STAAR GR7 WRIT TB RELEASED 2018

STAAR

State of Texas

Assessments of

Academic Readiness

GRADE 7

Writing

Administered April 2018

RELEASED

written permission from the Texas Education Agency.

WRITING

Writing

Page 3

Writing

Page 4

WRITTEN

COMPOSITION

Writing

Page 5

WRITTEN COMPOSITION: Expository

READ the information in the box below.

According to surveys, only eight percent of Americans

keep their New Year’s resolutions. In fact, nearly half of

Americans break their promises within the first month of

the year.

THINK carefully about the following statement.

It is hard for some people to keep a promise, even one they make to themselves.

WRITE an essay explaining why it is important to keep the promises you make.

Be sure to —

•

clearly

state your controlling idea

• organize and develop your explanation effectively

• choose

your words carefully

• use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and sentences

Writing

Page 6

USE THIS PREWRITING PAGE TO

PLAN YOUR COMPOSITION.

MAKE SURE THAT YOU WRITE YOUR COMPOSITION ON

THE LINED PAGE

IN THE ANSWER DOCUMENT.

Writing

Page 7

USE THIS PREWRITING PAGE TO

PLAN YOUR COMPOSITION.

MAKE SURE THAT YOU WRITE YOUR COMPOSITION ON

THE LINED PAGE

IN THE ANSWER DOCUMENT.

Writing

Page 8

REVISING

AND

EDITING

Writing

Page 9

Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question. Then fill in

theansweronyouranswerdocument.

Nora wrote the following story about a boy and his special birthday event. Read

Nora’s story and look for any revisions she should make. Then answer the questions

that follow.

Balloon Launch

(1) Goosebumps rose on Jayden’s skin in the cool morning breeze. (2) He

couldn’t believe this day was finally here. (3) For several years Jayden’s family had

attended the annual hot-air balloon launch. (4) Jayden had always enjoyed watching

the balloons rise into the sky, but this year would be even more exciting than usual.

(5) His parents had arranged a special gift in honor of his 13th birthday.

(6) As the sun began to peek over the horizon, Jayden found the balloon he

was looking for. (7) The silky material lay flat on the ground, and a basket rested on

its side nearby. (8) With the aid of a huge fan, balloonists were starting to pump air

into the colorful fabric shell.

(9) Before long, the balloon was fully inflated. (10) Then a balloonist warned

everyone to stand back. (11) He ignited the propane burner attached to the basket.

(12) Huge flames shot out of the burner. (13) The flames heated the air inside the

balloon. (14) Slowly, the balloon began to move into an upright position. (15) Soon

only strong ropes held by the crew kept the balloon from taking off.

(16) It was time. (17) With a grin, Jayden and his dad waved to the rest of

the family and jumped in next to the balloonist and several other passengers.

(18) As Jayden counted down, crew members released the ropes, and the hot-air

balloon lifted off!

(19) Up, up, up the balloon rose. (20) With each blast from the burner, the

balloon grew hotter, allowing the air in the balloon to fly higher and higher.

(21) When dawn fully broke, Jayden took in the view. (22) It was even better than

he had imagined! (23) The balloon continued to gain altitude, making objects on the

ground harder to recognize.

riting

Page 10

(24) For more than an hour, Jayden, his father, and their fellow passengers

floated high and way above the trees and the town. (25) The balloon drifted with the

soft winds. (26) A part of Jayden wished that he could stay in the sky forever, but he

knew that wasn’t possible. (27) Before long, the balloon began to slowly descend,

finally landing with a bump in an open field. (28) The balloon crew helped the riders

climb out of the basket. (29) As he watched the crew deflate the balloon, Jayden

looked forward to telling the rest of his family about the ride. (30) This had been the

best birthday gift ever! (31) Jayden was sure that his brother and sister would want

to continue the tradition when they turned 13.

riting

Page 11

1 Nora would like to close the first paragraph (sentences 1–5) with a sentence that tells what

the story is about. Which of the following should Nora add after sentence 5?

For Jayden’s birthday they had wanted to do something special.

B The balloons would fly effortlessly across the sky.

C Today Jayden and his dad would be passengers on one of the balloons!

D It was time for a birthday celebration!

2 What is the most effective way to combine sentences 12 and 13?

Huge flames shot

out of the burner inside the balloon, which was heating the air.

G Huge flames shot out of the burner because the air inside the balloon was heated.

