Worksheet

Three ways a writer persuades, and whether each is earned

Grade 8 Reading Worksheet

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    A Mural for the Dock Street Underpass (persuasive speech)

    [1] Members of the town arts committee, I am asking you to let our students paint a mural on the gray wall of the Dock Street underpass. [2] I have taught art at Birchwood Middle School for sixteen years, and I have led four public murals in that time. [3] The wall is ninety feet long, and the public-works office confirmed in writing that the town owns it. [4] The paint and supplies would cost $2,300, and the art club has already raised $900 of that amount.

    [5] Plain walls like this one attract graffiti, but studies show that a mural cuts new graffiti by eighty percent. [6] Picture a bike rider rolling out of the dim tunnel into a burst of color, with a whale painted across the whole wall. [7] The art club painted the doors of the bike shed last spring, and those doors have stayed clean for a full year. [8] Mr. Okoro, who has been a plumber in this town for twenty years, says our design is the finest he has ever seen.

    [9] Our own students will design the mural, and they will feel proud each time they walk past it. [10] No one in the club is paid, and the club earns nothing from the project. [11] I ask the committee to approve the wall at its next meeting.

  2. Zee studies sentence [7]. Which appeals does it use?

    • Reason (logos) and feeling (pathos): a fact about the doors, and a picture of proud painters
    • Trust (ethos) and reason (logos): the club's record, and a fact about the doors
    • Trust (ethos) and feeling (pathos): the club's record, and a picture of the painted doors
    • Reason (logos) alone: a fact about the doors that a listener could check

  3. A Mural for the Dock Street Underpass (persuasive speech)

    [1] Members of the town arts committee, I am asking you to let our students paint a mural on the gray wall of the Dock Street underpass. [2] I have taught art at Birchwood Middle School for sixteen years, and I have led four public murals in that time. [3] The wall is ninety feet long, and the public-works office confirmed in writing that the town owns it. [4] The paint and supplies would cost $2,300, and the art club has already raised $900 of that amount.

    [5] Plain walls like this one attract graffiti, but studies show that a mural cuts new graffiti by eighty percent. [6] Picture a bike rider rolling out of the dim tunnel into a burst of color, with a whale painted across the whole wall. [7] The art club painted the doors of the bike shed last spring, and those doors have stayed clean for a full year. [8] Mr. Okoro, who has been a plumber in this town for twenty years, says our design is the finest he has ever seen.

    [9] Our own students will design the mural, and they will feel proud each time they walk past it. [10] No one in the club is paid, and the club earns nothing from the project. [11] I ask the committee to approve the wall at its next meeting. Labels. Earned: the appeal fits the claim and holds up. Misused: it fits badly (an expert from another field, a number nobody can check, a count about the wrong thing) or a feeling stands where a fact is needed.

  4. Ren fills in four rows of the matrix, using the labels. Which sort is right?

    • [2] ethos, earned; [3] logos, earned; [5] logos, earned; [6] pathos, earned
    • [2] ethos, earned; [3] logos, earned; [5] logos, misused; [6] pathos, earned
    • [2] logos, earned; [3] logos, earned; [5] logos, misused; [6] pathos, earned
    • [2] ethos, earned; [3] logos, misused; [5] logos, misused; [6] pathos, earned

  5. A Repair Cafe at the Harbor Center (persuasive speech)

    [1] Thank you for hearing my proposal to hold a monthly repair cafe at the Harbor Community Center. [2] I have worked as an electrician for twenty-six years, and I have repaired more lamps, radios and toasters than I can count. [3] At a repair cafe, volunteers help neighbors fix broken household items for free instead of throwing them away. [4] In two weeks, the box I left at the front desk collected forty-three broken lamps, radios and toasters, each one waiting for a second chance.

    [5] The center's membership list shows 1,800 members, which shows how many neighbors want a repair cafe. [6] Ms. Whitfield, a pastry chef who owns the bakery on Elm Street, says a repair cafe is the smartest use of a community room. [7] Imagine an old radio humming again on a neighbor's kitchen shelf, fixed by a volunteer who simply wanted to help.

    [8] The cafe needs six tables, a power strip for each one and a few volunteers, and the center already owns the tables. [9] I have asked for no pay, and I will bring my own tools to every cafe. [10] A neighbor walking out with a working lamp instead of a trash bag is a small joy our whole town should share. [11] I ask the board to approve the first cafe for the second Saturday in March.

