Write the way the subject expects
Grade 11 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Style card (lab report, Results)
Report what happened in the past tense, with numbers and units, and no claim beyond the data. Data: bean plants given 10 mL of plant food daily grew 18 cm in two weeks; plants given none grew 12 cm.
Noah writes for the reader on the style card. Which sentence fits that style?
- Plants given 10 mL of plant food daily grew 18 cm in two weeks, and plants given none grew 12 cm.
- Plants given 10 mL of plant food daily grow 18 cm in two weeks, and plants given none grow 12 cm.
- Plant food made bean plants grow 6 cm more than plants given none, so it helps plants of any kind grow taller.
- Plants given plant food daily grew a lot more over the two weeks than plants given none did.
Style card (literary analysis)
Use the literary present for what happens in the work; make a claim about the author’s choice and its effect; do not retell the work. Poem (original), lines 1–2: “The kettle sang itself to sleep, / and no one heard the house grow cold.”
Luz writes for the reader on the style card. Which sentence fits that style?
- The poet’s image of a kettle that “sang itself to sleep” suggested a warmth that faded without anyone noticing.
- In the poem, a kettle sings itself to sleep, and then the house grows cold while no one hears.
- The poet’s image of a kettle that “sang itself to sleep” suggests a warmth that fades without anyone noticing.
- The poet’s image of a kettle that “sang itself to sleep” is a perfect picture that readers everywhere will find sad.
Style card (business letter)
Open with the request; give exact dates and amounts; stay courteous and plain. Facts: the Westfield Choir needs 40 folding chairs on October 12 and 13 and wants a price from Hall Rentals.
Kira writes the opening sentence of the letter. Which sentence fits the style card?
- Please send the Westfield Choir a price for renting 40 folding chairs on October 12 and 13.
- Hi! We are the Westfield Choir, and we would love to know what some chairs might cost for a couple of days in October.
- It is with the greatest pleasure that the Westfield Choir requests a quotation for the rental of chairs on the aforementioned dates.
- Send the Westfield Choir a price for 40 folding chairs on October 12 and 13 right away, since renting chairs should be easy.
Style card (lab report, Results)
Report what was observed or measured, with numbers and units. Draft: “We think the salt probably made the wax melt faster.” Revision: “The wax melted 40 s faster in the salt tray than in the plain tray.”
Pia compares the draft with the revision. Which norm explains the main change?
- A guess about the cause was replaced by a measured result with a number and a unit.
- A quotation was added to back the claim, as a history essay would do.
- The result was moved from the past tense into the present tense.
- A measured result was replaced by a guess about the cause, written in the first person.
Style card (history essay)
Name events, places and dates; let the facts carry the claim. Draft: “The new bridge was a big deal and changed everything for the town.” Revision: “After the Alder Street bridge opened in 1902, the town’s mill shipped goods to two more counties.” (invented town)
Jun compares the draft with the revision. Which norm explains the main change?
- A sweeping claim was replaced by a specific event with a place and a date.
- The past tense was changed to the present tense.
- A specific event was replaced by a sweeping claim about the whole town.
- A hedge such as “suggests” was added so that the claim fits the data, as in a lab report.
Style card (literary analysis)
Make a claim about the poet’s choice and its effect; do not retell. Poem (original): a girl waits at a rain-streaked window. Draft: “In the poem, a girl waits at the window and the rain falls.” Revision: “The poet places the waiting girl behind a rain-streaked window, which suggests that she is shut out from the world.”
Esme compares the draft with the revision. Which norm explains the main change?
- A retelling of the poem was replaced by a claim about the poet’s choice and its effect.
- A date and a place were added to the event, as a history essay would require.
- The present tense was changed to the past tense.
- A claim about the poet’s choice was replaced by a retelling of the poem’s events.
Style card (business email)
Open with a plain, courteous request that names what is needed. Draft: “Hey, can you tell me about the next class when you get a chance?” Revision: “Please send me the date and the fee for the next pottery class.”
Milo compares the draft with the revision. Which norm explains the main change?
- A casual question was replaced by a courteous request that names exactly what is needed.
- The present tense was changed to the literary present, as in an analysis.
- A courteous request was replaced by a demand that names what is needed.
- A reason for the request was added so the reader understands the writer’s plans.
Style card (lab report, Methods)
Past tense; exact amounts; what was done, in order. Facts: 250 mL of water in each tray; 5 g of salt added to the second tray only; the wax timed with a stopwatch. Draft: “We put about a cup of water in each tray, we add 5 g of salt to the second tray, and we time the wax.”
Zee revises the draft to follow the card. Which revision keeps every fact and follows the norms?
- We pour 250 mL of water into each tray, add 5 g of salt to the second tray only, and time the wax with a stopwatch.
- We poured water into each tray, added salt to the second tray, and timed the wax with a stopwatch.
- We poured 250 mL of water into each tray and added 5 g of salt to the second tray, which suggests that salt speeds melting.
- We poured 250 mL of water into each tray, added 5 g of salt to the second tray only, and timed the wax with a stopwatch.
Style card (history essay)
Simple past; name people, places and dates; no hindsight words such as “obviously.” Facts: Mayor Ines Tarrant of Alderwick signed the harbor law on June 3, 1911. Draft: “Obviously, the mayor of Alderwick signs the harbor law on June 3, 1911, and it is of course a smart move.”
Ari revises the draft to follow the card. Which revision keeps every fact and follows the norms?
- Obviously, Mayor Ines Tarrant of Alderwick signed the harbor law on June 3, 1911, and it was of course a smart move.
- Mayor Ines Tarrant of Alderwick signed the harbor law on June 3, 1911.
- Mayor Ines Tarrant of Alderwick signed the harbor law on June 3, 1911, which suggests that she valued the harbor.
- The mayor of Alderwick signed the harbor law on a day in June, and the law was passed in 1911.
Style card (literary analysis)
Literary present; quote briefly; make a claim about the effect of a choice. Poem (original), line 1: “The bell rang twice, and the street grew still.” Draft: “The poet wrote that the bell rang twice and the street grew still, and I liked how it was told.”
Tala revises the draft to follow the card. Which revision keeps every fact and follows the norms?
- The poet’s quick pairing of a sound and a stillness makes the silence feel sudden.
- The poet’s quick pairing of “rang twice” with a street that “grew still” makes the silence feel sudden.
- In the poem, the bell rings twice, and then the street grows still.
- The poet’s quick pairing of “rang twice” with a street that “grew still” shows that silence is stronger than any sound.