H Huge flames shot out of the burner, the flames heated the air inside the balloon.

J Huge flames shot out of the burner, heating the air inside the balloon.

3 The transition from the third paragraph (sentences 9–15) to the fourth paragraph

(sentences 16–18) is weak. Read both paragraphs again. Which sentence could BEST replace

sentence 16 and improve the transition between these two paragraphs?

Finally, it was time for the riders to climb inside the basket attached to the balloon.

B Even though it was time, the strong ropes kept the balloon from taking off.

C When

it was finally time, Jayden and his father smiled.

D The

time had come, but Jayden began to feel a slight twinge of fear that he hadn’t

expected.

Writing

Page 12

4 Sentence 20 does not say what Nora intended it to say. How should she rewrite this

sentence?

F With each blast from the air in the burner growing hotter, the balloon was allowed to fly

higher and higher.

G With each blast from the burner, the air in the balloon grew hotter, allowing the balloon to

fly higher and higher.

H With each blast from the burner, the balloon’s air grew hotter, this allowed the balloon to

fly higher and higher.

J With each blast from the burner, the balloon grew hotter, allowing the balloon to fly higher

and higher in the air.

5 Nora wants to expand on the idea she has expressed in sentence 23. Which sentence could

BEST follow sentence 23?

The adventure

of the day had only just begun.

B As the balloon got higher in the air, things on the ground got smaller and smaller.

C Soon people were the size of ants, and cars and trucks looked like toys.

D Everything on the ground looked different when viewed from the air.

6 How should

sentence 24 be revised?

F For more

than an hour, Jayden, his father, and their fellow passengers floated high and

floated way above the trees and the town.

G For more than an hour, Jayden, his father, and their fellow passengers floated high above

the trees and the town, which was way up high.

For more than an hour, Jayden, his father, and their fellow passengers floated they were

high above the trees and the town.

J For more than an hour, Jayden, his father, and their fellow passengers floated high above

the trees and the town.

riting

Page 13

Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question. Then fill in

theansweronyouranswerdocument.

Quincy’s paper explores the science behind something everyone has experienced. He

would like you to read this first draft and look for any revisions he should make.

When you finish reading, answer the questions that follow.

Investigating the Sneeze

(1) It has happened to everyone. (2) You begin to feel a strange, itchy

sensation in your nose, and before you know it... aaaa-CHOO! (3) You have

sneezed. (4) Sneezing is an interesting process.

(5) The ordinary sneeze usually begins with a tickle in the nose. (6) Nerve

endings pick up the message and send it to a “sneeze center” in the brain. (7) The

chest tightens. (8) Air pressure in the lungs increases. (9) The eyes close, and the

tongue presses against the roof of the mouth. (10) Suddenly, air shoots out of the

nose with a powerful force. (11) “Achoo!” the person says. (12) Some sources claim

that the common sneeze may travel at a speed of 100 miles per hour. (13) And once

a sneeze is underway, everyone knows that it’s almost impossible to stop.

(14) There are some true and untrue things about it. (15) For example, it is

true that people have nerve endings in the nose that direct sensations to the brain’s

sneeze center, but it’s also true that there are other triggers for a sneeze.

(16) About one-third of people sneeze when they are first exposed to bright light,

riting

Page 14

and others are prone to sneeze when they are plucking their eyebrows or exercising.

(17) Furthermore, it is true that sneezing can be healthy. (18) That’s because the

sneeze is an important part of the immune process and helps clear away irritants,

pollutants, and germs. (19) On the other hand, it is a myth that a person’s heart

stops during a sneeze. (20) And it is definitely not true that a person’s eyeballs can

pop out from the force of a powerful sneeze!

(21) Sneezing has been observed throughout history by people all over the

world. (22) Therefore, it isn’t surprising that there is a wealth of sneeze-related

trivia on the Internet. (23) For example, the iguana, a WebMD article states,

sneezes more often than any other animal and more efficiently. (24) It does this to

get rid of the salts it produces while it is digesting its food. (25) Another research

source identifies the longest bout of sneezing. (26) Donna Griffiths earned the

Guinness World Record for the longest sneezing fit in history, from Worcestershire,

England. (27) Beginning in 1981 and ending in 1983, Griffiths sneezed continuously

for 978 days!

