Year 7 NAPLAN Reading Sample Questions

SAMPLE QUESTION 1 — Medium

At the end of the week, when friends asked what had happened with her science test, Mia said she had been busy and changed the subject. She had studied for weeks and was sure the paper had gone well — but she had been wrong before. What does Mia's behaviour MOST suggest?

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SAMPLE QUESTION 2 — Medium

Read the passage below, then answer the question. The passenger pigeon was once the most abundant bird in North America, with flocks so vast they darkened the sky for hours as they passed overhead. Within a century of European settlement, the species was extinct. Hunting provided much of the immediate cause, but habitat destruction played an equally critical role by eliminating the vast forest areas the birds needed to breed successfully. The last known passenger pigeon, a female named Martha, died in Cincinnati Zoo in 1914. Her story is frequently cited in conservation literature as evidence that abundance alone offers no protection against extinction. What lesson does the author suggest should be drawn from the passenger pigeon's extinction?

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SAMPLE QUESTION 3 — Medium

The day Priya received her exam results, her heart was a stone — cold, heavy, sinking. She had studied until midnight for three weeks, and still the mark felt like a door slamming in her face. Her mother tried to comfort her, but the words slid off like water on glass. Later, sitting in the quiet of her room, Priya realised that the door hadn't closed — it had just moved. The question was whether she had the courage to walk towards it. The author uses the image of a door twice. What is the significance of how this image changes?

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SAMPLE QUESTION 4 — Medium

A critic wrote: 'Any policy model whose findings consistently align with the goals of the organisation that commissioned it should be treated with scepticism. Credible analysis requires that the methodology be independent of the desired conclusion.' What is the critic MOST arguing?

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SAMPLE QUESTION 5 — Medium

Read the passage below, then answer the question. Australia introduced compulsory voting in federal elections in 1924, making it one of only a small number of democracies to require citizens to attend a polling place. Supporters argue that compulsory voting produces results that reflect the will of the entire population rather than only those motivated enough to vote voluntarily. Critics contend that forcing people to vote undermines the principle of free choice, and that an uninformed or reluctant vote may distort electoral outcomes. Turnout at Australian federal elections consistently exceeds 90 per cent, compared with voluntary systems where turnout often falls below 60 per cent. Which viewpoint is supported by the turnout statistics provided in the passage?

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SAMPLE QUESTION 6 — Medium

Read the passage below, then answer the question. Australia's deserts cover roughly 35 per cent of the continent, yet they are far from lifeless. Spinifex grasses form dense, spiky clumps that shelter lizards, insects, and small mammals from both predators and heat. After rare rainfall events, wildflowers can transform bare red plains into vivid carpets of colour within days. Many desert animals are nocturnal, conserving energy during the brutal daytime heat and emerging only when temperatures drop. Indigenous communities have lived sustainably in these environments for tens of thousands of years, developing sophisticated knowledge of water sources and seasonal food supplies. Which of the following best describes the overall argument made in this passage?

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SAMPLE QUESTION 7 — Medium

A school student writes in a persuasive essay: 'If we allow students to use phones in class, the entire education system will collapse. Every lesson will be derailed. No student will ever learn anything again.' What logical fallacy does this argument commit?

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SAMPLE QUESTION 8 — Medium

Read the passage below, then answer the question. Priya sat cross-legged on the floor of the school's music room, staring at the sitar that had belonged to her grandmother. She had promised herself she would learn to play it before the end of the year, but the instrument's complexity — its twenty-one strings, moveable frets, and the sheer foreignness of the scales — made that promise feel reckless. Her music teacher, Mr Adesanya, sat down beside her. 'Every tradition was unfamiliar to someone once,' he said quietly. 'The question is whether you're willing to be a beginner.' Priya ran her fingers along the resonating gourd and decided that being a beginner was, perhaps, not the worst thing in the world. Mr Adesanya's comment, 'Every tradition was unfamiliar to someone once,' is best interpreted as —

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SAMPLE QUESTION 9 — Medium

A Year 7 student argued: 'Every student in my class loves sport. So Year 7 students must all love sport.' What assumption is being made?

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SAMPLE QUESTION 10 — Medium

A report from the Fossil Fuels Industry Council claimed natural gas is the cleanest pathway to a low-carbon economy, citing studies showing gas plants produce fewer emissions than coal. Independent climate scientists noted the report did not account for methane leakage during gas extraction — a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide. The report also failed to compare natural gas with renewable alternatives such as solar and wind power. Which of the following best identifies a limitation of the report's claims?

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