COMMONWEALTH OF PUERTO RICO

EDUCATION DEPARMENT

Spanish Program

Diagnostic Test - Seventh Grade

Name:____________________________ Date:________________________

Instructions: Read the reading carefully and answer the questions below.
The magic flower
(Puerto Rican Legend)

1 Caonabí, the little Indian girl from Boriquén, passionately loved the land where
she was born, the forest, the jungle, the birds, the flowers and the river that flowed
murmurously under the trees.
2 One day, the land of Caonabí was invaded by strange people, armed with reeds
that launched lightning bolts and produced a noise louder than thunder. The Indians of
chief Aymaco defended themselves by fighting bravely in defense of their homes and
their freedom, but the little Indian fell into the power of the enemy.
3 She showed so much rebellion that her captors tied her to a post to prevent her
from fleeing. Caonabí was skilled and brave. He waited for night, broke his bonds, put
the sentry out of action and entered the forest. He knew its trails better than anyone and
would be safe if he could reach the mountain range.
4 It was dawn when, tired from the long race, Caonabí sought refuge among the
branches of a leafy tree. But she was discovered by the dogs of her pursuers and was soon
surrounded by the enemy. She had killed a soldier and had to pay with her own life, so it
was not necessary to ask her to surrender so that she could be judged. Several crossbow
shots hit the fragile body of the Indian woman, who surprisingly, supported by the
branches, did not collapse. At the top he began to bleed out. And the enemy soldiers saw,
bewildered, how the tree was covered in red flowers, like Caonabí's blood. This is how
the maga flower was born.

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TO. Standard: Reading Comprehension
CL.7.1 Identify explicit and implicit ideas from a text.
Instructions: Read each premise and choose the best alternative.

1. In this legend, Caonabí demonstrated his

to. shyness
b. courage
c. love
d. sadness

2. The little Indian girl hid in

to. a cave
b. the forest
c. the village
d. a leafy tree

3. The blood of Caonabi produced

to. a beautiful bird
b. the maga flower
c. a mighty river
d. a mountain

4. The sentence that relates to the central idea of paragraph 4 is

to. Caonabí sought refuge among the branches of a leafy tree.
b. He had killed a soldier and had to pay with his own life.
c. The tree was covered in red flowers, like Caonabí's blood.
d. This is how the maga flower was born.

5. Which of the following sentences is considered an opinion?

to. The invasion of the land was an act of injustice.
b. Caonabí was skillful and brave.
c. The little Indian woman passionately loved the land where she was born.

CL.7.10 Determine the author's intention and purpose through the literary text.

6. The purpose of this reading is

to. know the life of Caonabí
b. highlight the invasion of the land of Caonabí
c. present a possible origin of the maga flower
d. present what happened in the invasion by strange people

7. In paragraph 2 , the underlined word performs the grammatical function of

to. adjective
b. adverb
c. verb
d. noun

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CL.7.2 Support your ideas and opinions using the text as a reference.
CL.7.20 Express their opinion, make observations and connections, react, speculate and
question based on reading texts.
Instructions: Answer the following question in the space provided.

8. Why do you think Caonabí and the Indians defended themselves against strange people?
Support your answer with details from the reading.
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Rubric
2 – The response demonstrates clear understanding of the information in the text; the reader uses
information from the text for interpretation.
1 – The reader has limited understanding of the text and makes simple interpretations.
0 – the answer is not sufficient or does not relate to the question

Paragraph classes
CL.7.13 Analyze various types of paragraphs: descriptive, narrative, expository and
argumentative.
Instructions: Classify the type of elocution that predominates in the paragraphs that follow:
description, narration, exposition, argument or dialogue.

9. Hurricanes are atmospheric phenomena that affect the Caribbean region once a
year. Their season lasts six months. It begins in June and lasts until November. The
damage they cause in their wake has remained as evidence in the history of Puerto Rico
and the other Caribbean territories.

a. description
b. narration
c. dialogue
d. exposure

10. Your legs went weak; You had to sit until you regained your strength. Then, you
left the house, running down the street until you almost tripped over the breakwater wall
that protects the neighborhood when the sea wants to invade. There, facing the wind, in a
body present before the green-gray-gray-blue ocean, you let out the heartbreaking
scream that was still stuck in your throat...

to. description
b. narration
c. argumentation
d. exposure
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 11. -What time is it?
-It is 8:00 in the morning.
-Oh no! We'll be late for school.
-Don't worry. There are no classes today.