(28) Some people try to suppress or quiet their sneezes, but they really

shouldn’t. (29) A sneeze helps clear the nose of potential bacteria and viruses, and

it’s a pretty extraordinary process. (30) So the next time you feel the feeling to

sneeze, grab a tissue and let it go. (31) Your body will be glad you cooperated!

Third party trademark Guinness World Records® was used in these testing materials.

Writing

Page 15

7 In sentence 4, Quincy has attempted to provide a controlling idea for his paper. Which of the

following could replace sentence 4 and more effectively state Quincy’s controlling idea?

A Everyone has experienced the experience of sneezing, and there is so much that we can

study and learn about this normal and common human activity.

B Although sneezing is

an everyday human occurrence, it’s also a remarkable function of the

human body, and studies have revealed some rather interesting facts about it.

C In this paper,

I would like to talk about sneezing, what it is, why it happens, how common

it is, and what some of the strangest facts about it can be.

D The strange, itchy

sensation is over as the sneeze is released from your body, but the

cause and purpose of the activity is an amazing kind of thing.

8 Quincy would

like to add the following detail to the second paragraph (sentences 5–13).

The sneeze center then takes charge and sends

the message to the many muscles that work

together to produce a sneeze.

Where should this sentence be inserted?

After sentence 6

G After sentence 7

H After sentence 9

J After sentence 12

Writing

Page 16

9 Quincy is not pleased with his introduction to the third paragraph (sentences 14–20). Which

of the following can replace sentence 14 and serve as a more effective topic sentence for this

paragraph?

A There are some accurate and false things that have been said about the sneeze being a

normal human function.

B Sneezing is known

to help protect health, but people don’t sneeze when their body is

actually sound asleep.

C Although it’s true

that a sneeze is hard to stop once it is on its way, not everything related

to the sneeze is true.

D People have some

interesting notions about the sneeze, and although some of these ideas

are facts, others are myths.

10 Quincy would

like to provide some additional support for the idea he has presented in

sentence 19. Which of these ideas could best follow and support sentence 19?

F Doctors say this

misconception may come from a slight change in blood pressure and

blood flow during a sneeze, which may briefly change heart rhythm.

G This common myth,

that a person’s heart stops during a sneeze, is just a myth, which

means that there is no truth to the idea at all.

H A myth is

defined as a “widely held but false belief or idea,” and the concept of the heart

not beating during a sneeze is just that, a myth.

J Some people say

that if you breathe through your mouth and pinch your nose when you

feel a sneeze coming on, you can stop it.

11 What is

the most effective revision to make in sentence 23?

A For example, the iguana sneezes more often and more efficiently than any other animal is

what a WebMD article states.

For example, a WebMD article states that the iguana sneezes more often and more

efficiently than any other animal.

For example, a WebMD article states this, the iguana sneezes more often and more

efficiently than any other animal.

No revision is needed in this sentence.

riting

Page 17

12 What is the most effective way to revise sentence 26?

F Donna Griffiths, who earned the Guinness World Record, had the longest sneezing fit in

history when she was from Worcestershire, England.

G Donna Griffiths earned the Guinness World Record from Worcestershire, England, for the

longest sneezing fit in history.

H Donna Griffiths was from Worcestershire, England, she earned the Guinness World Record

for the longest sneezing fit in history.

J Donna Griffiths, from Worcestershire, England, earned the Guinness World Record for the

longest sneezing fit in history.

13 Quincy has not used the most effective word in sentence 30. To improve this sentence, he

should change feeling to —

tug

B impression

C urge

D encounter

Writing

Page 18

Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question. Then fill in

theansweronyouranswerdocument.

Ethan wrote the following paper to persuade students to consider beginning the

practice of upcycling. Before he submits the paper to his school newspaper, he would

like you to read it and suggest any corrections he should make. When you finish

reading, answer the questions that follow.

Creative Examples of Upcycling

New Treasures

(1) “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.” (2) That’s a common

expression, but the next time you throw something away, think about a twist on the

old saying. (3) What if your trash could become your own treasure? (4) Many

creative, thrifty, and environmentally minded people have come up with a way to

make that happen. (5) It’s called upcycling, this is turning something you would

otherwise throw away into a useful item. (6) Our world would be a better place if

everyone would begin upcycling.

(7) Upcycling is the practice of taking an unwanted item and converting it into

something you can use. (8) For example, how about that pair of jeans that has a

hole in one knee? (9) It could become a hip new pillow for your bedroom or a

potholder for the kitchen. (10) How about the old T-shirts you never wear anymore?

