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

   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.
   • 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.
   • 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.

4. 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.

5. 3.

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

   • The Parks Department announced higher fees at Riverside Rec Center, effective March 1, without asking residents.
   • 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.
   • The Parks Department announced changes to Riverside Rec Center, effective March 1.
6. 4.

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

   • Account A is fair, because it states the new fees and the half-price offer in plain numbers and adds the fees at nearby centers for comparison.
   • Both accounts give the same fees, repair cost and half price, but they frame the rise differently, so a reader should compare them and check the numbers.
   • Account B is tilted just because of Director Cole's quote, which is the one thing the accounts do not share, so the quote explains the difference.
   • Account B must be false, because it says the increase is twenty percent while Account A calls it modest, and the two cannot both be right.
7. 5.

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

   • 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.
   • 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 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.

   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.
   • 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.
   • 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 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.
10. 7.

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

    • 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.
    • 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.

11. 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."

12. 8.

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

    • 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 taxpayers had to pay $2.6 million for.
    • The city credits its new blue carts.
    • The city credits its new blue carts, which cost $2.6 million.
13. 9.

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

    • 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 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.
    • 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.
14. 10.

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

    • Account B was written to help the neighboring town of Dayton, which recycles more of its waste than the city does and wants to be named in the news.
    • The city's press office wrote A and may want residents pleased; Green Watch wrote B and may want a higher goal; the shared numbers can be checked.
    • Who wrote the accounts does not matter, because both give the same rate and the same goal for the year 2030.
    • Because Green Watch wants a higher goal, the 38 percent rate in Account B must be wrong, and the city's other numbers must be right.