Common Core: 7th Grade English Language Arts : Reading to Evaluate the Argument and Specific Claims in a Text
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for Common Core: 7th Grade English Language Arts
All Common Core: 7th Grade English Language Arts Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #111 : Reading
Passage 1:
The penny has long outlived its usefulness in the monetary system and should be removed from use. Pennies cost more to produce than the value they represent. In fact, it costs taxpayers nearly two cents to produce and distribute every one cent penny.
Additionally, the penny does not represent the real level of purchasing power. Go to the corner store today and ask for the “penny candy,” and you might be routed to a row of treats, but you’re unlikely to find anything for purchase for under a quarter.
On top of the cost and lack of benefit, pennies are also heavy for their value, so much so that many don’t even care to keep the pennies they receive in change. 11% of people report that they would rather throw a penny away than carry it around with them, and over $62 million dollars in coins are thrown out annually - most of them pennies.
Whether it’s at the grocery register or at the bank, everyone who handles pennies agrees that they are excessively time-consuming to process. Even most charities would rather do without the pennies they receive! It’s time we let go of this costly antiquity and get rid of the penny once and for all!
Passage 2:
The penny is a sacred historic symbol in America and should be respected for its historical value. Over half of Americans are in favor of keeping the penny, and many fear the trend that eliminating low-value currency sets. “Rounding tax,” or the inclination for businesses to round prices up to the nearest unit of change available, could have an impact on consumers, and as inflation continues, the nickel, the dime, and even the quarter could follow!
Not only does the penny help keep costs low, but it would also be costly to take out of commission effectively. The penny is also a powerful historical tribute to Abraham Lincoln, who has appeared on the penny’s face since 1909.
The penny represents far more than its one-cent value and eliminating it would take a toll on the history it represents and the majority of citizens who seek to keep it in commission.
Passage 2 indicates all of the following except
The majority of people are in favor of keeping the penny
Changes to the use of the penny could indicate later changes to higher-value change
Rounding tax could be responsible for increased prices to consumers
Without the penny, all businesses would round their prices up
Without the penny, all businesses would round their prices up
We are told that rounding tax could be responsible for increased prices to consumers in the excerpt: “rounding tax,” or the inclination for businesses to round prices up to the nearest unit of change available, could have an impact on consumers, and as inflation continues, the nickel, the dime, and even the quarter, could follow!” This excerpt also shows us that changes to the penny could indicate later changes to other currencies. This does not, however, mean that every business will automatically raise prices because of this change. The rounding tax simply cites an inclination or tendency. Some businesses could choose to round down or keep applicable prices consistent despite this change.
Example Question #232 : Common Core: 7th Grade English Language Arts
“Stone Trees”
Have you ever seen a stone tree? While the idea of a stone tree may sound fantastic, fallen trees can turn to stone in very specific circumstances, producing what scientists call “petrified wood.” “Petra” means stone in ancient Greek, so something “petrified” has been turned to stone. You may have heard the word “petrified” used to describe someone so scared that they have frozen as if turned to stone, but scientists use the word literally to refer to actual stone. Petrified trees are stone trees, not scared trees!
A Type of Fossil
Like ancient skeletons of dinosaurs and other organisms preserved in the earth, petrified wood is a type of fossil; however, there is a big difference between petrified wood and most fossils. Most fossils are imprints of creatures or partial remains of them, such as their skeletons. In contrast, the process of petrification recreates an entire preserved tree in stone. It’s very cool to see a petrified tree close-up, because it is still precisely life-size; you can get an idea of how big the tree was when it was alive, and even see individual tree cells that have been preserved. You can even count the tree rings in some petrified trees and estimate how old the tree grew to be before it was petrified.
From Tree to Stone
In order for a tree to become petrified wood, it must have died and been buried a very long time ago. This has to have happened in a specific environment, though, or petrified wood would not be so rare. The tree has to be buried in such a way that oxygen cannot get to its bark and wood. If oxygen can get to the tree, it will rot instead of turn to stone.
