Composition: Organizing Drafts with Purposeful Structure and Transitions (TEKS.ELA.7.10.B.i)
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Texas 7th Grade ELA › Composition: Organizing Drafts with Purposeful Structure and Transitions (TEKS.ELA.7.10.B.i)
We lined the metal bleachers before sunset. The marching band tuned and the drums rattled. Heat still clung to the air though the sky looked purple. Parents fanned themselves with program sheets. The stadium lights flicked on, buzzing. Our team ran out through a paper banner. I painted a blue T on my cheek with a borrowed stick. The concession stand smelled like grilled onions. My friend saved me a seat near the fifty. The first kickoff sailed high. A flag flew on the play, and the crowd groaned. I shouted until my throat felt dry. The coyotes howled somewhere past the track. I checked the score and the quarter number. We stood for the fight song and stomped the bleachers. Dust rose underfoot slowly.
Which revision would best improve the draft's overall structure and flow?
Add a paragraph comparing football rules in other countries and include statistics about professional teams.
Add an opening that sets the scene, brief transitions between moments, and a closing reflection. Opening sentence: "On a hot Friday night in our small Texas town, the whole community packed the stadium." Transition starters to insert: "Before kickoff," "During halftime," "By the final whistle." Closing sentence: "Walking out under the buzzing lights, I felt proud to belong here."
Merge the first five sentences into one long sentence to speed the start, and remove time markers to keep it simple.
Move the concession stand details to the very end and delete the sentences about the kickoff and the flag.
Explanation
Choice B strengthens structure by adding a clear introduction, logical transitions, and a satisfying conclusion without changing the topic. A adds off-topic content, C weakens clarity and flow, and D disrupts the logical sequence of events.
Our school bins fill fast by lunchtime. Plastic bottles clatter inside the blue lids. Cardboard from breakfast boxes leans in a damp stack. Custodians roll carts down the hallway and swap liners. Students toss banana peels with math worksheets. The bins are labeled but the labels are faded. The cafeteria keeps a big green container near the exit. Loud announcements remind us to clean trays. The back door opens to the dumpster. Wind pushes napkins across the parking lot. Some teachers collect paper in their rooms. Others say there is no time between bells. The truck comes on Thursdays. Sometimes it skips a week and bags pile up. I asked the assistant principal who handles recycling. She pointed toward the office. No one answered. Yet.
Which revision would best improve the draft's overall structure and flow?
Open with a dramatic scene about ocean plastic harming sea turtles and close with a warning about beaches.
Rearrange the draft so the dumpster comes first, then the announcements, and end by starting a new topic about cafeteria menus.
Add only a concluding sentence that repeats "recycling is important" several times for emphasis.
Add a focused introduction, transitions, and a solution-oriented conclusion. Opening sentence: "Our school's recycling system looks busy, but its weak spots add up during the day." Transition starters to insert: "For example," "However," "As a result." Closing sentence: "If we relabel bins, add compost, and assign monitors, the mess shrinks and recycling actually works."
Explanation
Choice D adds a purposeful intro, logical transitions, and a clear conclusion that ties ideas together. A shifts off-topic, B disrupts logical order, and C offers a weak, repetitive ending without improving structure.
Waking up before sunrise makes the first period blur. I check homework with one eye open. The bus headlights glare through sleepy streets. Breakfast tastes like cardboard when I eat in a hurry. Friends yawn during warm-ups in gym. Teachers start lessons right away, and notes look crooked. The nurse says students ask for ice packs for headaches. I sometimes forget my lunch on the counter. After school, practice runs late and there is still homework. I set an alarm and another alarm. The weekend feels like the only time my brain is clear. Parents talk about schedules and jobs. The clock rules everything from the minute we wake up. The week repeats. The calendar fills. Everyone keeps saying to be resilient. I need sleep.
Which revision would best improve the draft's overall structure and flow?
Add a clear claim at the start, transitions between reasons, and a concluding call to action. Opening sentence: "School should start later so students learn better and stay healthy." Transition starters: "For example," "In addition," "Consequently." Closing sentence: "If we ring the first bell later, our days would be safer, calmer, and more focused."
Insert a new paragraph arguing for year-round school and longer class periods to solve everything.
Replace most sentences with rhetorical questions and end with a new issue about cafeteria food.
Keep all details but remove any time words and break the draft into three tiny paragraphs after every two sentences.
Explanation
Choice A provides a clear introduction, logical transitions between reasons, and a strong conclusion that reinforces the claim. B introduces a different topic, C derails focus and adds a new issue, and D fragments the flow without improving structure.
At the skate park, kids line up at a rusty fountain. The water runs warm in the afternoon. Empty bottles pile near the trash can. On long soccer weekends, families bring coolers and share. Some visitors leave early because they feel dizzy. Coaches pause practice when the sun sits high. A refill station near the bathrooms would keep people outside longer. The trail has only one spigot and it leaks. Runners tap it and step back when it sputters. A station with a filter and a place for dogs would help. Parks crews already check sprinklers. They could check this too. The bulletin board shows a map, but it is faded. Parents push strollers past and shake their heads. Kids keep playing. Heat keeps rising.
Which revision would best improve the draft's overall structure and flow?
Add a section comparing national park budgets and federal grants for trail projects.
Start with a quote from a celebrity athlete about hydration and delete the sentences about the leaky spigot.
Add a direct claim at the beginning, smooth transitions between examples, and a specific conclusion. Opening sentence: "Our parks need bottle-refill stations to keep people safe in the Texas heat." Transition starters: "For example," "Additionally," "As a result." Closing sentence: "Please fund one station at each busy park entrance this year."
