Year 7 ICAS English 5-Question Sample

Question 1 of 5 Comprehension

The report says dark surfaces "give it back later as heat, hours after the sun has gone down". What does that tell a reader about those surfaces?

Report

The Streets We Paint Pale

In February the bitumen outside Rowe Street Primary reaches 62 degrees by two in the afternoon, which is hot enough to soften the sole of a school shoe. Dark surfaces do this because they take in most of the sunlight that lands on them and give it back later as heat, hours after the sun has gone down. A council in the city west spent last summer painting eleven of its streets with a pale grey coating and measuring what happened.

The results were not the same everywhere. Readings taken at ankle height showed the coated roads running about 9 degrees cooler than the untreated roads beside them at the hottest part of the day. Air temperature at head height, which is what a person walking actually feels, moved far less, generally under 2 degrees. The council has been careful to publish both numbers rather than the flattering one.

Cost is the argument that has not been settled. The coating runs to roughly four times the price of ordinary resurfacing, and nobody yet knows how many summers it lasts before it has to be done again. Residents in two of the streets have also complained about glare on bright mornings.

What the trial has changed is the question being asked. Before it began, the council was arguing about whether pale surfaces work at all. It is now arguing about where they are worth the money, which is a narrower and far more useful disagreement.

A They warm up more slowly than pale ones do. B They stay hot into the evening once the day has ended. C They release the heat while sunlight is still landing on them. D They send most of the sunlight straight back off the surface.

Question 2 of 5 Vocabulary

The council published both numbers "rather than the flattering one". What does flattering mean in that line?

Report

The Streets We Paint Pale

In February the bitumen outside Rowe Street Primary reaches 62 degrees by two in the afternoon, which is hot enough to soften the sole of a school shoe. Dark surfaces do this because they take in most of the sunlight that lands on them and give it back later as heat, hours after the sun has gone down. A council in the city west spent last summer painting eleven of its streets with a pale grey coating and measuring what happened.

The results were not the same everywhere. Readings taken at ankle height showed the coated roads running about 9 degrees cooler than the untreated roads beside them at the hottest part of the day. Air temperature at head height, which is what a person walking actually feels, moved far less, generally under 2 degrees. The council has been careful to publish both numbers rather than the flattering one.

Cost is the argument that has not been settled. The coating runs to roughly four times the price of ordinary resurfacing, and nobody yet knows how many summers it lasts before it has to be done again. Residents in two of the streets have also complained about glare on bright mornings.

What the trial has changed is the question being asked. Before it began, the council was arguing about whether pale surfaces work at all. It is now arguing about where they are worth the money, which is a narrower and far more useful disagreement.

A gathered with the most careful equipment B the one that makes the result look better C easiest for an ordinary reader to follow D the one taken at the hottest time of day

Question 3 of 5 Comprehension

The trial readings for three of the coated streets are printed beside the report. Which statement do the report and those readings support together?

Report

The Streets We Paint Pale

In February the bitumen outside Rowe Street Primary reaches 62 degrees by two in the afternoon, which is hot enough to soften the sole of a school shoe. Dark surfaces do this because they take in most of the sunlight that lands on them and give it back later as heat, hours after the sun has gone down. A council in the city west spent last summer painting eleven of its streets with a pale grey coating and measuring what happened.

The results were not the same everywhere. Readings taken at ankle height showed the coated roads running about 9 degrees cooler than the untreated roads beside them at the hottest part of the day. Air temperature at head height, which is what a person walking actually feels, moved far less, generally under 2 degrees. The council has been careful to publish both numbers rather than the flattering one.

Cost is the argument that has not been settled. The coating runs to roughly four times the price of ordinary resurfacing, and nobody yet knows how many summers it lasts before it has to be done again. Residents in two of the streets have also complained about glare on bright mornings.

What the trial has changed is the question being asked. Before it began, the council was arguing about whether pale surfaces work at all. It is now arguing about where they are worth the money, which is a narrower and far more useful disagreement.

Temperature fall after coating, three streets

Street	Surface fall	Air fall
Rowe Street	9.4 degrees	1.1 degrees
Doyle Street	8.1 degrees	1.8 degrees
Nardoo Street	9.9 degrees	0.9 degrees

A Doyle Street gained the least benefit of the three streets. B Air temperature was unchanged wherever the coating was used. C The coolest surface reading came from the widest street. D The surface fell further than the air on every street measured.

Question 4 of 5 Structure

What job does the last paragraph do at the end of this report?

Report

The Streets We Paint Pale

In February the bitumen outside Rowe Street Primary reaches 62 degrees by two in the afternoon, which is hot enough to soften the sole of a school shoe. Dark surfaces do this because they take in most of the sunlight that lands on them and give it back later as heat, hours after the sun has gone down. A council in the city west spent last summer painting eleven of its streets with a pale grey coating and measuring what happened.

The results were not the same everywhere. Readings taken at ankle height showed the coated roads running about 9 degrees cooler than the untreated roads beside them at the hottest part of the day. Air temperature at head height, which is what a person walking actually feels, moved far less, generally under 2 degrees. The council has been careful to publish both numbers rather than the flattering one.

Cost is the argument that has not been settled. The coating runs to roughly four times the price of ordinary resurfacing, and nobody yet knows how many summers it lasts before it has to be done again. Residents in two of the streets have also complained about glare on bright mornings.

What the trial has changed is the question being asked. Before it began, the council was arguing about whether pale surfaces work at all. It is now arguing about where they are worth the money, which is a narrower and far more useful disagreement.

A It repeats the readings so a reader remembers them. B It settles the disagreement about the cost of the coating. C It shows how the trial changed the argument being had. D It offers a fresh reason to complain about the glare.

Question 5 of 5 Syntax

The opening sentence adds "which is hot enough to soften the sole of a school shoe". Why is that clause there?

Report

The Streets We Paint Pale

In February the bitumen outside Rowe Street Primary reaches 62 degrees by two in the afternoon, which is hot enough to soften the sole of a school shoe. Dark surfaces do this because they take in most of the sunlight that lands on them and give it back later as heat, hours after the sun has gone down. A council in the city west spent last summer painting eleven of its streets with a pale grey coating and measuring what happened.

The results were not the same everywhere. Readings taken at ankle height showed the coated roads running about 9 degrees cooler than the untreated roads beside them at the hottest part of the day. Air temperature at head height, which is what a person walking actually feels, moved far less, generally under 2 degrees. The council has been careful to publish both numbers rather than the flattering one.

Cost is the argument that has not been settled. The coating runs to roughly four times the price of ordinary resurfacing, and nobody yet knows how many summers it lasts before it has to be done again. Residents in two of the streets have also complained about glare on bright mornings.

What the trial has changed is the question being asked. Before it began, the council was arguing about whether pale surfaces work at all. It is now arguing about where they are worth the money, which is a narrower and far more useful disagreement.

A to warn families that the school has closed the playground B to give a reader a way of judging how hot 62 degrees is C to explain why the council chose a pale grey coating D to name the exact hour when the surface is at its worst

Year 7 English sample

Answer the sample questions

The report says dark surfaces "give it back later as heat, hours after the sun has gone down". What does that tell a reader about those surfaces?

The council published both numbers "rather than the flattering one". What does flattering mean in that line?

The trial readings for three of the coated streets are printed beside the report. Which statement do the report and those readings support together?

What job does the last paragraph do at the end of this report?

The opening sentence adds "which is hot enough to soften the sole of a school shoe". Why is that clause there?