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 each year from 2020 to 2023.
   • Visits to the main branch rose fastest between 2020 and 2021.
   • 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.

   Bo wants to know who made the flyer and what it most wants readers to do. Which choice fits?

   • Library staff; it wants readers to know the true number of visits to the main branch.
   • Friends of Aldergate Library, a volunteer group; it wants a yes vote on Measure 4.
   • The town council; it wants readers to learn about Measure 4 before they vote on it.
   • Friends of Aldergate Library; it wants readers to give money to the group itself.
4. 3.

   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.
   • The names of the volunteers who paid for the printing and drew the chart.
   • 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.
5. 4.

   Kira asks which detail on the flyer best shows what its makers want. Which detail is it?

   • It tells readers to vote yes on Measure 4 on November 5.
   • It prints the yearly cost of Measure 4 to stress what residents will pay.
   • It says the library is busier than ever.
   • It reports visit counts that library staff supplied.
6. 5.

   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.
   • Officials expect fewer than half of the town's voters to take part.
   • Library staff supplied the counts, so they come from the records of the library.
   • Opponents mailed their own flyer the following week.

7. 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!

8. 6.

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

   • Electric rates in the county have risen about four percent in two years.
   • 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.
   • Any home in Maple Grove would pay 38 dollars a month in summer with panels.
9. 7.

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

   • Sunny Day Solar; it wants readers to ask the utility company to lower rates.
   • Sunny Day Solar; it wants readers to call for an estimate and sign up.
   • The Maple Grove Courier; it wants readers to learn about local energy costs.
   • Sunny Day Solar; it wants readers to know the true effect of panels on bills.
10. 8.

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

    • How many homes were in the company's survey.
    • Whether the Courier reviews the claims made in the ads that it prints each week.
    • Which brand of panels the company installs on roofs.
    • Whether the homes' bills also fell in the months outside summer.
11. 9.

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

    • 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.
    • 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.
12. 10.

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

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