How an author answers the other side
Grade 8 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
A Pet in the Classroom (article)
[1] The school board is deciding whether a class may keep a small pet, such as a guinea pig or a hamster. [2] Opponents raise three concerns. [3] A student with allergies might get sick, no one may be there to feed the animal during holidays, and a loud classroom may frighten a small creature.
[4] I believe a well-chosen class pet teaches responsibility, and I take the first two concerns seriously. [5] Allergies are real, so a class should survey families first and choose a pet only if no child is affected. [6] A fish tank, for example, causes few allergy problems.
[7] Holiday care is a fair worry as well, and families can sign up to take the pet home. [8] A sign-up sheet in September ensures that each break has a volunteer. [9] If no family can volunteer for a holiday, the class can choose a pet that needs little care. [10] A class that plans ahead can manage both concerns. [11] Pet care, taught well, builds habits that last long after the school year ends.
Ren reads the article. Which concern from the opponents does the author never answer?
- Whether a loud classroom might frighten a small creature.
- Whether a student with allergies might get sick.
- Whether the school can afford pet food and supplies.
- Whether a class pet teaches responsibility.
Tala reads the opponents' concern that no one may be there to feed the pet during holidays. Which reply from the author meets that concern?
- Pet care, taught well, builds habits that last after the school year ends.
- A fish tank causes few allergy problems for students in the class.
- Families can sign up in September to take the pet home for each break.
- A class should survey families first and choose a pet that no child reacts to.
Zee wants one choice that names the author's position and how the author handles the opponents' concerns. Which choice does?
- Supports a class pet; dismisses allergies and holiday care as too small to discuss.
- Supports a class pet; grants that allergies and holiday care are real and plans for each.
- Opposes a class pet; grants that allergies and holiday care are real and agrees with the opponents.
- Supports a class pet; answers each of the three concerns with a plan that fits it.
Refill Stations in Cedar Park (article)
[1] The city council is voting on whether to install water refill stations in Cedar Park. [2] Critics make three arguments. [3] They say the stations cost too much to maintain, that few park visitors would use them, and that the stations would hurt the nearby shop that sells bottled water.
[4] I support the stations, and I will begin with the cost. [5] Each station needs a yearly cleaning and a filter, and that is a real expense. [6] Yet the city already pays to clean and repair the park's old fountains, which are often broken. [7] Replacing those fountains with stations would not add a new cost so much as redirect an old one.
[8] On use, the critics may well be right for a quiet winter day. [9] On a summer weekend, however, hundreds of runners and families stay in the park for hours. [10] People who bring their own bottles will refill them if the station is easy to find. [11] Because the stations can be installed one at a time, the city can learn which spots work best before buying more.
Ari reads the article. Which of the critics' claims does the author never answer?
- That the stations would hurt the nearby shop that sells bottled water.
- That the stations cost too much to maintain.
- That bottled water is worse for the environment than tap water from a fountain.
- That the old fountains in the park are often broken.
Bo reads the critics' claim that few park visitors would use the stations. Which reply from the author meets that claim?
- On a quiet winter day, the critics may well be right about the stations.
- Each station needs a yearly cleaning and a filter to stay in working order.
- The city already pays to clean and repair the park's old fountains.
- On a summer weekend, hundreds of runners and families stay in the park for hours.
Esme wants one choice that names the author's position and how the author handles the critics. Which choice does?
- Supports the stations; dismisses the cost and use claims as not worth answering because the stations are popular.
- Supports the stations; answers each of the three claims with evidence from the park and from the city budget.
- Opposes the stations; grants the cost and quiet-day points and agrees with the critics.
- Supports the stations; grants the cost and quiet-day points, then replies with old fountains and summer crowds.
Free Bus Passes for Students (article)
[1] The council of Alder Falls is considering free bus passes for students in the city's public schools. [2] Skeptics give three reasons to say no. [3] They say the passes would cost the city a great deal of money, that students would crowd adults off the buses, and that a pass is useless to a student who lives far from any stop.
[4] I favor the passes, although the cost is no small matter. [5] A trial in a nearby city, which gave passes to students at one school, found that attendance improved that year. [6] Students who arrive on time miss fewer class hours, and families who save the fare can spend the money on food and clothing. [7] That evidence does not prove that the passes would pay for themselves, and I will not claim that it does.
[8] The crowding worry is much easier to test. [9] The council could begin with a trial on routes that already run extra buses at school hours. [10] If the buses are too full, the trial would reveal the problem quickly. [11] The council could then end the program or add buses before the problem grows.
Kira reads the skeptics' reason that students would crowd adults off the buses. Which reply from the author meets that reason?
- A trial in a nearby city, which gave passes to one school, found that attendance improved.
- The cost of the passes is no small matter, and the author will not claim otherwise.
- Families who save the fare can spend the money on food and clothing instead of spending it on bus rides each week.
- A trial on routes with extra buses at school hours would show quickly if buses are too full.
Luz wants one choice that names the author's position and how the author handles the skeptics. Which choice does?
- Supports the passes; says the trial shows they pay for themselves and the cost is not a worry.
- Supports the passes; admits the cost is real and the trial is not proof, then offers a test for crowding.
- Opposes the passes; admits the cost is real and agrees that the trial evidence shows nothing.
- Supports the passes; replies to each of the three reasons with a test or with evidence.
Music for Every Middle Schooler (article)
[1] A district may require every middle school student to take a music class. [2] Critics raise three objections. [3] They say that the class would take time from math and reading, that students who dislike music would only be bored, and that the district cannot pay for enough instruments.
[4] I favor the requirement, and I begin with the strongest objection, which is time. [5] A music class meets for forty minutes a day, and that time has to come from somewhere. [6] Yet students already spend a period in study hall, and the class could replace that period rather than math or reading. [7] Time taken from study hall costs the school very little.
[8] The boredom worry is partly fair. [9] A student who has never enjoyed music may need a first term of choices, such as drumming, singing or composing on a computer. [10] A class built on choices gives each student a way in. [11] Over the year, a student who still dislikes the class has at least learned how a team makes sound together.
Milo reads the article. Which of the critics' objections does the author never answer?
- That music classes do not raise scores in other subjects.
- That students already spend a period in study hall.
- That the district cannot pay for enough instruments.
- That the class would take time from math and reading.
Pia wants one choice that names the author's position and how the author handles the critics. Which choice does?
- Opposes the requirement; grants that time and boredom are real and agrees with the critics.
- Supports the requirement; answers time and boredom but leaves the instrument objection alone.
- Supports the requirement; waves away time and boredom as problems that need no answer.
- Supports the requirement; replies to the time, boredom and instrument objections with a plan each.