(11) It could be stitched together to make a picnic blanket. (12) Or you could turn

an old windbreaker into a bag. (13) To carry a swimsuit and towel to the beach.

(14) Rinsed-out tin cans covered with colorful art tape make great pencil holders.

(15) Did you know that you can even use the lint from your dryer to make a kind of

clay. (16) All of these are examples of upcycling.

Writing

Page 19

(17) Upcycling is not the same as recycling. (18) Upcycling is actually much

better for the environment. (19) Recycling takes an item made of glass, paper,

metal, or plastic, breaks it down to its base material, and then used that material to

make another product. (20) This requires a great deal of energy. (21) On the other

hand, when you choose to upcycle, the only energy you use is your own. (22) And

upcycling doesn’t just reduce the amount of trash that goes into our landfills it also

protects natural resources, such as oil and gas. (23) Recycling is good for the

environment, but upcycling is even better.

(24) Upcycling is also an economical way to make a family’s budget stretch

further. (25) Before you run to the store to buy something, look around your house.

(26) Plastic coffee containers can make great flowerpots, and old teacups can be

transformed into candles. (27) An old ladder can even become a bookshelf. (28) Of

course, the idea of reusing items to save money is not new. (29) During the great

depression in the 1930s, many families lived on a tight budget. (30) People had to

use what they already had in order to meet their needs. (31) Flour sacks were used

to make clothes, a broken door became a new table, and scraps from old clothing

was fashioned into beautiful quilts. (32) Today we should follow the examples of our

great-grandparents and save money by upcycling.

(33) As responsable citizens, we should all be concerned with protecting our

environment and budgeting our resources. (34) Upcycling is a fun and creative way

to help. (35) The next time you go to toss something into the trash can or even into

the recycling bin, stop and think about what it could become. (36) Chances are,

there’s a brand-new item in your hand just waiting to be upcycled.

Writing

Page 20

14 What is the correct way to write sentence 5?

F It’s called upcycling. Or turning something you would otherwise throw away into a useful

item.

G It’s called upcycling, or turning something you would otherwise throw away into a useful

item.

H It’s called upcycling, which is turning something you would otherwise throw away. Into a

useful item.

J Sentence 5 is written correctly in the paper.

15 What change, if any, needs to be made in sentence 11?

Change It to They

B Change stitched to stiched

C Insert a comma after together

D No change needs to be made.

16 What is the correct

way to write sentences 12 and 13?

F Or you could turn an old windbreaker into a bag to carry a swimsuit. And a towel to the

beach.

G Or you could

turn an old windbreaker into a bag to carry a swimsuit and towel to the

beach.

H Or you could

turn an old windbreaker into a bag you could use it to carry a swimsuit and

towel to the beach.

J The sentences are

written correctly in the paper.

riting

Page 21

17 What change, if any, needs to be made in sentence 15?

Change lint to lent

B Change your to you’re

C Change the period to a question mark

D No change needs to be made in sentence 15.

18 What change should

be made in sentence 19?

Delete the comma after plastic

G Change breaks to brakes

H Change its to it’s

J Change

used to uses

19 How should sentence 22 be changed?

Change reduce to reduse

B Insert a semicolon after landfills

C Change protects to protect’s

D Sentence 22 should not be changed.

riting

Page 22

20 What change, if any, should be made in sentence 29?

Change During to Durring

G Change great depression to Great Depression

H Change the comma to a semicolon

J No change should be made in sentence 29.

21 What change needs to be made in sentence 31?

Change broken to broke

B Change became to becomes

C Change scraps to scrapes

D Change was fashioned to were fashioned

22 What change, if any, should be made in sentence 33?

Change responsable to responsible

G Delete the comma

H Insert

a comma after environment

J No

change should be made in this sentence.

Writing

Page 23

Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question. Then fill in

theansweronyouranswerdocument.

Kelly wrote the following story for a homework assignment. Read Kelly’s story and

look for any corrections she needs to make. Then answer the questions that follow.

Choosing a Dog

(1) When the Bennett family moved to a new house, their biggest challenge

wasn’t adapting. (2) It was adopting.

(3) Moving from an apartment to a house meant that the Bennetts could now

have a dog. (4) Their new home had plenty of room and a large fenced backyard,

but they couldn’t agree on what kind of dog you should adopt.

