When two texts disagree

Grade 8 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Two Reports on the Pine Street Library

   Text A, the Pinewood Press: [1] The Pine Street Library reopened in April after a nine-month renovation that closed the building to the public and sent borrowers to the bookmobile. [2] According to the town manager, the project cost $2.4 million, paid mostly by a state grant and a gift from local businesses. [3] The renovation doubled the number of public computers to twenty, which supporters called a welcome upgrade for residents who search for jobs online.

   [4] A new children's room, with a low shelf of picture books and space for a weekly story hour, opened beside the main desk. [5] The library now opens at nine each morning, an hour earlier than it did before the work began. [6] The Friends of the Library, a volunteer group, raised the money for the new reading chairs. [7] Staff expect the building to serve the town for the next fifty years.

   Text B, the Millbrook Daily: [8] After nine months of work, the Pine Street Library welcomed readers again in April with fresh paint, new shelves and a repaired roof. [9] The town's budget office reports that the renovation cost $2.8 million, which includes a state grant and private gifts. [10] The number of public computers also doubled to twenty, though several residents said that is still too few for a busy town on a weekday afternoon.

   [11] The new children's room offers a weekly story hour and a low shelf of picture books. [12] Beginning this month, the library will open at nine each morning, earlier than it did before the project. [13] Volunteers from the Friends of the Library paid for the new reading chairs. [14] Critics of the project wonder whether the money might have been better spent on smaller branch libraries. Labels. A fact conflict means the texts give different facts about the same thing. A difference of view means the texts give the same fact but judge it differently.

2. 1.

   Ari fills in the last column of the matrix for two rows: the cost of the renovation and the number of computers. Which sort is right?

   • The cost is a difference of view; the computers are a difference of view.
   • The cost is a fact conflict; the computers are a difference of view.
   • The cost is a difference of view; the computers are a fact conflict.
   • The cost is a fact conflict; the computers are a fact conflict.

3. Two Reports on the Pine Street Library

   Text A, the Pinewood Press: [1] The Pine Street Library reopened in April after a nine-month renovation that closed the building to the public and sent borrowers to the bookmobile. [2] According to the town manager, the project cost $2.4 million, paid mostly by a state grant and a gift from local businesses. [3] The renovation doubled the number of public computers to twenty, which supporters called a welcome upgrade for residents who search for jobs online.

   [4] A new children's room, with a low shelf of picture books and space for a weekly story hour, opened beside the main desk. [5] The library now opens at nine each morning, an hour earlier than it did before the work began. [6] The Friends of the Library, a volunteer group, raised the money for the new reading chairs. [7] Staff expect the building to serve the town for the next fifty years.

   Text B, the Millbrook Daily: [8] After nine months of work, the Pine Street Library welcomed readers again in April with fresh paint, new shelves and a repaired roof. [9] The town's budget office reports that the renovation cost $2.8 million, which includes a state grant and private gifts. [10] The number of public computers also doubled to twenty, though several residents said that is still too few for a busy town on a weekday afternoon.

   [11] The new children's room offers a weekly story hour and a low shelf of picture books. [12] Beginning this month, the library will open at nine each morning, earlier than it did before the project. [13] Volunteers from the Friends of the Library paid for the new reading chairs. [14] Critics of the project wonder whether the money might have been better spent on smaller branch libraries.

4. 2.

   Esme writes one fair sentence about the two texts. Which sentence is fair?

   • The texts disagree about the renovation's cost, which payment records could settle, and agree that the library reopened in April.
   • Text A is more believable because the town manager is named, so the renovation cost $2.4 million and the other figure is a mistake.
   • The texts agree about the cost because each says a state grant paid for part of the renovation, so the totals describe one project.
   • The renovation probably cost about $2.6 million, halfway between the two figures, since both reports describe the same single project.

5. Two Reports on the Point Hale Lighthouse

   Text A, the Point Hale Gazette: [1] The Point Hale Lighthouse, first lit in 1857, guided ships along the northern coast for more than a century before automated beacons replaced its keepers. [2] The white tower rises sixty feet above a rocky point north of town, and its lamp room has been closed to visitors since 2020 because the stairs are cracked. [3] Engineers estimate that restoring the weathered stone and the damaged lamp room would cost $900,000.

   [4] Supporters call that a modest sum for a landmark that draws thousands of summer visitors to the coast. [5] Guided tours still reach the outer gallery on summer weekends. [6] The town council is scheduled to vote on the repairs at its May meeting. [7] Preservation groups have offered to raise a third of the cost through donations.

