Worksheet

Three ways a writer persuades, and whether each is earned

Grade 8 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    Use this

    Keep the 7:10 Ferry (persuasive speech): [1] Members of the County Transportation Board, I am here to ask you to keep the 7:10 morning ferry between Tern Island and the mainland. [2] I teach at the island school, and I have ridden that ferry to work every school day for fourteen years. [3] Between September and December, the harbor office logged an average of thirty-one riders on the 7:10 run, and seventeen of them were students. [4] The next ferry leaves at 9:30, so a student who misses the 7:10 would reach school after first period has ended.

    [5] Surveys show that ninety percent of island workers would quit their jobs if the early ferry were cut. [6] Picture a student on the dock in the gray light, watching the boat pull away. [7] The county's own budget lists the cost of the 7:10 run at $41,000 a year, and a fifty-cent fare increase would cover about half of that.

    [8] I have no stake in the ferry company, and I would gladly pay the higher fare myself. [9] A town where children can reach school on time is a town worth moving to. [10] I ask the board to keep the 7:10 run for at least one more year. [11] Thank you.

  2. Luz judges the whole speech. Which comment about its main appeal is fair?

    • Logic leads, in sentences [3], [4], [5] and [7]; it is earned because each number can be checked
    • Logic leads, in sentences [3], [4], [5] and [7]; it is earned except [7], which asks the board to pay more
    • Trust leads, in sentences [2], [8] and [10]; it is earned because the speaker rides the ferry and gains nothing
    • Logic leads, in sentences [3], [4], [5] and [7]; it is earned except [5], which names no survey

  3. Keep Telescope Nights (persuasive speech)

    [1] Members of the budget committee, I am here to ask you to keep the Thursday telescope nights at the Halden College observatory. [2] I taught earth science for thirty years, and since I retired I have led the observatory's volunteer team. [3] The nights cost the college $3,600 a year, mostly for a part-time operator and the electric bill. [4] Our sign-in sheets show 1,150 visitors in the past year, and 420 of them were children under sixteen.

    [5] Mr. Brandt, who owns the restaurant on Main Street, says the telescope nights are the finest program the college has ever run. [6] Imagine a child at the eyepiece for the first time, seeing the rings of Saturn, small and steady and real. [7] Our volunteer team includes two retired astronomers, and the college's safety office signs off on our work each spring.

    [8] I have never been paid for this work, and I would be at the observatory on Thursdays anyway. [9] A hush falls over the room when the dome opens and the first star slides into view. [10] The college's own report says visitors on telescope nights stay about two hours on campus, longer than at any other public event. [11] I ask the committee to renew the program for one more year. [12] Thank you for your time.

  4. Milo wants to add one sentence to the speech. The committee has never met the speaker and wants to know the program is in good hands. Which sentence fits best?

    • A tennis champion who visited last year says our team runs a better program than any observatory in the world.
    • A telescope night is the kind of evening a family remembers and talks about for months afterward, long after the visit.
    • In three years under my watch, our volunteers have trained twenty-two new operators, and no Thursday has been canceled for staff reasons.
    • At $3,600 a year, the nights cost the college about $3 for each of the 1,150 visitors who came, a low price for a long evening.

  5. Noah wants to repair sentence [5] without changing its appeal. Which rewrite makes the appeal to trust stronger?

    • Mr. Brandt, who has owned a restaurant on Main Street for twenty-five years, says the nights are the finest program the college has run.
    • Mr. Brandt, owner of the busiest restaurant on Main Street, says the nights are the finest program any college has ever run, anywhere.
    • Imagine how many families the nights bring to Main Street, filling the sidewalk outside Mr. Brandt's restaurant.
    • Dr. Okoye, who directs the astronomy department at the state university, toured the observatory and calls the program well run.

  6. Pia judges the whole speech. Which comment about its main appeal is fair?

    • Trust leads, in sentences [2], [5], [7] and [8]; it is earned because each speaker has fitting experience with the program
    • Trust leads, in sentences [2], [5], [7] and [8]; it is earned except [5], where the owner's field does not fit
    • Trust leads, in sentences [2], [5], [7] and [8]; it is earned except [8], where the speaker mentions pay
    • Logic leads, in sentences [3], [4] and [10]; it is earned because each number comes from a college record

  7. A Free Microchip Day (persuasive speech)

    [1] Neighbors, I am here to ask for your help with a free pet microchip day at the Oak Street pavilion on the second Saturday of June. [2] I have worked as a veterinary technician for eighteen years, and I have placed chips in more pets than I can count. [3] A microchip is about the size of a grain of rice, and placing one takes about a minute. [4] Last year our clinic scanned forty-eight lost pets that neighbors had brought in, and thirty-one carried a chip that led us to their owners.

