Three ways to persuade: trust, feeling, reason
Grade 7 Reading Worksheet
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
A Crossing Guard for Fifth Street (persuasive text)
[1] The city should place a crossing guard at the corner of Fifth Street and Mill Road during the hours when children walk to school. [2] In the past school year, drivers failed to stop for walkers at this corner 38 times, according to the city's own count. [3] About 150 students cross the corner each morning, and the nearest guard stands four blocks away.
[4] Two nearby towns added guards at similar corners and cut unsafe crossings by more than half. [5] Think about a child at the curb, listening for cars and trying to decide whether it is safe to step out into the street. [6] A guard costs about $9,000 a year, which is less than a tenth of what the city spent on road repairs last year.
[7] Picture the relief of a parent who watches a smiling guard raise one hand and stop the traffic for the children. [8] A well-known baseball player from our town loves this idea and has posted about it. [9] I urge the city council to vote yes on this proposal at its meeting on Tuesday evening.
Bo judges sentence [8]. Which comment about its appeal to credibility is fair?
- Weak: being a baseball star does not make someone an expert on crossing safety.
- Strong: a famous name from our own town makes listeners trust the plan right away.
- Weak: it should have used more emotion instead.
- Strong: it shows that the whole town agrees, so the council can feel safe voting yes.
Esme wants to add credibility to the speech. Which sentence would add a real appeal to credibility?
- I will be glad to answer any questions at the meeting.
- I served as a crossing guard for eleven years and now train new guards for the county.
- Two more guards would cost the city about $18,000 a year, or $9,000 for each corner.
- Imagine a parent who can finally breathe easy while a child walks safely to school each morning.
Volunteers Wanted at the Maple Shelter (persuasive text)
[1] The Maple Animal Shelter needs more weekend volunteers to walk and play with the dogs that are waiting for homes. [2] Imagine a young dog pressed against the kennel door, tail wagging, waiting all day for a friendly voice. [3] Each dog gets a walk on only two days a week right now, and the shelter has room for 30 dogs.
[4] I cannot forget the little brown puppy who curled up in my lap and fell asleep the first time I visited. [5] Most studies say that dogs like being walked and enjoy spending time with people. [6] Think of the joy on a dog's face when a leash comes off the hook, and the thrill of a first run in the grass.
[7] I have volunteered here for three years, and in that time I have trained forty new helpers. [8] Every wag and every happy bark tells you how much a little time can change a lonely day. [9] Please sign up at the front desk this Saturday morning, and bring a friend if you can.
Jun counts the appeals in the speech. Which appeal does the speaker use most?
- Logic (logos), in the numbers about walks and studies in sentences [3] and [5]
- Credibility (ethos), in the years of volunteering named in sentence [7]
- Mixed: the three appeals are used about equally across the nine sentences
- Emotion (pathos), in the pictures and memories of sentences [2], [4], [6] and [8]
Kira judges sentence [5]. Which comment about its appeal to logic is fair?
- Weak: it names no study, number or source, so listeners cannot check it.
- Strong: it connects directly to the plan to walk dogs and to the dogs' happiness.
- Weak: it should have used more emotion instead.
- Strong: it refers to science, so listeners have good reason to accept the claim.
Luz wants more logic in the speech. Which sentence adds an appeal to logic?
- With eight more volunteers on Saturdays, each dog could be walked five days a week instead of two.
- Please ask at the front desk for the sign-up sheet.
- The shelter director has run this shelter for twenty years and approves this plan.
- Picture a happy dog bounding across the park for the very first time, tail wagging at full speed.
Free Swim Lessons at the Y (persuasive text)
[1] The Westbrook Y should offer free swim lessons to every child in town this summer. [2] I have taught swimming for fourteen years and hold the national lifeguard instructor certificate. [3] My lessons were reviewed by the county health office, which gave them its highest rating last year.
[4] I also helped write the safe-swimming guide that the town pool hands out to families. [5] About one in four children in our town cannot swim a full lap, based on the county's own school survey. [6] The program would need only six instructors and could run in two afternoon shifts.
[7] Imagine the most amazing, magical, unforgettable summer in the history of the entire world for every single kid. [8] I have taught the children of many families who now thank me when we meet in the grocery store. [9] Please vote to fund the lessons at the next board meeting.
Milo counts the appeals in the speech. Which appeal does the speaker use most?
- Emotion (pathos), in the big dream of a perfect summer in sentence [7]
- Logic (logos), in the survey and instructor numbers of sentences [5] and [6]
- Mixed: the three appeals are used about equally across the nine sentences
- Credibility (ethos), in the training and ratings of sentences [2], [3], [4] and [8]
Noah judges sentence [7]. Which comment about its appeal to emotion is fair?
- Strong: it speaks to each kid in town, so many families will feel included.
- Weak: it should have used a number instead of describing a summer.
- Weak: it is exaggerated and says nothing about why swim lessons matter.
- Strong: big, exciting words show the speaker cares and make the appeal stronger.
Pia wants more feeling in the speech. Which sentence adds an appeal to emotion?
- The lessons would start the first week of June.
- I trained with the national swim safety program for two years.
- Pool records show that 40 children took lessons last summer, and 35 of them passed the swim test.
- Picture a parent's relief the first time a child swims across the deep end alone.
Help Make Science Night Happen (persuasive text)
[1] The school should hold a Science Night in March and ask local businesses to help pay for the supplies and the prizes. [2] Last year's Science Night drew 240 visitors, and the school ran out of handouts by seven o'clock. [3] The cost of the event was $600, which works out to $2.50 for each visitor.
[4] I asked two friends in my class, and both said they would come back every year. [5] After last year's event, the number of students signing up for science club rose from 18 to 31. [6] Remember the gasp of a child seeing a tiny creature wiggle under a microscope for the very first time.
[7] Picture a quiet gym lit by the glow of a hundred small experiments, with children leaning in, wide-eyed. [8] I have organized the event for three years, and I am a certified science teacher. [9] I hope you will help make this event happen in March.
Ren counts the appeals in the speech. Which appeal does the speaker use most?
- Credibility (ethos), in the speaker's three years and certificate in sentence [8]
- Logic (logos), in the counts and costs of sentences [2], [3], [4] and [5]
- Mixed: the three appeals are used about equally across the nine sentences
- Emotion (pathos), in the two scenes of children and microscopes in sentences [6] and [7]
Tala judges sentence [4]. Which comment about its appeal to logic is fair?
- Strong: it shows that people were asked, and both of them said yes right away.
- Strong: friends are good people to ask, since they know the school and its events well.
- Weak: two friends are too few people to show what the whole school thinks.
- Weak: it should have named a famous person who could vouch for the event.