheus himself knew that some day he should be set free, and this knowledge made him strong to endure.

18. At last the time came when Jupiter’s throne was in danger, and Prometheus, pitying his enemy, told him a secret which helped him to make everything safe again. After this, Jupiter sent Hercules to shoot the vulture and to break the Titan’s chains. So Prometheus was set free.
Required
1

What is the main conflict in the myth?

Required
1

How does Prometheus’s character contrast with the other Titans?

Required
1

Which sentence from the myth is part of the story’s climax?

Required
1

How does Prometheus’s attempt to resolve conflict create suspense in the myth?

Required
1

Part A: In the myth, what inference can readers make about fire?

Required
1

Part B: Which detail from the myth best supports the answer to Part A?

Required
1

How does the gift of fire to humanity affect Jupiter’s decision to punish Prometheus in the myth?

Required
1

Why is the battle between the gods and Titans important to the plot?

Required
1

What does the author suggest about the relationship between power and responsibility?

Required
1

Part A: Which of these is a theme of the myth?

Required
1

Part B: Which sentence from the myth best develops the theme identified in Part A?

Required
1

In the myth, which character trait helps Prometheus survive being bound to a rock for hundreds of years?

Court Dreams

1 My name’s Jace, but everyone calls me Wild. Coach gave me that nickname. “Why Wild?” I asked one day. He just smiled and said, “Because you play like the ball’s on fire.” I wasn’t sure if he meant that as a compliment, but hey, I took it.

2 Thing is, Wild works for me. I’m always going 100 miles an hour, on and off the court. Sometimes it’s good. Like when I stole the ball last week and hit a fast break layup. Sometimes it’s bad. Like when I tried to dunk during gym class and almost took out the backboard.

3 “Jace, you’re gonna break something—like your neck,” my cousin Rell said after watching me try a spin move that ended with me on the floor. But that’s how I am. Always trying. Always pushing.

4 I wasn’t on the team or anything. Not yet. Just a kid who stayed late at the park, shooting bricks and airballs until my form didn’t feel so awkward.

5 Then one day, Coach saw me messing around after school. He leaned on the fence, watching. “You got game, Wild. But it’s raw.” I stopped mid-shot, the ball bouncing away. “What’s that mean?”

6 “Means you’ve got potential. Tryouts are next week. Don’t embarrass yourself.” And just like that, he walked off, leaving me staring after him.

7 Tryouts came, and I showed up. Didn’t think I would, but something about Coach’s words stuck in my head. I wasn’t the tallest or the strongest, but I could hustle, and hustle’s something you can’t fake.

8 First drill was dribbling. Easy, right? Wrong. Coach blew his whistle every time the ball got away from someone, and I swear that thing never left his mouth. Then came the passing drill, and that’s where I met Kai.

9 She caught every ball like it was a gift, her ponytail swinging like she was in a commercial or something. Meanwhile, I was over here fumbling passes like a little kid. “Nice hands, Wild,” she said, smirking.

10 “I’m just warming up,” I shot back. Truth was, I was dying to impress her. And Coach. And maybe even myself.

11 Next up was scrimmage. That’s where I shined—or at least I tried to. I got one clean steal, a fast break, and then…airball. I felt my face go hot as the ball bounced off the backboard.

12 After the game, Kai came up to me. “Not bad, Wild. But you gotta chill. You’re moving too fast out there.” I shrugged. “Fast is what I do.” She raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, but sometimes, you gotta slow down to catch up.”

13 Her words stuck with me. I didn’t want to admit it, but she was right. I was always going full speed, like I was trying to prove something. To who, though?

14 That night, I told my mom about tryouts. “You make the team?” she asked, not even looking up from her book. “Don’t know yet,” I said. She just nodded, like she already figured I’d quit before the first game.

15 I didn’t, though. The next day, I came back. And the next. Each time, I got a little better. My passes stopped flying into the bleachers, and my layups actually started dropping.

16 Kai noticed. “Not bad, Wild,” she said after practice one day. “You might actually belong here.” I grinned. “Might? Girl, I’m taking your spot.” She laughed. “In your dreams.”

17 Finally, it was the last day of tryouts. Coach split us into teams for one last scrimmage. This time, I didn’t panic. I slowed down, saw the court, and made the right plays.

18 By the end of the game, even Kai was nodding in approval. “Okay, Wild. You’re alright.” That felt better than any shot I made.

19 When Coach read the list of who made the team, my name was there. “Told you,” I whispered to Kai as we walked out. She rolled her eyes but smiled.

20 Now, when I hit the court, it’s not just about showing off. It’s about playing smart. Playing for my team. And proving, every day, that Wild means something more than reckless. It means heart.
Required
1

Where does most of the story take place?

Required
1

Why does Coach call Jace "Wild"?

Required
1

How does Coach’s comment, “You’ve got potential. Tryouts are next week. Don’t embarrass yourself,” contribute to the plot?

Required
1

What is the central conflict in the story?

Required
1

In the story, what does the phrase “You’re moving too fast out there” (Kai’s advice to Jace) suggest about his character?

Required
1

Which of the following is an example of internal conflict that Jace faces?

Required
1

What is the climax of the story?

Required
1

Which of the following best reflects the theme of the story?

Required
1

What does Kai’s comment, "You might actually belong here," suggest about her changing opinion of Jace?

Autumntime
By: Anthony Lentini

1 I saw my first tree today. Dad finally broke down and took us to East Boston Urban Center after Mom had been harping on it for the past two weeks. I think he was glad we went after all, because he was smiling quietly all during the trip back.

