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Common Core ELA7th GradeReading: Literature

RL.7.1: Cite Several Pieces of Text Evidence

Also written as CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.1 · Cluster: Key Ideas and Details.

All 41 7th Grade ELA Standards

The Official Wording

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, Grade 7, Reading: Literature · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What RL.7.1 Means in Plain English

Seventh graders back a claim about a story with two or three pieces of evidence, not one lucky quote, whether the claim is stated outright or inferred. To show a grandfather dreads moving, they cite the empty KEEP box, the tomatoes he still waters and the dinner he forgets.

In 6th grade (RL.6.1) students cited evidence for their analysis. Seventh grade asks for several pieces, so one quote can no longer carry a whole inference. In 8th grade (RL.8.1) they pick the evidence that most strongly supports the point, not just any that fits.

RL.7.1 I Can Statements

  • I can support an inference with two or three pieces of evidence.
  • I can tell what a text states from what it suggests.
  • I can explain how each piece of evidence supports my point.

RL.7.1 Worked Example

A grandfather who never says how he feels about moving. Any one detail could mean something else, but three together make the inference hard to argue with.

Read the Story
Grandpa had packed the whole kitchen by Tuesday, every box labeled in thick black marker: POTS. GLASSES. GIVE AWAY.The box labeled KEEP sat by the front door, still empty.On Thursday, the day before the truck came, I found him in the yard watering the tomatoes, which wouldn’t be ripe until August.“Somebody should get them,” he said, without looking up. “Whoever lives here next.”At dinner he asked what time the movers were coming. Then he pushed his plate away and asked again.
A short passage written for this page.
Question: How does Grandpa feel about leaving his house? Support your answer with several pieces of evidence.
Not Yet“Grandpa is sad about moving because he doesn’t eat his dinner.”The inference is reasonable, but it rests on one detail with other explanations: he could be sick or just tired. A single clue can’t carry a feeling the text never states.
Meets the Standard“Grandpa never says he is sad, but the details add up. The box marked KEEP is ‘still empty,’ as if nothing feels worth taking without the house. He waters tomatoes ‘which wouldn’t be ripe until August,’ caring for a garden he will never pick. He talks ‘without looking up,’ and at dinner he ‘pushed his plate away and asked again’ about the movers. He dreads this move.”It keeps what the text states, an empty box and an untouched plate, apart from what the narrator never says, and lets three separate details hold up one inference.
Question Stems to Use
What does the text say directly, and what do you have to figure out?Which two or three details point to the same conclusion?Could this detail mean something else on its own? What else backs it up?Where in the text did you find that? Quote it.Which piece of your evidence is strongest, and why?

Common Mistakes with RL.7.1

One quote for a whole inference

“He’s sad because he pushed his plate away.”

Try this: Require two separate details from different parts of the text before any inference counts, then ask whether each one alone could mean something else.

Stacking quotes without explaining them

Three quotes in a row, then “This shows he is sad.”

Try this: Have students write one sentence after each quote naming what that detail adds that the others don’t.

Mixing up stated and inferred

“The text says Grandpa doesn’t want to move.”

Try this: Sort evidence into two columns, says outright and suggests, and check that a claim labeled stated really appears in the words.

Where RL.7.1 Fits

Comes BeforeRL.6.1Cite textual evidence for what a text says outright and for inferences drawn from it.
AlongsideRI.7.1The same several-pieces rule for articles, speeches and other nonfiction.W.7.9Draw evidence from literature into their own analytical writing.
Comes NextRL.8.1Cite the evidence that most strongly supports an analysis, not just any evidence that fits.

Practice RL.7.1

Quick Check

  1. Which box is still empty?
  2. Why is it strange that Grandpa waters the tomatoes?
  3. Name two details besides the tomatoes that suggest Grandpa dreads the move.

RL.7.1: Other Names

RL.7.1CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.1

Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Official wording from the Common Core State Standards PDFs at corestandards.org, last checked October 14, 2026. The explanation, I can statements, example, mistakes and practice on this page are EMStudio’s own, written beside the official wording. They are not part of the standard.