RL.7.1: Citing Several Pieces of Evidence for What a Story States and Suggests
In plain English: RL.7.1 is the Common Core grade 7 ELA standard that asks students to cite several pieces of textual evidence, exact words from a story, poem or play, to support their analysis. Students back up both what the text states directly and the inferences they draw, using two or more quotations that each add something. It builds on RL.6.1.
Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy · Domain: Reading Standards for Literature · Cluster: Key Ideas and Details · Official standard
Students learn to support two kinds of claims about a story with several pieces of textual evidence: what the text says explicitly, and what a reader infers. In grade 7 one quotation is rarely the end of the job. Students gather two or three pieces from different places in the text, check that each one adds something the others do not, and write a sentence that explains how the pieces fit together. The modeled reading is the opening of chapter III of L. M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables (1908), where Marilla Cuthbert learns that her brother Matthew has brought home a girl from the orphanage instead of the boy they asked for.
Students then read the famous schoolroom scene from chapter XV on their own, in which Gilbert Blythe calls Anne "Carrots," and build evidence sets for claims about Anne, Gilbert and the class. The homework uses the tea party in chapter XXI, where Anne's layer cake goes badly wrong.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Support an explicit claim with two or more exact quotations, each cited with its paragraph number
Support an inference with several clues from different parts of a passage and a sentence explaining how they connect
Test an evidence set: drop a piece that only repeats another, and add a piece that fills a gap
Tell a character's opinion apart from the narrator's statements when choosing evidence
Prior Knowledge Required
Students should already be comfortable with:
Citing textual evidence for what a text says explicitly and for inferences drawn from it RL.6.1
Putting copied words inside quotation marks and adding a paragraph number
Telling a character's spoken words apart from the narrator's words
"On the first day of school, a new student eats lunch alone. Your friend says, 'She must be stuck-up.' Is one clue enough to know that? Write two other things her eating alone could mean. Then write two more clues that would help you decide which idea is right."
Collect answers on the board. One clue fits many explanations: she is new and knows no one, she is shy, she wanted quiet, or nobody invited her. Then list the extra clues students would look for, such as whether she smiles when someone sits down or turns away. Point out that each new clue rules some explanations out. Tell the class that grade 7 readers do the same with stories: they collect several pieces of evidence before they trust a conclusion.
Direct Instruction15 minutes
Review four words and add one:
Textual evidence: exact words from the text that back up what you say about it.
Cite: to show where your evidence comes from. Here, you copy the words in quotation marks and add the paragraph number, like this: (paragraph 5).
Explicit: stated directly in the words of the text.
Inference: a conclusion the text supports but does not state. You reach it by joining clues from the text with what you know about people.
Evidence set (new): two or more pieces of evidence that support the same claim. A strong set uses pieces from different places, and each piece adds something new.
Introduce the text: in Anne of Green Gables (1908), Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, an older brother and sister who live together on a farm in Avonlea, Prince Edward Island, asked a woman they know, Mrs. Spencer, to bring them a boy from an orphanage. Matthew has just driven home from the train station. Words to know: ejaculated (an old word for exclaimed, said suddenly), luminous (glowing), wretchedly (miserably), animation (liveliness), carpet-bag (a traveling bag made of carpet cloth), deprecatingly (in an uneasy, apologetic way), stepped lamely into the breach (awkwardly tried to fill the silence), tragical (an old form of tragic) and mellowed (softened). Read the passage aloud while students follow the numbered paragraphs.
1MARILLA came briskly forward as Matthew opened the door. But when her eyes fell on the odd little figure in the stiff, ugly dress, with the long braids of red hair and the eager, luminous eyes, she stopped short in amazement.
2“Matthew Cuthbert, who’s that?” she ejaculated. “Where is the boy?”
3“There wasn’t any boy,” said Matthew wretchedly. “There was only her.”
4He nodded at the child, remembering that he had never even asked her name.
5“No boy! But there must have been a boy,” insisted Marilla. “We sent word to Mrs. Spencer to bring a boy.”
6“Well, she didn’t. She brought her. I asked the stationmaster. And I had to bring her home. She couldn’t be left there, no matter where the mistake had come in.”
7“Well, this is a pretty piece of business!” ejaculated Marilla.
8During this dialogue the child had remained silent, her eyes roving from one to the other, all the animation fading out of her face. Suddenly she seemed to grasp the full meaning of what had been said. Dropping her precious carpet-bag she sprang forward a step and clasped her hands.
9“You don’t want me!” she cried. “You don’t want me because I’m not a boy! I might have expected it. Nobody ever did want me. I might have known it was all too beautiful to last. I might have known nobody really did want me. Oh, what shall I do? I’m going to burst into tears!”
10Burst into tears she did. Sitting down on a chair by the table, flinging her arms out upon it, and burying her face in them, she proceeded to cry stormily. Marilla and Matthew looked at each other deprecatingly across the stove. Neither of them knew what to say or do. Finally Marilla stepped lamely into the breach.
11“Well, well, there’s no need to cry so about it.”
