Foundation Skills Assessment

Reading
Comprehension
Grade 7
Sample Test

THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY BLANK

GRADE 7
READING
COMPREHENSION
SAMPLE
(45 minutes)

Directions to the Student

There are four reading passages, 20 multiple-choice questions, and

one written-response question in this Booklet.
Read each passage and question carefully.
The numbers in the left margin next to passages tell you where
to find information. Every fifth paragraph is numbered 5, 10, 15,
and so on. For poetry, every fifth line is numbered 5, 10, 15, and
so on.
Multiple-Choice Questions (1 mark each)
1. Decide the best answer to each question.
2. On the multiple-choice response form, use an HB pencil to fill in
the bubble for the answer you think is correct.
3. If you decide to change an answer, completely erase your
first answer.
Written-Response Question (4 marks)
1. Write your answers clearly in the space provided in the Booklet,
using a blue or black pen.
2. You will score four marks by giving a complete, correct, and
clear answer using details from the passage.
3. If you use unacceptable language or content, you may be given a
zero for your answer.

Grade 7 Reading Comprehension Sample

Page 1

This passage is an excerpt from an adventure story. Brian and Derek have
met with an accident and are stranded in a remote area. To make matters
worse, Derek has been injured and is now in a coma.

The River
by Gary Paulsen
He had noticed it before, of coursewhen they went over the map in his
house and when they had first landed. But in the largeness of the country
shown on the map, the massive forest the map showed, the river was a
small thing, and he had negated it.
It wound out the bottom of the lake, the southern end, and headed
southeast down into the lakes below and was lost, and he had not followed
it except to note the name.
The Necktie River.
Isnt that a funny name, his mother had said, and Derek had laughed.
5

There are lakes named Eunice, or Bootsockthere are so many lakes and
rivers, the original mapmakers just made up names as they went. The
person drawing the map was probably wearing a tie and thought it would
make a good name. Many of them arent named at alljust numbered.
The Necktie River, Brian saw, led south and down and drew his eyes away
from the lake.
The map was laid out in square five-thousand-meter gridsfive-kilometer
squaresand he saw that in some places the river wound back almost on
itself inside the same five thousand square meters. But in other places it
ran straight for a considerable distance and he followed it, through smaller
lakes and what he thought must be swamps, through the darker green
portions that meant heavier forest.
It kept going south to the edge of the map, where it was folded, and he
unfolded the next section and spread it in the sun. He did not know why
the river drew him, pulled at him.
Then, halfway though the second page, he saw it. The river had grown all
along, gotten wider so that it made a respectable blue cut across the map
and where it made a large bend, cutting back nearly straight east, there
was a small circle drawn and the words:

10

Page 2

Brannock Trading Post.

Grade 7 Reading Comprehension Sample

Leading away from Brannocks Post there was a double line heading down
and to the southwest. When he found the symbol for the double line on
the maps legend he saw that it stood for an improved gravel road.
There would be people there.
Right there, on the map, at Brannocks Trading Post there would be
people. They wouldnt have a road or name the place or make it a dot on
the map unless there were people there. A trading post would have
people.
Which, Brian thought, doesnt mean a thing.
15

He wasnt at Brannocks Trading Post. He was here.

Yet he couldnt take his eyes off the spot on the map. It was there, on the
same mapjust there. And he refolded the map so it would show the lake
where they were and the trading post at the same time. He used his fingers
to make a divider and measured it straight down, but it didnt mean
anything.
Then he remembered that the grids stood for five kilometers each, and
when he counted the numbers of grids between the lake and Brannocks he
came up with about sixteen squares.
So how far is that? he said to Derek. Five times sixteenmaybe
eighty, eighty-five kilometers.
But that was straightin a straight line southeast.

20

The river was nowhere near straight, looping back and forth and actually
flowing slightly north back along itself at one point.
He started counting, measuring the river as it turned through each fivekilometer square, marking each ten kilometers in the dirt with a line
through it, then the next set of ten. It was involved and took him some
time, but finally he was done.
He counted them.
One hundred and fifty kilometers, he said. One point six kilometers to
a mile. Just under a hundred miles.
He looked at Derek, who did not move, who made no sign.

25

There are people just under a hundred miles from here.

But what good did that do?
Here it isI could leave you and try to follow the river out and bring
help back.