  6. Pia studies sentence [4]. Which appeals does it use?

    • Trust (ethos) and feeling (pathos): the speaker's own box, and items waiting for a second chance
    • Trust (ethos) and reason (logos): the speaker's own box, and the count of forty-three items
    • Reason (logos) and feeling (pathos): the count of forty-three items, and items waiting for a second chance
    • Reason (logos) alone: the count of forty-three items collected in two weeks

  7. Noah judges sentence [5]. Which comment about its appeal is fair?

    • Misused: the number counts members, not neighbors who want a repair cafe
    • Misused: no one can look up where the number of members came from
    • Earned: the membership list is a named source, so the count holds up
    • Misused: an electrician cannot judge what the neighbors want

  8. A Repair Cafe at the Harbor Center (persuasive speech)

    [1] Thank you for hearing my proposal to hold a monthly repair cafe at the Harbor Community Center. [2] I have worked as an electrician for twenty-six years, and I have repaired more lamps, radios and toasters than I can count. [3] At a repair cafe, volunteers help neighbors fix broken household items for free instead of throwing them away. [4] In two weeks, the box I left at the front desk collected forty-three broken lamps, radios and toasters, each one waiting for a second chance.

    [5] The center's membership list shows 1,800 members, which shows how many neighbors want a repair cafe. [6] Ms. Whitfield, a pastry chef who owns the bakery on Elm Street, says a repair cafe is the smartest use of a community room. [7] Imagine an old radio humming again on a neighbor's kitchen shelf, fixed by a volunteer who simply wanted to help.

    [8] The cafe needs six tables, a power strip for each one and a few volunteers, and the center already owns the tables. [9] I have asked for no pay, and I will bring my own tools to every cafe. [10] A neighbor walking out with a working lamp instead of a trash bag is a small joy our whole town should share. [11] I ask the board to approve the first cafe for the second Saturday in March. Labels. Earned: the appeal fits the claim and holds up. Misused: it fits badly (an expert from another field, a number nobody can check, a count about the wrong thing) or a feeling stands where a fact is needed.

  9. Milo fills in four rows of the matrix, using the labels. Which sort is right?

    • [2] ethos, earned; [6] ethos, earned; [7] pathos, earned; [8] logos, earned
    • [2] ethos, earned; [6] ethos, misused; [7] pathos, earned; [8] logos, misused
    • [2] logos, earned; [6] ethos, misused; [7] pathos, earned; [8] logos, earned
    • [2] ethos, earned; [6] ethos, misused; [7] pathos, earned; [8] logos, earned

  10. River Cleanup Day (persuasive speech)

    [1] Neighbors, I am inviting every family at Westbrook Middle School to join our River Cleanup Day on the first Saturday of May. [2] I founded the Eastgate River Watch, and our group has cleaned the same two-mile stretch every spring for nine years. [3] Last year forty-one volunteers filled sixty-two bags of litter in three hours, according to our group's log. [4] Scientists say the litter in this river has doubled in the past five years.

    [5] I walk that riverbank every Sunday, and I still stop each time I see a heron standing in the shallows. [6] The county park office gave us a permit and will lend gloves and bags to every volunteer. [7] Mr. Kline, a dentist whose office stands near the bridge, says that cleanup days do wonders for a river's health.

    [8] Imagine your family on the bridge at noon, bags full, looking down at a river that sparkles in the sun. [9] Cleanup runs from 9:00 a.m. to noon at the Eastgate bridge, and the town will haul away every bag for free. [10] Please bring a water bottle, a hat and a friend. [11] Thank you for caring about our river.

  11. Luz studies sentence [5]. Which appeals does it use?

    • Trust (ethos) and feeling (pathos): the weekly walks, and the pause for a heron
    • Reason (logos) and feeling (pathos): a fact about the shallows, and the pause for a heron
    • Feeling (pathos) alone: the pause for a heron in the shallows
    • Trust (ethos) and reason (logos): the weekly walks, and a fact about the shallows

  12. Kira judges sentence [4]. Which comment about its appeal is fair?

    • Earned: it gives a number that shows litter is a growing problem
    • Misused: it asks listeners to worry instead of giving a fact
    • Misused: no study or scientist is named, so no one can check the doubling
    • Misused: the number counts litter, which the cleanup claim does not need

  13. A Friday Radio Hour (persuasive speech)

    [1] Principal Hart, I am asking you to give us one hour each Friday for a student-run radio show on the school speakers. [2] In my twelve years advising the school newspaper, I have edited 410 student stories, so I know how much practice it takes to write clearly. [3] Our newspaper comes out four times a year, so most of its news is old before students read it. [4] The school office lists 640 students, which shows how much good a radio hour would do.

