Grade 7

FSA ELA Reading

Practice Test Questions

The purpose of these practice test materials is to orient teachers and students
to the types of questions on paper-based FSA tests. By using these materials,
students will become familiar with the types of items and response formats
they may see on a paper-based test. The practice questions and answers are
not intended to demonstrate the length of the actual test, nor should student
responses be used as an indicator of student performance on the actual test.
The practice test is not intended to guide classroom instruction.

Directions for Answering the

ELA Reading Practice Test Questions

If you don’t understand a question, ask your teacher to explain it to you.

Your teacher has the answers to the practice test questions.
To offer students a variety of texts on the FSA ELA Reading tests, authentic
and copyrighted stories, poems, and articles appear as they were originally
published, as requested by the publisher and/or author. While these
real-world examples do not always adhere to strict style conventions and/or
grammar rules, inconsistencies among passages should not detract from
students’ ability to understand and answer questions about the texts.

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Some items are reproduced with permission from the American Institutes for
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 FSA ELA Reading Practice Test Questions

Read the passages “The Spirit of Discontent” and "The Mill Girls,"
listen to the audio clip “The Spirit of Discontent,” and then answer
Numbers 1 through 7.

Passage 1: The Spirit of Discontent

The following story is from an issue of the Lowell Offering, a monthly
magazine of letters, stories, and poetry written by women working in the
textile mills in Lowell, Massachusetts, in the mid-1800s.

1 “I will not stay in Lowell any longer; I am determined to give my

notice this very day,” said Ellen Collins, as the earliest bell was tolling
to remind us of the hour for labor.
2 “Why, what is the matter, Ellen? It seems to me you have dreamed
out a new idea! Where do you think of going? and what for?”
3 “I am going home, where I shall not be obliged to rise so early in
the morning, nor be dragged about by the ringing of the bell, nor
confined in a close noisy room from morning till night. I will not stay
here; I am determined to go home in a fortnight.”1
4 Such was our brief morning’s conversation.
5 In the evening, as I sat alone, reading, my companions having
gone out to public lectures or social meetings, Ellen entered. I saw that
she still wore the same gloomy expression of countenance, which had
been manifested in the morning; and I was disposed to remove from
her mind the evil influence, by a plain common-sense conversation.
6 “And so, Ellen,” said I, “you think it unpleasant to rise so early in
the morning, and be confined in the noisy mill so many hours in the
day. And I think so, too. All this, and much more, is very annoying, no
doubt. But we must not forget that there are advantages, as well as
disadvantages, in this employment, as in every other. If we expect to
find all sun-shine and flowers in any station in life, we shall most surely
be disappointed. We are very busily engaged during the day; but then
we have the evening to ourselves, with no one to dictate to or control
us. I have frequently heard you say that you would not be confined to
house-hold duties and that you disliked the millinery business
altogether, because you could not have your evenings for leisure. You
know that in Lowell we have schools, lectures, and meetings of every
description, for moral and intellectual improvement.”
1
fortnight: two weeks

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7 “All that is very true,” replied Ellen, “but if we were to attend every
public institution, and every evening school which offers itself for our
improvement, we might spend every farthing of our earnings, and even
more. Then if sickness should overtake us, what are the probable
consequences? Here we are, far from kindred and home; and if we
have an empty purse, we shall be destitute of friends also.” . . .
8 “You are fully aware, Ellen, that a country life does not exclude
people from labor— . . . that people have often to go a distance to
meetings of any kind—that books cannot be so easily obtained as they
can here—that you cannot always have just such society as you wish—
that you”—
9 She interrupted me, by saying, “We have no bell, with its
everlasting ding-dong.”
10 “What difference does it make,” said I, “whether you shall be
awaked [sic] by a bell, or the noisy bustle of a farm-house? For, you
know, farmers are generally up as early in the morning as we are
obliged to rise.”
11 “But then,” said Ellen, “country people have none of the clattering
of machinery constantly dinning in their ears.”
12 “True,” I replied, “but they have what is worse—and that is, a dull,
lifeless silence all around them. The hens may cackle sometimes, and
the geese gabble, and the pigs squeal”—
13 Ellen’s hearty laugh interrupted my description—and presently we
proceeded, very pleasantly, to compare a country life with a factory life
in Lowell. Her scowl of discontent had departed, and she was prepared
to consider the subject candidly. We agreed, that since we must work
for a living, the mill, all things considered, is the most pleasant, and
best calculated to promote our welfare; that we will work diligently
during the hours of labor; improve our leisure to the best advantage, in
the cultivation of the mind, —hoping thereby not only to increase our
own pleasure, but also to add to the happiness of those around us.