Grade 7 Reading Comprehension Sample

Page 3

Which, he thought, sounded insane. There were animals. They would

come, and if they thought Derek was dead. He was defenseless. They
might attack him. Even small thingsants, bugs.
I cant leave you.
30

Brian looked at the map again. It was there, the answer was there.
Brannocks Trading Post was the answer and the river was the answer, but
he didnt see how.
He couldnt leave Derek.
He couldnt leave Derek.
What if he took Derek with him?
He said it aloud. What if we went out together?

35

On the face of it, it sounded like madness. Haul a man in a coma nearly
a hundred miles out of the wilderness on a river.
You could say that, Brian thought, but there was a lot of difference
between saying it and doing it.
How could he?
The river. If he had a boator a raft.
If he made a raft and put Derek on the raft, there might be a way he could
make the run1 and take Derek out, get him to the trading post and to help.

40

And even as he said it he knew it was crazy. A hundred miles on a

wilderness river with a raft, hauling a grown man who would be nothing
but dead weight, was impossible.
He would have dropped it, except that he looked up from the map and saw
the truth then; looked up and saw Derek with his eyes half open and not
seeing, awake but not truly living, the minutes of his life moving past and
Brian knew that he really didnt have any choice.
If he stayed Derek would die of thirst in two, perhaps three days. Well
before the week or ten days that would pass before the pilot came looking
to see what happened.
If he stayed, Derek would die.
If he made the run, took Derek down the river, at least there was a chance.

45

He had no choice.

1run: taking a boat, raft, or canoe down a river

Page 4

Grade 7 Reading Comprehension Sample

1. What is the central problem in this passage?

A.
B.
C.
D.

how to save a friends life

how to navigate a wilderness river
how to attract the attention of a pilot
how to identify a populated area on a map

2. What does the double line symbol on the map legend represent?
A.
B.
C.
D.

a river
a swamp
a gravel road
a trading post

3. What was the main reason that the winding course of the river was a
problem for Brian?
A.
B.
C.
D.

It was harder to navigate.

The map was laid out in grids.
It was farther to travel to reach safety.
It would take longer for his rescuers to reach them.

4. Why was Brannocks Trading Post the answer?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Brian could buy a river raft.

There would be people there.
Brian could get supplies there.
There would be an airstrip where the pilot could land.

5. Why is the river important?

A.
B.
C.
D.

It leads to safety.
It is extremely scenic.
It has an unusual name.
It is the only available source of drinking water.

Grade 7 Reading Comprehension Sample

Page 5

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Page 6

Grade 7 Reading Comprehension Sample

6. In any good story, the setting (place/time) helps develop the readers
interest. Explain how the setting of this story makes the passage more
interesting.
(4 marks)

Grade 7 Reading Comprehension Sample

Page 7

This poem describes some of the unusual characteristics of the

harbour seal.

Hearing
by David Bouchard
As you walk along the ocean
And peer out toward the water
And you see a log thats floating
Look again, it might be me.
5

10

Come right down into the harbor,

But be quick, I must keep moving.
I am one the orcas hunting,
And he frequently swims here.
Like the orca, I send signals,
Only mine sound much like clicking.
They bounce back with a clear message:
Is it time to flee or eat?

It would serve me if you showed Them

How I dive into the ocean.
15 How the channels to my ears fill
And then serve me like a drum
That amplifies the slightest sound
Thats how I hear in water.

20

Theres more that makes me special.

I can hear on land as well.
They have surely heard me talking
With my friends out on their shores.

Come and look across your harbor.

Im here peeking. Can you see me?
25 Please be quick. I must keep moving.
Now you see me, now you dont.

Page 8

Grade 7 Reading Comprehension Sample

7. Who is the seal speaking to in this poem?

A.
B.
C.
D.

an orca
a person
its friends
another seal

8. What does the seal say it might be mistaken for?

A.
B.
C.
D.

a log
a drum
an orca
a human

9. Why must the seal keep moving?

A.
B.
C.
D.

to send signals
to hunt and eat
to hear in water
to avoid the orca

10. What sound does the seal make?

A.
B.
C.
D.

talking
clicking
whistling
drumming

11. Which of the following strategies does the seal use to avoid the orca?
A.
B.
C.
D.

diving
camouflage
listening to other seals
using its ability to hear on land

Grade 7 Reading Comprehension Sample

Page 9

Read the passage to learn about the process of creating a totem pole.