12“Yes, there is need!” The child raised her head quickly, revealing a tear-stained face and trembling lips. “You would cry, too, if you were an orphan and had come to a place you thought was going to be home and found that they didn’t want you because you weren’t a boy. Oh, this is the most tragical thing that ever happened to me!”
13Something like a reluctant smile, rather rusty from long disuse, mellowed Marilla’s grim expression.
14“Well, don’t cry any more. We’re not going to turn you out-of-doors tonight. You’ll have to stay here until we investigate this affair. What’s your name?”
L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, chapter III, "Marilla Cuthbert Is Surprised" (opening) (1908). Public domain (published 1908). Source text.
Explicit: two pieces that agree
What did the Cuthberts ask for, and what did they get?
Result: Marilla states the request: "We sent word to Mrs. Spencer to bring a boy" (paragraph 5). Matthew states the result: "There wasn't any boy" (paragraph 3). One quotation gives the request and the other gives what happened, so together they prove the mistake.
Explicit: a reason the text gives
Why did Matthew bring the girl home instead of leaving her at the station?
Result: Matthew gives the reason himself: "She couldn't be left there, no matter where the mistake had come in" (paragraph 6). Because the text states the reason, students quote it instead of guessing. A second piece, "I had to bring her home" (paragraph 6), shows he felt he had no choice.
Inference: several clues
The passage never tells Anne's past. What can a reader infer about it?
Result: Anne has been passed over or sent away before. Clue 1: "I might have expected it" (paragraph 9) shows she is not surprised. Clue 2: "Nobody ever did want me" (paragraph 9) says it has happened more than once. Clue 3: "if you were an orphan" (paragraph 12) tells us she has no parents to go back to. Each clue adds a new part of the picture.
Inference: a character who changes
What can a reader infer about Marilla by the end of the passage?
Result: Marilla is stern, but Anne's crying softens her a little. Her face is "grim," and her smile is "rusty from long disuse" (paragraph 13), so she does not smile often. Yet she says, "We're not going to turn you out-of-doors tonight" (paragraph 14), which is a small kindness. The two clues pull in different directions, and the inference has to account for both.
Claim, several quotes, explain. Model the moves with the third example: write the claim; add each quotation with its paragraph number; after each one, write a few words on what it adds; finish with one sentence that explains how the pieces work together (Diagram 1). Give two sentence frames: "The text states that ___ (paragraph __), and it also says ___ (paragraph __)." for explicit claims, and "Several clues suggest that ___. First, ___. Also, ___. Together these show ___." for inferences.
Guided Practice15 minutes
Write this claim on the board: Matthew feels awkward and unsure around the child. Pairs find three pieces of evidence in the chapter III passage, from at least two different paragraphs. Then work through these three pieces together, asking for each one what it states, what it adds, and whether it is explicit or a clue for an inference:
"There wasn't any boy," said Matthew wretchedly. (paragraph 3). Teacher note: the word "wretchedly" is explicit; it tells us Matthew is miserable as he explains. It adds how he feels, not just what he says.
"He nodded at the child, remembering that he had never even asked her name." (paragraph 4). Teacher note: stated, he never asked her name. Inferred, he is shy or does not know how to talk with a child, since he has just spent the whole drive home with her. This piece adds a new kind of clue: something he failed to do.
"Neither of them knew what to say or do." (paragraph 10). Teacher note: this is the narrator stating it directly about both Cuthberts. It adds that Matthew is still stuck later in the scene, when Anne is crying.
Now show Diagram 2 and test the set. A weak set for the same claim would be: "Matthew is awkward. He says it 'wretchedly.' This shows he is awkward." Ask pairs which tests it fails (one piece only, no paragraph number, nothing new added, and an explanation that repeats the claim). Each pair then writes the strong version in three or four sentences and reads it to another pair.
Independent Practice15 minutes
Students read the schoolroom scene from chapter XV on their own, in two parts. Anne now lives at Green Gables and goes to the one-room Avonlea school. Diana Barry is her best friend, Gilbert Blythe is a boy she has just seen for the first time that morning, and Mr. Phillips is the teacher. Paragraph numbers restart in each part. Words to know: scholars (pupils), slate (a small chalkboard each pupil wrote on), oblivious (not aware), afforded (gave), fancies (imaginings), indignant (angry at something unfair), quenched (put out), tableau (a scene that looks frozen, like a picture), stoutly (firmly and bravely), vindictive (wanting revenge), primer class (the youngest pupils), legend (here, the words written on the board), sustained (held up) and malicious (meaning to hurt).
1Mr. Phillips was back in the corner explaining a problem in algebra to Prissy Andrews and the rest of the scholars were doing pretty much as they pleased eating green apples, whispering, drawing pictures on their slates, and driving crickets harnessed to strings, up and down aisle. Gilbert Blythe was trying to make Anne Shirley look at him and failing utterly, because Anne was at that moment totally oblivious not only to the very existence of Gilbert Blythe, but of every other scholar in Avonlea school itself. With her chin propped on her hands and her eyes fixed on the blue glimpse of the Lake of Shining Waters that the west window afforded, she was far away in a gorgeous dreamland hearing and seeing nothing save her own wonderful visions.
