Write a clear claim or thesis
Grade 8 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence
Circle the best answer.
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Protected Bike Lanes for Harlow (source-based argument draft)
[1] Since Harlow built its first protected bike lanes on Alder Avenue in 2019, the council has debated adding more.
[2] The council should extend protected lanes to Ferry Street and Mill Road, because separating riders from cars reduces injuries. [3] The city traffic office reports that cyclist injuries on Alder Avenue fell from 31 in the three years before the lanes to 12 in the three years after. [4] Daily riders roughly doubled in that time, so the injury rate per rider fell even faster than the count. [5] Dr. Mei Okoro, a health researcher at Dunmore University, reviewed the numbers and called the drop "too large to be explained by chance alone." [6] She added a caution, however: the city also lowered the speed limit on Alder Avenue that year. [7] The lanes, in other words, cannot take all the credit.
[8] Riders seem pleased, since 164 of 220 surveyed cyclists said they now ride more often than before. [9] That finding shows the lanes are popular, but it measures habits and opinions rather than injuries.
[10] Some shop owners fear that losing parking will drive customers away. [11] Daniel Reyes, who runs a cafe on Alder Avenue, told the council that he lost "several regular drivers." [12] The city found, however, that sales tax receipts on the street rose six percent over the same three years. [13] One cafe's experience is a real concern, but it does not show a pattern across the street.
[14] Extending the lanes is therefore a reasonable step, provided the council also tracks injuries and shop sales.
Ari is looking for the writer's main claim, the one the rest of the draft supports or limits. Which sentence is it?
- [4] Daily riders roughly doubled in that time, so the injury rate per rider fell even faster than the count.
- [3] The city traffic office reports that cyclist injuries on Alder Avenue fell from 31 in the three years before the lanes to 12 in the three years after.
- [2] The council should extend protected lanes to Ferry Street and Mill Road, because separating riders from cars reduces injuries.
- [10] Some shop owners fear that losing parking will drive customers away.
Esme needs a sentence that states what the injury figures in [3] to [7] support, no more and no less. Which sentence does that?
- The Alder Avenue figures show that protected lanes cut injuries on any city street.
- Protected lanes are the reason cyclist injuries on Alder Avenue fell by almost two-thirds after they opened.
- Protected lanes probably reduced injuries on Alder Avenue, though the lower speed limit may have helped too.
- The injury numbers changed, but numbers cannot tell us anything about the lanes.
Jun is looking for the writer's own judgment about Reyes's complaint, not a report from a source. Which sentence is it?
- [12] The city found, however, that sales tax receipts on the street rose six percent over the same three years.
- [11] Daniel Reyes, who runs a cafe on Alder Avenue, told the council that he lost "several regular drivers."
- [13] One cafe's experience is a real concern, but it does not show a pattern across the street.
- [10] Some shop owners fear that losing parking will drive customers away.
Kira is marking the job of sentence [6]. What job does it do in the draft?
- It states the writer's main claim.
- It names another change that could explain part of the drop in injuries.
- It gives a second reason to extend the lanes to Ferry Street and Mill Road.
- It states what the shop owners believe.
Luz needs a sentence that states what the rider survey in [8] supports, no more and no less. Which sentence does that?
- The survey suggests many riders feel more comfortable on Alder Avenue, but it cannot show that injuries fell.
- The survey shows that the lanes made Alder Avenue safe for riders.
- Since riding increased after the lanes opened, the lanes must have made cycling safer for the people who ride there.
- Because most surveyed cyclists ride more, most Harlow residents want more lanes.
A Later Start at Calder High (source-based argument draft)
[1] When Calder High School moved its first bell from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. in 2021, staff expected complaints about practices, not a debate about sleep.
[2] Other districts should adopt a later start, because the Calder results suggest that students arrive more alert and miss fewer days. [3] The attendance office recorded that unexcused first-period absences fell from 41 per week to 23 per week in the first full year. [4] Over those months, first-period grades rose slightly, from an average of 82.4 to 83.1. [5] School nurse Alicia Ford noted that fewer students came to her office in the morning with headaches. [6] Her observation is useful, but it comes from one person's records and was never compared with another school.
[7] Dr. Samuel Whitcomb, a sleep researcher at Brandt Medical College, explained that teenagers' body clocks shift later. [8] Early alarms, he said, cut into the sleep that teenagers need. [9] His explanation describes teenagers in general; it does not show that Calder students slept longer after the change.
[10] Critics, including coach Linda Barros, argue that a later bell pushes practices into the evening. [11] The athletic office confirmed that practices now begin after 5:15 p.m. and that two evening meets were moved. [12] Still, Calder's own survey found that 58 percent of students reported eight hours of sleep after the change, compared with 31 percent before. [13] Those costs are real but manageable, and they seem smaller than the benefits students reported.
[14] A later start is therefore worth trying elsewhere, if schools plan carefully for sports and buses.
Milo is looking for the writer's main claim, the one the rest of the draft supports or limits. Which sentence is it?
- [3] The attendance office recorded that unexcused first-period absences fell from 41 per week to 23 per week in the first full year.
- [10] Critics, including coach Linda Barros, argue that a later bell pushes practices into the evening.
- [8] Early alarms, he said, cut into the sleep that teenagers need.
- [2] Other districts should adopt a later start, because the Calder results suggest that students arrive more alert and miss fewer days.
Noah is marking the job of sentence [6]. What job does it do in the draft?
- It gives more evidence that students arrive alert.
- It limits how much the nurse's observation can show.
- It answers coach Barros in [10].
- It states what the critics believe.
Pia needs a sentence that states what the attendance and grade figures in [3] and [4] support, no more and no less. Which sentence does that?
- The later bell produced a large improvement in attendance and grades at Calder.
- Since grades rose after the change, the change must be the reason that Calder students now learn better than students at other schools.
- The Calder numbers changed, but numbers cannot tell us anything about school start times.
- Calder's later bell was followed by fewer first-period absences and slightly higher grades, which suggests a benefit.
Ren is looking for the writer's own judgment about the critics' concern, not a report from a source. Which sentence is it?
- [13] Those costs are real but manageable, and they seem smaller than the benefits students reported.
- [11] The athletic office confirmed that practices now begin after 5:15 p.m. and that two evening meets were moved.
- [12] Still, Calder's own survey found that 58 percent of students reported eight hours of sleep after the change, compared with 31 percent before.
- [10] Critics, including coach Linda Barros, argue that a later bell pushes practices into the evening.
Tala is marking the job of sentence [9]. What job does it do in the draft?
- It reports a measurement taken at Calder during the first full year.
- It separates a general finding from evidence about Calder.
- It gives a third reason for a later start.
- It states the writer's main claim.