Totem Poles
by Pat Kramer
Sometimes a small model of the pole is
carved to see how each figure will be
integrated into the total design.
Workers prepare blocks to elevate the
log to a convenient horizontal height
for the carvers to work without
bending. Totem pole carving tools,
custom-made for the purpose, are
sharpened. All is made ready
for the arrival of the log.

Carving a Totem Pole

Totem poles are first planned in

meetings between the artist / carver, the
poles commissioning body1, and
elders (if necessary). A place to carve
the pole must be arranged and a lumber
company consulted to provide a clear
tree. Clear trees have few knots or
imperfections. In some
cases, the carver will travel
into the woods to inspect
the tree before it is cut
down and occasionally, the
carver personally fells the
tree. Meanwhile, design
preliminaries are made on
paper and the design is
repeatedly brought to its
owner for approval. The
design is finalized.

The tree is delivered to the

carving shed, where it is
debarked and tested for
imperfections. Some trees
contain hollow centres that lie
undetected. These must be
uncovered and repaired, or the
log is rejected. Once the outer
bark is removed, the wood is
given a cursory2 smoothing.
Sometimes elders are called in to say
prayers over the log and ask it to
release its spirit to the carvers.
The artist or master carver draws the
outlines of the approved design onto
the wood and the sapwood is feathered
away. The tree is very fragrant at this
time and its heady aroma fills the
carving shed. Carvers now begin to
sing songs to the log and talk to it as
they work. The figures begin to
emerge from the wood.
5

1commissioning body: the group of

Most carvers begin from the bottom of

the pole, moving gradually to the top.
Bottom figures are carefully detailed
because observers see these figures

2cursory: quick; not thorough

people who have asked for the work

to be done

Page 10

Grade 7 Reading Comprehension Sample

hatched; each eye is carefully

delineated3. Carvers work in teams of
one to three persons and take frequent
breaks. Small poles take two or three
months; large poles up to eight or nine
months to finish.

close-up. The flow of the design

between characters is sometimes
revised from the original plan. The
master carver chops out the rough
forms, then discusses the overall
concept with each of the
new apprentices as they
arrive.

The duration of the project is

determined by the length of the
pole and the money available to
pay the carvers.

Morale is a matter for

the master carver, who
is expected to inspire the
team. A team of
apprentice carvers now
arrives to help with the
carving, and they begin to work under
the guidance and inspiration of the
master carver. The bottom end of the
pole and important details are finished
by the master, while the outlines and
top end of the pole are completed by
the apprentices.

Paint is applied, if necessary, and

arrangements for the raising
ceremony are made. Incising 4
and other details are added with the
approval of the master carver. At this
point, some poles are washed and
cleansed.

Finally, the shapes are refined and the

final form of the finished pole is
evident. Various finishing techniques
are applied, attention being paid to each
detail: the tail of Beaver is cross-

10

Finally, the pole lies in wait for its

moment of glorythe raising
ceremony.
3delineated: outlined; traced
4incising: cutting

Grade 7 Reading Comprehension Sample

Page 11

12. According to the article, why might a tree be rejected?

A.
B.
C.
D.

It has a heady aroma.

Its spirit cannot be released.
Its outer bark has been removed.
Its imperfections cannot be repaired.

13. Why does the master carver concentrate on the bottom section of
the pole?
A.
B.
C.
D.

The bottom figures are more closely viewed.

The pole is too long to be completed by only one person.
The master carver is focused on inspiring the apprentices.
Only the apprentices are expected to climb to the top of the pole.

14. Which statement is true about the apprentices?

A.
B.
C.
D.

They work in teams.

They revise the original plans.
They say prayers over the log.
They draft preliminary designs.

15. According to the article, which of the following actions completes the
sequence? (Mark your answer on the multiple-choice response form.
Do not fill in the box below.)

finalizing
the design

A.
B.
C.
D.

Page 12

praying over
the log

refining the
shapes

carving the log

chopping rough shapes
releasing the trees spirit
preparing the carving tools

Grade 7 Reading Comprehension Sample

16. Which word best describes the process of carving a totem pole?
A.
B.
C.
D.

cursory
individual
cooperative
spontaneous

Grade 7 Reading Comprehension Sample

Page 13

In this excerpt from a novel by Canadian writer W.D. Valgardson, three family
members have discovered an old family trunk.

