Grade 7 ELA Practice Test: Evaluating an Argument's Claims, Reasons and Evidence
- Evaluating Arguments: Claims, Reasons and Evidence
- 10 questions
- 15 minutes
Read the student essay, then answer the 10 questions. Tip: for every reason in an argument, look for the evidence that backs it up, and notice any claim that has none.
Tap an option to mark your answer. You can change your mind, or tap the same option again to leave the question blank. The correct answers and explanations appear when you finish the test.Tap an option to answer; tap it again to leave the question blank.
Your result
- 0 correct
- 0 wrong
- 0 blank
-
Question 1
Read the essay and answer questions 1-10.
Our School Needs a Repair Café
(1) Every week, our school throws away chairs with one loose leg, calculators with sticky buttons and backpacks with broken zippers. Our school should host a monthly Repair Café, where students and volunteers fix broken items instead of throwing them away.
(2) First, a Repair Café would cut down on waste. Last spring, our student council checked the school's dumpster every day for one week and counted 41 objects that could have been repaired, including 9 chairs and 14 backpacks.
(3) Second, it would teach useful skills. Fixing a zipper or replacing a fuse takes patience and careful thinking, and students who learn these skills can use them for the rest of their lives. My uncle, who repaired radios for thirty years, has a huge collection of jazz records.
(4) Some people argue that the school cannot afford tools. However, the hardware store on Pine Street has offered to lend basic tools for free, and four parents who work as electricians and tailors have volunteered to help.
(5) A broken chair does not have to be the end of the story. With one afternoon a month, we can save money, reduce waste and learn skills that last.
What is the author's claim?
Correct answer: B
Paragraph 1 states the claim directly: the school "should host a monthly Repair Café." The hardware store's offer is evidence used later, not the claim.
-
Question 2
Essay (see above):
Which evidence supports the reason that a Repair Café would cut down on waste?
Correct answer: D
The dumpster count is data that shows how much fixable material is being thrown away. The other details support different points or simply restate the idea.
-
Question 3
Essay (see above):
Which sentence from the essay is least relevant to the author's claim?
Correct answer: A
The uncle's record collection has nothing to do with repairing items at school. The counterclaim about tools is relevant because the author answers it.
-
Question 4
Essay (see above):
What is the purpose of paragraph 4?
Correct answer: C
Paragraph 4 states a counterclaim ("the school cannot afford tools") and then rebuts it with the hardware store's offer and the parent volunteers.
-
Question 5
Essay (see above):
The final paragraph says the Repair Café will help the school "save money." What is the weakness of this point?
Correct answer: A
The essay supports "reduce waste" and "learn skills," but no paragraph shows any savings, so this part of the conclusion is not backed up.
-
Question 6
Essay (see above):
How does paragraph 3 support the claim?
Correct answer: D
Paragraph 3 relies on reasoning, not numbers: repairing builds patience and careful thinking, and the skills last a lifetime.
-
Question 7
Essay (see above):
Which additional evidence would best strengthen paragraph 2?
Correct answer: B
Paragraph 2 argues that repairs reduce waste, so results from a similar program would show the idea works. Hours, colors and favorite tools do not show anything about waste.
-
Question 8
Essay (see above):
How does the author respond to the counterclaim?
Correct answer: C
The author points to the hardware store's offer and four parent volunteers, which are concrete facts. The author does not attack opponents or give up the claim.
-
Question 9
Essay (see above):
A reader might question the dumpster evidence in paragraph 2. Which concern is most reasonable?
Correct answer: A
A one-week sample is small, so a reader could ask whether that week was typical. The essay gives no reason to think the items cannot be repaired.
-
Question 10
Essay (see above):
What is the author's main purpose?
Correct answer: C
The essay states a claim, supports it with reasons and evidence and answers a counterclaim, which are features of persuasive writing.
Questions you leave blank are not counted as wrong.
More English Language Arts tests
English Language ArtsGrade 7 ELA Practice Test: Analogies and Word RelationshipsAnalogies and Word Relationships10 questions12 min English Language ArtsGrade 7 ELA Practice Test: Reading Comprehension and GrammarReading Comprehension and Grammar12 questions15 minEnglish Language ArtsGrade 7 ELA Practice Test: Central Idea, Author's Purpose, Phrases and ClausesCentral Idea, Author's Purpose, Phrases and Clauses15 questions20 minEnglish Language ArtsGrade 7 ELA Practice Test: Connotation, Denotation and Word ChoiceConnotation, Denotation and Word Choice10 questions12 minEnglish Language ArtsGrade 7 ELA Practice Test: Misplaced and Dangling ModifiersMisplaced and Dangling Modifiers10 questions12 minEnglish Language ArtsGrade 7 ELA Practice Test: Comma Rules and Coordinate AdjectivesComma Rules and Coordinate Adjectives10 questions12 minEnglish Language ArtsGrade 7 ELA Practice Test: Poetry Analysis, Sound and StructurePoetry Analysis: Sound and Structure10 questions15 min