    [5] Our county has 9,000 registered dogs and cats, which shows how much people love their pets. [6] Picture a child at the front door after three long days, hearing the words, "We found your dog." [7] Think of the joy on a doorstep when a lost cat is carried home in someone's arms.

    [8] I will not earn anything from this day, and my clinic is donating its time. [9] No pet should have to wait for a family that cannot find it. [10] Every pet deserves a way home, and every family deserves to hear that knock. [11] Please sign up on the sheet by the door tonight.

  8. Ren wants to add one sentence to the speech. The neighbors already agree that chips help, and the speaker wants them to feel why it matters tonight. Which sentence fits best?

    • Each chip costs $25 at our clinic, and the Oak Street Garden Club has agreed to pay for 120 of them on that day.
    • Spring evenings are the loveliest time of the year, and neighbors feel a little happier when they are outside together.
    • In eighteen years I have scanned more than six hundred chips, and I know how a clinic should read one.
    • Think of a dog waiting at the shelter gate, ears up at each footstep, hoping to hear a familiar voice.

  9. Tala wants to repair sentence [5] without changing its appeal. Which rewrite makes the appeal to reason stronger?

    • The county shelter's report for last year lists 410 lost pets brought in, and just 96 of them wore a chip.
    • Imagine the 9,000 registered dogs and cats in our county, each one deserving a way home.
    • The county license office reports 9,000 registered dogs and cats, which shows how much people love their pets.
    • Our county has an incredible 9,000 registered dogs and cats, which shows how deeply people love their pets.

  10. Zee judges the whole speech. Which comment about its main appeal is fair?

    • Feeling leads, in sentences [6], [7], [9] and [10]; it is earned, and the weak line is [4], a count of lost pets that the clinic scanned
    • Feeling leads, in sentences [6], [7], [9] and [10]; it is earned, and each number in the speech holds up
    • Logic leads, in sentences [3], [4] and [5]; it is earned because the clinic stands behind each number
    • Feeling leads, in sentences [6], [7], [9] and [10]; it is earned, and the weak line is [5], a count of pets, not chips

  11. Repair the Mill Creek Footbridge (persuasive speech)

    [1] Members of the town council, I am asking you to repair the old footbridge over Mill Creek before the school year begins. [2] I worked as a bridge inspector for twenty-two years, and last Tuesday I walked this footbridge with a tape measure and a notebook. [3] Four of the nineteen deck boards have cracked, and the left handrail moves about an inch when I lean on it. [4] The Stanton Lumber Company quoted $7,800 for new boards and a new rail, and the quote is on page three of my notes.

    [5] The footbridge is the shortest walk to Mill Creek Elementary, about a mile shorter than the road. [6] Imagine families crossing together on a bright morning, children counting the boards, the creek flashing below. [7] Anyone who loves this town knows in their heart that the bridge must be saved, and no number could say it better.

    [8] A letter from the county planning office says the footbridge can be repaired for far less than a new one would cost. [9] I will not earn a cent from this repair, and I will hand the council my full inspection notes. [10] A child should be able to cross a creek on the way to school and think about nothing but the day ahead. [11] I hope the council will vote to repair the bridge tonight.

  12. Ari wants to add one sentence to the speech. A council member doubts the repair is worth the money, and the speaker wants to answer that doubt. Which sentence fits best?

    • Imagine the creek flowing quietly below a bridge that has been mended with care and carries children to school.
    • I inspected bridges for twenty-two years, and I would not ask the council for a repair that I did not trust.
    • The county planning letter prices a new footbridge at nearly seven times this repair, so repairing it saves the town money.
    • Other towns spend far more on far smaller bridges, so this repair is a bargain by any measure you choose.

  13. Bo wants to repair sentence [7] without changing its appeal. Which rewrite makes the appeal to feeling stronger?

    • Anyone who loves this town knows in their heart, beyond any doubt, that the bridge must be saved at once, and no number could say it better.
    • The county's inspection form lists four of nineteen deck boards as cracked, which shows the bridge needs repair.
    • Anyone who loves this town and has lived here for years knows in their heart that the bridge must be saved, and no number could say it better.
    • Picture a child on the way to school stepping around one of those four cracked boards, and you will see why the repair should come first.