2Gilbert Blythe wasn’t used to putting himself out to make a girl look at him and meeting with failure. She should look at him, that red-haired Shirley girl with the little pointed chin and the big eyes that weren’t like the eyes of any other girl in Avonlea school.
3Gilbert reached across the aisle, picked up the end of Anne’s long red braid, held it out at arm’s length and said in a piercing whisper:
4“Carrots! Carrots!”
5Then Anne looked at him with a vengeance!
6She did more than look. She sprang to her feet, her bright fancies fallen into cureless ruin. She flashed one indignant glance at Gilbert from eyes whose angry sparkle was swiftly quenched in equally angry tears.
7“You mean, hateful boy!” she exclaimed passionately. “How dare you!”
8And then--thwack! Anne had brought her slate down on Gilbert’s head and cracked it--slate not head--clear across.
9Avonlea school always enjoyed a scene. This was an especially enjoyable one. Everybody said “Oh” in horrified delight. Diana gasped. Ruby Gillis, who was inclined to be hysterical, began to cry. Tommy Sloane let his team of crickets escape him altogether while he stared open-mouthed at the tableau.
L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, chapter XV, "A Tempest in the School Teapot" (first part) (1908). Public domain (published 1908). Source text.
1Mr. Phillips stalked down the aisle and laid his hand heavily on Anne’s shoulder.
2“Anne Shirley, what does this mean?” he said angrily. Anne returned no answer. It was asking too much of flesh and blood to expect her to tell before the whole school that she had been called “carrots.” Gilbert it was who spoke up stoutly.
3“It was my fault Mr. Phillips. I teased her.”
4Mr. Phillips paid no heed to Gilbert.
5“I am sorry to see a pupil of mine displaying such a temper and such a vindictive spirit,” he said in a solemn tone, as if the mere fact of being a pupil of his ought to root out all evil passions from the hearts of small imperfect mortals. “Anne, go and stand on the platform in front of the blackboard for the rest of the afternoon.”
6Anne would have infinitely preferred a whipping to this punishment under which her sensitive spirit quivered as from a whiplash. With a white, set face she obeyed. Mr. Phillips took a chalk crayon and wrote on the blackboard above her head.
7“Ann Shirley has a very bad temper. Ann Shirley must learn to control her temper,” and then read it out loud so that even the primer class, who couldn’t read writing, should understand it.
8Anne stood there the rest of the afternoon with that legend above her. She did not cry or hang her head. Anger was still too hot in her heart for that and it sustained her amid all her agony of humiliation. With resentful eyes and passion-red cheeks she confronted alike Diana’s sympathetic gaze and Charlie Sloane’s indignant nods and Josie Pye’s malicious smiles. As for Gilbert Blythe, she would not even look at him. She would never look at him again! She would never speak to him!!
L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, chapter XV, "A Tempest in the School Teapot" (second part) (1908). Public domain (published 1908). Source text.
On the handout, students (1) choose one explicit detail about the classroom and support it with two quotations from different sentences; (2) write one inference about Gilbert, supported by at least two clues from the first part; (3) write one inference about Anne, supported by three pieces of evidence, at least one from each part, and mark which piece is the strongest. The quiz uses both parts of the scene and the chapter III passage.
Closure5-10 minutes
Exit ticket: (1) In one sentence, explain why an inference usually needs more than one piece of evidence. (2) Write one claim about Anne from the schoolroom scene and list two quotations, with part and paragraph numbers, that support it.
Teacher note on language: Montgomery wrote in 1908, and a few words have changed meaning or feel dated. "Ejaculated" in chapter III is an old word for exclaimed; tell students this before reading so the word does not become a distraction. "Asylum" (used later in chapter III) and "the orphanage" mean the same thing in the novel. In chapter XV, Anne thinks she "would have infinitely preferred a whipping"; schools of that time could whip or strap pupils as punishment, which Canadian schools and most US public schools no longer allow. Ruby Gillis "was inclined to be hysterical" is an old, unkind way of saying she was easily upset. Keep Montgomery's words as she wrote them and treat these ideas as part of the story's time and place.
For homework: students read the tea party scene from chapter XXI, printed below. Marilla has invited the new minister, Mr. Allan, and his wife to tea. Anne admires Mrs. Allan and has baked a layer cake for her. Words to know: merry as a marriage bell (very happily), bewildering (confusing because there is so much), peculiar (strange), anguish (great pain or distress), mortification (deep embarrassment), fiddlesticks (nonsense), liniment (a liquid medicine for aches, usually rubbed on the skin; "anodyne" means pain-relieving), disgrace (shame) and gable chamber (Anne's bedroom under the roof).
1All went merry as a marriage bell until Anne’s layer cake was passed. Mrs. Allan, having already been helped to a bewildering variety, declined it. But Marilla, seeing the disappointment on Anne’s face, said smilingly:
2“Oh, you must take a piece of this, Mrs. Allan. Anne made it on purpose for you.”
3“In that case I must sample it,” laughed Mrs. Allan, helping herself to a plump triangle, as did also the minister and Marilla.
