Make a precise claim and say why it matters
Grade 11 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
The Pell Footbridge (council briefing about an invented town)
[1] The Pell Footbridge, a century-old steel span, joins the east side of town to its only grocery store and its library, and an inspector's report has put its future in question. [2] The town council will decide in October whether to rebuild it, repair it or retire it, and residents have been writing to the council in large numbers.
[3] The inspector rated the deck poor and the main cables fair, and estimated that a repair could extend the bridge's life by fifteen years for $410,000. [4] A new bridge would cost $1.9 million and last sixty years, while retiring the bridge would send east-side residents on a walk or drive of about 1.4 miles around by Grange Road. [5] Counters stationed at the bridge in May recorded about 640 crossings on a weekday and 410 on a weekend day, with older adults and students making up most of them. [6] Last spring's flood closed the bridge for nine days, and the inspector noted that a similar flood could damage the footings further.
[7] The finance committee points out that the town's capital fund can pay for the repair but not for a new bridge without borrowing. [8] Councilmember Okafor argues for rebuilding, saying fifteen years of repair would only postpone a larger bill. [9] Councilmember Lindqvist argues for repair now and planning for a new bridge later, since the footings should be inspected again after the next flood season. [10] A residents' group on the east side asks the town to retire the bridge, saying the money would do more good as a shuttle van to the grocery store.
[11] The count of crossings was taken in a month with good weather, and the mayor has asked whether winter use would be lower. [12] The shuttle van idea has not been priced and would need a driver and insurance. [13] The inspector did not examine the footings below the waterline, and the report says so. [14] The council's October vote will be its last before the new fiscal year opens.
Ari sees that the record on the bridge is mixed (sentences 3 to 6 and 11 to 13). Which claim states a decision and keeps the limit on it?
- The town should repair the bridge, which will then serve the east side for the next fifteen years.
- The town should repair the bridge now and reinspect the footings after the next flood before deciding to rebuild.
- The town should weigh repair, rebuilding and retirement carefully, since each option has costs and benefits to residents.
- The town cannot know whether to repair, rebuild or retire the bridge until the footings are inspected, so it should wait.
Evening or Saturday at Sable Valley (dean's briefing about an invented college)
[1] Sable Valley Community College offered its introductory courses in the evening for two terms and on Saturday mornings for two terms, and the dean wants a recommendation on which to keep. [2] The registrar's counts for the four terms give the dean evidence that points in different directions.
[3] Evening sections enrolled 412 students over two terms and Saturday sections 268, but evening sections lost 31 percent of their students before the end of term, against 14 percent for Saturday sections. [4] Among students who finished, the average course grade was almost identical in the two formats. [5] A survey of evening students found that 58 percent worked full days and that many said they were too tired to complete weeknight homework. [6] Saturday students more often reported childcare as a barrier, and 19 percent said they could not attend at all on some weekends. [7] Evening sections cost less to staff because instructors were drawn from the regular faculty, while Saturday sections relied on part-time instructors paid per course.
[8] Professor Ibarra, the math chair, urges the college to keep evening sections, arguing that the larger enrollment shows where the demand is. [9] Dr. Nakamura, who directs student services, answers that the 31 percent loss means the evening format fails the students it attracts, and she favors Saturday sections. [10] A third view from the adult-education office is that the college should offer both formats and ask each student which they prefer at registration.
[11] The college board has asked the dean for a claim that states what the evidence supports, and why it matters to the students the college serves. [12] The counts cover only two terms in each format, and the Saturday terms came in a year when the college also began a free tutoring center. [13] Neither format was offered at the same time as the other in any single term. [14] The college's mission statement promises to serve working adults first.
Bo sees that the counts point in different directions (sentences 3 to 7 and 12 to 14). Which claim states a decision and keeps the limit on it?
- The college should keep evening sections for their reach and cost, but only with support that cuts their dropout.
- Since evening sections lose 31 percent of their students, the college should drop them and offer Saturday sections only.
- The college should keep evening sections, but only for students who do not work full days.
- The college should keep evening sections because they enroll more students and cost less to staff than Saturday sections.
