Why was this made? Reading charts, ads and graphics

Grade 8 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   A Flyer Before the Vote (news article with a printed flyer)

   [1] Voters in the town of Aldergate will decide in November whether to approve Measure 4, a property-tax increase that would keep the library open six days a week. [2] Two weeks before the election, a flyer arrived in every mailbox. [3] It was printed by Friends of Aldergate Library, a volunteer group that formed last spring and paid for the printing with donations from its members. [4] Library staff supplied the visit counts shown in the chart, and the group wrote the headline above it. [5] A line at the bottom of the flyer explains that Measure 4 would cost the owner of an average home 31 dollars a year. [6] Another line points out that the library has been open five days a week since 2020. [7] Opponents of the measure mailed a separate flyer the following week, which argued that residents already pay enough in property taxes. [8] The town council took no position on either mailing. [9] Several voters outside the post office said they had read both flyers before deciding. [10] Officials expect fewer than half of the town's voters to take part. [11] A volunteer who works as a graphic designer drew the chart without charge. [12] The group plans a public meeting at the library on the Thursday before the vote, and the head librarian has been invited to attend.

   FLYER: Aldergate's library is busier than ever!
   Visits to the main branch, in thousands
   2020: 38 | 2021: 41 | 2022: 47 | 2023: 55
   Vote YES on Measure 4, November 5. Measure 4 costs the owner of an average home 31 dollars a year. Paid for by Friends of Aldergate Library.

2. 1.

   Ari studies the flyer's chart. Which statement does the chart support?

   • Visits to the main branch rose fastest between 2020 and 2021.
   • Visits to the main branch rose each year from 2020 to 2023.
   • The library has been open five days a week since 2020.
   • More than half of the people in Aldergate used the library in 2023.
3. 2.

   Esme wants to judge the flyer fairly. Which missing fact would help the most?

   • Whether opponents of Measure 4 mailed their own flyer before the election.
   • Main-branch visits before 2020, to show if the rise is a long trend.
   • The yearly cost of Measure 4 to the owner of an average home in Aldergate.
   • The names of the volunteers who paid for the printing and drew the chart.
4. 3.

   Jun wants to repeat the chart's message accurately. Which sentence does that?

   • The main branch recorded 55 thousand visits in 2022, up from 41 thousand in 2020.
   • Visits rose each year because the library added more programs.
   • The main branch recorded 55 thousand visits in 2023, up from 38 thousand in 2020.
   • Visits rose at the other library branches in Aldergate from 2020 to 2023 as well.
5. 4.

   Luz wonders how far to trust the visit counts. Which fact in the article bears most on that?

   • The group formed last spring and paid for the printing with donations.
   • Library staff supplied the counts, so they come from the records of the library.
   • Officials expect fewer than half of the town's voters to take part.
   • Opponents mailed their own flyer the following week.

6. Panels in the Paper (news article with a printed advertisement)

   [1] Sunny Day Solar, a company that installs rooftop panels, bought a half-page ad in the Maple Grove Courier. [2] The ad has a bar chart that compares summer electric bills for the same homes before and after the panels went on. [3] A line of small print under the chart says the figures come from a company survey of twelve homes in the Maple Grove neighborhood. [4] The survey covered June, July and August. [5] The ad also gives a number to call for a free home estimate and the date on which a discount on the work ends. [6] Maple Grove gets long hours of summer sun, and its homes run air conditioning heavily in July and August. [7] Electric rates in the county have risen about four percent in two years, the utility says. [8] The Courier prints ads in a separate section of the paper and says it does not review their claims. [9] A neighbor interviewed for a different story said her bills had dropped after she put panels on her roof, though she gave no figures. [10] Several other installers in the county have bought ads in the same newspaper. [11] The company opened its Maple Grove office two years ago, and its owner grew up in the area. [12] It is one of the larger installers in the region, with about thirty workers.

   AD: Sunny Day Solar. Average monthly summer electric bill, 12 Maple Grove homes
   Before panels: $142 | After panels: $38
   Call today for your free estimate. Save with our discount before the deadline!

7. 5.

   Milo studies the ad's chart and small print. Which statement do they support?

   • Any home in Maple Grove would pay 38 dollars a month in summer with panels.
   • The twelve surveyed homes paid less in summer after their panels went on.
   • The twelve surveyed homes paid about half as much after their panels went on.
   • Electric rates in the county have risen about four percent in two years.
8. 6.

   Noah wants to know who made the ad and what the maker most wants. Which choice fits?

   • The Maple Grove Courier; it wants readers to learn about local energy costs.
   • Sunny Day Solar; it wants readers to call for an estimate and sign up.
   • Sunny Day Solar; it wants readers to ask the utility company to lower rates.
   • Sunny Day Solar; it wants readers to know the true effect of panels on bills.
9. 7.

   Pia wants to judge the ad fairly. Which missing fact would help the most?

   • How many homes were in the company's survey.
   • Which brand of panels the company installs on roofs.
   • Whether the Courier reviews the claims made in the ads that it prints each week.
   • Whether the homes' bills also fell in the months outside summer.
10. 8.

    Ren wants to repeat the ad's evidence accurately. Which sentence does that?

    • Twelve Maple Grove homes averaged 142 dollars a month in summer before panels and 38 dollars after.
    • Buying panels will cut any home's summer bill to 38 dollars a month.
    • Twelve Maple Grove homes averaged 142 dollars a month for a full year before panels and 38 dollars after.
    • Homes in Maple Grove now average 38 dollars a month in electric bills.
11. 9.

    Tala asks which detail in the ad best shows what its maker wants. Which detail is it?

    • It offers a free estimate and a discount that ends on a set date.
    • It appears in the Courier, so the newspaper recommends it to its readers.
    • It uses a bar chart to compare bills before and after the panels went on.
    • It prints the source of the figures in small type under the chart.
12. 10.

    Zee wants to know how far the ad's numbers can be trusted. Which detail matters most?

    • Electric rates in the county have risen about four percent in two years.
    • Several other installers in the county have bought ads in the same newspaper.
    • A neighbor said her bills dropped after she put panels on her roof, in a news story.
    • The small print says the figures come from a company survey of only twelve homes.