  14. Esme judges the whole speech. Which comment about its main appeal is fair?

    • Feeling leads, in sentences [6], [7] and [10]; it is earned because each picture fits the footbridge
    • Logic leads, in sentences [3], [4], [5] and [8]; it is earned, and each sentence of it holds up
    • Logic leads, in sentences [3], [4], [5] and [8]; it is earned except [4], which quotes a price from a lumber company
    • Logic leads, in sentences [3], [4], [5] and [8]; it is earned except [7], where a feeling stands in for evidence
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Three ways a writer persuades, and whether each is earned

Answer Key - Grade 8 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    Use this

    Keep the 7:10 Ferry (persuasive speech): [1] Members of the County Transportation Board, I am here to ask you to keep the 7:10 morning ferry between Tern Island and the mainland. [2] I teach at the island school, and I have ridden that ferry to work every school day for fourteen years. [3] Between September and December, the harbor office logged an average of thirty-one riders on the 7:10 run, and seventeen of them were students. [4] The next ferry leaves at 9:30, so a student who misses the 7:10 would reach school after first period has ended.

    [5] Surveys show that ninety percent of island workers would quit their jobs if the early ferry were cut. [6] Picture a student on the dock in the gray light, watching the boat pull away. [7] The county's own budget lists the cost of the 7:10 run at $41,000 a year, and a fifty-cent fare increase would cover about half of that.

    [8] I have no stake in the ferry company, and I would gladly pay the higher fare myself. [9] A town where children can reach school on time is a town worth moving to. [10] I ask the board to keep the 7:10 run for at least one more year. [11] Thank you.

  2. Luz judges the whole speech. Which comment about its main appeal is fair?

    • Logic leads, in sentences [3], [4], [5] and [7]; it is earned because each number can be checked
    • Logic leads, in sentences [3], [4], [5] and [7]; it is earned except [7], which asks the board to pay more
    • Trust leads, in sentences [2], [8] and [10]; it is earned because the speaker rides the ferry and gains nothing
    • Logic leads, in sentences [3], [4], [5] and [7]; it is earned except [5], which names no survey

  3. Keep Telescope Nights (persuasive speech)

    [1] Members of the budget committee, I am here to ask you to keep the Thursday telescope nights at the Halden College observatory. [2] I taught earth science for thirty years, and since I retired I have led the observatory's volunteer team. [3] The nights cost the college $3,600 a year, mostly for a part-time operator and the electric bill. [4] Our sign-in sheets show 1,150 visitors in the past year, and 420 of them were children under sixteen.

    [5] Mr. Brandt, who owns the restaurant on Main Street, says the telescope nights are the finest program the college has ever run. [6] Imagine a child at the eyepiece for the first time, seeing the rings of Saturn, small and steady and real. [7] Our volunteer team includes two retired astronomers, and the college's safety office signs off on our work each spring.

    [8] I have never been paid for this work, and I would be at the observatory on Thursdays anyway. [9] A hush falls over the room when the dome opens and the first star slides into view. [10] The college's own report says visitors on telescope nights stay about two hours on campus, longer than at any other public event. [11] I ask the committee to renew the program for one more year. [12] Thank you for your time.

  4. Milo wants to add one sentence to the speech. The committee has never met the speaker and wants to know the program is in good hands. Which sentence fits best?

    • A tennis champion who visited last year says our team runs a better program than any observatory in the world.
    • A telescope night is the kind of evening a family remembers and talks about for months afterward, long after the visit.
    • In three years under my watch, our volunteers have trained twenty-two new operators, and no Thursday has been canceled for staff reasons.
    • At $3,600 a year, the nights cost the college about $3 for each of the 1,150 visitors who came, a low price for a long evening.

  5. Noah wants to repair sentence [5] without changing its appeal. Which rewrite makes the appeal to trust stronger?

    • Mr. Brandt, who has owned a restaurant on Main Street for twenty-five years, says the nights are the finest program the college has run.
    • Mr. Brandt, owner of the busiest restaurant on Main Street, says the nights are the finest program any college has ever run, anywhere.
    • Imagine how many families the nights bring to Main Street, filling the sidewalk outside Mr. Brandt's restaurant.
    • Dr. Okoye, who directs the astronomy department at the state university, toured the observatory and calls the program well run.

  6. Pia judges the whole speech. Which comment about its main appeal is fair?

    • Trust leads, in sentences [2], [5], [7] and [8]; it is earned because each speaker has fitting experience with the program
    • Trust leads, in sentences [2], [5], [7] and [8]; it is earned except [5], where the owner's field does not fit
    • Trust leads, in sentences [2], [5], [7] and [8]; it is earned except [8], where the speaker mentions pay
    • Logic leads, in sentences [3], [4] and [10]; it is earned because each number comes from a college record

  7. A Free Microchip Day (persuasive speech)

    [1] Neighbors, I am here to ask for your help with a free pet microchip day at the Oak Street pavilion on the second Saturday of June. [2] I have worked as a veterinary technician for eighteen years, and I have placed chips in more pets than I can count. [3] A microchip is about the size of a grain of rice, and placing one takes about a minute. [4] Last year our clinic scanned forty-eight lost pets that neighbors had brought in, and thirty-one carried a chip that led us to their owners.

