Spotting slant and loaded words

Grade 8 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Two accounts of a city softball final

   Account A, from the Westbrook Weekly, the Warriors' hometown paper:
   [1] The Westbrook Warriors captured the city softball title Saturday with a thrilling 9-8 win over the Ash Valley Hawks. [2] Warriors shortstop Dee Alvarez smacked a double with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to score the winning run. [3] The Hawks had led 8-6 after a rally in the sixth inning. [4] Hawks coach Ray Kimura protested a call at third base in the fifth, but the umpires stood by their ruling. [5] Warriors manager Joan Pike said the team "never stopped believing." [6] The win gave Westbrook its first title in eleven years.

   Account B, from the Ash Valley Gazette, the Hawks' hometown paper:
   [7] The Ash Valley Hawks fell 9-8 to the Westbrook Warriors on Saturday after the umpires waved off a run in the fifth inning on a disputed call at third base. [8] The Hawks held an 8-6 lead in the sixth before the Warriors scored three runs in the last two innings, including a game-winning double by Dee Alvarez with two outs in the seventh. [9] Hawks coach Ray Kimura said the call "changed the whole game." [10] Umpire crew chief Lou Brandt said the call was correct under league rules. [11] The Hawks finished the season 17-5. [12] Westbrook won its first title in eleven years.

2. 1.

   Noah rewrites sentence [1] of Account A. Which rewrite removes the slant and keeps every fact?

   • The Westbrook Warriors won the city softball title on Saturday.
   • The Westbrook Warriors won the city softball title on Saturday, beating the Ash Valley Hawks 9-8.
   • The Westbrook Warriors captured the city softball title on Saturday with an exciting 9-8 win over the Ash Valley Hawks.
   • The Westbrook Warriors won the city softball title on Saturday, beating the Hawks 9-8 after a bad call cost the Hawks a run.
3. 2.

   Luz compares the two accounts. Which statement about them is fair?

   • Account A must be wrong about the facts, because it uses loaded words such as thrilling and smacked, and true reports avoid loaded words.
   • Both accounts agree on the score, inning and call, yet each leans toward its own team in its verbs and order, so a reader should compare them.
   • Account B is the one tilted account, because of the coach's quote saying that the call changed the whole game, which no one else in the article says.
   • Both accounts are fair, because each number in one account matches the same number in the other, and a fair account needs correct numbers.
4. 3.

   Ren asks why each account leans the way it does. Which statement is supported by the article?

   • Where each paper is published does not matter, because both papers print the same score and the same date for the game.
   • Each account comes from its team's hometown paper, so each may favor its team; the matching facts can be trusted, but the wording needs care.
   • Account B was written to make the umpires look dishonest, because it mentions the disputed call and quotes the Hawks coach about it before anyone else.
   • Because the Westbrook Weekly is the Warriors' hometown paper, the score it reports must be wrong, and the Gazette's score is the one to trust.

5. Two accounts of a rec center fee increase

   Account A, from the Parks Department newsletter:
   [1] The Parks Department is pleased to announce modest updates to Riverside Rec Center fees, effective March 1. [2] A youth membership will rise from $20 to $24 per month, and an adult membership will rise from $35 to $42. [3] The department says the increases will help cover a $65,000 repair to the heating system. [4] Families who qualify for lunch assistance will pay half price. [5] Director Mina Cole said the department "worked hard to keep costs low." [6] Fees at nearby centers average $27 for youth and $46 for adults.

   Account B, from the Riverside Neighbors blog, written by a group that has asked the city to keep fees low:
   [7] Riverside Rec Center will raise fees by twenty percent on March 1, the Parks Department confirmed. [8] The youth membership will go from $20 to $24 a month, and the adult membership from $35 to $42. [9] The increase comes after the department spent $65,000 on a heating repair that residents were not asked about. [10] Families who qualify for lunch assistance will pay half price, but the department has not said how families will apply. [11] Director Mina Cole said the department "worked hard to keep costs low." [12] Fees at nearby centers average $27 for youth and $46 for adults, according to the department.

6. 4.

   Esme rewrites sentence [1] of Account A. Which rewrite removes the slant and keeps every fact?

   • The Parks Department is pleased to announce slightly higher fees at Riverside Rec Center, effective March 1.
   • The Parks Department announced higher fees at Riverside Rec Center, effective March 1, without asking residents.
   • The Parks Department announced changes to Riverside Rec Center, effective March 1.
   • The Parks Department announced higher fees at Riverside Rec Center, effective March 1.
7. 5.

   Kira asks why each account leans the way it does. Which statement is supported by the article?

   • Who wrote each account does not matter, because the fee amounts in both accounts are the same and a fee amount cannot lean toward anyone.
   • Because the neighbors' group wants low fees, the fee amounts in Account B must be wrong, and the department's amounts in Account A are the ones to believe instead.
   • The department wrote A and may want the fees accepted, and the neighbors' group wrote B and may want fees kept low; the facts still need checking.
   • The department wrote Account A to hide the heating repair from residents, since Account A does not mention it anywhere in its six sentences.