(5) Mr. Bennett insists on a dog that wouldn’t leave hair all over the house.

(6) “A little poodle would be nice,” he said. (7) “I’ve read that they don’t shed.”

(8) “Poodles are lapdogs,” scoffed Mrs. Bennett. (9) “I think we should get a

big dog, like a Labrador retriever.”

(10) “Ugh, I don’t want a big dog jumping and drooling all over me,” said

Jenna. (11) “I’m with Dad. (12) Poodles are cute.”

(13) Tony shook his head. (14) “We should get a friendly dog that’s

smart—one that can be easily trained. (15) I say we get a Lab.”

(16) It seemed the only thing the Bennetts could agree on was that they

should adopt a dog from the local animal shelter. (17) On Saturday they decided to

visit the shelter to see what kinds of dogs were availible.

(18) The attendant at the shelter took the Bennetts to a line of large cages.

(19) “Here’s a nice black Lab that just came in,” she said. (20) The dog jumped up

to greet them. (21) Sending bits of fur into the air. (22) Tony patted the dog’s head,

but Jenna and her father backed away.

(23) “Too hairy,” said Mr. Bennett.

(24) “Too big and slobbery,” said Jenna.

(25) Next they approached an area of smaller cages. (26) “Here’s a little gray

poodle,” the attendant said. (27) “He could use some training, but he would be

fun.” (28) The poodle spun in circles and barked obnoxiously.” (29) Tony and his

mother shook their heads.

(30) “All that yapping would drive me nuts,” said Mrs. Bennett.

Writing

Page 24

(31) The attendant smiled. (32) “You know, I think I have just the dog for

you folks,” she said. (33) “Follow me.” (34) She led the family to a more quieter

section of the kennel and stopped in front of the last cage. (35) Resting on a blanket

was a medium-size dog she had curly white hair and floppy ears. (36) The dog

looked at her visitors with bright, intelligent eyes.

(37) “This is Missy,” said the attendant. (38) “She’s a labradoodle, a mix of

Labrador and poodle. (39) She doesn’t shed much. (40) And she’s been well loved,

so she’ll make a good family pet. (41) We had to take her in when her previous

owner moved overseas. (42) She’s an older dog, but she’s a real sweetheart.

(43) Come here, Missy, and say hello.”

(44) Missy delicately rised from the blanket and walked to the cage door.

(45) Then she sat and lifted a paw.

(46) The Bennetts looked at Missy and then at one another.

(47) “I think we’ve found our dog,” said Mr. Bennett as the rest of the family

nodded in agreement.

Writing

Page 25

23 What change needs to be made in sentence 4?

Insert a comma after room

B Delete but

C Change you to they

D No change needs to be made.

24 How should

sentence 5 be changed?

Change insists to insisted

G Insert hardly after wouldn’t

H Change hair to no hair

J Sentence 5 should not be changed.

25 How should sentence

17 be changed?

Insert a comma after shelter

B Change were to was

C Change availible to available

D Sentence 17 should not be changed.

Writing

Page 26

26 What is the correct way to write sentences 20 and 21?

The dog jumped up to greet them, sending bits of fur into the air.

G The dog jumped

up to greet them. Which sent bits of fur into the air.

H The dog jumped up to greet them, this sent bits of fur into the air.

J The sentences are written correctly in the story.

27 What change

should be made in sentence 28?

Change spun to spinned

B Insert a comma after circles

C Change obnoxiously to obnoxously

D Delete

the quotation marks

28 How should

sentence 34 be changed?

Change led to lead

G Change more quieter to quieter

H Insert

a comma after kennel

J Sentence 34 should not be changed.

Writing

Page 27

29 What is the correct way to write sentence 35?

A Resting on a blanket was a medium-size dog. Who had curly white hair and floppy ears.

Resting

on a blanket, a medium-size dog. She had curly white hair and floppy ears.

C Resting on a blanket, a medium-size dog with curly white hair and floppy ears.

Resting

on a blanket was a medium-size dog with curly white hair and floppy ears.

30 What

change, if any, needs to be made in sentence 44?

Change delicately to delicatly

G Change rised to rose

H Change

and to she

J No change needs to be made in this sentence.

BE SURE YOU HAVE RECORDED ALL OF YOUR ANSWERS

Writing

Page 28

ON THE ANSWER DOCUMENT.

STOP

STAAR

GRADE 7

Writing

April 2018

806445