Reading Standards for Literature > Using Evidence to Support Understanding (CCSS.RL.7.1) Practice Test

The hallway buzzed like a hive, but no one looked at me. I hugged my schedule so hard it wrinkled at the edges. If I kept moving, maybe I could slip between the clusters unnoticed. A boy dropped his binder, and papers slid across the floor like white fish. I crouched to help before I could talk myself out of it. He scooped a stack from my hands and said, Thanks, but he didn't ask my name. In homeroom, the teacher paused at Min— and waited for me to save her. I raised my hand and said it clearly, like a lifeguard calling. The class turned, curious for a second, then floated back to their jokes. At lunch, I sat at the end of a table with space around me. A girl with a stack of sketchbooks asked if the seat was taken. I nodded, and she sat, opening a page of crooked city streets. I told her I was new, and she said, Then you get first slice when they bring the pizza for the club. As the bell rang, I realized I had said more than ten words. Maybe I would not vanish after all; maybe I could draw a line here. The doors I kept seeing weren't exits anymore; they were frames I could fill.

A community center gym. Folding chairs face a long table with clipboards, tape, and markers. A poster reads: Block Party Saturday. Late afternoon light. Maya: We still need someone to check with the neighbors on the corners. Trevor: I'll coordinate the stage. It's bigger than last year's, anyway. Mr. Cole: The permit office closes at four. We can't miss that. Sami stands a little apart, near the stack of cardboard signs. Sami twists the edge of a cardboard sign, eyes on the floor. Sami: I can tape signs, maybe, if someone else tells me where. Aunt Dina: You know people on Maple. That helps. Sami: I know the lady above the barbershop. I can ask her now. Trevor: Whoa, little cousin is actually volunteering? Good, because my list is packed. Sami picks up the clipboard, then stops halfway, glancing at Trevor. Mr. Cole: We'll need names on the permit and a contact number. Maya: It doesn't have to be me. Anyone responsible can do it. Sami straightens, shoulders back, and speaks more clearly than before. Sami: I'll do the permit and the corners. Just hand me a pen. Trevor looks up, surprised, then nods once without joking. Maya slides a pen across the table. Sami writes, checking the posted hours, the street names, and the spelling. Aunt Dina: Good. Start with Maple and Pine, then circle back for the rest. The gym's fan rattles the poster, but the tape holds. Sami tucks the clipboard under one arm and heads for the door at a steady pace.