Writing Standards: Using Evidence in Writing (CCSS.W.6.9) Practice Test

Excerpt (literary): On Saturday morning, the backyard was already a chorus of bees when Mom handed me the dented watering can. The soil drank like it hadn't seen rain in weeks. I wanted to race to the park—Ty was waiting with a new ball—but the seedlings were drooping, their leaves cupped like begging hands. "They're your responsibility," Mom reminded me, not unkindly. Even when my friends texted to meet at the court, I kept the hose running until the last bed darkened with water. The tomatoes glowed like little lanterns afterwards, and my sneakers squished as I walked back inside. I was late, but the plants were standing taller, and that felt like a win I had earned.

Student draft: In this scene, the author develops the theme that responsibility means sticking with a task even when something more fun comes along. Insert evidence from the passage here. The narrator chooses care over play, and by the end, he feels proud. This shows responsibility can be satisfying, not just a chore.

Excerpt (literary): On Saturday morning, the backyard was already a chorus of bees when Mom handed me the dented watering can. The soil drank like it hadn't seen rain in weeks. I wanted to race to the park—Ty was waiting with a new ball—but the seedlings were drooping, their leaves cupped like begging hands. "They're your responsibility," Mom reminded me, not unkindly. Even when my friends texted to meet at the court, I kept the hose running until the last bed darkened with water. The tomatoes glowed like little lanterns afterwards, and my sneakers squished as I walked back inside. I was late, but the plants were standing taller, and that felt like a win I had earned.

Student draft: In this scene, the author develops the theme that responsibility means sticking with a task even when something more fun comes along. Insert evidence from the passage here. The narrator chooses care over play, and by the end, he feels proud. This shows responsibility can be satisfying, not just a chore.