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English Language: Middle School: Grades 6, 7 and 8 Quiz - Writing Explanations (Questions)

This English Language quiz is called 'Writing Explanations' and it has been written by teachers to help you if you are studying the subject at middle school. Playing educational quizzes is a fabulous way to learn if you are in the 6th, 7th or 8th grade - aged 11 to 14.

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An 'explanation' explains something: it tells us the 'how', 'why' and 'what' of something we want to know about, for example:

How does a steam engine work?
What makes us feel sleepy?

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If you are curious about life and/or a budding scientist, you will love explanations! Reading about how something works, what makes the world turn or even why some people have brown eyes and some blue, is so interesting. It's one thing to read an explanation, but this quiz will see how good you are at spotting written explanations.

This middle school English quiz will test you to see if you can recognize explanatory statements. This is a really easy test, but you might learn a few interesting things.

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Which one of the statements is an explanatory statement?
Why do we have seasons?

[ ]	We have seasons because the Earth is tilted on its axis
[ ]	We have spring, summer, autumn and winter
[ ]	The Earth goes round the sun
[ ]	The Earth is called the 'Blue Planet'

Which one of the statements is an explanatory statement?
Why do leaves change color in autumn?

[ ]	The coast redwood is the tallest tree in the world
[ ]	I like oak trees
[ ]	Leaves have beautiful colors in autumn
[ ]	They change color in autumn because there is not enough light or water for photosynthesis

Which one of the statements is an explanatory statement?
Why do people have red eyes in flash photographs?

[ ]	They look like vampires
[ ]	Flash photography is useful in the dark
[ ]	I've got a camera
[ ]	People have red eyes in flash photographs because of the red color from the blood vessels that supply the eyes

Which one of the statements is an explanatory statement?
Why do cats eat grass?

[ ]	I've got a calico cat
[ ]	Cats eat grass because it contains folic acid
[ ]	The cat that walked by himself
[ ]	Do you like cats?

Which one of the statements is an explanatory statement?
Why do dogs eat grass?

[ ]	I love dogs
[ ]	My favorite dog is the Labrador
[ ]	Dogs eat grass because of a medical disorder
[ ]	Have you got a dog?

Which one of the statements is an explanatory statement?
How did the Titanic sink?

[ ]	The Titanic was a British passenger liner
[ ]	I'm glad that I wasn't on the Titanic
[ ]	The Titanic sunk as a result of colliding with an iceberg
[ ]	She sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 - on her maiden voyage

Which one of the statements is an explanatory statement?
Why doesn't bronze rust?

[ ]	I've got a bronze statue in my garden
[ ]	Bronze doesn't rust because it is a copper alloy
[ ]	Is it made of bronze?
[ ]	The Bronze Age was between 3500 - 1500 BC

Which one of the statements is an explanatory statement?
Why was she angry?

[ ]	She was angry because someone had stolen her pocketbook
[ ]	She is a very nice person
[ ]	Don't ask her about her pocketbook
[ ]	Do you think she'll get her pocketbook back?

Which one of the statements is an explanatory statement?
How did the mirror get broken?

[ ]	It's a lovely mirror
[ ]	The mirror fell onto the floor and broke because the wall attachment wasn't strong enough to hold it on the wall
[ ]	Have you got a mirror?
[ ]	We have mirrors in our bathroom

10.

Which one of the statements is an explanatory statement?
Why are you late?

[ ]	I like traveling by bus
[ ]	Where is the nearest bus stop?
[ ]	I always travel upstairs on a double-decker bus
[ ]	I was late because I missed the bus

English Language: Middle School: Grades 6, 7 and 8 Quiz - Writing Explanations (Answers)

Which one of the statements is an explanatory statement?
Why do we have seasons?

[x]	We have seasons because the Earth is tilted on its axis
[ ]	We have spring, summer, autumn and winter
[ ]	The Earth goes round the sun
[ ]	The Earth is called the 'Blue Planet'

The Earth's axis is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees. The tilt of the Earth means the Earth leans towards the sun in the summer (more heat) and it leans away from the sun in the winter (less heat). In between these seasons, we get spring and autumn

Which one of the statements is an explanatory statement?
Why do leaves change color in autumn?

[ ]	The coast redwood is the tallest tree in the world
[ ]	I like oak trees
[ ]	Leaves have beautiful colors in autumn
[x]	They change color in autumn because there is not enough light or water for photosynthesis

Food producing procedures shut down and the green chlorophyll vanishes from the leaves. This green color is in turn replaced by the rusty colors that we see in autumn

Which one of the statements is an explanatory statement?
Why do people have red eyes in flash photographs?

[ ]	They look like vampires
[ ]	Flash photography is useful in the dark
[ ]	I've got a camera
[x]	People have red eyes in flash photographs because of the red color from the blood vessels that supply the eyes

Some cameras adjust for this nuisance

Which one of the statements is an explanatory statement?
Why do cats eat grass?

[ ]	I've got a calico cat
[x]	Cats eat grass because it contains folic acid
[ ]	The cat that walked by himself
[ ]	Do you like cats?

Folic acid is a vitamin that is essential to a cat's well-being

Which one of the statements is an explanatory statement?
Why do dogs eat grass?

[ ]	I love dogs
[ ]	My favorite dog is the Labrador
[x]	Dogs eat grass because of a medical disorder
[ ]	Have you got a dog?

This disorder is called pica: the desire to eat non-foods things. In this case, grass is a non-food. In general, there is no agreement as to why dogs eat grass

Which one of the statements is an explanatory statement?
How did the Titanic sink?

[ ]	The Titanic was a British passenger liner
[ ]	I'm glad that I wasn't on the Titanic
[x]	The Titanic sunk as a result of colliding with an iceberg
[ ]	She sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 - on her maiden voyage

The iceberg tore a 90 m gash along her starboard side (right side as you face the front of the ship: the left side is called the port side): 1,503 people perished

Which one of the statements is an explanatory statement?
Why doesn't bronze rust?

[ ]	I've got a bronze statue in my garden
[x]	Bronze doesn't rust because it is a copper alloy
[ ]	Is it made of bronze?
[ ]	The Bronze Age was between 3500 - 1500 BC

Bronze is an alloy of copper (Cu) and tin (Sn): it doesn't rust, but it may tarnish. An 'alloy' is a mixture of metals

Which one of the statements is an explanatory statement?
Why was she angry?

[x]	She was angry because someone had stolen her pocketbook
[ ]	She is a very nice person
[ ]	Don't ask her about her pocketbook
[ ]	Do you think she'll get her pocketbook back?

Let's hope she gets her pocketbook back

Which one of the statements is an explanatory statement?
How did the mirror get broken?

[ ]	It's a lovely mirror
[x]	The mirror fell onto the floor and broke because the wall attachment wasn't strong enough to hold it on the wall
[ ]	Have you got a mirror?
[ ]	We have mirrors in our bathroom

Mirror mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all?

10.

Which one of the statements is an explanatory statement?
Why are you late?

[ ]	I like traveling by bus
[ ]	Where is the nearest bus stop?
[ ]	I always travel upstairs on a double-decker bus
[x]	I was late because I missed the bus

Get up earlier next time