How an author answers the other side
Grade 8 Reading Worksheet
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Homework-Free Weekends (article)
[1] The Eastbrook school board is considering a rule that would ban homework on weekends. [2] Some teachers argue that students need those extra days to finish long projects that cannot be completed in the evenings. [3] Others say that children who do not practice on Saturday and Sunday will forget much of what they learned on Friday.
[4] I support the ban, but I do not think it should leave long projects without a sensible plan. [5] The teachers who worry about projects are right that big assignments need time. [6] For that reason, a long project could be assigned two weeks ahead, with a short check-in every Wednesday. [7] That way, the work is spread across school nights, and weekends stay free. [8] The worry about forgetting is harder to dismiss, yet rest is an important part of learning too. [9] Students who sleep well and spend time outdoors often return on Monday ready to think clearly. [10] A short review at the start of the week can bring back anything that has faded.
Tala reads the article. What is sentence [5] doing?
- Giving the author's final view that long projects need weekends.
- Reporting the board's plan to ban homework on weekends.
- Granting a fair point to the teachers who worry about projects.
- Answering the worry that children will forget Friday's lessons.
Zee wants to know how the author answers the teachers' worry about long projects. Which choice fits?
- By agreeing that weekends should stay open for homework.
- By proving that long projects can be finished in a single evening of hard work.
- By adding a short review at the start of the week for anything that has faded.
- By granting that big assignments need time, then spreading them across two weeks.
Ari wants the reason the author gives in answering the worry about forgetting. Which choice names it?
- Children who skip practice on Saturday and Sunday will forget Friday's lessons.
- Students forget very little over a weekend, so review is not needed.
- Rest is part of learning, and a short review can bring back what has faded.
- Long projects can be spread across school nights with check-ins.
Compost Bins on Willow Street (article)
[1] A group of neighbors has asked the city council to place shared compost bins along Willow Street. [2] Some residents fear that the bins would smell unpleasant and attract rats and flies. [3] Others doubt that enough people would sort their food scraps correctly without constant supervision.
[4] The smell concern is serious, and it deserves a careful answer. [5] But the bins in the plan have tight lids and sit on a hard base, which keeps animals from digging in. [6] The city would empty them every week, long before any strong odor can build up. [7] A closed bin that is emptied weekly should be no worse than an ordinary trash can.
[8] The sorting concern deserves its own answer. [9] A large picture on each bin lists what may go inside, so a mistake is easy to avoid. [10] If the bins fill with the wrong items, the city can remove them after a trial period. [11] Because the trial has an exit, the neighbors lose very little by trying.
Bo reads the article. What is sentence [4] doing?
- Answering the doubt about whether neighbors will sort correctly.
- Acknowledging a worry from the other side before answering it.
- Reporting what residents fear the bins would attract.
- Stating the author's whole case for placing the bins.
Esme wants the reason the author gives against the smell concern. Which choice names it?
- Tight lids and weekly emptying keep animals out and stop odors from building up.
- A large picture on each bin lists what may go inside.
- Compost bins give off no smell, so the concern has no basis.
- Residents fear that the bins would attract rats and flies.
Jun reads sentence [10], which says the city can remove the bins after a trial period. How does that help answer the sorting worry?
- It shows that rats cannot get into bins that have tight lids and a hard base.
- It agrees that the bins should not be placed on the street.
- It limits the risk: if sorting goes wrong, the bins can be removed.
- It shows that neighbors will sort their scraps correctly.
The Old Rialto Theater (article)
[1] The town of Clarendon may tear down the old Rialto Theater and turn the land into a parking lot. [2] Supporters of the plan say the building is deteriorating and would cost too much to repair. [3] They also argue that additional parking would help the shops nearby.
[4] I want the theater saved, and I will explain why the plan is incomplete. [5] It is true that the roof needs work, and the repairs would be expensive. [6] But demolition has a cost as well, and the new lot would hold only forty cars. [7] A restored theater could host plays, films and school concerts, which bring visitors who also eat and shop downtown. [8] Those visitors would be a steadier help to the nearby shops than a parking lot that sits empty on most evenings.
[9] Parking is a genuine need, and I do not dismiss it. [10] Instead, I suggest a shared lot one block away, within a short walk of the shops. [11] Saving the Rialto and adding parking do not have to be competing choices.
Kira reads the article. What is sentence [5] doing?
- Granting that repairs are costly before showing that demolition has costs too.
- Answering the argument that parking would help the nearby shops.
- Reporting the supporters' claim that the building is deteriorating and costly to fix.
- Giving the author's final view that the roof cannot be fixed.
Milo wants to know how the author deals with the parking need in sentences [9] to [11]. Which choice fits?
- By accepting the need and offering a shared lot that leaves the theater standing.
- By arguing that the repair costs are smaller than they look.
- By agreeing that the theater should be torn down for parking.
- By proving that no one in town needs parking.
Print or Screen? (article)
[1] The student council at Harbor Middle School wants the school newspaper to move entirely online. [2] The council says that printing costs too much money. [3] It adds that students rarely pick up a paper copy, while they check their screens all day.
[4] I think the paper should keep a printed edition, and I will say why. [5] Printing is costly, and I accept that the cost matters. [6] But a printed edition once a month could replace the four weekly issues, which cuts the bill sharply. [7] A printed copy also reaches the families who have no reliable internet at home. [8] These families are the very readers the paper should want to reach most.
[9] The second claim is harder to measure. [10] A paper copy is left on a desk or a kitchen table, where it can be read at any time without a charge or a password. [11] Students who rarely open a page on a screen may still glance at the headlines on a table.
Pia wants a reason that shows a group the paper would lose if it moved entirely online. Which choice names it?
- Four weekly issues could be replaced by one monthly printed edition.
- Most families in the town have no reliable internet at home or at school.
- Students rarely pick up a paper copy.
- A printed copy reaches families who have no reliable internet at home.
Ren wants to know how the author answers the claim that students rarely pick up a paper copy. Which choice fits?
- By proving that most students read the paper weekly.
- By agreeing that no one reads the printed copy.
- By calling the claim hard to measure and noting paper can be read anytime.
- By proposing a monthly edition to cut printing costs and keep the paper alive.