Write an argument that answers the other side
Grade 7 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
A Garden on Willow Street (argument draft)
[1] A fenced lot on Willow Street has been empty for six years, and weeds now cover most of it. [2] The town should lease the lot to neighbors who want to turn it into a community garden. [3] Gardens give families a place to grow vegetables, and fresh produce can be expensive in the nearby shops. [4] A single raised bed can supply a family with salad greens for several weeks, which lowers the grocery bill.
[5] The lot also sits across from Willow Elementary, where teachers could take classes to see plants grow. [6] Students who watch a seed become food can see for themselves how plants and soil work together. [7] Empty lots collect litter, but a tended garden gives neighbors a reason to visit and keep the place clean. [8] In a neighboring town, volunteers cleared a similar lot and now fill thirty beds each spring. [9] Those volunteers show that Willow Street neighbors could keep a garden going for many years.
Pia drafts the next two sentences after [9]. Which pair names a worry fairly and then answers that same worry?
- Some neighbors may worry that a garden would attract crowds on weekends. That worry is serious, so the town should probably keep the lot empty for now.
- Some neighbors may worry that a garden would use too much water in the summer. Gardens also let families grow tomatoes, beans, and herbs close to their homes.
- Some neighbors may worry that a garden would bring crowds and noise to the street. However, the lease could set daytime hours and one entrance.
- Some neighbors may feel that a garden would be a lovely place to meet on a quiet street. For that reason, the lease could set daytime hours and one entrance.
A reader says the garden would be too noisy. The writer's first answer is, 'Worrying about noise is silly.' Ren wants a better answer. Which revision answers with a reason?
- People who worry about noise from a garden have not thought about the question very carefully at all.
- A community garden would give neighbors a useful and welcome way to use the empty lot.
- A daytime-only schedule would keep the garden quiet in the evening, when most neighbors are home.
- Noise could be a real problem, so the garden may not be worth building on this street.
A Garden on Willow Street (argument draft)
[1] A fenced lot on Willow Street has been empty for six years, and weeds now cover most of it. [2] The town should lease the lot to neighbors who want to turn it into a community garden. [3] Gardens give families a place to grow vegetables, and fresh produce can be expensive in the nearby shops. [4] A single raised bed can supply a family with salad greens for several weeks, which lowers the grocery bill.
[5] The lot also sits across from Willow Elementary, where teachers could take classes to see plants grow. [6] Students who watch a seed become food can see for themselves how plants and soil work together. [7] Empty lots collect litter, but a tended garden gives neighbors a reason to visit and keep the place clean. [8] In a neighboring town, volunteers cleared a similar lot and now fill thirty beds each spring. [9] Those volunteers show that Willow Street neighbors could keep a garden going for many years.
Added after sentence [9]: Some neighbors may worry that a garden would bring crowds and noise to the street. However, the lease could set daytime hours and one entrance.
Tala has added the pair shown below the draft. Which closing sentence follows from the whole argument and adds no new claim?
- In a neighboring town, volunteers now fill thirty beds each spring on a similar lot that was empty.
- The town should also build a playground and a weekly market on Willow Street for neighbors and their children after school.
- With fresh food, hands-on learning, and set hours that answer the noise worry, the lot should become a garden.
- Even so, the town may decide that leaving the lot empty is the simpler choice for now.
Save the Clock Tower (argument draft)
[1] The clock tower beside Main Street Station has stood for ninety years, but its four faces stopped keeping time last winter. [2] The town council should repair the clock tower instead of tearing it down. [3] Visitors who arrive by train see the tower first, and many take photographs of it before they walk into town. [4] Those photographs spread the town's name online, which brings new visitors to the nearby shops and cafes.
[5] The tower also holds a bell that rang when the first school in town opened, so it carries local history. [6] Once the tower is gone, no photograph or plaque can replace a landmark that people can see and hear. [7] A repair crew from the next county estimates that new clockworks would cost less than half the price of a demolition and a new plaza. [8] A smaller bill means the council can fix the tower without raising taxes. [9] A working clock would also help commuters, who now check their phones to find the time.
