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?
- Plant food made bean plants grow 6 cm more than plants given none, so it helps plants of any kind grow taller.
- 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.
- Plants given plant food daily grew a lot more over the two weeks than plants given none did.
Style card (history essay)
Tell events in the simple past; name people, places and dates; add no judgments from hindsight. Source (invented town): the Millbrook Gazette of May 4, 1894, reported that 300 mill workers stopped work after the owner cut wages by 10 percent.
Bo writes for the reader on the style card. Which sentence fits that style?
- Naturally, 300 mill workers stopped work on May 4, 1894, because the owner’s 10 percent cut was obviously unfair.
- On May 4, 1894, the Millbrook Gazette reports that 300 mill workers stop work after the owner cuts wages by 10 percent.
- On May 4, 1894, the Millbrook Gazette reported that 300 mill workers stopped work after the owner cut wages by 10 percent.
- Some time in 1894, a newspaper reported that many mill workers stopped work after the owner cut their wages.
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” is a perfect picture that readers everywhere will find sad.
- 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” 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.
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?
- Send the Westfield Choir a price for 40 folding chairs on October 12 and 13 right away, since renting chairs should be easy.
- 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.
- Please send the Westfield Choir a price for renting 40 folding chairs on October 12 and 13.
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 measured result was replaced by a guess about the cause, written in the first person.
- The result was moved from the past tense into the present tense.
- A quotation was added to back the claim, as a history essay would do.
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?
- The past tense was changed to the present tense.
- A hedge such as “suggests” was added so that the claim fits the data, as in a lab report.
- A sweeping claim was replaced by a specific event with a place and a date.
- A specific event was replaced by a sweeping claim about the whole town.
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 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 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, 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.
- The mayor of Alderwick signed the harbor law on a day in June, and the law was passed in 1911.
- Mayor Ines Tarrant of Alderwick signed the harbor law on June 3, 1911, which suggests that she valued the harbor.
- Mayor Ines Tarrant of Alderwick signed the harbor law on June 3, 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 “rang twice” with a street that “grew still” shows that silence is stronger than any sound.
- 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 a sound and a stillness makes the silence feel sudden.
Style card (business letter)
Open with the request; give exact order details and dates; courteous, plain, no blame. Facts: order 4471, placed March 2, 12 dozen name tags, needed by April 10. Draft: “You people still have not sent my order from last month, which is awful, and I need it soon.”
Ren revises the draft to follow the card. Which revision keeps every fact and follows the norms?
- Please send order 4471, placed on March 2 for 12 dozen name tags, by April 10, since your company failed to ship it on time.
- Please send order 4471, placed on March 2 for 12 dozen name tags, by April 10.
- Please send my order soon, since it was placed last month and I need it for an event.
- Please send order 4471, placed on March 2 for 12 dozen name tags, by April 10; the delay shows that your shipping department is disorganized.