The Pell Footbridge (council briefing about an invented town)
[1] The Pell Footbridge, a century-old steel span, joins the east side of town to its only grocery store and its library, and an inspector's report has put its future in question. [2] The town council will decide in October whether to rebuild it, repair it or retire it, and residents have been writing to the council in large numbers.
[3] The inspector rated the deck poor and the main cables fair, and estimated that a repair could extend the bridge's life by fifteen years for $410,000. [4] A new bridge would cost $1.9 million and last sixty years, while retiring the bridge would send east-side residents on a walk or drive of about 1.4 miles around by Grange Road. [5] Counters stationed at the bridge in May recorded about 640 crossings on a weekday and 410 on a weekend day, with older adults and students making up most of them. [6] Last spring's flood closed the bridge for nine days, and the inspector noted that a similar flood could damage the footings further.
[7] The finance committee points out that the town's capital fund can pay for the repair but not for a new bridge without borrowing. [8] Councilmember Okafor argues for rebuilding, saying fifteen years of repair would only postpone a larger bill. [9] Councilmember Lindqvist argues for repair now and planning for a new bridge later, since the footings should be inspected again after the next flood season. [10] A residents' group on the east side asks the town to retire the bridge, saying the money would do more good as a shuttle van to the grocery store.
[11] The count of crossings was taken in a month with good weather, and the mayor has asked whether winter use would be lower. [12] The shuttle van idea has not been priced and would need a driver and insurance. [13] The inspector did not examine the footings below the waterline, and the report says so. [14] The council's October vote will be its last before the new fiscal year opens.
Okafor (sentence 8) and Lindqvist (sentence 9) both want to keep a bridge. Esme asks what exact point they disagree about.
- Whether the bridge can be repaired, since Lindqvist doubts the deck can be made safe.
- Whether the capital fund holds enough money to pay for any plan without the town borrowing.
- Whether to commit to a new bridge now or wait for a footing inspection after the next flood season.
- Whether the bridge matters enough to the east side to be worth keeping after a century of use.
Evening or Saturday at Sable Valley (dean's briefing about an invented college)
[1] Sable Valley Community College offered its introductory courses in the evening for two terms and on Saturday mornings for two terms, and the dean wants a recommendation on which to keep. [2] The registrar's counts for the four terms give the dean evidence that points in different directions.
[3] Evening sections enrolled 412 students over two terms and Saturday sections 268, but evening sections lost 31 percent of their students before the end of term, against 14 percent for Saturday sections. [4] Among students who finished, the average course grade was almost identical in the two formats. [5] A survey of evening students found that 58 percent worked full days and that many said they were too tired to complete weeknight homework. [6] Saturday students more often reported childcare as a barrier, and 19 percent said they could not attend at all on some weekends. [7] Evening sections cost less to staff because instructors were drawn from the regular faculty, while Saturday sections relied on part-time instructors paid per course.
[8] Professor Ibarra, the math chair, urges the college to keep evening sections, arguing that the larger enrollment shows where the demand is. [9] Dr. Nakamura, who directs student services, answers that the 31 percent loss means the evening format fails the students it attracts, and she favors Saturday sections. [10] A third view from the adult-education office is that the college should offer both formats and ask each student which they prefer at registration.
[11] The college board has asked the dean for a claim that states what the evidence supports, and why it matters to the students the college serves. [12] The counts cover only two terms in each format, and the Saturday terms came in a year when the college also began a free tutoring center. [13] Neither format was offered at the same time as the other in any single term. [14] The college's mission statement promises to serve working adults first.
Ibarra (sentence 8) and Nakamura (sentence 9) read the same counts. Jun asks what exact point they disagree about.
- Whether the college should try to serve working adults who need classes outside regular daytime hours.
- How the college can serve its students well in the years ahead, given the mixed counts on both formats.
- Whether larger evening enrollment or its higher loss of students better shows how well the format serves them.
- Whether evening sections cost more than Saturday sections, since Nakamura says evening instruction is expensive.
The Pell Footbridge (council briefing about an invented town)
[1] The Pell Footbridge, a century-old steel span, joins the east side of town to its only grocery store and its library, and an inspector's report has put its future in question. [2] The town council will decide in October whether to rebuild it, repair it or retire it, and residents have been writing to the council in large numbers.