“The Spirit of Discontent” fiction from the Lowell Offering. In the public domain.

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 FSA ELA Reading Practice Test Questions

Passage 2: The Mill Girls

Choices and Changes

14 To find workers for their mills in early Lowell, the textile corporations
recruited women from New England farms and villages. These
“daughters of Yankee1 farmers” had few economic opportunities, and
many were enticed by the prospect of monthly cash wages and room
and board in a comfortable boardinghouse. Beginning in 1823, with the
opening of Lowell’s first factory, large numbers of young women moved
to the growing city. In the mills, female workers faced long hours of toil
and often grueling working conditions. Yet many female textile workers
saved money and gained a measure of economic independence. In
addition, the city’s shops and religious institutions, along with its
educational and recreational activities, offered an exciting social life that
most women from small villages had never experienced.

Leaving Home
15 Most of the women who came to Lowell were from farms and small
villages. Some had labored in small textile mills. Others had produced
cotton or woolen goods or shoes for merchants who employed men and
women in their homes and paid them by the pieces they produced.
16 On many farms the father was the property owner and head of
household. Family members shared daily and seasonal tasks. In
addition to strenuous chores outdoors, mothers and daughters toiled in
the home, cooking, cleaning, and making clothes. This hardscrabble life
proved increasingly difficult for young women, and by the early 1800s
a growing number of Yankee farm families faced severe economic
difficulties. For many young, rural women, the decision to leave home
for a city like Lowell was often born of necessity. . . .

Life in a Boardinghouse
17 The majority of mill girls in Lowell lived in boardinghouses. These
large, corporation-owned buildings were often run by a female keeper,

1
Yankee: a person from the northeast region of the United States

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 FSA ELA Reading Practice Test Questions

or a husband and wife. A typical boardinghouse consisted of eight

units, with 20 to 40 women living in each unit.
18 For most young women, life in the boardinghouse was dramatically
different from life on the farm. Usually they shared a room with three
other women, sleeping two to a bed. A fireplace in each room provided
warmth in the colder seasons. The keeper prepared three meals a day,
and the women dined together in a common room. Women formed
many new friendships with other female boarders. The bonds created
through daily social intercourse helped new workers adjust to the
demands of factory life.

“The Mill Girls.” In the public domain. Data retrieved from

http://www.nps.gov/lowe/planyourvisit/upload/mill%20girls.pdf.

Passage 3 Audio Clip: The Spirit of Discontent

Raise your hand so your test administrator can provide you

access to this audio passage.

Listen to this audio clip from "The Spirit of Discontent."

"The Spirit of Discontent" recorded for educational purposes.

998

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 FSA ELA Reading Practice Test Questions

Now answer Numbers 1 through 7. Base your answers on the

passages “The Spirit of Discontent” and “The Mill Girls” and the
audio clip “The Spirit of Discontent.”

