Year 7 ICAS English 5-Question Sample

Question 1 of 5 Voice

When linking the opening and ending, if the writer added a question before the final judgement, what would be its best purpose?

Information report

Counting Bicycles

The council counted bicycles crossing the river path on eight weekday mornings between seven and nine. The total, 412, was used to argue that a wider path could not be justified, since the existing path is rated for six hundred. A margin note beside the counting bicycles entry draws attention to the cautious final comment before choosing.

The counting window is the difficulty. Riders using the path for school or work do so in exactly that window, and they are the group least likely to be deterred by a narrow path. Riders who avoid the crossing because it feels unsafe do not appear in a count of people crossing it.

A count of current users measures demand that already survives the conditions. It cannot measure demand that the conditions have suppressed, and a decision made on that count is deciding not to find out.

A to prove that the passage has no answer B to make the reader pause and test the evidence before accepting the conclusion C to introduce a completely unrelated topic D to replace all evidence with emotion

Question 2 of 5 Voice

After checking the speaker's purpose, which wording would make the writer's judgement too strong for the evidence in "The Unread Letter"?

A The evidence suggests a careful conclusion. B The passage gives a useful clue. C This proves every possible case must be the same. D The final idea is supported by the details.

Question 3 of 5 Comprehension

From the strongest evidence in the source, which explanation best matches the evidence diagram for "Homework Should Be Optional"?

A The second clue cancels every part of the first clue. B The first clue is enough, so the rest of the passage is unnecessary. C The conclusion is separate from the evidence. D The text uses more than one clue to reach a careful conclusion.

Question 4 of 5 Comprehension

After reading the full text, which claim is not supported by the text?

Opinion text

Lunch Under the Trees

Our school should keep the shaded lunch area open during winter, even when fewer students use it. The argument for closing it sounds efficient: one less area to supervise, one less bin to empty, one less patch of muddy grass to protect. A final note beside the lunch under the trees entry draws attention to the cautious final comment before choosing.

But the winter count missed something. The same twelve students used that space almost every day, and two new students told the yard teacher it was the only place quiet enough to start a conversation. A small number is not always a small need.

The better compromise is to open the shaded area on dry days and close it after heavy rain. That rule protects the grass without pretending every student wants the loudest part of the yard.

A the same small group used the shaded area almost every day B the writer thinks small groups can still have important needs C to persuade the school to keep a quiet lunch option with a sensible condition D Every student prefers the shaded area to the main yard.

Question 5 of 5 Comprehension

When checking the evidence, what is the strongest inference a reader can make from the whole text?

Review

A Sequel That Explains Too Much

The first film left the machine unexplained. We saw what it did to the town and never learned how, and the not knowing was doing a great deal of work: it kept the townspeople's fear reasonable rather than foolish. A short note beside the sequel that explains too much entry draws attention to the cautious final comment before choosing.

This sequel explains it in the second act, thoroughly and competently, with a flashback that answers every question an audience might have had. Each answer is satisfying on its own, and together they make the first film smaller.

That is the risk of explanation and it is not always worth taking. The sequel is well made, well acted and considerably less frightening, and the third of those is caused by the first two being applied to the wrong problem.

A the reviewer suspects the choice is deliberate but cannot rule out convenience B the accounts preserve the cause that is easiest to record rather than the decisive one C the reviewer thinks the mystery was load-bearing rather than a gap to be filled D the omission was a decision made during publication rather than a gap in knowledge

Year 7 English sample

Answer the sample questions