Revise a draft for what matters most

Grade 11 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   The Walking Wheel (exhibit panel draft for families at an invented county history museum): [1] This spinning wheel, made of oak and maple in about 1790, is one of the oldest objects in the Halden County History Museum. [2] The wheel was donated in 1952 by the Corwell family of Marsh Road and is listed in the museum's records as catalog number 52.118. [3] It is important to note that the utilization of wheels of this kind for the production of yarn was a widespread practice in farm households of the period.

   [4] Before a family could knit a sock or weave a blanket, someone had to turn raw wool into yarn, and the spinning wheel made that slow job much faster. [5] The spinner turned the large wheel by hand, and a cord carried its motion to a small spindle that spun many times for each turn of the wheel. [6] As the spindle spun, it twisted the loose, fluffy fibers together into a single strong and remarkably thin thread. [7] The spinner then stepped forward to wind the finished yarn onto the spindle and stepped backward again to draw out and spin the next length.

   [8] Because the spinner walked back and forth across the floor all day, wheels like this one were commonly called walking wheels. [9] A busy spinner might walk several miles in a single day without ever leaving the kitchen or the room beside it. [10] It could perhaps be argued that the walking wheel may possibly have been somewhat tiring for the people who used it. [11] Before spinning could begin, the wool was carded, a preparation step demonstrated in the display case beside this one. [12] In many households, spinning was done by women and girls, often in the evening after the day's other work was finished.

   [13] Ask a museum guide to turn the wheel for you, and listen carefully for the steady hum that means yarn is being made. [14] Look for the small metal spindle at the left end of the wheel, because that is exactly where the thread was formed.

2. 1.

   Ari is cutting padding from the panel so families can read it easily. Which revision of sentence 3 cuts the padding and keeps the meaning?

   • Farm households of the period widely used wheels like this one to spin yarn.
   • It is worth noting that farm households of the period widely used wheels like this one to spin yarn.
   • Farm households of the period were required to use wheels like this one to spin yarn.
   • Wheels like this one were widely used in those days.
3. 2.

   Luz thinks families will not know a word in sentence 11. Which sentence should be added after sentence 11?

   • Carded wool was then spun on wheels like this one, as the panel explains above.
   • Carding paddles of this period usually had leather backs set with teeth of drawn iron wire.
   • Carding meant brushing the wool between two paddles set with fine wire teeth until the fibers lay smooth.
   • The museum hopes to raise money next year for a new display case for its carding paddles.
4. 3.

   Tala wants families to meet the wheel itself before museum record-keeping. Which single move best serves them?

   • Move sentence 7 so that it comes before sentence 5.
   • Move sentence 12 so that it comes after sentence 13.
   • Move sentence 4 to the end, after sentence 14.
   • Move sentence 2 to the end, after sentence 14.
5. 4.

   Jun is cutting the stacked hedges in sentence 10, which sentence 9 already supports. Which revision cuts the padding and keeps the meaning?

   • Spinning was tiring work.
   • It could be argued that spinning on a walking wheel was somewhat tiring work.
   • Spinning on a walking wheel was easy, restful work.
   • Spinning on a walking wheel was tiring work.
6. 5.

   Pia wants families to try something with their own hands while reading. Which sentence should be added after sentence 6?

   • The size of the spindle's pulley set how many times the spindle turned for each turn of the wheel.
   • The Corwell family also gave the museum a butter churn, which is displayed upstairs.
   • Twisting the loose fibers together is what made the thread strong and thin.
   • Pull a strand from the wool in the basket below, and feel how easily it comes apart before it is twisted.
7. 6.

   Bo wants families to find the spindle while they read about it. Which single move best serves them?

   • Move sentence 14 so that it comes after sentence 5.
   • Move sentence 12 so that it comes after sentence 13.
   • Move sentence 6 so that it comes after sentence 8.
   • Move sentence 4 so that it comes after sentence 14.

8. Use this

   Ashby's Water Test Results (notice draft for residents of an invented town about the yearly water test): [1] Each year the Ashby Water Department tests the town's drinking water at the treatment plant and at twenty taps in homes, schools and businesses across Ashby. [2] The samples for this report were collected during the second and third weeks of May and were analyzed by a state-certified laboratory in Carver City. [3] The department's yearly budget for water testing is about $18,000, which is paid from water bills rather than from property taxes.

   [4] The laboratory measured more than forty substances, including minerals, metals, chlorine and the bacteria that can make water unsafe to drink. [5] It should be noted that there was a finding of an absence of harmful bacteria in all of the samples that were tested. [6] Chlorine, which the plant adds to keep the water safe as it travels through the pipes, measured between 0.6 and 1.1 milligrams per liter, within the state's limits. [7] Lead was below the level that requires action at nineteen of the twenty taps. [8] At one tap, in an older home on Pine Street, lead was slightly above that level, and the department has already replaced the home's old service pipe. [9] The water's hardness, a measure of dissolved calcium and magnesium, was 100 milligrams per liter, which the department describes as moderately hard. [10] The department's view is that, in terms of the white spots that some residents report noticing on faucets and glassware, the cause of their occurrence is the hardness of the water.

   [11] A copy of the full laboratory report, which runs to forty-two pages, can be requested at the department office on Main Street. [12] Residents with questions may call the department at 555-0143 on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. [13] In short, Ashby's water met state standards this year, and residents do not need to take any action. [14] The department thanks the residents who allowed their taps to be sampled for this report.

9. 7.

   Milo is cutting padding from the notice so residents can read it quickly. Which revision of sentence 5 cuts the padding and keeps the meaning?

   • No harmful bacteria were found in any of the samples.
   • Harmful bacteria were found in a few of the samples.
   • It should be noted that no harmful bacteria were found in any of the samples.
   • No bacteria were found.
10. 8.

    Zee thinks residents will wonder whether “moderately hard” water is safe. Which sentence should be added after sentence 9?

    • Hardness measures the calcium and magnesium dissolved in the town's water.
    • Hardness is often reported as milligrams per liter of calcium carbonate, the unit laboratories use.
    • The department plans to repaint the water tower on Hill Road next spring.
    • Water of this hardness is safe to drink and needs no treatment for health reasons.
11. 9.

    Kira wants residents to learn the main result before the details. Which single move best serves them?

    • Move sentence 8 so that it comes after sentence 4.
    • Move sentence 14 so that it comes after sentence 1.
    • Move sentence 13 so that it comes after sentence 1.
    • Move sentence 13 to the very end, after sentence 14.
12. 10.

    Esme thinks residents of older homes, like the one on Pine Street, will want to know what they can do. Which sentence should be added after sentence 12?

    • Residents of older homes who want their own tap tested for lead can ask the department for a free test kit.
    • Lead service pipes were common in many towns until the middle of the last century.
    • Lead was slightly above the action level at one tap, in an older home on Pine Street.
    • The department's new sampling trucks will make next year's tests faster to collect.