2019 MCAS
Grade 7 English Language Arts
Question 16

The narrative is clear and well developed, introducing some plot points that illustrate the relationship between Lisa and her mother. Details such as "It was drizzling and the huge yellow moon was partially obscured by the clouds" are effective in setting the scene. Descriptions reveal a full awareness of the mode: "The lake contained colorful fish jumping back and forth. Beautiful flowers and reeds of rich colors lined the bank and around the yard." Exchanges between characters show a command of dialogue and overall awareness of narrative elements: "'Honey, you must come outside and see this [,' her] mom said with a mixture of excitement and disbelief. 'What is it?' Lisa inquired." Organization is not particularly subtle, but the story effectively builds on ideas and leads to the moment that Lisa "turned on her flashlight so she could see her sketch pad and started drawing."

Although some comma errors appear in the beginning of the narrative ("She sighed in sadness, what a magical scene that had been, now it was all gone."), there is otherwise consistent control of spelling and sentence structure. Complex structures are used correctly, as in this example: "Excitement building, she let Peca out of the trailer." Inclusion of dialogue, while not required, shows an understanding of the correct use of quotation marks. Vocabulary complexity (e.g., "disbelief," "anxiously," "absolutely") reveals spelling strengths. Overall, the narrative is of sufficient length and complexity to demonstrate consistent control of Standard English conventions relative to expectations for this grade level.