4Mrs. Allan took a mouthful of hers and a most peculiar expression crossed her face; not a word did she say, however, but steadily ate away at it. Marilla saw the expression and hastened to taste the cake.
5“Anne Shirley!” she exclaimed, “what on earth did you put into that cake?”
6“Nothing but what the recipe said, Marilla,” cried Anne with a look of anguish. “Oh, isn’t it all right?”
7“All right! It’s simply horrible. Mr. Allan, don’t try to eat it. Anne, taste it yourself. What flavoring did you use?”
8“Vanilla,” said Anne, her face scarlet with mortification after tasting the cake. “Only vanilla. Oh, Marilla, it must have been the baking powder. I had my suspicions of that bak--”
9“Baking powder fiddlesticks! Go and bring me the bottle of vanilla you used.”
10Anne fled to the pantry and returned with a small bottle partially filled with a brown liquid and labeled yellowly, “Best Vanilla.”
11Marilla took it, uncorked it, smelled it.
12“Mercy on us, Anne, you’ve flavored that cake with Anodyne Liniment. I broke the liniment bottle last week and poured what was left into an old empty vanilla bottle. I suppose it’s partly my fault--I should have warned you--but for pity’s sake why couldn’t you have smelled it?”
13Anne dissolved into tears under this double disgrace.
14“I couldn’t--I had such a cold!” and with this she fairly fled to the gable chamber, where she cast herself on the bed and wept as one who refuses to be comforted.
L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, chapter XXI, "A New Departure in Flavorings" (the tea party) (1908). Public domain (published 1908). Source text.
Differentiation Strategies
For Struggling Students
Give the two sentence frames on a card, and a three-row chart with columns for the quotation, the paragraph number and "what it adds"
Read the schoolroom scene aloud with them, stopping after each paragraph to ask "What happened? What does this tell us about Anne or Gilbert?"
Let them start with two pieces of evidence instead of three, as long as the two come from different paragraphs
For Advanced Students
Ask them to find a piece of evidence that works against their own inference and explain why the inference still holds, or how they would change it
Have them compare what Mr. Phillips writes on the board with what the narrator shows about Anne, and decide which is more reliable evidence about her temper
Ask them to rank three pieces of evidence for the same claim from strongest to weakest and defend the order in writing
Assessment Guidance
What to Look For
Check that every claim has at least two pieces of evidence, each in quotation marks with a paragraph number, and that the pieces come from different sentences or paragraphs. Look for a few words after each piece saying what it adds, and a final sentence that connects the pieces to the claim; a list of quotations with no explanation is not yet enough. Watch for sets where the second piece only repeats the first in different words, and for students who treat a character's opinion (for example, what a teacher writes on the board) as proof. What a character says is explicit evidence that the character said it, not proof that it is true.
02
Classroom Activities
3 Activities
1
Build the Evidence Stacks
15 minPairs
Pairs get 3 claim cards and 11 quotation cards from the chapter III passage. They build a stack of three quotations under each claim and set aside the cards that do not fit. The goal is to see that a claim needs several pieces, and that not every quotation from a passage is evidence for something.
The Cards
Claims: A. Marilla is shocked and annoyed by the mistake. B. Anne talks and acts dramatically. C. The Cuthberts do not know how to comfort a crying child.
Quotations:
"she stopped short in amazement" (paragraph 1)
"Where is the boy?" (paragraph 2)
"Well, this is a pretty piece of business!" (paragraph 7)
"I'm going to burst into tears!" (paragraph 9)
"Burst into tears she did." (paragraph 10)
"Oh, this is the most tragical thing that ever happened to me!" (paragraph 12)
"Marilla and Matthew looked at each other deprecatingly across the stove." (paragraph 10)
"Finally Marilla stepped lamely into the breach." (paragraph 10)
"Well, well, there's no need to cry so about it." (paragraph 11)
"He nodded at the child" (paragraph 4)
"I asked the stationmaster." (paragraph 6)
Procedure
Pairs place three quotation cards under each claim and write, on each card, a few words about what it adds to the claim
Two cards will be left over; pairs explain in one sentence why each does not support any of the three claims
Answer key for the teacher: Claim A, paragraphs 1, 2 and 7; Claim B, paragraphs 9, 10 ("Burst into tears she did") and 12; Claim C, paragraph 10 ("looked at each other deprecatingly"), paragraph 10 ("stepped lamely into the breach") and paragraph 11; left over, paragraph 4 ("He nodded at the child") and paragraph 6 ("I asked the stationmaster"), which report actions without showing shock, drama or trouble comforting her
Discussion Questions
Which quotation under Claim C is the narrator speaking and which is a character? Does that change how strong it is?
Claim B uses both Anne's words and the narrator's words. Why is the pair "I'm going to burst into tears!" and "Burst into tears she did." stronger than either one alone?
Could a leftover card support a claim of your own? Write that claim.
Modification
For students who need support, give out only the nine cards that fit, and place one card under each claim as a model before pairs sort the rest.
2
Evidence Tug-of-War: Will Anne Stay?