[3] The inspector rated the deck poor and the main cables fair, and estimated that a repair could extend the bridge's life by fifteen years for $410,000. [4] A new bridge would cost $1.9 million and last sixty years, while retiring the bridge would send east-side residents on a walk or drive of about 1.4 miles around by Grange Road. [5] Counters stationed at the bridge in May recorded about 640 crossings on a weekday and 410 on a weekend day, with older adults and students making up most of them. [6] Last spring's flood closed the bridge for nine days, and the inspector noted that a similar flood could damage the footings further.
[7] The finance committee points out that the town's capital fund can pay for the repair but not for a new bridge without borrowing. [8] Councilmember Okafor argues for rebuilding, saying fifteen years of repair would only postpone a larger bill. [9] Councilmember Lindqvist argues for repair now and planning for a new bridge later, since the footings should be inspected again after the next flood season. [10] A residents' group on the east side asks the town to retire the bridge, saying the money would do more good as a shuttle van to the grocery store.
[11] The count of crossings was taken in a month with good weather, and the mayor has asked whether winter use would be lower. [12] The shuttle van idea has not been priced and would need a driver and insurance. [13] The inspector did not examine the footings below the waterline, and the report says so. [14] The council's October vote will be its last before the new fiscal year opens.
Kira ranks significance lines for the council. Which line is best supported by sentences 1, 4 and 5?
- The choice decides whether the east side survives as a neighborhood or empties out within a generation.
- The choice decides whether east-side residents keep a short walk to the only grocery store and the library.
- The bridge is a century-old steel landmark that residents enjoy and visitors sometimes stop to photograph.
- Whichever option the council picks, east-side residents will keep reaching the grocery store and the library.
Evening or Saturday at Sable Valley (dean's briefing about an invented college)
[1] Sable Valley Community College offered its introductory courses in the evening for two terms and on Saturday mornings for two terms, and the dean wants a recommendation on which to keep. [2] The registrar's counts for the four terms give the dean evidence that points in different directions.
[3] Evening sections enrolled 412 students over two terms and Saturday sections 268, but evening sections lost 31 percent of their students before the end of term, against 14 percent for Saturday sections. [4] Among students who finished, the average course grade was almost identical in the two formats. [5] A survey of evening students found that 58 percent worked full days and that many said they were too tired to complete weeknight homework. [6] Saturday students more often reported childcare as a barrier, and 19 percent said they could not attend at all on some weekends. [7] Evening sections cost less to staff because instructors were drawn from the regular faculty, while Saturday sections relied on part-time instructors paid per course.
[8] Professor Ibarra, the math chair, urges the college to keep evening sections, arguing that the larger enrollment shows where the demand is. [9] Dr. Nakamura, who directs student services, answers that the 31 percent loss means the evening format fails the students it attracts, and she favors Saturday sections. [10] A third view from the adult-education office is that the college should offer both formats and ask each student which they prefer at registration.
[11] The college board has asked the dean for a claim that states what the evidence supports, and why it matters to the students the college serves. [12] The counts cover only two terms in each format, and the Saturday terms came in a year when the college also began a free tutoring center. [13] Neither format was offered at the same time as the other in any single term. [14] The college's mission statement promises to serve working adults first.
Luz ranks significance lines for the board. Which line is best supported by sentences 5, 6 and 14?
- Evening sections cost less to staff because the instructors come from the regular faculty at no added pay.
- A free tutoring center opened in the same year as the Saturday terms, which adds to the support on campus.
- The choice decides whether the college stays open to adults who want to change their lives through education.
- The format decides whether working adults, the students the mission puts first, finish what they start.
Noah drafts a qualified claim for the adult-education office, which wants both formats (sentence 10). Which claim states that position and keeps the limit on it?
- The college should offer both formats, since the counts show that each works equally well for its students.
- The college might offer both formats or one alone, depending on factors that future terms are likely to reveal.
- The college should offer both formats and let each student choose, treating the two-term counts as a first look.
- The college should offer both formats, but just if the Saturday sections can be staffed by faculty at lower cost.
The Pell Footbridge (council briefing about an invented town)
[1] The Pell Footbridge, a century-old steel span, joins the east side of town to its only grocery store and its library, and an inspector's report has put its future in question. [2] The town council will decide in October whether to rebuild it, repair it or retire it, and residents have been writing to the council in large numbers.