a. argumentation
b. narration
c. dialogue
d. exposure

12. Eulalia Rodríguez did not inherit any beauty from her parents. A mess of poorly
e.
combined bones formed his long and skinny figure, rather disproportionate and clumsy.
An aquiline nose hindered the face with its drooping features and foolish expression; and
his faded black hair, crumpled for want of a comb, fell disdainfully over his bony
shoulders.
a. description
b. narration
c. dialogue
d. argumentation

13.
f. The music that young people listen to has been the subject of much criticism.
However, it is necessary to recognize that their music reflects the social and linguistic
traits that predominate in the environment where our young people develop. The
controversy that arose with this genre reminds us of the beginnings of Salsa, previously
rejected and now an undeniable part of our culture. For these reasons, we should give his
music a chance.
a. description
b. narration
c. exposure
d. argumentation

Literal and figurative language CL.7.14 Distinguish between literal and figurative language
Instructions: Identify the type of language used in each sentence

14. The tree was covered with flowers red like Caonabí's blood.
a. metaphor
b. simile
c. personification
d. onomatopoeia

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15. Our lives are rivers that flow into the sea.
to. simile
b. metaphor
c. personification
d. onomatopoeia

16. “Shhhhhhhh”, was the noise we heard from the wind.

to. simile
b. metaphor
c. personification
d. onomatopoeia

17. Every time he looked at me, my heart screamed.

to. simile
b. metaphor
c. personification
d. onomatopoeia

b. Standard: Written Communication

CE.7.1 Use punctuation marks correctly according to the message it communicates,

translating oral intonation patterns into writing.
CE.7.6 Identify the typical elements of a business letter.

Instructions: Read the following passage and pay attention to the use of punctuation marks.

Puerto Rico Hostel

Customer Service Department

August 5, 2009

(1) Dear colleagues:

(2) Today we will meet to discuss a matter of utmost importance. (2) The meeting will begin
at 9:30 am in the Conference Room. (3) I ask that you bring your agenda with you so we can
schedule new dates for the following meetings.

(4) Sincerely,

(5) The Director

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18. What change should be made in sentence 3 ?

a. place the colon (:) after get

b. add semicolon (;) after agenda
c. insert a comma (,) after request
d. No change

19. The letterhead of the letter above is

to. Director
b. Cordially,
c. Puerto Rico Hostel
Customer Service Department
d. Dear colleagues:

Compound subordinate clause

CE.7.11 Write more complex compound and subordinate sentences using the necessary
elements.

20. The compound sentence is

a. The maga, a tree with red flowers, has heart-shaped leaves.

b. The chronicle is a story that presents the order of times.
c. The thermoelectric plant produces energy from heat.
d. From time to time, shearers cut the sheep's hair or wool.

Prefix and suffix

CE.7.7.2 Use structural analysis to identify prefixes and suffixes of Greek and Latin
origin.

21. In the sentence “Hydrotherapy is used to relieve muscle pain.”, the word that contains a
prefix is
a. muscular
b. relieve
c. hydrotherapy
d. HE

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Drafting
CE.7.14 Write compositions to persuade, argue or request.

Instructions: Choose one of the following topics and write an argumentative paragraph in which
you present reasons to support your opinion

 The studies

 The music that young people prefer

 Video game

 Action Movies vs. dramas

 Fashion

 Sports

22.

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Points – paragraph characteristics:
3 – Coherence – clear writing and relationship between sentences
3 – Organization – the ideas follow a sequence (introduction, development and conclusion)
3 – Vocabulary – uses appropriate and varied vocabulary
3 – Proofreading – free of grammatical errors

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Answers
1. b
2. d
3. b
4. c
5. to
6. c
7. b
8. Open answer; use rubric
9. d
10. b
11. c
12. to
13. d
14. b
15. b
16. d
17. c
18. b
19. c
20. b
21. c
22. Open answer; use rubric

* The exercises that make up this Diagnostic Test are examples of some of the competencies
that appear in the Standards: Reading Comprehension and Written Communication. Through
these exercises, the aim is to listen to the level of reading comprehension and the level of
written communication that the student masters.
Recommendation: The teacher can use the text that appears in this Test for a deeper
analysis that takes the student through the four levels of thinking (memory, processing,
strategic and extended) and emphasize the writing of various types of paragraphs as well as
compositions, among others. other exercises.1

The Spanish Diagnostic Tests for First to Twelfth Grades in this 2010-2011 school year are the
effort of several people: Spanish teachers, Teaching Facilitators and Professors from the UPR
(Bayamón).

1
Explanatory Note - For legal purposes, in relation to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the use of the terms teacher and student, as well as any other
term that may refer to both sexes, includes both male and female.