7th Grade English Pre-Test: Vocabulary Terms

Vocabulary Terms Related to Literature and Writing

• Autobiography: A narrative about a person's own life, detailing personal experiences and reflections.
• Summary: A concise overview of a text, capturing the main ideas without unnecessary details.
• Memoir: A historical account or biography written from personal knowledge, focusing on specific experiences.
• Characters: Individuals in a story; they drive the plot through their actions and interactions.
• Teleplay: A script written for television, outlining dialogue, action, and character interactions.

Literary Elements

• Conflict: The central struggle between opposing forces, which can be internal or external.
• Plot: The sequence of events that make up a story, including the setup, conflict, and resolution.
• Setting: The time and place where a story occurs, influencing its mood and themes.
• Exposition: The introduction of background information, setting, and characters within a narrative.
• Rising Action: Events that build tension and develop the conflict leading to the climax.

Plot Development

• Falling Action: Events after the climax that lead to the resolution, where conflicts begin to resolve.
• Climax: The highest point of tension in the story, where the main conflict reaches its peak.
• Point of View: The perspective from which a story is told, affecting reader engagement and interpretation.

Language and Literary Devices

• Symbolism: The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities beyond their literal meaning.
• Tone: The author's attitude toward the subject, conveyed through word choice and style.
• Imagery: Descriptive language that creates vivid pictures in the reader's mind, appealing to the senses.
• Cite: To mention or refer to a source in support of a statement or argument.
• Infer: To draw logical conclusions from available information.

Themes and Concepts

• Individuality vs. Conformity: The tension between personal identity and societal expectations.
• Utopia: An imagined perfect society where conditions are ideal.
• Dystopia: A fictional society characterized by human misery and oppression.
• Euthanasia: The practice of intentionally ending a life to relieve suffering, often discussed in ethical contexts.

Summarization and Analysis

• Summarize: To explain the main points of a text in a brief format.
• Figurative Language: Words or expressions used with meanings that are different from the literal interpretation.
• Literal Language: Words that mean exactly what they say, without metaphor or exaggeration.
• Connotative Language: Words that carry emotional or cultural meanings beyond their literal definition.
• Technical Language: Specialized vocabulary used within a particular field or profession.

Genre and Character Development

• Fiction: Narrative content created from the imagination, not based on real events.
• Non-Fiction: Fact-based narratives that aim to inform or explain real-life situations.
• Static Characters: Characters who do not undergo significant growth or change throughout the story.
• Dynamic Characters: Characters who experience personal growth or change due to events in the narrative.

Structure and Syntax

• Plot Structure: The organized pattern or sequence of events in narrative writing.
• Syntax: The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language.

Argumentation and Persuasion

• Position: The point of view or stance taken on an issue or topic.
• Purpose: The reason for writing; can be to inform, persuade, entertain, etc.
• Bias: A tendency to present information in a way that unfairly favors one side over another.
• Trace: To follow the development of a concept or argument over time.
• Evaluate: To assess the value or significance of something critically.

Supporting Claims

• Claim: A statement or assertion presented as a fact.
• Evidence: Information or details that support a claim or argument.
• Relevant: Information that is closely connected or appropriate to the matter at hand.
• Rebuttal: A response to counter an opposing argument or claim.
• Counterclaim: An argument made to oppose or refute a previous claim.
• Credible Source: A reliable source of information, often used in research or argumentation.

Language Structure

• Clause: A group of words that contains a subject and a verb, forming part of a sentence.
• Dialect: A distinct form of language or speech specific to a particular region or group.
• Slang: Informal language or expressions that may not be universally understood.

Language Usage

• Diction: The choice of words and style used in writing or speaking.
• Dialogue: Conversations between characters, crucial for character development and plot advancement.
• Foreshadowing: Hints or clues about what will happen later in the story, creating suspense.
• Flashback: A scene set in a time before the main story, providing background or context.
• Context: The circumstances surrounding an event, statement, or idea that help clarify its meaning.

Additional Concepts

• Adapt: To modify something to suit a new purpose or condition.
• Prepositional Phrase: A group of words consisting of a preposition and its object.
• Euphemism: A milder or less abrasive form of a negative description.
• Irony: A contrast between expectation and reality, often highlighting a discrepancy.
• Cliché: An overused expression or idea lacking originality.
• Dependent Clause: A group of words that cannot stand alone as a sentence; it depends on an independent clause.
• Independent Clause: A complete thought containing a subject and predicate that can stand alone as a sentence.
• Synonym: A word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word.
• Antonym: A word with an opposite meaning to another word.
• Denotation: The direct, literal meaning of a word, without any emotional or cultural connotations.

Prepare your 7th grade English/Language Arts students for their journey through language with this comprehensive pre-test. This 100-question assessment focuses on key vocabulary related to themes like autobiography, conflict, and plot. It offers a great opportunity to evaluate students' understanding and growth over the year.