    [5] Our county has 9,000 registered dogs and cats, which shows how much people love their pets. [6] Picture a child at the front door after three long days, hearing the words, "We found your dog." [7] Think of the joy on a doorstep when a lost cat is carried home in someone's arms.

    [8] I will not earn anything from this day, and my clinic is donating its time. [9] No pet should have to wait for a family that cannot find it. [10] Every pet deserves a way home, and every family deserves to hear that knock. [11] Please sign up on the sheet by the door tonight.

  8. Ren wants to add one sentence to the speech. The neighbors already agree that chips help, and the speaker wants them to feel why it matters tonight. Which sentence fits best?

    • Each chip costs $25 at our clinic, and the Oak Street Garden Club has agreed to pay for 120 of them on that day.
    • Spring evenings are the loveliest time of the year, and neighbors feel a little happier when they are outside together.
    • In eighteen years I have scanned more than six hundred chips, and I know how a clinic should read one.
    • Think of a dog waiting at the shelter gate, ears up at each footstep, hoping to hear a familiar voice.

  9. Tala wants to repair sentence [5] without changing its appeal. Which rewrite makes the appeal to reason stronger?

    • The county shelter's report for last year lists 410 lost pets brought in, and just 96 of them wore a chip.
    • Imagine the 9,000 registered dogs and cats in our county, each one deserving a way home.
    • The county license office reports 9,000 registered dogs and cats, which shows how much people love their pets.
    • Our county has an incredible 9,000 registered dogs and cats, which shows how deeply people love their pets.

  10. Zee judges the whole speech. Which comment about its main appeal is fair?

    • Feeling leads, in sentences [6], [7], [9] and [10]; it is earned, and the weak line is [4], a count of lost pets that the clinic scanned
    • Feeling leads, in sentences [6], [7], [9] and [10]; it is earned, and each number in the speech holds up
    • Logic leads, in sentences [3], [4] and [5]; it is earned because the clinic stands behind each number
    • Feeling leads, in sentences [6], [7], [9] and [10]; it is earned, and the weak line is [5], a count of pets, not chips

  11. Repair the Mill Creek Footbridge (persuasive speech)

    [1] Members of the town council, I am asking you to repair the old footbridge over Mill Creek before the school year begins. [2] I worked as a bridge inspector for twenty-two years, and last Tuesday I walked this footbridge with a tape measure and a notebook. [3] Four of the nineteen deck boards have cracked, and the left handrail moves about an inch when I lean on it. [4] The Stanton Lumber Company quoted $7,800 for new boards and a new rail, and the quote is on page three of my notes.

    [5] The footbridge is the shortest walk to Mill Creek Elementary, about a mile shorter than the road. [6] Imagine families crossing together on a bright morning, children counting the boards, the creek flashing below. [7] Anyone who loves this town knows in their heart that the bridge must be saved, and no number could say it better.

    [8] A letter from the county planning office says the footbridge can be repaired for far less than a new one would cost. [9] I will not earn a cent from this repair, and I will hand the council my full inspection notes. [10] A child should be able to cross a creek on the way to school and think about nothing but the day ahead. [11] I hope the council will vote to repair the bridge tonight.

  12. Ari wants to add one sentence to the speech. A council member doubts the repair is worth the money, and the speaker wants to answer that doubt. Which sentence fits best?

    • Imagine the creek flowing quietly below a bridge that has been mended with care and carries children to school.
    • I inspected bridges for twenty-two years, and I would not ask the council for a repair that I did not trust.
    • The county planning letter prices a new footbridge at nearly seven times this repair, so repairing it saves the town money.
    • Other towns spend far more on far smaller bridges, so this repair is a bargain by any measure you choose.

  13. Bo wants to repair sentence [7] without changing its appeal. Which rewrite makes the appeal to feeling stronger?

    • Anyone who loves this town knows in their heart, beyond any doubt, that the bridge must be saved at once, and no number could say it better.
    • The county's inspection form lists four of nineteen deck boards as cracked, which shows the bridge needs repair.
    • Anyone who loves this town and has lived here for years knows in their heart that the bridge must be saved, and no number could say it better.
    • Picture a child on the way to school stepping around one of those four cracked boards, and you will see why the repair should come first.

  14. Esme judges the whole speech. Which comment about its main appeal is fair?

    • Feeling leads, in sentences [6], [7] and [10]; it is earned because each picture fits the footbridge
    • Logic leads, in sentences [3], [4], [5] and [8]; it is earned, and each sentence of it holds up
    • Logic leads, in sentences [3], [4], [5] and [8]; it is earned except [4], which quotes a price from a lumber company
    • Logic leads, in sentences [3], [4], [5] and [8]; it is earned except [7], where a feeling stands in for evidence