1. Select two sentences from Passage 1 that show that Ellen is willing to
consider another person’s point of view.

A “I saw that she still wore the same gloomy expression of

countenance, which had been manifested in the morning; and I was
disposed to remove from her mind the evil influence, by a plain
common-sense conversation.” (paragraph 5)
B “‘I have frequently heard you say that you would not be confined to
house-hold duties and that you disliked the millinery business
altogether, because you could not have your evenings for leisure.’”
(paragraph 6)
C “‘What difference does it make,’ said I, ‘whether you shall be awaked
[sic] by a bell, or the noisy bustle of a farm-house?’” (paragraph 10)
D “Ellen’s hearty laugh interrupted my description—and presently we
proceeded, very pleasantly, to compare a country life with a factory
life in Lowell.” (paragraph 13)
E “Her scowl of discontent had departed, and she was prepared to
consider the subject candidly.” (paragraph 13)
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2. This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.

Part A

Which sentence states a theme of Passage 1?

A Hard work pays off in the end.

B Country life is better than city life.
C Employers must treat workers with respect.
D It is important to consider both sides of an argument.

Part B

Fill in the circles before two sentences that support the answer in
Part A.

6 A “And so, Ellen,” said I, “you think it unpleasant to rise so early in

the morning, and be confined in the noisy mill so many hours in the day.
B And I think so, too. C All this, and much more, is very annoying, no
doubt. D But we must not forget that there are advantages, as well as
disadvantages, in this employment, as in every other. E If we expect
to find all sun-shine and flowers in any station in life, we shall most
surely be disappointed. F We are very busily engaged during the day;
but then we have the evening to ourselves, with no one to dictate to or
control us. G I have frequently heard you say that you would not be
confined to house-hold duties and that you disliked the millinery
business altogether, because you could not have your evenings for
leisure. H You know that in Lowell we have schools, lectures, and
meetings of every description, for moral and intellectual improvement.”
14781

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3. How do the repeated references to the ringing bell affect the dialogue
between the narrator and Ellen throughout Passage 1?

A They show what the narrator has done to improve her life.
B They add to the tension of the choice Ellen is trying to make.
C They provide a contrast for the work the women do in the mill.
D They help readers understand why Ellen wants to stay in the city.
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4. What does the phrase destitute of friends suggest in paragraph 7?

A that Ellen considers friends unimportant

B that the women may lose their friendships
C that the friendships the women make are strong
D that Ellen is concerned about her friends’ well-being
14785

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5. This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.

Part A

How is the narrator’s point of view different from Ellen’s?

A The narrator thinks that the work the women do in the mill is easy.
B The narrator recognizes the benefits of living and working in Lowell.
C The narrator enjoys the sounds of mechanical equipment heard in
the city.
D The narrator acknowledges that there is not enough time for leisure
in Lowell.

Part B

Select the sentence from Passage 1 that supports the answer in Part A.

A “‘And so, Ellen,’ said I, ‘you think it unpleasant to rise so early in the
morning, and be confined in the noisy mill so many hours in the day.’”
(paragraph 6)
B “‘But we must not forget that there are advantages, as well as
disadvantages, in this employment, as in every other.’” (paragraph 6)
C “‘All that is very true,’ replied Ellen, ‘but if we were to attend every
public institution, and every evening school which offers itself for our
improvement, we might spend every farthing of our earnings, and
even more.’” (paragraph 7)
D “‘But then,’ said Ellen, ‘country people have none of the clattering of
machinery constantly dinning in their ears.’” (paragraph 11)
14786

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 FSA ELA Reading Practice Test Questions

6. Passage 1 and Passage 3 present the same story in different formats.

Which element of the story is emphasized by listening to the audio clip in
Passage 3?

A Ellen’s thoughts about living and working on a farm

B the narrator’s experiences working in the mill
C Ellen’s attitude toward living in the mill town
D the narrator’s ideas about life in the country
15084

7. Select two facts from Passage 2 that play a role in the story presented in
Passage 1.

A The boardinghouses were usually run by a female keeper.