Frances
by W.D. Valgardson
The trunk sat in the middle of the living room on newspapers her mother
had spread out to keep the dust off her carpets. They tried to force the lid
open but no matter how they pulled or pried, it stayed stubbornly shut.
There must be a way, Mom said. Theres no lock and no place to put a
lock so the lock must be in the box itself.
They wiped the box, getting every speck of dust and cobweb off it. Then
they studied it from every direction.
It wasnt a particularly beautiful box. It was longer than it was wide. It
had a slightly rounded top. There were two ribs in the top. The sides were
roughly carved with horses.
5

Interesting carvings, Gran said. They show the integrity of the carver.
Theres no concern for the marketplace.
Folk art is in, Mom replied. Hand-crafted. It should be worth quite a
lot.
Frances ran her fingers lightly over the horses. They were wonderful. No
details, just the outline of horses running freely like unfettered spirits. The
numbers, 1873, were not, as theyd first thought, part of the lid, but each
number was fixed in place with a single brass bolt. The trunk had been
painted blue and the numbers red. Now most of the paint had faded away.
Well have another look at it in the morning, Mom finally said. I need
to put myself together.
Frances woke up while it was still dark. She looked at her bedside clock.
Four a.m. She lay in bed and listened to the waves on the beach. That
was one of the best things about the cottage. She loved going to sleep to
the sound of the waves and waking up to the sound of the waves.

10

As she lay there, she could see the box, just as if it was sitting in front of
her except that she was staring at the ceiling. She turned it around in her
head, the way she could turn pictures of objects around on the computer.
There was a mystery to it, and she loved mysteries. When she grew up,
she thought she might be a detective or a coroner or an
anthropologistsomeone who was always trying to find answers.

Page 14

Grade 7 Reading Comprehension Sample

Why do you want to know the answers to everything? her mother often
chided her.
I dont know, Frances replied. I just do. Questions need to be
answered.
Her mother thought it was all nonsense. The only thing she wanted to
know was who wanted to sell a house and who wanted to buy one.
15

Frances slipped out of bed and crept into the living room To her surprise,
her gran was sitting there staring at the box. Frances sat down on the floor
beside her.
This was my grans, Fjola whispered. Id forgotten all about it. The
last time I saw it must have been when I was your age.
My great-great-grandmothers, Frances said. She leaned forward and
put her arms around the front of the box as if she were hugging it.
She brought it out from Iceland with her. Imagine being thirteen and
putting all your worldly goods in a box and then getting on a boat and
traveling half the world to start a new life.
There was the smallpox, Frances said. Shed heard that story. About
everybody dying of smallpox.

20

That was before, Gran said. She didnt come out with the first settlers.
The smallpox had come and gone and there was a settlement and some
farms. Thered been flooding and terrible weather. A lot of the first
settlers went to the Dakotas. Her father and aunt took over an abandoned
farmstead.
They sat there in silence, listening to the waves, but Frances wasnt really
hearing the water lapping on the shore. She was staring at the box, turning
it this way and that in her mind.
She leaned forward, put her hand on the first number and twisted. She felt
it give a little. She turned it harder and it stiffly moved to an angle. Then
she did the same with the other three numbers.
This time when they pulled on the lid, it came up easily.

Grade 7 Reading Comprehension Sample

Page 15

17. What is the main appeal of the box to Frances?

A.
B.
C.
D.

It is mysterious.
It may contain treasure.
It is ornate and beautiful.
It is a highly valuable antique.

18. What do the interesting carvings on the trunk indicate?

A.
B.
C.
D.

the age of the box

the beauty of the box
the identity of the carver
the integrity of the carver

19. Why does Mother believe that the box is worth a lot of money?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Folk art is very popular.

Old trunks are valuable antiques.
The beauty of the box is appealing.
The interesting carvings are remarkable.

20. In her imagination, to what does Frances compare the image of the box?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Frances dreams
mysterious questions
memories of long ago
objects turning on a computer screen

21. Who originally owned the box?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Page 16

Fjola
Frances
Frances mother
Frances great-great-grandmother

Grade 7 Reading Comprehension Sample

Acknowledgments

The River, by Gary Paulsen. The River. Delacorte Press, 1991. pp. 7780.
Hearing, by David Bouchard. Voices From the Wild: An Animal Sensagoria.
Chronicle Books, 1996. p. 53.
Totem Poles, by Pat Kramer. Totem Poles. Altitude Publishing Canada Ltd. 1998.
pp. 5657.
Frances, by W.D. Valgardson. Frances. Groundwood Books / Douglas & McIntyre,
2000. pp. 1821.