15 minGroups of 4
Groups make a prediction from the chapter III passage: will Marilla let Anne stay at Green Gables? Half of each group gathers evidence that she will, half gathers evidence that she will not, and the group decides which evidence set is stronger. The goal is to practice weighing evidence on both sides before settling on an inference.
Procedure
In each group, two students look for evidence that Anne will stay and two look for evidence that she will not; each pair needs three quotations with paragraph numbers
Pairs present their sets to each other; the group checks each piece against the tests in Diagram 2 and crosses out any piece that repeats another
The group writes one prediction sentence that uses the strongest evidence from both sides, for example "Marilla will probably ___ because ___, even though ___."
Evidence notes for the teacher. Toward staying: Matthew says "She couldn't be left there" (paragraph 6); Marilla's grim face shows "something like a reluctant smile" (paragraph 13); she promises "We're not going to turn you out-of-doors tonight" (paragraph 14). Toward leaving: "But there must have been a boy" (paragraph 5); "Well, this is a pretty piece of business!" (paragraph 7); "You'll have to stay here until we investigate this affair" (paragraph 14), which makes the stay sound temporary
Discussion Questions
Paragraph 14 gives evidence for both sides. How can one paragraph do that?
Which side relied more on what characters say, and which on what the narrator describes?
How sure can a reader be about a prediction from only 14 paragraphs? What would you want to read next?
Variation
After the debate, tell students that the title of chapter VI is "Marilla Makes Up Her Mind" and let them revise their prediction. Readers of the whole novel learn that Anne stays.
3
Upgrade the Answer
10 minIndividual, then pairs
After reading the first part of the schoolroom scene, students turn a one-quotation answer into a grade 7 answer with several pieces of evidence. Upgrading a thin answer shows what each added piece does.
The Answer to Upgrade
Question: How does Anne feel the moment Gilbert calls her "Carrots"? Answer: "Anne is mad. She says 'How dare you!' so she is mad."
Procedure
On their own, students name what the answer is missing: a paragraph number, a second and third piece of evidence, and an explanation that does more than repeat "mad"
Students rewrite the answer with three pieces from at least two paragraphs of the first part, and a more exact word than "mad"
Pairs swap and check each other's revision against Diagram 2
Model revision for the teacher: "Anne feels furious and hurt at the same time. She looks at Gilbert 'with a vengeance' (paragraph 5), which shows she wants to get back at him. Her eyes show an 'angry sparkle' that is 'quenched in equally angry tears' (paragraph 6), so she is not only angry but close to crying. Then she calls him a 'mean, hateful boy' (paragraph 7). Together these show that the insult wounds her as much as it angers her."
Variation
For a quicker version, give pairs two upgraded answers, one with three quotations but no explanation and one with two quotations that are explained, and ask which is stronger and why.
03
Diagrams & Visual Aids
2 diagrams
Diagram 1: Several Clues, One Inference
The third worked example as a picture. Three clues from paragraphs 9 and 12 of chapter III each add something new, and together they support one inference: Anne has been passed over or sent away before.
Diagram 2: Test an Evidence Set
Five tests for an evidence set, applied in Guided Practice to the claim that Matthew feels awkward. The weak set quotes one word with no paragraph number; the strong set uses three cited pieces from paragraphs 3, 4 and 10 and explains how they fit.
04
Homework Assignment
~30 min
RL.7.1 Homework: Evidence at the Tea Party
Directions: Read the tea party passage from Anne of Green Gables at the end of the lesson plan (in Closure). Its paragraphs are numbered 1-14. Answer in complete sentences. Put every quotation in quotation marks and give its paragraph number. Where a problem asks for several pieces of evidence, take them from different sentences or paragraphs.
Part 1: What the Text Says Explicitly (Problems 1-2)
How did liniment end up in Anne's cake, and why didn't Anne notice it while she was baking? Answer both parts, and quote one piece of evidence for each from two different paragraphs.
What does Mrs. Allan do after her first mouthful of the cake? Quote the sentence that tells you, give its paragraph number, and then quote what Marilla does next.
Part 2: What the Text Suggests (Problems 3-4)
Mrs. Allan does not say a word about the taste and keeps eating. What can you infer about why? Support your inference with at least two pieces of evidence from different paragraphs, and explain how they fit together.
The narrator says Anne "dissolved into tears under this double disgrace" (paragraph 13). What are the two disgraces? Support your answer with a piece of evidence for each one.
Part 3: Building and Testing an Evidence Set (Problems 5-6)
Claim: Marilla shares some of the blame for the ruined cake. Choose the two pieces of evidence that support this claim best, and explain why "Baking powder fiddlesticks!" (paragraph 9) would not add much to your set.
Write a paragraph of 5-7 sentences answering: What does this scene suggest about how much Anne cares about Mrs. Allan's opinion? Use at least three quotations from different paragraphs, each with its paragraph number. Label one piece as explicit, and explain one inference you draw.