B Women working in Lowell mills mostly came from farms and
small towns.
C Some women worked in small textile mills in the country before
coming to the city.
D Women who lived in Lowell boardinghouses often shared a bedroom
with other women.
E The cities provided mill workers with many social opportunities they
did not have in small towns.
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 FSA ELA Reading Practice Test Questions

Read the passages “What Is Echolocation?,” “Tiger Moths Use Sonic

Defense to Trick Bats,” and “Bat Sonar and Naval Technology” and
then answer Numbers 8 through 13.

Passage 1: What Is Echolocation?

by Elizabeth Hagen

1 Echolocation is the use of sound waves and echoes to determine

where objects are in space. Bats use echolocation to navigate and find
food in the dark. To echolocate, bats send out sound waves from their
mouth or nose. When the sound waves hit an object they produce
echoes. The echo bounces off the object and returns to the bat’s ears.
Bats listen to the echoes to figure out where the object is, how big it is,
and its shape. Using echolocation, bats can detect objects as thin as a
human hair in complete darkness. Echolocation allows bats to find
insects the size of mosquitoes, which many bats like to eat. . . .
2 Did you know that other animals use echolocation too? Dolphins,
whales, shrews and some birds use echolocation to navigate and find
food. There are even some blind people that have learned to use
echolocation to navigate within their surroundings.
3 Humans cannot hear ultrasonic sounds made by echolocating bats.
But there are some insects that can hear these ultrasonic sounds.
These insects include some moths, beetles, and crickets. When moths
hear an echolocating bat, some will turn and fly away. Others will start
flying in a zigzag, spiral, or looping pattern to avoid being eaten by the
bat. Some crickets and beetles are known to make clicking sounds that
startle the bat and scare it off, thus avoiding being eaten.
4 Did you know that the scientists that developed the sonar and radar
navigation systems used by the military got their idea from studying
bat echolocation? Just like bat echolocation, sonar uses sound waves to
navigate and determine the location of objects like submarines and
ships. Only sonar is used underwater, while bats echolocate in the open
air. Radar uses electromagnetic waves to determine the location of
objects like planes and ships. Like bat echolocation, radar is also used
on open air.

“Bats” by Elizabeth Hagen. © Arizona Board of Regents / ASU Ask A Biologist.

http://askabiologist.asu.edu/echolocation.

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Passage 2: Tiger Moths Use Sonic Defense

to Trick Bats
by Josh Chamot

5 As a bat zips through the night sky, it sends out high-pitched

squeaks, bouncing sound waves off of objects and unsuspecting prey.
While most insect victims would have trouble fighting back, many dive
and loop to avoid enemies, and some have the added advantage of
being poisonous. Yet, in the dark, the bright warning colors of most
toxic insects are lost on predators. Now, some researchers suspect one
type of moth may have a way of effectively broadcasting its toxicity—
the insect produces high-pitched sounds of its own.

6 Tiger moths have a special clicker called a tymbal built into their
thorax.1 When they fly, the moths click their tymbal to produce a
distinct sound that seems to keep bats at bay. Scientists have proposed
a few reasons for the tymbal’s success, ranging from its potential to
startle a bat to its possible role as a “jammer” that garbles the bats’
hunting squeaks.
7 [National Science Foundation] researchers William Conner and
Nickolay Hristov of Wake Forest University in North Carolina have found
preliminary evidence that the tymbal may actually warn the bats: “I’m
a tiger moth and I’m toxic.” The bat may recognize the clicks from the
11,000 tiger moth species, learning to avoid the critters after an initial
bout of food poisoning.

1
thorax: the moth’s midsection

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8 Next summer,2 Conner’s team will take the research to the Ecology
Summer Day Camp at Archbold Biological Station in Lake Placid,
Florida. In addition to their summer of field activities, the kids will test
out a new “Bats and Bugs” website that includes recorded bat sounds
and videos of the in-flight battles.

2
Next summer: The research took place during 2002.

“Tiger Moths Use Sonic Defense to Trick Bats” by Josh Chamot. Courtesy: National Science Foundation.