    [5] Last month I asked the twenty students in my club to try a three-minute show, and eighteen of them asked to do another. [6] When a classmate's voice carries down the hall, the whole school will smile, and that smile is all the proof we need. [7] Imagine a sixth grader's voice, steady and proud, reading the morning weather for the whole school.

    [8] The district technology office confirmed that the speaker system can carry a live show with one small cable. [9] The cable and a microphone would cost $85, and the library has already set that amount aside. [10] I have supervised student clubs for twelve years without extra pay, and I would supervise the radio hour the same way. [11] I hope you will approve the Friday radio hour starting in October.

  14. Esme studies sentence [2]. Which appeals does it use?

    • Trust (ethos) alone: the twelve years of advising the school newspaper
    • Trust (ethos) and feeling (pathos): the years as an adviser, and the joy of clear writing
    • Trust (ethos) and reason (logos): the years as an adviser, and the count of 410 stories
    • Reason (logos) and feeling (pathos): the count of 410 stories, and the joy of clear writing

  15. Bo judges sentence [8]. Which comment about its appeal is fair?

    • Misused: the cable counts a cost, not whether students would benefit
    • Earned: it names the district technology office, and the fact fits the plan
    • Misused: a journalism teacher cannot judge how a speaker system works
    • Misused: no one can check who says the speaker system can carry a show

  16. A Friday Radio Hour (persuasive speech)

    [1] Principal Hart, I am asking you to give us one hour each Friday for a student-run radio show on the school speakers. [2] In my twelve years advising the school newspaper, I have edited 410 student stories, so I know how much practice it takes to write clearly. [3] Our newspaper comes out four times a year, so most of its news is old before students read it. [4] The school office lists 640 students, which shows how much good a radio hour would do.

    [5] Last month I asked the twenty students in my club to try a three-minute show, and eighteen of them asked to do another. [6] When a classmate's voice carries down the hall, the whole school will smile, and that smile is all the proof we need. [7] Imagine a sixth grader's voice, steady and proud, reading the morning weather for the whole school.

    [8] The district technology office confirmed that the speaker system can carry a live show with one small cable. [9] The cable and a microphone would cost $85, and the library has already set that amount aside. [10] I have supervised student clubs for twelve years without extra pay, and I would supervise the radio hour the same way. [11] I hope you will approve the Friday radio hour starting in October. Labels. Earned: the appeal fits the claim and holds up. Misused: it fits badly (an expert from another field, a number nobody can check, a count about the wrong thing) or a feeling stands where a fact is needed.

  17. Ari fills in four rows of the matrix, using the labels. Which sort is right?

    • [3] logos, earned; [4] ethos, misused; [6] pathos, misused; [7] pathos, earned
    • [3] logos, earned; [4] logos, misused; [6] pathos, misused; [7] pathos, earned
    • [3] logos, misused; [4] logos, misused; [6] pathos, misused; [7] pathos, earned
    • [3] logos, earned; [4] logos, misused; [6] pathos, earned; [7] pathos, earned
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Three ways a writer persuades, and whether each is earned

Answer Key - Grade 8 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    A Mural for the Dock Street Underpass (persuasive speech)

    [1] Members of the town arts committee, I am asking you to let our students paint a mural on the gray wall of the Dock Street underpass. [2] I have taught art at Birchwood Middle School for sixteen years, and I have led four public murals in that time. [3] The wall is ninety feet long, and the public-works office confirmed in writing that the town owns it. [4] The paint and supplies would cost $2,300, and the art club has already raised $900 of that amount.

    [5] Plain walls like this one attract graffiti, but studies show that a mural cuts new graffiti by eighty percent. [6] Picture a bike rider rolling out of the dim tunnel into a burst of color, with a whale painted across the whole wall. [7] The art club painted the doors of the bike shed last spring, and those doors have stayed clean for a full year. [8] Mr. Okoro, who has been a plumber in this town for twenty years, says our design is the finest he has ever seen.

    [9] Our own students will design the mural, and they will feel proud each time they walk past it. [10] No one in the club is paid, and the club earns nothing from the project. [11] I ask the committee to approve the wall at its next meeting.