Rubric
Criterion
Full Credit (2 pts)
Partial Credit (1 pt)
No Credit (0 pts)
Explicit Evidence
Exact quotations that answer the question, each with a paragraph number
A correct paraphrase, or quotations without paragraph numbers
Wrong or missing
Several Pieces
Two or more pieces from different places, each adding something new
Two pieces that mostly repeat each other, or only one piece
No evidence
Inference
A sensible conclusion the text does not state, with an explanation of how the clues connect
A sensible conclusion with little explanation
A guess with no clue, or a repeat of the text
Testing Evidence
Picks the strongest pieces and explains why a weaker piece adds little
Picks reasonable pieces without a clear reason
Picks pieces that do not support the claim
05
Quiz: 20 Questions
Interactive, with answers
Instructions
Questions 2-7, 11 and 15 use the first part of the schoolroom scene from chapter XV, and questions 8-10, 12, 17 and 19 use the second part; questions 16 and 20 use both parts. They are in Independent Practice above. Questions 13, 14 and 18 use the chapter III passage in Direct Instruction. Question 1 asks about citing evidence in general. Paragraph numbers restart in each passage. Your score updates as you answer, and Reset quiz clears everything.
Multiple choice: pick an option to check it. Short answer: write your answer, then reveal the model answer.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice
RL.7.1 asks for several pieces of textual evidence. Which answer does that best?
Answer: C
Several pieces means two or more quotations, each cited, and each adding something the others do not. Choice A is one piece, however long. Choice B has two pieces, but the second only repeats the first, so it adds no new support. Choice D has no textual evidence at all: a retelling is a paraphrase and an opinion is a judgment.
Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In the first part of the schoolroom scene, whom is Mr. Phillips helping when the trouble begins?
Answer: A
The text states that "Mr. Phillips was back in the corner explaining a problem in algebra to Prissy Andrews" (first part, paragraph 1). Choice B takes Gilbert from the same paragraph but gives him a lesson the passage does not mention. Choice C borrows Ruby Gillis, who appears in paragraph 9 only as someone who cries. Choice D borrows the primer class from the second part, where Mr. Phillips reads his sentence aloud for them.
Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice
While the teacher is busy in the corner, what are the other scholars doing?
Answer: D
The text lists it explicitly: the scholars were "eating green apples, whispering, drawing pictures on their slates, and driving crickets harnessed to strings" (first part, paragraph 1). Choice A turns the algebra that one pupil is doing into what the whole class is doing. Choice B is not in the passage. Choice C gets the order wrong: the class turns to watch only after the slate comes down (paragraph 9).
Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which pair of quotations best supports the inference that Gilbert teased Anne because she was ignoring him?
Answer: B
The two pieces in Choice B give the reason: Gilbert is trying to get Anne to look at him and failing, and he is not used to failing with girls, so he does something she cannot ignore (first part, paragraphs 1 and 2). Choice A shows how he teased her, not why. Choice C is about the class's reaction after the teasing. Choice D shows how Anne feels, which is evidence about her, not about Gilbert's reason.
Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice
The narrator says Anne "sprang to her feet, her bright fancies fallen into cureless ruin" (first part, paragraph 6). What does the phrase about her fancies suggest?
Answer: C
Fancies are imaginings, and paragraph 1 shows that Anne was lost in a daydream before Gilbert spoke. "Cureless ruin" means the dream is destroyed and cannot be put back, so the phrase shows Gilbert's whisper has ended her daydream. Choice A mixes up the ruined fancies with the cracked slate in paragraph 8. Choice B has no support: Anne was not doing a lesson. Choice D reads "cureless" as forever and applies it to the wrong thing.
Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice
According to paragraph 8 of the first part, what breaks when Anne brings her slate down?
Answer: A
The narrator states it with a joke: Anne "cracked it--slate not head--clear across" (first part, paragraph 8). Choice B reverses the narrator's words. Choice C adds a desk that the text never mentions. Choice D ignores the word "cracked"; Ruby does cry, but in paragraph 9 and along with the rest of the class's reactions.
Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice
"Avonlea school always enjoyed a scene. This was an especially enjoyable one. Everybody said 'Oh' in horrified delight" (first part, paragraph 9). What can a reader infer about the class?
Answer: D
"Horrified delight" joins two feelings: the pupils are shocked ("horrified") and pleased ("delight"), and the narrator adds that the school "always enjoyed a scene." Together these clues show the class finds the drama exciting. Choice A keeps only "horrified" and drops "delight." Choice B has no support in paragraph 9. Choice C is contradicted: they react at once, since "Everybody said 'Oh.'"
Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice
"Anne would have infinitely preferred a whipping to this punishment" (second part, paragraph 6). What does this suggest?
Answer: B
Anne would choose physical pain over standing in front of everyone, and the same paragraph says her "sensitive spirit quivered as from a whiplash." Together the clues show that public shame hurts her more than a whipping would. Choice A confuses "preferred" with "deserved." Choice C invents a habit; the passage never shows Mr. Phillips whipping anyone. Choice D ignores "sensitive spirit": she is badly hurt, not fearless.
Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice
According to paragraph 8 of the second part, why doesn't Anne cry while she stands on the platform?