Passage 3: Bat Sonar and Naval Technology

by The Office of Naval Research

This article describes a research program by the Office of Naval Research

(ONR). ONR's Bio-Sonar program studies the ability of bats and other
creatures to echolocate.

9 ONR’s Bio-Sonar program supports the bat research of Brown

University neuroscientist,1 Jim Simmons. Bats use sonar to find food
and avoid obstacles much the way our military sonar systems would
like to find and detect submarines and mines. “Bats make sounds,
listen to echoes, and then see objects,” notes Simmons. “We want to
know what the neurons in the bat’s auditory system are doing to
process the echoes that allows their brains to ‘see’ an image. We now
know that bats have a method of doing synthetic aperture sonar while
flying that not only determines the distance and direction of all the
objects in a scene, but also reconstructs one specific object’s shape.
What’s really incredible is that they can do both simultaneously.”
10 In Simmons’ experiments, the bats are trained to differentiate
sounds with the time separation of those sounds shortened to test the
bats’ response. “The bats humor us,” says Simmons. “They get
mealworms if they behave.”
11 A major goal of ONR’s bio-sonar research program is to duplicate
the ability to differentiate between two echoes that arrive at almost the

1
neuroscientist: a scientist who studies the functions of the brain

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 FSA ELA Reading Practice Test Questions

same time. Today’s electronic sonar processing can differentiate

between echoes about 12 millionths of a second apart. Bats have it
down to 2 to 3 millionths of a second. Being able to separate such
sounds means that bats can tell the difference between objects and
shapes that are separated by only about the width of a human hair.
12 “ONR would like to get naval sonars, both in listening and in
processing the return information, a bit more, well, bat-like,” notes
ONR’s Harold Hawkins.

Excerpt from “Bat Sonar and Anti-Submarine Warfare” by the Office of Naval Research. In the
public domain.
986

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 FSA ELA Reading Practice Test Questions

Now answer Numbers 8 through 13. Base your answers on the

passages “What Is Echolocation?,” “Tiger Moths Use Sonic Defense to
Trick Bats,” and “Bat Sonar and Naval Technology.”

8. Select two sentences from Passage 2 that support the inference that
researchers are unsure of the effect that clicking moths have on bats.

A “As a bat zips through the night sky, it sends out high-pitched
squeaks, bouncing sound waves off of objects and unsuspecting
prey.” (paragraph 5)
B “While most insect victims would have trouble fighting back, many
dive and loop to avoid enemies, and some have the added advantage
of being poisonous.” (paragraph 5)
C “Tiger moths have a special clicker called a tymbal built into their
thorax.” (paragraph 6)
D “Scientists have proposed a few reasons for the tymbal’s success,
ranging from its potential to startle a bat to its possible role as a
‘jammer’ that garbles the bats’ hunting squeaks.” (paragraph 6)
E “The bat may recognize the clicks from the 11,000 tiger moth
species, learning to avoid the critters after an initial bout of food
poisoning.” (paragraph 7)
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 FSA ELA Reading Practice Test Questions

9. This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.

Part A

What are two central ideas of Passage 2?

A Bats cannot see colors.

B Bats use echolocation to hunt.
C Many animals use echolocation.
D Scientists study echolocation in moths.
E One type of moth makes a clicking sound to avoid bats.

Part B

How does the author of Passage 2 develop the central ideas in Part A?

A by discussing science experiments on bats

B by explaining what people can learn from animals
C by specifying the similarities between tiger moths and bats
D by describing the relationship between bats and tiger moths
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 FSA ELA Reading Practice Test Questions

10. Read the following sentence from Passage 2.

“Now, some researchers suspect one type of moth may have a way of
effectively broadcasting its toxicity—the insect produces high-pitched
sounds of its own.” (paragraph 5)

What is the effect of the word toxicity in this sentence?

A It emphasizes the tiger moths’ bright color.

B It highlights the tiger moths’ aggressiveness.
C It shows the danger that tiger moths pose to bats.
D It shows how bats are affected by different noises.
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11. How does paragraph 1 of Passage 1 contribute to the development of the

author’s ideas?