[3] The inspector rated the deck poor and the main cables fair, and estimated that a repair could extend the bridge's life by fifteen years for $410,000. [4] A new bridge would cost $1.9 million and last sixty years, while retiring the bridge would send east-side residents on a walk or drive of about 1.4 miles around by Grange Road. [5] Counters stationed at the bridge in May recorded about 640 crossings on a weekday and 410 on a weekend day, with older adults and students making up most of them. [6] Last spring's flood closed the bridge for nine days, and the inspector noted that a similar flood could damage the footings further.
[7] The finance committee points out that the town's capital fund can pay for the repair but not for a new bridge without borrowing. [8] Councilmember Okafor argues for rebuilding, saying fifteen years of repair would only postpone a larger bill. [9] Councilmember Lindqvist argues for repair now and planning for a new bridge later, since the footings should be inspected again after the next flood season. [10] A residents' group on the east side asks the town to retire the bridge, saying the money would do more good as a shuttle van to the grocery store.
[11] The count of crossings was taken in a month with good weather, and the mayor has asked whether winter use would be lower. [12] The shuttle van idea has not been priced and would need a driver and insurance. [13] The inspector did not examine the footings below the waterline, and the report says so. [14] The council's October vote will be its last before the new fiscal year opens.
The residents' group (sentence 10) and Councilmember Lindqvist (sentence 9) disagree about the bridge. Pia asks what exact point they disagree about.
- Whether the footings are safe, since the residents' group believes the flood has made the bridge unsafe to use.
- Whether east-side residents need a reliable way to reach the only grocery store in town every week.
- How the council should handle the mixed evidence on the bridge and the competing views of residents.
- Whether the money is better spent on keeping a bridge at all or on a shuttle van that avoids crossings.
Evening or Saturday at Sable Valley (dean's briefing about an invented college)
[1] Sable Valley Community College offered its introductory courses in the evening for two terms and on Saturday mornings for two terms, and the dean wants a recommendation on which to keep. [2] The registrar's counts for the four terms give the dean evidence that points in different directions.
[3] Evening sections enrolled 412 students over two terms and Saturday sections 268, but evening sections lost 31 percent of their students before the end of term, against 14 percent for Saturday sections. [4] Among students who finished, the average course grade was almost identical in the two formats. [5] A survey of evening students found that 58 percent worked full days and that many said they were too tired to complete weeknight homework. [6] Saturday students more often reported childcare as a barrier, and 19 percent said they could not attend at all on some weekends. [7] Evening sections cost less to staff because instructors were drawn from the regular faculty, while Saturday sections relied on part-time instructors paid per course.
[8] Professor Ibarra, the math chair, urges the college to keep evening sections, arguing that the larger enrollment shows where the demand is. [9] Dr. Nakamura, who directs student services, answers that the 31 percent loss means the evening format fails the students it attracts, and she favors Saturday sections. [10] A third view from the adult-education office is that the college should offer both formats and ask each student which they prefer at registration.
[11] The college board has asked the dean for a claim that states what the evidence supports, and why it matters to the students the college serves. [12] The counts cover only two terms in each format, and the Saturday terms came in a year when the college also began a free tutoring center. [13] Neither format was offered at the same time as the other in any single term. [14] The college's mission statement promises to serve working adults first.
Nakamura (sentence 9) and the adult-education office (sentence 10) both think Ibarra's reading is incomplete. Ren asks what exact point they disagree about.
- Whether evening sections should continue, since the office wants the college to stop offering evening courses.
- Whether the college should choose one format for everyone or let each student choose between the two.
- Whether Saturday instructors are paid per course, which affects what each format costs the college to staff.
- Whether the 31 percent loss in evening sections is a problem the college should address for its students.
Zee ranks significance lines for the dean, who must show what the evidence supports (sentence 11). Which line is best supported by the record?
- The choice will decide whether working adults in the valley ever get a second chance at a college education.
- The choice will decide how the college staffs its sections, since evening courses use regular faculty and Saturday courses use part-timers.
- The choice affects whether the format with higher dropout is kept for working adults, though two terms cannot settle it.
- Working adults would be served under either format, because both enroll hundreds of students over two terms.