2018 MCAS
Grade 7 English Language Arts
Question 15

In the essay, the central idea of both passages is clearly stated as "the stres[s]ful and hard lives of the women that worked on [in] the mills." Details are effectively selected to support the central idea, but development is lacking, and there are some organizational gaps. For example, the writer comments on Harriet's disappointment (that the mill girls did not initially join a strike): "This statement is showing that most of the girls were too scared . . . about losing their jobs even though this isn[']t a good job to work for." However, the strike is not mentioned, and the low pay and the terrible working conditions seem only partly connected to the idea that "'Harriet was disgusted.'" Overall, the essay conveys the spirit of the girls' emotions, recognizes the first-person point of view in Lyddie, and effectively explains the girls' difficult living conditions using relevant evidence. Organization is effective as the writing moves from one idea to the next, but the essay mostly arranges details chronologically rather than thematically. The essay demonstrates full awareness of the task.

Despite some awkward sentences, the writing demonstrates consistent control of a variety of skills in punctuation and mechanics.