7th Grade Reading - 2010 Released Test

Callie’s Choice

1 Callie heard a soft knock and pulled open the front door. Her favorite neighbor, Mrs. Baker, stood on the porch.

2 “I need your help, Callie,” Mrs. Baker said. “Do you know the empty lot down the street?” Callie nodded. “The place is a mess, covered with trash. The city is letting us use the lot for a community garden,” she explained. “We need help cleaning up the lot on Saturday.”

3 “Sure, Mrs. Baker!” Callie said cheerfully. “I will be happy to help!”

4 Mrs. Baker looked pleased. “Thanks, Callie. We want to get the garden planted before summer.”

5 At school the next morning, Callie’s friend Tamara was waiting for her by their classroom. Tamara had a surprise for her best friend. “Tamara!” Callie called. “Have you heard about Saturday?”

6 Tamara looked confused. “How did you find out about Saturday?” she asked.

7 “My neighbor Mrs. Baker told me,” Callie explained. “She needs help cleaning up the empty lot.”

8 “Oh, that’s not what I am talking about,” Tamara said. “My mom bought tickets to go to Fun World this Saturday. She has an extra one for you!” The girls had been waiting for months for the new amusement park to open.

9 Callie’s heart dropped. “But Mrs. Baker is counting on me to help,” she said.

10 Tamara looked impatient. “Can’t someone else do it? I want you to go to Fun World with me! We’ve been waiting a long time to go.”

11 Callie sighed and worried about her problem for the rest of the day. Her mother noticed her mood when she arrived home.

12 “Did something go wrong at school?” her mother asked.

13 Callie explained her problem. “What should I do, Mom?” Callie asked when she was finished.

14 “I know you want to go with Tamara and also help Mrs. Baker. Think carefully about your choices. You need to make your own decisions, but I know you will do what is best,” her mother answered.

15 Callie spent the rest of the evening thinking about her decision. She wanted to go to Fun World, but in the end, she decided her promise to her neighbor was more important.

16 The next day at school, Callie told Tamara that she would not be able to go to Fun World. Tamara tried to understand, but Callie could tell she was disappointed. The girls hardly spoke for the rest of the week.

17 On Saturday, Callie met Mrs. Baker at the vacant lot. “Hi, Callie,” her neighbor said. “Your mother said you made a tough choice. Thank you for helping us today.”

18 “You’re welcome,” Callie said. Callie smiled as she walked across the lot with a large trash bag.

19 “Do you need any help?” a voice behind her asked. Callie turned, surprised to see Tamara. She smiled at her friend.

20 “I know you made a promise to clean up the lot, and I wanted to come help you. My mom said she can take us to Fun World next weekend.”

Directions: Read the passage "Callie’s Choice" and answer questions 1 - 9.

Based on paragraphs 1 and 2, Callie probably agrees to clean up the lot because she —
1. enjoys the outdoors
2. thinks Fun World is closed
3. likes her neighbor
4. knows Tamara will help
The author’s main purpose of paragraphs 6–8 is to —
1. introduce the problem that Callie faces
2. explain when the tickets were bought
3. show how many hours the cleanup will take
4. show Tamara’s feelings about the project
Read this sentence from paragraph 9.

Another word for counting as it is used in this sentence is —
1. waiting
2. calling
3. checking
4. depending
Based on paragraphs 11–14, which sentence is probably true about Callie’s mother?
1. She thinks Mrs. Baker is an excellent neighbor.
2. She agrees that the girls should go to Fun World.
3. She believes Callie can solve her own problems.
4. She knows that neighborhood gardens are useful.
Paragraph 15 is mostly about the way Callie —
1. refuses to speak to her friend at school
2. spends an evening talking to her mother
3. knows she will enjoy going to Fun World
4. struggles with her promise to her neighbor
Read this thesaurus entry.

Which meaning of tough is used in paragraph 17?
1. strong
2. difficult
3. healthy
4. firm
Why does Mrs. Baker need Callie’s help?
1. The neighborhood wants to start a garden in an empty lot filled with trash.
2. The neighbors do not have time to clean the lot.
3. The other children will not help because Fun World is opening.
4. The city is asking people to clear the empty lots near their homes.
Who suggests that the girls visit Fun World on a different day?
1. Callie
2. Mrs. Baker
3. Tamara’s mother
4. Callie’s mother
Tamara most likely goes to the empty lot because she —
1. fears she will lose Callie’s friendship if she does not help with the cleanup
2. wants to help Callie keep her promise to clean up the area
3. wants to help plant her mom’s garden and needs an opinion from Mrs. Baker
4. thinks Callie will be able to leave sooner if she has more help

Grade 4 Reading -- 2010 Released Test -Passage 3

Callie’s Choice