Answer: C
The narrator states the reason: "Anger was still too hot in her heart for that and it sustained her amid all her agony of humiliation" (second part, paragraph 8). "Sustained" means held up. Choice A misreads the paragraph: Diana gives a "sympathetic gaze," and the smiles belong to Josie Pye. Choice B confuses Gilbert's words to the teacher, "It was my fault," with an apology to Anne. Choice D is not in the text.
Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Claim: Anne plans to get back at Gilbert by ignoring him. Which set of evidence from the second part, paragraph 8, supports this claim best?
Answer: A
All three pieces in Choice A are about how Anne will treat Gilbert, and each adds something: not now, never again, and not even speaking. Choice B shows that she is proud and angry, but not what she plans to do to Gilbert. Choice C tells how long she stands there. Choice D describes her classmates' reactions, not her plan.
Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In the first part, what happens to Tommy Sloane's crickets?
Answer: D
The text states that "Tommy Sloane let his team of crickets escape him altogether while he stared open-mouthed at the tableau" (first part, paragraph 9). Choices A, B and C each take a character from the scene and give them an action with the crickets that the text never describes; checking the words of paragraph 9 rules all three out.
Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Anne faces "Diana's sympathetic gaze and Charlie Sloane's indignant nods and Josie Pye's malicious smiles" (second part, paragraph 8). What does this list suggest?
Answer: B
"Sympathetic" means sharing someone's pain, so Diana is on Anne's side; "malicious" means meaning to hurt, so Josie Pye is glad Anne is in trouble. The class is split. Choice A overlooks Josie Pye. Choice C is contradicted: they are all looking at her. Choice D overlooks Diana.
Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In chapter III, how does the narrator describe Anne's dress when Marilla first sees her?
Answer: A
The text states that Marilla sees "the odd little figure in the stiff, ugly dress" (paragraph 1). Choice B describes a worn-out dress, which the text never says. Choice C sounds reasonable for an orphan's dress but is not what the text says. Choice D is the opposite of the text.
Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice
A student writes: "Marilla is shocked. She says, 'No boy! But there must have been a boy' (paragraph 5). This shows Marilla is shocked." Which change would improve the answer most?
Answer: D
The answer has one piece of evidence and an explanation that only repeats the claim. Adding a second cited piece from a different paragraph, and saying what it adds, turns it into an evidence set. Choice A removes the evidence. Choice B adds a judgment, which is not evidence. Choice C removes the citation, which makes the evidence harder to check.
Question 15 of 20 · Short Answer
The first part says Anne was "totally oblivious" (not aware) of everyone in the school (paragraph 1). Quote two other details from paragraph 1 that show what she was doing instead, and explain what each one adds.
Model answer: Anne was daydreaming. She sat "With her chin propped on her hands and her eyes fixed on the blue glimpse of the Lake of Shining Waters" (paragraph 1), which shows where she was looking. She was also "far away in a gorgeous dreamland hearing and seeing nothing save her own wonderful visions" (paragraph 1), which shows what was going on in her mind and explains why she did not notice Gilbert. Rubric: 2 points for two exact quotations with the paragraph number and a note on what each adds; 1 point for one quotation, or two without explanation; 0 points otherwise.
Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer
Why do you think Mr. Phillips "paid no heed to Gilbert" (second part, paragraph 4)? Make an inference and support it with at least two pieces of evidence from either part.
Model answer: Mr. Phillips probably did not see the teasing, so he judges only what he saw, which was Anne hitting Gilbert. "Mr. Phillips was back in the corner" (first part, paragraph 1) with one pupil, so he was not watching the class. When he asks Anne what happened, "Anne returned no answer" (second part, paragraph 2), so he never hears her side. His scolding is all about "such a temper and such a vindictive spirit" (second part, paragraph 5), which shows he has already made up his mind. Rubric: 2 points for a reasonable inference and two cited pieces that each add something, explained; 1 point for the inference with one piece; 0 points for no inference or no evidence.
Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer
In the second part, Gilbert says, "It was my fault Mr. Phillips. I teased her." (paragraph 3). What can you infer about Gilbert from this? Support your inference with this quotation and one more piece of evidence from the second part.
Model answer: Gilbert seems honest and willing to take the blame, even in front of the whole class. He admits "It was my fault" (paragraph 3) without being asked. The narrator also says that "Gilbert it was who spoke up stoutly" (paragraph 2); "stoutly" means firmly and bravely, and Gilbert speaks up at the very moment Anne stays silent. Together these suggest that he wants to keep Anne out of trouble he caused. Rubric: 2 points for a reasonable inference, both quotations with paragraph numbers, and an explanation of how they connect; 1 point for the inference with only the given quotation; 0 points otherwise.
Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer
What can you infer about Anne's hopes on the drive to Green Gables, before she learned about the mistake? Support your inference with at least three pieces of evidence from different paragraphs of the chapter III passage.
