NAPLAN Year 7 Reading Practice Test PDF

Try each question first, then open the worked solution to check your answer and see how to reach it.

1. 1.Read the text: "In the novel, the weather often reflects the protagonist's mood. When she is sad, it rains heavily. When she finds hope, the sun breaks through the clouds. This literary technique helps the reader understand her internal state." What does the weather represent in the novel?

   • AThe time of day
   • BThe protagonist's emotions
   • CThe setting
   • DThe plot twist
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   Answer: B (The protagonist's emotions)

   The text links the weather to the character's feelings: rain when she is sad, sun when she finds hope. It then explains that this technique 'helps the reader understand her internal state', meaning her emotions. So the weather represents the protagonist's emotions. This technique is sometimes called pathetic fallacy. The setting and time of day are not what the weather symbolises here.

2. 2.Read the text: "Plastic pollution is a major problem for our oceans. Millions of tons of plastic enter the sea every year, harming marine life. Turtles often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish and eat them, which can be fatal." Why do turtles eat plastic bags?

   • AThey taste good
   • BThey look like jellyfish
   • CThey are hungry
   • DThey are playing
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   Answer: B (They look like jellyfish)

   The text states that 'Turtles often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish and eat them.' To 'mistake' one thing for another means confusing them because they look alike, so turtles eat the bags because they look like jellyfish. Being hungry may be true, but it does not explain why they choose plastic, and the text never says it tastes good.

3. 3.Read the text: "Renewable energy comes from sources that are naturally replenished, such as sunlight, wind, and rain. Unlike fossil fuels, which will eventually run out, renewable energy offers a sustainable solution for the future." What is a key difference between renewable energy and fossil fuels?

   • ARenewable energy is finite
   • BFossil fuels are sustainable
   • CRenewable energy is replenished naturally
   • DFossil fuels are cleaner
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   Answer: C (Renewable energy is replenished naturally)

   The text defines renewable energy as coming from sources 'naturally replenished', in contrast with fossil fuels, 'which will eventually run out'. The word 'Unlike' signals the comparison. Option A reverses the facts, because finite means limited, which describes fossil fuels, and nothing in the text calls fossil fuels sustainable or cleaner.

4. 4.Read the text: "Social media connects people instantly, but it can also lead to feelings of isolation. Seeing curated 'perfect' lives online may make users feel their own lives are inadequate." What is a potential negative effect of social media mentioned?

   • AInstant connection
   • BFeelings of inadequacy
   • CMaking new friends
   • DLearning new things
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   Answer: B (Feelings of inadequacy)

   The question asks for a negative effect. The text says seeing 'curated perfect lives online may make users feel their own lives are inadequate.' That is a feeling of inadequacy. 'Instant connection' is mentioned too, but as a positive, and the word 'but' in the first sentence signals the change from positives to negatives.

5. 5.What is the primary difference between a biography and an autobiography?

   • ALength of the book
   • BWho writes the story
   • CThe time period
   • DThe publisher
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   Answer: B (Who writes the story)

   The prefix 'auto-' means self. An autobiography is the story of a person's life written by that person, while a biography is written by someone else. So the main difference is who writes the story. Length, time period and publisher can vary for both kinds of book, so they do not define the difference.

6. 6.Read the text: "He was as brave as a lion." This is an example of:

   • AMetaphor
   • BSimile
   • CAlliteration
   • DPersonification
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   Answer: B (Simile)

   A simile compares two things using 'like' or 'as'. 'He was as brave as a lion' uses 'as … as' to compare his bravery to a lion's, so it is a simile. A metaphor would say he was a lion, with no comparing word. Alliteration repeats starting sounds, and personification gives human qualities to non-human things.

7. 7.Read the text: "Deforestation is the clearing of forests on a massive scale. This practice destroys habitats for millions of species and contributes to climate change by reducing the number of trees that absorb carbon dioxide." How does deforestation contribute to climate change?

   • ABy cooling the earth
   • BBy reducing trees that absorb carbon dioxide
   • CBy creating more water
   • DBy planting more forests
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   Answer: B (By reducing trees that absorb carbon dioxide)

   Follow the chain of cause and effect in the text: deforestation reduces 'the number of trees that absorb carbon dioxide'. Fewer trees means more carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere, and that contributes to climate change. Option D is the opposite of deforestation, and the text says nothing about cooling the earth or creating water.

8. 8.Read the text: "The protagonist in the novel faced a moral dilemma. She had to choose between saving her friend or saving the village. Her decision would define her character for the rest of the story." What is a moral dilemma?

   • AA physical fight
   • BA difficult choice involving right and wrong
   • CA happy ending
   • DA mystery to solve
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   Answer: B (A difficult choice involving right and wrong)

   The text shows the meaning through the example: the protagonist 'had to choose between saving her friend or saving the village'. Either choice has a cost, which makes it a dilemma, and it involves right and wrong, which makes it moral. A dilemma is about a hard choice, not a fight or a mystery.

9. 9.Read the text: "Antibiotics are medicines used to treat bacterial infections. However, overuse of antibiotics can lead to antibiotic resistance, where bacteria evolve to survive the medication." What is a risk of overusing antibiotics?

   • AThey become too expensive
   • BBacteria evolve to resist them
   • CThey turn into viruses
   • DThey work too fast
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   Answer: B (Bacteria evolve to resist them)

   The word 'However' signals a problem: 'overuse of antibiotics can lead to antibiotic resistance, where bacteria evolve to survive the medication.' So the risk is that bacteria evolve to resist them. Antibiotics do not turn into viruses, and the text does not discuss price or speed, so those options are not supported.

10. 10.Read the text: "In literature, foreshadowing is a technique where the author gives hints about what will happen later in the story. This builds suspense and prepares the reader for future events." What is the purpose of foreshadowing?

    • ATo confuse the reader
    • BTo end the story quickly
    • CTo give hints and build suspense
    • DTo describe the setting
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    Answer: C (To give hints and build suspense)

    The text defines foreshadowing as giving 'hints about what will happen later in the story' and says it 'builds suspense and prepares the reader for future events'. Option C combines both purposes. Foreshadowing is meant to engage readers, not confuse them, and it has nothing to do with ending the story quickly or describing the setting.