Vary sentences and keep the tone

Grade 6 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Recycling Takes Too Long (memo to the principal)

   [1] Last semester, students and teachers at our school recycled about eight hundred pounds of paper, which is a record for the building and nearly double the amount collected the year before. [2] The recycling bins sat in the hallway. [3] The recycling bins sat near the lockers. [4] The recycling bins were full by noon. [5] The paper had to be carried to the dumpster by the custodians every afternoon. [6] That job took them nearly an hour. [7] A rolling cart would cut the time because the custodians could move everything in one trip. [8] A cart costs about sixty dollars. [9] The Green Team has raised forty-five dollars so far, and it plans to hold a bake sale for the rest. [10] We believe the cart is a small investment that would save valuable staff time, reduce the strain on the custodians and encourage every classroom to keep recycling throughout the school year.

2. 1.

   Pia revises [2], [3] and [4] into: Sitting in the hallway near the lockers, the recycling bins were full by noon. What does the revision do?

   • It moves the places into an opening phrase, so the main clause says the bins were full by noon.
   • It switches to a casual tone, which makes the memo friendlier and easier for the principal to read.
   • It makes the paragraph shorter, and a memo to a principal should use short sentences.
   • It adds a new fact about the lockers in the hallway, which gives the principal more to think about.
3. 2.

   Ari rebuilds [7], [8] and [9]. The revision must vary the sentences, keep a formal tone and keep every fact. Which one does?

   • A rolling cart, which costs about sixty dollars, would cut the time because the custodians could move everything in one trip; the Green Team has already raised some of the money.
   • A rolling cart, which costs about sixty dollars, would cut the time because the custodians could move everything in one trip; the Green Team has raised forty-five dollars so far, and it plans to hold a bake sale for the rest.
   • A rolling cart would cut the time because the custodians could move everything in one trip. A cart costs about sixty dollars. The Green Team has raised forty-five dollars so far, and it plans to hold a bake sale.
   • A rolling cart, which costs about sixty dollars, would cut the time because the custodians could move everything in one trip, the Green Team has raised forty-five dollars so far, and it plans to hold a bake sale for the rest.

4. Our Bus Ride Is Getting Better (blog post for students)

   [1] Riding Bus 14 used to be a bumpy, crowded trip, but this fall the ride changed in ways that students and families noticed right away. [2] The driver, Ms. Patel, added a second stop at Cole Park. [3] The driver kept the same route. [4] The driver stopped the ride five minutes sooner. [5] The new schedule is a gamechanger. [6] Fewer riders crowd onto the bus at the first stop because the park gives families a convenient second place to board. [7] The aisle stays clear. [8] Students find seats faster. [9] The morning ride feels calmer and more comfortable, and several riders say they now arrive at school in a better mood than they did last spring. [10] Ms. Patel says a parent suggested the new stop after noticing that many families live closer to the park than to the old corner, which meant long walks for younger children.

5. 3.

   Esme revises [5]. The goals are to fit a blog for students and to say what the new schedule does. Which sentence meets both?

   • The new schedule makes the morning ride quicker and calmer for everyone on the bus.
   • The new schedule is a nice change for students who ride the bus.
   • The new schedule is a total gamechanger, no cap, and the whole bus is hyped.
   • The implementation of the revised schedule has yielded a considerable improvement in transit conditions.
6. 4.

   Kira revises [2], [3] and [4] into: Ms. Patel added a second stop at Cole Park, kept the same route and ended the ride five minutes sooner. What does that change?

   • It adds a reason for the new stop, because the revision explains why Ms. Patel decided to add a second stop at Cole Park.
   • It makes the tone more formal and serious for readers, because one long sentence sounds more official than three short ones.
   • It drops the route from the sentence, so readers learn about the new stop and the shorter ride but not where the bus goes.
   • It joins the three facts with matching verbs, so readers see the driver's three choices in one sentence.
7. 5.

   Bo rebuilds [7] and [8]. The revision must vary the pattern, keep every fact and show why the second idea follows. Which one does?

   • Students, who find seats faster, benefit from an aisle that stays clear.
   • The aisle stays clear, students find seats faster.
   • Because students find seats faster, the aisle stays clear.
   • Because the aisle stays clear, students find seats faster.