8. Two accounts of a crosswalk signal on Orchard Street

   Account A, from a Public Works news release:
   [1] Public Works will install a new pedestrian signal at the Orchard Street crosswalk next month to improve safety. [2] The signal will cost $48,000 and will stop traffic with a flashing light when a walker presses a button. [3] City staff counted 2,300 walkers crossing at that spot on an average weekday. [4] In the past five years, two walkers were struck there, and neither was seriously hurt. [5] Public Works director Sal Ortega said the signal "will make Orchard Street safer for everyone." [6] The work will take about two weeks.

   Account B, from the Orchard Neighbors newsletter, written by a neighborhood group that asked the city for the signal:
   [7] After years of requests from residents, the city will finally install a pedestrian signal at the Orchard Street crosswalk next month. [8] The signal will cost $48,000, the same amount the city spent last year on new planters downtown. [9] City staff counted 2,300 walkers crossing there on an average weekday. [10] Two walkers have been struck at the crosswalk in the past five years, according to police reports. [11] Neighbors say they have also had many close calls that never made it into reports. [12] Public Works director Sal Ortega said the signal "will make Orchard Street safer for everyone."

9. 6.

   Tala rewrites sentence [7] of Account B. Which rewrite removes the slant and keeps every fact?

   • The city will install a pedestrian signal at the Orchard Street crosswalk next month, after years of requests from residents.
   • The city will install a pedestrian signal at the Orchard Street crosswalk next month, after ignoring residents' requests for years.
   • After years of waiting, the city will at last install a pedestrian signal at the Orchard Street crosswalk next month.
   • The city will install a pedestrian signal at the Orchard Street crosswalk.
10. 7.

    Pia compares the two accounts. Which statement about them is fair?

    • Account B is tilted just because it quotes the Public Works director, whom Account A does not quote, and quotes are where tilt comes from.
    • The accounts agree on cost, count and injuries, but A adds that no one was seriously hurt and B adds planters and unreported close calls, so each stresses what suits it.
    • Account B must be false, because the close calls it mentions are not in any police report, and an account with an unreported claim cannot be trusted.
    • Account A is fair, because it reports the count of walkers and the cost without any adjectives, while Account B uses emotional words such as finally.
11. 8.

    Luz asks why each account leans the way it does. Which statement is supported by the article?

    • Because Public Works wrote Account A, its count of walkers must be wrong, and the police reports in Account B should replace it.
    • Public Works wrote A and may want the project to look like a success; the neighbors wrote B and may want to show how long they waited; both need checking.
    • Who wrote the accounts does not matter, because both quote the same director and both report the same cost and the same walker count.
    • Account B was written to stop the signal from being built, since it mentions the cost and compares it with the money spent on the downtown planters.

12. Two accounts of a city recycling report

    Account A, from a city press release:
    [1] The city's recycling program reached a record 38 percent recycling rate last year, up from 31 percent the year before. [2] Residents recycled 9,400 tons of paper, glass, plastic, and metal. [3] The city credits its new blue carts, which were delivered to every home in March. [4] Mayor's office spokesperson Joy Lin said the results show that "residents have embraced recycling." [5] The city set a goal of 50 percent by 2030. [6] About 12 percent of the material collected was too dirty to be recycled and was sent to the landfill.

    Account B, from the Green Watch blog, written by a group that wants the city to set a 70 percent goal:
    [7] The city says its recycling rate rose to 38 percent last year, but the city still sends most of its trash to the landfill. [8] The rate was 31 percent the year before, and the city's own goal is 50 percent by 2030. [9] The city credits its new blue carts, which cost taxpayers $2.6 million. [10] About 12 percent of the material collected was too dirty to be recycled and was dumped in the landfill. [11] Neighboring Dayton, which has had blue carts since 2015, recycles 44 percent. [12] The mayor's office said residents "have embraced recycling."

13. 9.

    Zee rewrites sentence [9] of Account B. Which rewrite removes the slant and keeps every fact?

    • The city credits its new blue carts, which taxpayers had to pay $2.6 million for.
    • The city credits its new blue carts, which cost $2.6 million and have not improved recycling.
    • The city credits its new blue carts, which cost $2.6 million.
    • The city credits its new blue carts.
14. 10.

    Milo compares the two accounts. Which statement about them is fair?

    • Account A must be false, because it leaves out the cost of the carts, and a press release that leaves out a cost is not telling the truth.
    • Both accounts report the same rates and dirty-material share, but A leads with the record rise and B with the landfill and cost, so each stresses what suits it.
    • Account B is fair, because it admits that the recycling rate rose to 38 percent and gives a neighboring city's higher rate as a comparison.
    • The accounts differ just because the quote from the mayor's office appears in Account A, and quotes from officials tend to tilt a report.