Move the final three sentences to the top and end with a new demand for more playground equipment.
Explanation
Choice C strengthens structure by adding a clear claim, transitional links among examples, and a specific concluding request. A adds unrelated budget info, B removes important evidence and uses an off-topic hook, and D disrupts the logical progression while introducing a new topic.
Picked up bags, rakes, and gloves and met by the trailhead. The mud was thick, and the mesquite thorns grabbed at our sleeves. We found bottles under the cedar branches. A horned lizard scurried across the path while we worked. Trash weighed down the creek's bends, and the water moved slowly around it. A park ranger waved and handed us more bags. We hauled a rusted chair from the gravel bar. Our group's pile grew higher than a picnic table. Cans, fishing line, broken coolers, and snack wrappers kept turning up. My arms ached, and the sun pressed hard. We kept going until the trail looked open and bright. The creek sounded different, like it could breathe again. We loaded bags into truck and left.
Which revision would best improve the draft's overall structure and flow?
Insert a detailed paragraph about ocean pollution and compare it to the trail, then keep the current ending as is.
Combine several sentences to reduce repetition by removing specific cleanup actions and start with "Yesterday" only.
Add an opening sentence that states the group's purpose at a Texas state park trail, use transitions like "First," "Next," and "Finally" to connect cleanup steps, and add a concluding sentence reflecting on the creek's improvement.
Move the sentence about the ranger to the beginning and end the draft after hauling the rusted chair.
Explanation
Option C strengthens the draft by adding a clear introduction, logical transitions between actions, and a satisfying conclusion. The other choices either add off-topic content, cut important details without improving structure, or disrupt the logical flow of events.
Nerves buzzed in my hands and I held the sides of the script. The stage lights hummed. A teacher coughed in the seats. Someone whispered the same line three times backstage. My sneakers squeaked on the tape marks. I read the scene with a partner I just met, and we kept looking for the next cue. My voice sounded too small in the big room. The director asked us to try it louder, and to imagine the wind. I did the lines again. A pencil snapped. The door opened and closed. We sat on the floor while they talked. A list would go up later. I walked to the bus, the script folded and warm in my pocket. I hoped maybe tomorrow would feel different.
Which revision would best improve the draft's overall structure and flow?
Begin with a brief context sentence about arriving for a first-ever audition, add transitions to show moving from waiting to reading to feedback, and end with a reflective sentence about what was learned from the experience.
Add a dramatic hook describing a famous actor's routine, remove the bus detail, and end abruptly after the pencil snapped.
Rearrange events so the list posting happens before the reading, then add "Suddenly" to two sentences without other changes.
Expand stage directions inside the dialogue and replace the ending with a joke that changes the topic to cafeteria food.
Explanation
Option A adds a clear introduction, transitional cues to guide the sequence of events, and a reflective conclusion that ties the experience together. The other options add off-topic material, scramble the timeline, or shift the topic in ways that weaken structure.
Middle school starts before my street looks awake. I ride half-asleep and miss instructions in first period. Homework runs late after practice. I drink too much soda to stay alert. Teachers say participation matters, but morning feels like fog. A later start could help attendance and focus. Buses already run for different schools. Clubs could meet before classes without the rush. Families would have time for breakfast. Some students work evenings to help at home. Falling asleep in class is not a plan. The nurse sees more headaches before ten. My friends text about forgetting homework on the counter. We drag through the week and try to fix it on weekends. It would make sense to change. Students could learn more with rested minds daily.
Which revision would best improve the draft's overall structure and flow?
Open with a startling statistic about car accidents before dawn, replace reasons about classes with a paragraph on traffic jams, and keep the current conclusion.
Insert a conclusion that simply repeats "Change it" three times, and cut the sentence about buses to shorten the draft.
Add "First, second, third" before three random sentences without adjusting the order of ideas.
Add a clear thesis in the introduction stating the argument for later start times, use logical transitions to group related reasons, and end with a concluding sentence that reinforces the benefit of learning with rested minds.
Explanation
Option D provides a focused thesis, organizes reasons with transitions, and closes with a reinforcing conclusion. The other choices are off-topic, repetitive without improving structure, or add transitions without organizing ideas logically.
Sprinklers clicked across the neighborhood last summer until restrictions started. Our grass turned the color of straw. We put a bucket under the shower while it warmed up. That water went to the trees. A neighbor replaced a wide flowerbed with native plants. The city posted signs about the aquifer level near the library. We fixed a dripping hose spigot with new tape. Dishes stacked up until the sink was full. We ran one load instead of two. Brown leaves rattled on the live oaks. A classmate's well ran low outside town. People lined up for mulch at the recycling center. Clouds built and faded over the hills. We kept collecting water in jars and pitchers. Neighbors shared tips and measured every gallon they used.
Which revision would best improve the draft's overall structure and flow?
Replace neighborhood examples with a story about surfing on the coast and end with a question about beach safety.
Add a short introductory sentence that names the drought in Central Texas and the purpose of conserving water, insert transitions to connect household and community actions, and end with a concluding sentence that summarizes how small steps help the aquifer.
Move the sentence about the recycling center to the very beginning, delete the aquifer reference, and finish with the cloud sentence as the conclusion.
Add a complex attention-grabber comparing water to money, split sentences to add more periods, and remove the line about the well running low.
Explanation
Option B adds a clear introduction, connects examples with logical transitions, and provides a conclusion that ties actions to a purpose. The other choices either go off-topic, remove important context, or weaken coherence.