  2. Zee studies sentence [7]. Which appeals does it use?

    • Reason (logos) and feeling (pathos): a fact about the doors, and a picture of proud painters
    • Trust (ethos) and reason (logos): the club's record, and a fact about the doors
    • Trust (ethos) and feeling (pathos): the club's record, and a picture of the painted doors
    • Reason (logos) alone: a fact about the doors that a listener could check

  3. A Mural for the Dock Street Underpass (persuasive speech)

    [1] Members of the town arts committee, I am asking you to let our students paint a mural on the gray wall of the Dock Street underpass. [2] I have taught art at Birchwood Middle School for sixteen years, and I have led four public murals in that time. [3] The wall is ninety feet long, and the public-works office confirmed in writing that the town owns it. [4] The paint and supplies would cost $2,300, and the art club has already raised $900 of that amount.

    [5] Plain walls like this one attract graffiti, but studies show that a mural cuts new graffiti by eighty percent. [6] Picture a bike rider rolling out of the dim tunnel into a burst of color, with a whale painted across the whole wall. [7] The art club painted the doors of the bike shed last spring, and those doors have stayed clean for a full year. [8] Mr. Okoro, who has been a plumber in this town for twenty years, says our design is the finest he has ever seen.

    [9] Our own students will design the mural, and they will feel proud each time they walk past it. [10] No one in the club is paid, and the club earns nothing from the project. [11] I ask the committee to approve the wall at its next meeting. Labels. Earned: the appeal fits the claim and holds up. Misused: it fits badly (an expert from another field, a number nobody can check, a count about the wrong thing) or a feeling stands where a fact is needed.

  4. Ren fills in four rows of the matrix, using the labels. Which sort is right?

    • [2] ethos, earned; [3] logos, earned; [5] logos, earned; [6] pathos, earned
    • [2] ethos, earned; [3] logos, earned; [5] logos, misused; [6] pathos, earned
    • [2] logos, earned; [3] logos, earned; [5] logos, misused; [6] pathos, earned
    • [2] ethos, earned; [3] logos, misused; [5] logos, misused; [6] pathos, earned

  5. A Repair Cafe at the Harbor Center (persuasive speech)

    [1] Thank you for hearing my proposal to hold a monthly repair cafe at the Harbor Community Center. [2] I have worked as an electrician for twenty-six years, and I have repaired more lamps, radios and toasters than I can count. [3] At a repair cafe, volunteers help neighbors fix broken household items for free instead of throwing them away. [4] In two weeks, the box I left at the front desk collected forty-three broken lamps, radios and toasters, each one waiting for a second chance.

    [5] The center's membership list shows 1,800 members, which shows how many neighbors want a repair cafe. [6] Ms. Whitfield, a pastry chef who owns the bakery on Elm Street, says a repair cafe is the smartest use of a community room. [7] Imagine an old radio humming again on a neighbor's kitchen shelf, fixed by a volunteer who simply wanted to help.

    [8] The cafe needs six tables, a power strip for each one and a few volunteers, and the center already owns the tables. [9] I have asked for no pay, and I will bring my own tools to every cafe. [10] A neighbor walking out with a working lamp instead of a trash bag is a small joy our whole town should share. [11] I ask the board to approve the first cafe for the second Saturday in March.

  6. Pia studies sentence [4]. Which appeals does it use?

    • Trust (ethos) and feeling (pathos): the speaker's own box, and items waiting for a second chance
    • Trust (ethos) and reason (logos): the speaker's own box, and the count of forty-three items
    • Reason (logos) and feeling (pathos): the count of forty-three items, and items waiting for a second chance
    • Reason (logos) alone: the count of forty-three items collected in two weeks

  7. Noah judges sentence [5]. Which comment about its appeal is fair?

    • Misused: the number counts members, not neighbors who want a repair cafe
    • Misused: no one can look up where the number of members came from
    • Earned: the membership list is a named source, so the count holds up
    • Misused: an electrician cannot judge what the neighbors want

  8. A Repair Cafe at the Harbor Center (persuasive speech)

    [1] Thank you for hearing my proposal to hold a monthly repair cafe at the Harbor Community Center. [2] I have worked as an electrician for twenty-six years, and I have repaired more lamps, radios and toasters than I can count. [3] At a repair cafe, volunteers help neighbors fix broken household items for free instead of throwing them away. [4] In two weeks, the box I left at the front desk collected forty-three broken lamps, radios and toasters, each one waiting for a second chance.

    [5] The center's membership list shows 1,800 members, which shows how many neighbors want a repair cafe. [6] Ms. