Year 7 ICAS English 5-Question Sample

Question 1 of 5 Comprehension

The report says of a ghost net that losing an owner "does not stop it working". What is that sentence telling the reader?

Report

The Nets That Keep Fishing

A ghost net is a fishing net that has been lost overboard or cut loose and is still drifting. Losing an owner does not stop it working. The currents of the Gulf of Carpentaria turn like a slow wheel, so nets that slip from boats far to the north are carried south and pushed onto the sand of Cape York. Rangers have dragged in nets the size of a tennis court, wound around turtles, sharks and driftwood.

Counting the nets is not simply record keeping. Every net is measured, photographed and matched against known designs, because the mesh size and the twine of a net can point back to the fishery that used it. That evidence has since been carried into talks with fishing fleets across the region. More than 14 000 nets have been lifted off these beaches since 2004.

Not every net ends up buried. Weavers in coastal communities cut the coloured twine into lengths and knot it into baskets, mats and sculptures of the animals the mesh once trapped. A net that drowned turtles for six years may now hang in a gallery in the shape of one. Rangers admit that this does not solve the problem, and they say the answer still sits with the boats that let the nets go.

A It stays attached to the boat that let it slip away. B It goes on catching animals although nobody is fishing with it. C It belongs to the fishery whose mesh design it matches. D It travels along on the surface of the water until a ranger reports it.

Question 2 of 5 Vocabulary

Rangers have "dragged in nets the size of a tennis court". Which meaning does the verb carry in that line?

Report

The Nets That Keep Fishing

A ghost net is a fishing net that has been lost overboard or cut loose and is still drifting. Losing an owner does not stop it working. The currents of the Gulf of Carpentaria turn like a slow wheel, so nets that slip from boats far to the north are carried south and pushed onto the sand of Cape York. Rangers have dragged in nets the size of a tennis court, wound around turtles, sharks and driftwood.

Counting the nets is not simply record keeping. Every net is measured, photographed and matched against known designs, because the mesh size and the twine of a net can point back to the fishery that used it. That evidence has since been carried into talks with fishing fleets across the region. More than 14 000 nets have been lifted off these beaches since 2004.

Not every net ends up buried. Weavers in coastal communities cut the coloured twine into lengths and knot it into baskets, mats and sculptures of the animals the mesh once trapped. A net that drowned turtles for six years may now hang in a gallery in the shape of one. Rangers admit that this does not solve the problem, and they say the answer still sits with the boats that let the nets go.

A ordered them from a supplier B stacked them into neat piles C pulled them with hard effort D towed them out to deeper water

Question 3 of 5 Comprehension

The figures beside the report count nets taken off three beaches. Which statement can be supported from the report and the figures together?

Report

The Nets That Keep Fishing

A ghost net is a fishing net that has been lost overboard or cut loose and is still drifting. Losing an owner does not stop it working. The currents of the Gulf of Carpentaria turn like a slow wheel, so nets that slip from boats far to the north are carried south and pushed onto the sand of Cape York. Rangers have dragged in nets the size of a tennis court, wound around turtles, sharks and driftwood.

Counting the nets is not simply record keeping. Every net is measured, photographed and matched against known designs, because the mesh size and the twine of a net can point back to the fishery that used it. That evidence has since been carried into talks with fishing fleets across the region. More than 14 000 nets have been lifted off these beaches since 2004.

Not every net ends up buried. Weavers in coastal communities cut the coloured twine into lengths and knot it into baskets, mats and sculptures of the animals the mesh once trapped. A net that drowned turtles for six years may now hang in a gallery in the shape of one. Rangers admit that this does not solve the problem, and they say the answer still sits with the boats that let the nets go.

Nets removed from three Cape York beaches

Beach	Nets removed in 2019	Nets removed in 2023
Stone Crossing	141	96
Janie Beach	88	64
Long Sand	173	152

A Nets were still washing up on each beach four years after the first count. B Long Sand's count fell by more between 2019 and 2023 than the other beaches did. C Weavers had removed most of the mesh before the second count was made. D Nets stopped arriving at Janie Beach once the first count was finished.

Question 4 of 5 Structure

What does the last paragraph give a reader that the first two do not?

Report

The Nets That Keep Fishing

A ghost net is a fishing net that has been lost overboard or cut loose and is still drifting. Losing an owner does not stop it working. The currents of the Gulf of Carpentaria turn like a slow wheel, so nets that slip from boats far to the north are carried south and pushed onto the sand of Cape York. Rangers have dragged in nets the size of a tennis court, wound around turtles, sharks and driftwood.

Counting the nets is not simply record keeping. Every net is measured, photographed and matched against known designs, because the mesh size and the twine of a net can point back to the fishery that used it. That evidence has since been carried into talks with fishing fleets across the region. More than 14 000 nets have been lifted off these beaches since 2004.

Not every net ends up buried. Weavers in coastal communities cut the coloured twine into lengths and knot it into baskets, mats and sculptures of the animals the mesh once trapped. A net that drowned turtles for six years may now hang in a gallery in the shape of one. Rangers admit that this does not solve the problem, and they say the answer still sits with the boats that let the nets go.

A the way the currents carry mesh south into the gulf B a second life for the twine once it is off the beach C the number of nets lifted off the sand since 2004 D the reason a mesh size can name a fishery

Question 5 of 5 Voice

Rangers "admit that this does not solve the problem". How does that admission shape the way the weaving is presented?

Report

The Nets That Keep Fishing

A ghost net is a fishing net that has been lost overboard or cut loose and is still drifting. Losing an owner does not stop it working. The currents of the Gulf of Carpentaria turn like a slow wheel, so nets that slip from boats far to the north are carried south and pushed onto the sand of Cape York. Rangers have dragged in nets the size of a tennis court, wound around turtles, sharks and driftwood.

Counting the nets is not simply record keeping. Every net is measured, photographed and matched against known designs, because the mesh size and the twine of a net can point back to the fishery that used it. That evidence has since been carried into talks with fishing fleets across the region. More than 14 000 nets have been lifted off these beaches since 2004.

Not every net ends up buried. Weavers in coastal communities cut the coloured twine into lengths and knot it into baskets, mats and sculptures of the animals the mesh once trapped. A net that drowned turtles for six years may now hang in a gallery in the shape of one. Rangers admit that this does not solve the problem, and they say the answer still sits with the boats that let the nets go.

A It makes the sculptures the largest achievement in the report. B It hints that the weavers ought to give up making the sculptures out of the twine. C It keeps the weaving worth admiring without letting it stand as a fix. D It shows the rangers and the galleries disagree about the twine.

Year 7 English sample

Answer the sample questions

The report says of a ghost net that losing an owner "does not stop it working". What is that sentence telling the reader?

Rangers have "dragged in nets the size of a tennis court". Which meaning does the verb carry in that line?

The figures beside the report count nets taken off three beaches. Which statement can be supported from the report and the figures together?

What does the last paragraph give a reader that the first two do not?

Rangers "admit that this does not solve the problem". How does that admission shape the way the weaving is presented?