A reader says the tower is too old to save. The first answer is, 'Those people do not care about the past.' Ari wants a better one. Which revision answers with a reason?
- Anyone who wants to tear down a landmark has no feelings for the town, its past, or its people.
- Age matters, so the council may be right to tear the tower down and start over.
- The town council should repair the clock tower instead of tearing it down this year.
- A tower that has lasted ninety years is sturdy, and new clockworks would keep it standing for decades.
Save the Clock Tower (argument draft)
[1] The clock tower beside Main Street Station has stood for ninety years, but its four faces stopped keeping time last winter. [2] The town council should repair the clock tower instead of tearing it down. [3] Visitors who arrive by train see the tower first, and many take photographs of it before they walk into town. [4] Those photographs spread the town's name online, which brings new visitors to the nearby shops and cafes.
[5] The tower also holds a bell that rang when the first school in town opened, so it carries local history. [6] Once the tower is gone, no photograph or plaque can replace a landmark that people can see and hear. [7] A repair crew from the next county estimates that new clockworks would cost less than half the price of a demolition and a new plaza. [8] A smaller bill means the council can fix the tower without raising taxes. [9] A working clock would also help commuters, who now check their phones to find the time.
Added after sentence [9]: Some residents may feel the money should go to roads and sidewalks. However, the repair costs less than half of the plaza plan, so the council could fund both.
Bo has added the pair shown below the draft. Which closing sentence follows from the whole argument and adds no new claim?
- The council should also add a museum, a gift shop, and a small cafe inside the tower for visitors.
- Even so, the council might decide that tearing the tower down is simpler and quicker for the town in the long run.
- Repairing the tower would keep its history, draw visitors, and cost less, so the council should do it.
- The tower holds a bell that rang when the first school in town opened on the hill above the station.
Trays That Come Back (argument draft)
[1] Each day, the Pinecrest Middle School cafeteria serves about four hundred lunches on paper trays that go straight into the trash. [2] The school should switch to washable trays that can be used again each day. [3] A full bin of paper trays leaves the cafeteria after every lunch period, and the bin fills up fast. [4] Washable trays would shrink that trash pile, which means fewer trips to the dumpster for the custodians.
[5] Paper trays cost money every month because the school must buy a new box whenever the old one runs out. [6] A set of washable trays costs more up front but can be used for years, so the school would spend less over time. [7] A school across town made the switch last year and reports that the dishwasher adds about twenty minutes of work per day. [8] Twenty minutes is a small price for cutting the trash that the cafeteria produces. [9] Students also say they would rather eat from a real tray than from one that bends under a heavy lunch.
Esme drafts the next two sentences after [9]. Which pair names a worry fairly and then answers that same worry?
- Some staff may worry that the trays would cost too much at first. That worry is strong, so the school should probably keep using paper trays for now.
- Some staff may worry that washing trays would add too much work to the kitchen. However, the school across town reports only about twenty minutes a day, a small task for one dishwasher.
- Some staff may feel that washable trays are an easy way to cut trash. For that reason, the school across town reports about twenty minutes of washing a day, which is easy.
- Some staff may worry that washable trays would crack after a few months of use. Students also say they would rather eat from a real tray than from a bending one.
A reader says washable trays cost too much. The first answer is, 'People who worry about price are not thinking.' Jun wants a better one. Which revision answers with a reason?
- People who focus on price rarely think about the planet or about the future of the school.
- Washable trays cost more at first but last for years, so the school spends less over time.
- The school should switch to washable trays that can be used again each day at lunch.
- The price is a real problem, so the school should probably keep paper trays for another year.