2 Dad used to tell me stories about the trees that still existed when he was a boy. There weren’t very many even then, with the urbanization program in full swing, but most people had seen at least one tree by the time they started school. It wasn’t like nowadays, at any rate. Oh, I’ve seen the plastic trees; practically every street has a few of them. But you can tell the plastic ones are artificial just from looking at pictures in the microdot library.

3 This morning when we got up, the house was all excited. Mom dialed a light breakfast of toast and synthetic milk so that we wouldn’t waste time eating. And when finished, the three of us took an elevator-bus up to the fourth level, where we caught the air track to Brooklyn. From there we took another elevator-bus down to main level, rode the monorail to Intercity Subway Station 27, and caught the second sublevel AA train to Boston. Our expectations were so high that Dad and I didn’t mind it when Mom told us again how the tree was discovered.

4 The O’Brien home was one of the few examples of old-style wooden structures that hadn’t been demolished in Boston’s urban-renewal campaign at the turn of the century. The family had been able to avoid this because of its wealth and political influence, and the house was passed on through several generations to the present. Old man O’Brien had no heirs, so when he died the family home went up for auction, and the Urban Center bought it. When local officials arrived for an appraisal, they discovered that the house had a back yard, which is forbidden by zoning restrictions.

5 In the yard was a live tree — an oke was what Mom called it. When the news of the tree’s discovery leaked out, quite a few sightseers stopped by to have a look at it, and the local government, realizing the money-making potential, began charging admission and advertising the place. By now it had become a favorite spot for school field trips and family excursions such as ours.

6 When we arrived in main Boston we rode the elevator-bus up to ground level and caught a monorail out to East Boston Urban Center 3. An air-cush taxi took us the rest of the way to the residence.

7 The home itself was unimpressive. It had none of the marble gloss or steely sheen of modern buildings, but was rather a dull white color, with the paint peeling in places. Dad paid the admission fee, and we spent the next 15 minutes on a dull guided tour of the house. The rooms were roped off to keep people from touching anything, but there were no windows facing the illegal back yard anyway, so it really didn’t matter that I couldn’t enter the rooms on that side.

8 My mind was on the tree, and I thought the inside tour would never end, but soon we were walking through a doorway hidden in one of the bookshelves and into the back yard. The yard was big — at least 10 by 20 feet — and I was surprised to find real grass growing on the sides of the concrete walkway built for tourists. The grass didn’t distract me for long, however, because I just couldn’t help noticing the tree!

9 It was located at one end of the yard, and there was a mesh fence around it for protection. It was similar in form to the plastic trees I’d seen, but there was much more to it than that. You could see details more intricate than in any artificial plant. And it was alive. Long ago someone had carved their initials in the bark, and you could see where the wound had healed. But best of all was the smell. It was a fresh, living odor, alien to the antiseptic world outside with all its metal, plastic, and glass. I wanted to touch the bark, but the fence prevented me from doing so. Mom and Dad just breathed deeply and stared up with smiles on their faces. The three of us stood there for a moment, and then the tour guide told us to make room for the next group. I didn’t want to go — in fact, I felt almost like crying.

10 On the way back home, Mom and Dad were silent, and I read through one of the brochures the guide had passed out. When I came to the part that said the O’Brien home would be open only for the rest of this year, I was sad. They intend to tear down the place to make room for some kind of insurance building, and the tree will have to go, too.
For the rest of the trip, I just sat still, fingering the object in my pocket which I had picked off the grass in the O’Brien’s back yard. I think it’s called an acorn.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Urbanization (noun): the process by which cities are formed and become larger as more and more people begin living and working in central areas
Synthetic (adjective): produced artificially
Heirs (noun): someone legally entitled to a person’s property upon that person’s death
Appraisal (noun): an estimate of what a home is worth
Intricate (adjective): detailed
Antiseptic (adjective): extremely neat, sterile, and clean, occasionally to the point of harshness
Required
1

What does the exposition reveal about the world the characters live in?

Required
1

How does the exposition set up the conflict in the story?

Required
1

Why is the tree's discovery important to the local community?

Required
1

What motivates the parents to take the narrator to see the tree?

Required
1

Which of the following best describes the narrator’s reaction to the tree?

Required
1

Which part of the plot is illustrated when the narrator says, "I wanted to touch the bark, but the fence prevented me from doing so"?

Required
1

What does the narrator's description of the tree’s smell suggest?

Required
1

Which event marks the climax of the story?

Required
1

How does the climax affect the narrator’s emotions?

Required
1

What does the narrator most likely feel when he learns that the tree will be removed?

Required
1

What is the significance of the acorn the narrator picks up?

Required
1

Part A: What is the theme of this story?

Required
1

Which of the following is a simple sentence?

Required
1

Which sentence is a compound sentence?

Required
1

Which sentence contains a dependent clause?

Required
1

Which of the following is a complex sentence?

Required
1

What type of sentence is "She went to the market, and he stayed home"?

Required
1

Which of the following is an independent clause?

Required
1

Which of these contains only an independent clause?

Required
1

What is the main difference between an independent and a dependent clause?

Required
1

What type of clause is “when the teacher arrived”?

Required
1

Which word is the coordinating conjunction in the sentence:

I wanted to go to the park, but it started raining.

Required
1

What is the coordinating conjunction in the sentence:

We can go to the zoo, or we can visit the museum.

Required
1

Which coordinating conjunction is used in the sentence:

The movie was long, but it was interesting.