The environment has to have two more specific characteristics to produce petrified wood: there has to be water in the ground around the tree, and that water has to contain minerals. If mineral-containing water is present, water will go into and out of the tree’s cells and, over time, the minerals in the water will accumulate in the tree’s cells. When the tree’s cells eventually decay, the minerals are left. Petrified wood can be a rainbow of different colors, with each color corresponding to different elements in the tree’s preserving environment that affect the color of the minerals that form its stone.
Petrified wood is found all over the world, and there are even entire forests of petrified trees that you can travel to go see today. One national park in the United States, Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona, is famous for its many petrified trees. The next time you see a tree, remember, after a few million years in the right environment, it could turn to stone!
In which of the following sentences does the author of the passage provide evidence supporting the claim that petrified wood is rare and only forms in specific environments?
“Petrified wood can be a rainbow of different colors, with each color corresponding to different elements in the tree’s preserving environment that affect the color of the minerals that form its stone.”
“If oxygen can get to the tree, it will rot instead of turn to stone.”
“It’s very cool to see a petrified tree close-up, because it is still precisely life-size; you can get an idea of how big the tree was when it was alive, and even see individual tree cells that have been preserved.”
“In order for a tree to become petrified wood, it must have died and been buried a very long time ago."
"Like ancient skeletons of dinosaurs and other organisms preserved in the earth, petrified wood is a type of fossil; however, there is a big difference between petrified wood and most fossils."
“If oxygen can get to the tree, it will rot instead of turn to stone.”
One way to approach this question is to imagine that you're trying to convince a friend that petrified wood is rare and only forms in specific environments. Which of the answer choices could you point to in the passage to help convince your friend that you are correct?
"Like ancient skeletons of dinosaurs and other organisms preserved in the earth, petrified wood is a type of fossil; however, there is a big difference between petrified wood and most fossils." - This answer choice talks about fossils and petrified wood; it says nothing about the specific environment petrified wood needs in order to form.
"It’s very cool to see a petrified tree close-up, because it is still precisely life-size; you can get an idea of how big the tree was when it was alive, and even see individual tree cells that have been preserved.” - This answer choice describes some characteristics of petrified wood, but doesn't mention the environment it needs to form at all.
“Petrified wood can be a rainbow of different colors, with each color corresponding to different elements in the tree’s preserving environment that affect the color of the minerals that form its stone.” - This answer choice also describes petrified wood. It mentions "the tree's preserving environment," but doesn't tell us anything about it other than that different elements in it produce different colors of minerals in petrified wood.
"In order for a tree to become petrified wood, it must have died and been buried a very long time ago." - This answer choice talks about the time that it takes for petrified wood to form, but it doesn't talk about the specific environment.
"If oxygen can get to the tree, it will rot instead of turn to stone.” - This is the correct answer. Petrified wood forms when trees are preserved in environments where oxygen cannot get to them to make them rot. Instead, over time, they become petrified wood.
Example Question #233 : Common Core: 7th Grade English Language Arts
We can conclude from this text that
Discoveries should always be made with the intention of a specific product or outcome.
Percy Spencer melted the candy bar using the Magnetron as a test for the early microwave.
Experiments don't always go as planned, but they can lead to discoveries.
The potato chip and match were two of the most important discoveries of modern time.
Inventions
Every day it seems, new inventions surface that promise to add value to our day-to-day lives. But did you know, many of the inventions we interact with daily were developed entirely by accident?
Take the microwave, for instance. This accidental invention was developed by engineer Percy Spencer who, upon experimenting with a microwave-emitting magnetron, found that the candy bar in his pocket had begun to melt. Spencer was then able to harness this radiation into the microwave we use today to make snack time a speedy process!
Perhaps one of today’s most well-known accidental inventions, the potato chip, was born when a customer kept requesting that his french fries be sliced thinner and made crispier. Though chef George Crum responded with the chips as a joke, they quickly became a favorite snack worldwide!
Even the match is a result of accidental invention. When pharmacist John Walker was stirring chemicals, he noticed that the end of his stirring stick had dried into a hardened lump. When attempting to scrape the dried residue off, a flame sparked, and so did Walker’s idea to turn this accident into a helpful tool!
So, the next time your science experiment doesn’t go as planned, or you burn what you have cooked on the stove, keep in mind that some of today’s most valued inventions were discovered when the inventor least expected it!