Trays That Come Back (argument draft)
[1] Each day, the Pinecrest Middle School cafeteria serves about four hundred lunches on paper trays that go straight into the trash. [2] The school should switch to washable trays that can be used again each day. [3] A full bin of paper trays leaves the cafeteria after every lunch period, and the bin fills up fast. [4] Washable trays would shrink that trash pile, which means fewer trips to the dumpster for the custodians.
[5] Paper trays cost money every month because the school must buy a new box whenever the old one runs out. [6] A set of washable trays costs more up front but can be used for years, so the school would spend less over time. [7] A school across town made the switch last year and reports that the dishwasher adds about twenty minutes of work per day. [8] Twenty minutes is a small price for cutting the trash that the cafeteria produces. [9] Students also say they would rather eat from a real tray than from one that bends under a heavy lunch.
Added after sentence [9]: Some staff may worry that washing trays would add too much work to the kitchen. However, the school across town reports only about twenty minutes a day, a small task for one dishwasher.
Kira has added the pair shown below the draft. Which closing sentence follows from the whole argument and adds no new claim?
- Washable trays would cut trash, save money over time, and take little time to wash, so the school should switch.
- Still, the school might decide that paper trays are the simpler choice for another year or two.
- A school across town made the switch last year and reports about twenty minutes of extra washing each day.
- The school should also stop using plastic forks, paper cups, and bottled water at lunch.
A Bus to the Lake (argument draft)
[1] On weekends, hundreds of families walk, bike, and picnic along the Lakeshore Trail, but no city bus stops within a mile. [2] The city should extend the Route 12 bus to a new stop at the Lakeshore Trail entrance. [3] Families without a car cannot reach the trail unless a neighbor drives them, so many never visit at all. [4] A bus stop would open the trail to everyone, which makes the park a shared place instead of a place for car owners.
[5] Cars also fill the small trail lot by ten o'clock on sunny mornings, and visitors then circle the road looking for space. [6] Each rider on a bus is one less car in that crowded lot, which means less circling and a calmer road. [7] The Route 12 bus already turns around at Birch Street, just half a mile from the trail entrance. [8] Extending the route a short distance would cost far less than building a new line. [9] A brief extension would connect more families to the lake without adding many miles to the route.
A reader says buses would be too noisy at the lake. The first answer is, 'Those people want the lake to themselves.' Milo wants a better one. Which revision answers with a reason?
- On weekends the buses would add a few trips, far fewer than the cars that circle the lot.
- The city should extend Route 12 to a new stop at the trail entrance for families.
- Noise could harm the lake area, so the city may want to skip the new stop for now.
- Complaints like that come from people who have little experience with buses or with the lake.
A Bus to the Lake (argument draft)
[1] On weekends, hundreds of families walk, bike, and picnic along the Lakeshore Trail, but no city bus stops within a mile. [2] The city should extend the Route 12 bus to a new stop at the Lakeshore Trail entrance. [3] Families without a car cannot reach the trail unless a neighbor drives them, so many never visit at all. [4] A bus stop would open the trail to everyone, which makes the park a shared place instead of a place for car owners.
[5] Cars also fill the small trail lot by ten o'clock on sunny mornings, and visitors then circle the road looking for space. [6] Each rider on a bus is one less car in that crowded lot, which means less circling and a calmer road. [7] The Route 12 bus already turns around at Birch Street, just half a mile from the trail entrance. [8] Extending the route a short distance would cost far less than building a new line. [9] A brief extension would connect more families to the lake without adding many miles to the route.
Added after sentence [9]: Some riders may worry that a longer route would slow the bus for people going to work. However, the extension adds just half a mile, so each trip would take a minute or two longer.
Noah has added the pair shown below the draft. Which closing sentence follows from the whole argument and adds no new claim?
- The city should also build a second parking lot and a cafe at the trail entrance for visitors who arrive by car.
- Route 12 now turns around at Birch Street, which is just half a mile from the trail entrance where families begin.
- Even so, the city might decide that the lake trail is fine for drivers to enjoy alone on weekends.
- A short extension would connect families to the lake, calm the lot, and cost little, so the city should do it.