   Text B, the Harbor Ledger: [8] Records in the county archive show that the Point Hale Lighthouse was first lit in 1875, not in the 1850s as local legend claims. [9] The sixty-foot tower has stood on its rocky point for generations of fishing families, though the lamp room has been closed to the public since 2020. [10] An engineering report puts the cost of restoring the weathered stone and the damaged lamp room at $900,000.

   [11] Opponents call that a heavy burden for a town of four thousand people that is already paying for a new municipal water system. [12] Visitors can still join guided tours of the outer gallery on summer weekends. [13] A council vote on the repairs is set for May. [14] Some residents have suggested a smaller project that would only reinforce the stairs.

6. 3.

   Kira wants to settle the disagreement over the year the lighthouse was first lit. Which record would settle it?

   • A speech by a council member who wants to save the tower for the town.
   • The county archive's copy of the 2020 order that closed the lamp room.
   • The first keeper's log or the lighthouse's original lighting record.
   • A later article that repeats the date given in Text A.
7. 4.

   Luz writes one fair sentence about the two texts. Which sentence is fair?

   • The texts do not conflict, because a lighthouse can be built in one year and first lit in another, so both years are correct.
   • Text B is more reliable because it cites county archive records, so the lighthouse was first lit in 1875 and Text A is wrong.
   • The texts disagree about the year the lighthouse was first lit, which an original lighting record could settle, and agree on the $900,000 estimate.
   • The texts disagree about the year, so neither can be trusted about the $900,000 estimate or the 2020 closing either.

8. Two Reports on the Riverside Bike Share

   Text A, the Riverside Review: [1] The Riverside Bike Share, the city's first public program of its kind, opened on May 1 with forty bikes at eight stations spread along the river path. [2] In its first month, riders took 3,100 trips, according to the counter that is built into the program's own software and records every completed rental. [3] A thirty-minute ride costs two dollars, and monthly passes are planned for the fall.

   [4] Riders unlock a bike with a card or a phone and may return it to any station. [5] Riders must bring their own helmets, a requirement that the city describes as a sensible safety measure for a program without staffed stations. [6] Most trips began near the train station, where commuters leave their cars for the day before riding to the downtown office district. [7] If the program stays popular, the city will add four stations next spring.

   Text B, the Eastside Echo: [8] When the Riverside Bike Share launched on May 1, forty bikes were waiting at eight stations along the river path, the first program of its kind in the city. [9] City counts show 4,300 trips during the first month, a figure that officials called encouraging for a program in its first season. [10] A thirty-minute ride costs two dollars, and monthly passes are planned for the fall.

   [11] Riders unlock bikes with a card or a phone and can leave them at any station. [12] Riders must bring their own helmets, which some residents say is a barrier for new riders who do not own one. [13] The busiest station is the one beside the train station, where commuters leave their cars before riding to the downtown office district. [14] The city plans to add four stations next spring if ridership holds steady through the summer. Labels. A fact conflict means the texts give different facts about the same thing. A difference of view means the texts give the same fact but judge it differently.

9. 5.

   Milo fills in the last column of the matrix for two rows: the number of trips in the first month and the helmet rule. Which sort is right?

   • The trips are a difference of view; the helmet rule is a difference of view.
   • The trips are a fact conflict; the helmet rule is a difference of view.
   • The trips are a difference of view; the helmet rule is a fact conflict.
   • The trips are a fact conflict; the helmet rule is a fact conflict.

10. Two Reports on the Riverside Bike Share

    Text A, the Riverside Review: [1] The Riverside Bike Share, the city's first public program of its kind, opened on May 1 with forty bikes at eight stations spread along the river path. [2] In its first month, riders took 3,100 trips, according to the counter that is built into the program's own software and records every completed rental. [3] A thirty-minute ride costs two dollars, and monthly passes are planned for the fall.

    [4] Riders unlock a bike with a card or a phone and may return it to any station. [5] Riders must bring their own helmets, a requirement that the city describes as a sensible safety measure for a program without staffed stations. [6] Most trips began near the train station, where commuters leave their cars for the day before riding to the downtown office district. [7] If the program stays popular, the city will add four stations next spring.

    Text B, the Eastside Echo: [8] When the Riverside Bike Share launched on May 1, forty bikes were waiting at eight stations along the river path, the first program of its kind in the city. [9] City counts show 4,300 trips during the first month, a figure that officials called encouraging for a program in its first season. [10] A thirty-minute ride costs two dollars, and monthly passes are planned for the fall.

    [11] Riders unlock bikes with a card or a phone and can leave them at any station. [12] Riders must bring their own helmets, which some residents say is a barrier for new riders who do not own one. [13] The busiest station is the one beside the train station, where commuters leave their cars before riding to the downtown office district. [14] The city plans to add four stations next spring if ridership holds steady through the summer.

11. 6.