8. Life Between the Tides (science magazine article)

   [1] A tide pool forms when seawater is trapped in the rocks along a shore as the ocean pulls back during low tide and leaves a shallow basin of water behind. [2] The pool may be only a few feet wide. [3] The pool may hold dozens of animals. [4] The pool may warm up quickly in the sun. [5] Animals that live there must survive intense heat, drying air and crashing waves, and they must do it while the ocean is far away. [6] Sea stars grip the rock with hundreds of tiny tube feet. [7] Anemones pull in their tentacles to hold moisture while the water is away. [8] Barnacles seal their shells shut. [9] These adaptations let the animals wait until the tide returns, which may take several hours. [10] Scientists study these pools because the animals show how living things cope with sudden changes in temperature and salt, conditions that many ocean animals could never survive for long.

9. 6.

   Luz revises [2], [3] and [4]. The goals are to vary the pattern and to keep a formal science tone. Which version meets both?

   • The pool may be only a few feet wide, yet it may hold dozens of animals.
   • The pool is tiny, but it can pack in dozens of animals and heat up like crazy in the sun.
   • The pool may be only a few feet wide. The pool may hold dozens of animals. The pool may warm up quickly in the sun.
   • The pool may be only a few feet wide, yet it may hold dozens of animals and warm up quickly in the sun.
10. 7.

    Milo rebuilds [7], [8] and [9]. The revision must vary the sentences, stay formal and keep every fact. Which one does?

    • Anemones pull in their tentacles while the water is away, and barnacles seal their shells; these adaptations let the animals wait for the tide.
    • Anemones pull in their tentacles to hold moisture while the water is away, barnacles seal their shells shut, these adaptations let the animals wait until the tide returns, which may take several hours.
    • Anemones pull in their tentacles to hold moisture while the water is away, and barnacles seal their shells shut; these adaptations let the animals wait until the tide returns, which may take several hours.
    • Anemones pull in their tentacles to hold moisture while the water is away. Barnacles seal their shells shut. These adaptations let the animals wait until the tide returns, which may take several hours.

11. The Science Fair Wrap-Up (letter to families)

    [1] Dear Families, our school science fair took place on Friday evening in the gym, and the turnout was larger than in any earlier year, with hundreds of visitors filling the hallways. [2] Eighty students showed projects. [3] Judges from the local college interviewed every student. [4] Parents walked from table to table. [5] Dozens of kids were bouncing off the walls with excitement. [6] Tala's project on plant growth won the sixth-grade prize. [7] Jun's project on paper airplanes won the engineering prize. [8] We are grateful to the judges, the volunteers and the families who made the evening possible, and we hope to see every student at next year's fair. [9] Next year's fair will include a short presentation period so that students can explain their experiments to visitors in their own words.

12. 8.

    Zee revises [5]. The goals are to fit a letter to families and to keep the idea that the students were excited. Which sentence meets both?

    • A substantial number of the participating pupils exhibited pronounced anticipation throughout the evening.
    • Dozens of students were present throughout the evening.
    • Dozens of students were buzzing with excitement throughout the evening.
    • Dozens of kids were bouncing off the walls, totally freaking out for hours.
13. 9.

    Ren joins [6] and [7] into: Tala's plant-growth project won the sixth-grade prize, and Jun's paper-airplane project won the engineering prize. What does that do?

    • It puts the two winners in matching clauses, so readers see both prizes at once.
    • It drops Jun's prize, so the letter honors just one student.
    • It shows that Tala's win caused Jun's win, because the clauses are joined.
    • It makes the writing more casual, since a long sentence sounds more like talk.
14. 10.

    Noah rebuilds [2], [3] and [4]. The revision must vary the sentences, keep a warm formal tone and keep every fact. Which one does?

    • Eighty students showed projects, and judges interviewed every student while parents walked from table to table.
    • Eighty students showed projects. Judges from the local college interviewed every student. Parents walked from table to table.
    • Eighty students showed projects, but judges from the local college interviewed every student, although parents walked from table to table.
    • Eighty students showed projects, and while judges from the local college interviewed every student, parents walked from table to table.