Experiments don't always go as planned, but they can lead to discoveries.
This passage highlights examples of three different inventions that were discovered accidentally. The microwave, the match, and the potato chip were all created accidentally by scientists/inventors without an end product in mind. It can be concluded that experiments are not always planned or go the way the scientist intended, but they can lead to an important discovery.
Example Question #234 : Common Core: 7th Grade English Language Arts
Which piece of text evidence from the passage best supports the following claim:
Incidental discoveries can lead to an important invention.
"...keep in mind that some of today’s most valued inventions were discovered when the inventor least expected it!"
"Take the microwave, for instance."
"Though chef George Crum responded with the chips as a joke, they quickly became a favorite snack worldwide!"
"...new inventions surface that promise to add value to our day-to-day lives."
Inventions
Every day it seems, new inventions surface that promise to add value to our day-to-day lives. But did you know, many of the inventions we interact with daily were developed entirely by accident?
Take the microwave, for instance. This accidental invention was developed by engineer Percy Spencer who, upon experimenting with a microwave-emitting magnetron, found that the candy bar in his pocket had begun to melt. Spencer was then able to harness this radiation into the microwave we use today to make snack time a speedy process!
Perhaps one of today’s most well-known accidental inventions, the potato chip, was born when a customer kept requesting that his french fries be sliced thinner and made crispier. Though chef George Crum responded with the chips as a joke, they quickly became a favorite snack worldwide!
Even the match is a result of accidental invention. When pharmacist John Walker was stirring chemicals, he noticed that the end of his stirring stick had dried into a hardened lump. When attempting to scrape the dried residue off, a flame sparked, and so did Walker’s idea to turn this accident into a helpful tool!
So, the next time your science experiment doesn’t go as planned, or you burn what you have cooked on the stove, keep in mind that some of today’s most valued inventions were discovered when the inventor least expected it!
"...keep in mind that some of today’s most valued inventions were discovered when the inventor least expected it!"
This passage provides many examples of discoveries that were incidental, but very useful to everyday life. The piece of text evidence that best supports this is, "...keep in mind that some of today’s most valued inventions were discovered when the inventor least expected it!". This evidence includes information that valuable inventions were discovered when something unexpected happened. This supports the claim that incidental discoveries can lead to an important invention.
Example Question #235 : Common Core: 7th Grade English Language Arts
According to Passage 2, it can be concluded that coal is potentially beneficial in all of the following respects except
it is used for electricity production in a majority of the US.
it is a vital source of employment for many Americans.
it leads to water pollution.
it is necessary for the US economy.
Coal Passage 1
The typical coal plant in the United States creates more than 125,000 tons of ash and 193,000 tons of sludge each year. On average, 42% of coal combustion waste ponds and landfills are unlined. This means that the substances in the waste can seep into the ground and nearby lakes. Some of the substances include arsenic, mercury, chromium, and cadmium. These can contaminate drinking water supplies and directly contact the consumers who drink water from these areas. The disposal of coal plant waste has damaged many ecosystems. Once the coal plants have cycled through billions of gallons of water to cool the system, it is dumped back into the river, ocean, or lake it is pulling water from. When this hot water is released back into the body of water, it creates “thermal pollution,” which can harm the plants and animals living in this area. Many plants add chemicals to their cooling water, which is released back into the lake, ocean, or river with the hot water.
Coal Passage 2
Coal is a concentrated form of prehistoric biomass, plant life, and is the most plentiful fossil fuel produced in the United States. More than 90 percent of the coal consumed in the US is used to generate electricity. Coal power is also an essential industry source for making steel, cement, and paper, and is used in numerous other industries. Coal was a valuable resource that powered trains, steamships, and other forms of transportation for centuries. Coal is essential to the US economy and provides consumers with affordable electricity. The mining of coal and the use of coal power plants provide vital jobs to many American citizens. In 2018 15% of U.S. coal production was exported to other countries. Exporting coal has a positive effect on the United State’s economy.
it leads to water pollution.
The author of Passage 2 focuses on the benefits of coal rather than the downsides. It would not be concluded that coal leads to water pollution based on the information provided in Passage 2.
All Common Core: 7th Grade English Language Arts Resources