A By focusing on echolocation in bats, paragraph 1 explains how

humans can benefit from studying echolocation.
B By explaining specific uses for echolocation, paragraph 1 gives
information about how bats developed the ability to echolocate.
C By giving examples of objects that can be detected through
echolocation, paragraph 1 explains how animals can avoid detection.
D By giving a detailed description of how echolocation works,
paragraph 1 helps the reader understand how other animals use
echolocation.
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12. This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.

Part A

What is the purpose of Passage 2?

A to discuss the various animals that use echolocation

B to explain how a certain type of animal can counteract bat echolocation
C to explain that humans have developed military equipment by
copying echolocation in bats
D to give examples of the experiments that researchers have
conducted to observe bat echolocation

Part B

How does the author of Passage 2 develop the purpose?

A by listing other ways that animals use echolocation

B by explaining a theory for why tiger moths make certain sounds
C by discussing several strategies used by tiger moths to avoid bats
D by giving examples of specific bat behaviors related to echolocation
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 FSA ELA Reading Practice Test Questions

13. This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.

Part A

How does Passage 3 support the claim that the U.S. military would like to
improve its sonar technology?

A It illustrates how existing technology was developed through specific

examples.
B It gives statistical evidence that explains how technology has
improved in the past.
C It explains how bats echolocate and gives examples of situations
where echolocation might occur.
D It describes how scientists train bats and observe specific behaviors
to learn how echolocation works.

Part B

Select two sentences from Passage 3 that provide relevant support for
the answer in Part A.

A “‘Bats make sounds, listen to echoes, and then see objects,’ notes
Simmons.” (paragraph 9)
B “‘We now know that bats have a method of doing synthetic aperture
sonar while flying that not only determines the distance and direction
of all the objects in a scene, but also reconstructs one specific
object’s shape.’” (paragraph 9)
C “In Simmons’ experiments, the bats are trained to differentiate
sounds with the time separation of those sounds shortened to test
the bats’ response.” (paragraph 10)
D “Today’s electronic sonar processing can differentiate between echoes
about 12 millionths of a second apart.” (paragraph 11)
E “Bats have it down to 2 to 3 millionths of a second.” (paragraph 11)
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Choose the correct word or phrase to fill in each blank in the passage. For
each blank, fill in the circle before the word or phrase that is correct. 1011

14. Clotilde Arias is the woman behind “El Pendón Estrellado.” That’s the
official Spanish-language version of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the
United States’ national anthem. Though Arias’s version was not the first
translation, her lyrics most closely fit the sound and meaning of the
original song.

Arias was born in Iquitos, Peru, in 1901, but her family moved to New
York City in 1923. She arrived at the time of one of the most important
art movements in U.S. history: the Harlem Renaissance. Inspired by the
creativity of those around her, __________ [ A it was the environment
Arias needed to succeed B a career in the arts came naturally C Arias
flourished as an artist and a writer D the city was home to many artistic
breakthroughs]. 14747

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15. In 1945, the State Department was looking for a new and better
translation of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Existing Spanish-language
versions of the anthem couldn’t be sung to the original tune. Arias
decided she wanted to try writing her own translation and entered the
__________ [ A compitition B compatition C computition
D competition]. Arias had an __________ [ A advantage because
B advantage however C advantage, but D advantage. Since] she was
both a composer and a translator. 14748

16. Sitting at the piano, __________ [ A music filled Arias’ home B Arias
worked on the translation C there was constant singing D the song
slowly came together]. Arias thought about the song all the time, even
getting up during dinner to write down new ideas. In the end, Clotilde
Arias’s “El Pendón Estrellado” was chosen as the winner. It is still the only
official translation of the national anthem. 15036

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 Office of Assessment
Florida Department of Education, Tallahassee, Florida
Copyright © 2015 State of Florida, Department of State