Juneteenth — Reading Comprehension — Answers
Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the 7th Grade reading comprehension comprehension exercise.
Success TutoringWorksheetsAnswer sheet7th Grade · English · Reading ComprehensionJuneteenth — Reading Comprehension — Answers
Part A: Find the facts
Answer: “June” and “nineteenth.”
Answer: January 1, 1863.
- AHouston
- BAustin
- CGalveston
- DSan Antonio
Answer: Galveston
The text says he was “newly arrived in Galveston with his troops.”
Answer: It abolished slavery throughout the United States, in December 1865.
Answer: True
“In 1980, Texas became the first state to make Juneteenth an official state holiday.”
Answer: False
It became a state holiday in Texas in 1980 and a federal holiday in 2021.
Part B: Think about it
Answer: b, c, e, d, a
Answer: Declaring people free did not make it happen; freedom had to be enforced by the Union army. Where the army could not reach, such as Texas, enslavers kept people enslaved.
Answer: Any two of: Texas was far from the major battles; few Union soldiers were there to enforce the proclamation; some enslavers moved to Texas to keep people enslaved; it took time for Union troops to arrive after the surrender.
Answer: So they had a place where they could gather and celebrate freely, without needing permission and without being turned away.
Answer: It celebrates freedom and the people who survived slavery, but it also asks people to remember how long freedom was delayed and to think about the work still needed to make freedom real for everyone.
Part C: Words in the text
- Aa summary written by a modern historian
- Ba document created at the time of the event
- Ca textbook chapter
- Da made-up story about the past
Answer: a document created at the time of the event
The order was written and announced in 1865, at the time of the event.
- Amake people obey a law or order
- Bwrite down
- Cargue against
- Dforget about
Answer: make people obey a law or order
The army had to be present to make sure the proclamation was carried out.
- Apaused for a short time
- Bended officially and completely
- Creported
- Dmoved to another place
Answer: ended officially and completely
The amendment ended slavery throughout the United States.
Part D: Write about it
Model answer: It is important to remember Juneteenth because it shows that freedom does not happen just because it is written down. The Emancipation Proclamation took effect on January 1, 1863, but slavery continued in Texas for about two and a half years, until General Granger announced General Order No. 3 in Galveston on June 19, 1865. Even then, some enslavers delayed telling people they were free. Remembering Juneteenth honors the roughly 250,000 people in Texas who finally heard the news, and the communities who kept the celebration alive, such as those who bought Emancipation Park in Houston. It also reminds us that protecting freedom for everyone takes continued effort.
Success criteria:
- Clear statement that answers the question
- At least two accurate pieces of evidence from the text
- Explains how the evidence supports the answer
- Respectful tone, organized as one clear paragraph
Marking tips
- Give credit for correct method even when the final answer slips — the working shows where the thinking went right.
- For open-ended tasks, use the success criteria as a checklist rather than looking for one "right" answer.
- Celebrate what went well first, then pick one thing to work on next.