Why was this made? Reading charts, ads and graphics

Grade 8 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   The Notice on the Bus Shelter (news article with a printed city notice)

   [1] The city of Marlow rebuilt Ash Street last year, replacing a painted bicycle lane with one separated from traffic by concrete barriers. [2] Soon afterward, the city's Traffic Office posted a notice at the bus shelters along the street. [3] The chart on the notice shows the number of crashes on the street in the year before the rebuilding and in the year after it. [4] The notice does not say how many cyclists or drivers use the street. [5] Local news reports indicate that the project cost about two million dollars and that the city council approved it by a narrow vote. [6] Council members who voted against it said the money could have repaired three other streets. [7] The notice invites residents to a public meeting where the Traffic Office will present plans for two more separated lanes. [8] A resident who bicycles to work told a reporter that she feels safer on Ash Street, although she added that she had never been in a crash there. [9] A spokesperson for the Traffic Office declined to comment on the council's vote. [10] The rebuilt street reopened to traffic in the spring. [11] Two bus routes use the street every day. [12] Most of the shelters are near the middle of the street, close to the library and a small grocery store.

   NOTICE: CITY OF MARLOW TRAFFIC OFFICE
   Ash Street is safer.
   Reported crashes (bars start at zero): year before the new lane: 18 | year after: 11
   Slow down and share the road. Public meeting, May 14, 6 p.m.
   Source: crashes reported to police.

2. 1.

   Bo wants evidence that the notice also aims to build support for more projects. Which detail shows it best?

   • A resident said she feels safer on Ash Street, although she had not been in a crash there.
   • The project cost about two million dollars.
   • The notice invites residents to a meeting about plans for two more separated lanes.
   • Council members who voted no said the money could have repaired three other streets.
3. 2.

   Esme asks how the notice's design steers a reader who only glances at it. Which choice fits?

   • The tall bars make the drop in crashes look larger than the numbers are.
   • The headline states the conclusion before the reader looks at the two crash counts.
   • The slogan about sharing the road is aimed at cyclists rather than drivers.
   • The small print hides which office collected the numbers, so readers cannot check them.
4. 3.

   Jun wants to judge whether Ash Street really became safer. Which change to the notice would help most?

   • Print the project's cost beside the two bars.
   • Cut the chart and keep just the headline, since it already says the street is safer.
   • Use taller bars so the drop in crashes looks bigger at a glance.
   • Show crash counts for several years before the rebuilding, not just the one year.
5. 4.

   Kira asks who the notice is mainly meant for and what shows it. Which choice fits best?

   • City engineers, since the chart counts crashes reported to police and names its source.
   • Cyclists who ride the street, since it now has a separated bicycle lane built for them.
   • Voters, since the council approved the project by a narrow vote and may be asked again.
   • Local residents, since it hangs at bus shelters on the street and invites residents to a meeting.
6. 5.

   Luz wants to weigh the count of 11 crashes. Which fact about its source matters most?

   • It covers a full year before and a full year after the rebuilding, which is plenty of data to show a trend.
   • The council approved the project by a narrow vote, so the count is probably wrong.
   • It is a government count, so it must be neutral because public offices do not take sides.
   • The count comes from the office that backed the project, and it includes only crashes reported to police.

7. The Front of the Box (news article with a printed cereal box panel)

   [1] Crunch Hollow, a cereal maker, redesigned the front of its box this spring. [2] The new panel, reproduced below, announces a revised recipe with less sugar. [3] A footnote in very small type compares the new recipe with the company's original cereal rather than with other brands. [4] The panel also carries the phrase "part of a balanced breakfast," which many cereal makers print. [5] The nutrition facts on the side of the box list the serving as one cup, or 30 grams. [6] The original recipe contained 11 grams of sugar in that serving, and the new recipe contains 8 grams. [7] Sales of the original cereal had slipped for two years before the change, according to a trade magazine. [8] The magazine also reported that the company hopes parents who watch sugar will notice the new box in the cereal aisle. [9] Supermarkets usually place cereals for children on the lower shelves, where young shoppers can reach them. [10] A spokesperson for the company said the new recipe took eighteen months to develop. [11] The cereal is sold in three sizes of box. [12] Shoppers can find it in most large stores, and a smaller grocery chain will carry it beginning in the fall.

   BOX PANEL: CRUNCH HOLLOW (new recipe)
   27% LESS SUGAR* (largest type)
   Sugar per serving, in grams (bars start at zero): Original 11 | New 8
   Kids love the crunch! Part of a balanced breakfast.
   *Compared with Crunch Hollow Original, per 30 g serving. (smallest type)

8. 6.

   Milo asks which description of the panel's motive fits best. Which one does?

   • Political: it urges parents to press supermarkets to move cereals off low shelves.
   • Commercial: it aims to persuade shoppers to buy the original recipe before it is gone.
   • Social: it aims to lower the sugar children eat, as the new recipe shows.
   • Commercial: it uses a sugar comparison to win back buyers after two years of slipping sales.
9. 7.

   Noah wants the strongest evidence for a commercial motive. Which fact from the article gives it?

   • The nutrition facts list the serving as one cup, or 30 grams, for each bowl of cereal.
   • Sales of the original cereal had slipped for two years before the new recipe came out.
   • The new recipe took eighteen months to develop before the company put it on shelves.
   • Supermarkets usually place cereals for children on lower shelves, where young shoppers can reach them.
10. 8.

    Pia asks how the panel's design steers a shopper. Which choice fits?

    • The shorter bar for the new recipe shows the company expects to sell fewer boxes of it.
    • The balanced-breakfast line is printed in the largest type, so it is the main message of the box.
    • It prints 27% in the largest type and states the comparison with the original in the smallest.
    • Its bars start above zero, which makes the drop in sugar look larger than it is to a shopper.
11. 9.

    Tala asks which reader the large 27% claim is aimed at. Which choice fits best?

    • Cereal makers, since many of them print the same balanced-breakfast phrase on their boxes.
    • Grocery store buyers who decide which brands to stock, since they order cereal in large amounts.
    • Parents who check labels for sugar, since the company hopes they will notice the box.
    • Children who choose cereal for its crunch, since the panel tells them that kids love the crunch.
12. 10.

    Zee reads the smallest type on the panel. Which statement about the footnote is most accurate?

    • It limits the claim to a comparison with the company's own original recipe.
    • It shows the new cereal has less sugar than other brands of cereal.
    • It explains that laboratory tests were used to measure the 27%.
    • It shows the new recipe is a low-sugar cereal that parents can buy without checking.