Model answer: Anne had hoped very much that Green Gables would be her home. When she arrives she has "eager, luminous eyes" (paragraph 1), so she is excited. As she understands the mistake, she drops her "precious carpet-bag" and "all the animation" fades "out of her face" (paragraph 8), which shows how much the news takes out of her. She says, "I might have known it was all too beautiful to last" (paragraph 9), so the drive had seemed wonderful to her, and she calls Green Gables "a place you thought was going to be home" (paragraph 12). Rubric: 2 points for a reasonable inference and three cited pieces from different paragraphs, explained; 1 point for two pieces, or three without explanation; 0 points for no evidence.
Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer
When Mr. Phillips asks "Anne Shirley, what does this mean?", Anne does not answer (second part, paragraph 2). What reason does the narrator give, and what can you infer from it about how Anne feels about her hair? Use one quotation from each part.
Model answer: The narrator states the reason: "It was asking too much of flesh and blood to expect her to tell before the whole school that she had been called 'carrots'" (second part, paragraph 2). This suggests Anne is deeply embarrassed about her red hair; saying the word out loud would hurt more than being punished. The first part supports this: Gilbert only has to hold her braid out "at arm's length" and say the word "in a piercing whisper" (first part, paragraph 3) for her to explode. Rubric: 2 points for the stated reason quoted exactly, a reasonable inference and a supporting quotation from the first part; 1 point for the reason without an inference, or the inference without a quotation; 0 points otherwise.
Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer
Write a paragraph of 4-6 sentences: What does the schoolroom scene suggest about Anne's personality? Use at least three quotations from both parts, with part and paragraph numbers. Label one piece as explicit and one as a clue for an inference.
Model answer: The scene suggests that Anne has strong feelings and a great deal of pride. Explicit: the moment Gilbert teases her, she "sprang to her feet" and "flashed one indignant glance at Gilbert" (first part, paragraph 6). Clue for an inference: "Anne had brought her slate down on Gilbert's head" (first part, paragraph 8) within seconds, which suggests her temper is quick when her pride is hurt. In the second part, "With a white, set face she obeyed" (paragraph 6), so even while she is punished she refuses to show how she feels. Rubric: 2 points for a clear claim, three cited quotations from both parts, one labeled explicit and one inference explained; 1 point for two quotations or no labels; 0 points for no evidence.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
06
Frequently Asked Questions
10 Questions
What does RL.7.1 mean?
It means seventh graders must back up what they say about a story, poem or play with several pieces of evidence from the text. The standard names two kinds of claims: what the text "says explicitly" and "inferences drawn from the text." For both, students cite exact quotations with paragraph or line numbers and explain how the pieces support the claim.
How many pieces of evidence count as "several" in RL.7.1?
Several means at least two, and three is a good habit for an inference. The number matters less than the quality: each piece should come from a different sentence or paragraph and add something the others do not. Two quotations that say the same thing in different words count as one piece of support.
How is RL.7.1 different from RL.6.1?
RL.7.1 adds the word "several." RL.6.1 asks students to "cite textual evidence"; one well-chosen quotation can meet it. In grade 7, students are expected to gather more than one piece for each claim and show how the pieces work together, especially for inferences.
What comes after RL.7.1 in grade 8?
RL.8.1 asks students to cite "the textual evidence that most strongly supports" their analysis. Grade 8 students choose among possible pieces and use the strongest. The testing work in this lesson, dropping pieces that repeat and ranking pieces from strongest to weakest, prepares for that step.
What is the difference between an explicit detail and an inference?
An explicit detail is stated in the text's own words; an inference is a conclusion the text supports without stating it. In chapter III of Anne of Green Gables, "We sent word to Mrs. Spencer to bring a boy" is explicit. That Anne has been unwanted before is an inference, built from several clues such as "Nobody ever did want me" and "if you were an orphan."
Can a character's words be used as evidence?
Yes, but they prove what the character says or believes, not that it is true. When a teacher in a story writes that a pupil "has a very bad temper," that is the teacher's opinion. Students should support a claim about a character with what the narrator states and what the character does, and use other characters' words as one piece among several.
Why does an inference need more than one clue?
Because one clue usually fits more than one explanation. A girl eating lunch alone might be shy, new or unhappy; each added clue rules some of those out. When several clues from different places point the same way, the inference is much more convincing.
How is RL.7.1 assessed?
Reading tests often pair a question about a passage with a second question asking which quotation, or which two quotations, best support the answer. Written responses ask students to answer a question about a story and support it with several details from the text. The quiz on this page practices both kinds of item.
Is Anne of Green Gables a good choice for seventh graders?
Yes, the scenes used here suit grade 7 readers well. Anne is eleven when the novel opens, and the scenes on this page (arriving at a new home, a fight at school, a baking disaster) are easy to follow while giving plenty to infer about the characters. A few older words, such as "ejaculated" for exclaimed, are glossed in the lesson.
How can parents help a child practice citing several pieces of evidence?
Ask "How do you know? What else tells you that?" while reading together. The second question is the grade 7 step: it pushes your child to find another clue somewhere else in the chapter. Praise answers that point to two different places in the text.
07
Related Standards
5 standards
These standards connect to RL.7.1: prerequisites to review first, parallel standards at the same level, and next steps that build on it.
Before this lesson
RL.6.1Prerequisite
Cite textual evidence for what a text says explicitly and for inferences drawn from it