    Noah wants to settle the disagreement over the number of trips. Which record would settle it?

    • A second story from the paper that printed the lower number.
    • A survey asking riders whether the bikes were fun to use.
    • The bike-share system's rental records for the first month.
    • The city's map showing where the eight stations stand.
12. 7.

    Pia writes one fair sentence about the two texts. Which sentence is fair?

    • The texts disagree about the trips, so the other numbers in either report cannot be trusted either, including the forty bikes.
    • The texts disagree about how many trips riders took, which the rental records could settle, and agree on the bikes, stations and fare.
    • Riders probably took about 3,700 trips in the first month, halfway between the two counts, since both describe one program.
    • Text B is more believable because city counts are official, so riders took 4,300 trips and the program's own counter missed some.

13. Two Reports on the September Rain

    Text A, the Oakdale Observer: [1] Heavy rain fell on Oakdale on Wednesday, September 18, and by mid-afternoon several low streets near the river were under water. [2] The weather station at the airport recorded 6.2 inches of rain in one day. [3] Water covered Elm Road for about three hours near the bridge, which blocked the usual route to the hospital.

    [4] City crews reached the road within forty minutes of the first call, which officials described as a quick response. [5] No homes were damaged, though several basements had to be pumped out after the water rose. [6] The mayor toured the flooded streets on Thursday morning and promised a report on drainage. [7] The road reopened at six that evening, after the water had drained away.

    Text B, the Valley Voice: [8] A day of heavy rain hit Oakdale on Wednesday, September 18, and filled the low streets with water. [9] The airport weather station measured 4.8 inches of rain for the day, according to the station's daily report. [10] Elm Road stayed under water for roughly three hours near the bridge, which cut off the usual route to the hospital.

    [11] Crews arrived about forty minutes after the first call, a delay that drivers waiting in the rain thought was far too slow. [12] No homes were damaged, although neighbors spent the evening pumping out their basements. [13] On Thursday the mayor visited the flooded neighborhoods and said the city would study its drainage. [14] Elm Road reopened at six o'clock, once the water had drained away. Labels. A fact conflict means the texts give different facts about the same thing. A difference of view means the texts give the same fact but judge it differently.

14. 8.

    Ren fills in the last column of the matrix for two rows: the inches of rain and how quickly crews arrived. Which sort is right?

    • The rain is a difference of view; the crews' arrival is a fact conflict.
    • The rain is a fact conflict; the crews' arrival is a difference of view.
    • The rain is a difference of view; the crews' arrival is a difference of view.
    • The rain is a fact conflict; the crews' arrival is a fact conflict.

15. Two Reports on the September Rain

    Text A, the Oakdale Observer: [1] Heavy rain fell on Oakdale on Wednesday, September 18, and by mid-afternoon several low streets near the river were under water. [2] The weather station at the airport recorded 6.2 inches of rain in one day. [3] Water covered Elm Road for about three hours near the bridge, which blocked the usual route to the hospital.

    [4] City crews reached the road within forty minutes of the first call, which officials described as a quick response. [5] No homes were damaged, though several basements had to be pumped out after the water rose. [6] The mayor toured the flooded streets on Thursday morning and promised a report on drainage. [7] The road reopened at six that evening, after the water had drained away.

    Text B, the Valley Voice: [8] A day of heavy rain hit Oakdale on Wednesday, September 18, and filled the low streets with water. [9] The airport weather station measured 4.8 inches of rain for the day, according to the station's daily report. [10] Elm Road stayed under water for roughly three hours near the bridge, which cut off the usual route to the hospital.

    [11] Crews arrived about forty minutes after the first call, a delay that drivers waiting in the rain thought was far too slow. [12] No homes were damaged, although neighbors spent the evening pumping out their basements. [13] On Thursday the mayor visited the flooded neighborhoods and said the city would study its drainage. [14] Elm Road reopened at six o'clock, once the water had drained away.

16. 9.

    Tala wants to settle the disagreement over the inches of rain. Which record would settle it?

    • The city's dispatch record of the time the first emergency call came in.
    • A statement from a driver who waited in the rain on Elm Road near the bridge.
    • A later story in the newspaper that first printed the larger rainfall number.
    • The airport weather station's own rainfall log for September 18.
17. 10.

    Zee writes one fair sentence about the two texts. Which sentence is fair?

    • The texts agree about the rain because both name the airport weather station, so the two amounts must describe one reading.
    • Text B is more believable because it names the station's daily report, so 4.8 inches fell and the other number is wrong.
    • The texts disagree about how much rain fell, which the station's log could settle, and agree that Elm Road reopened at six.
    • About 5.5 inches probably fell in the single day, halfway between the two measurements, since both name the same station.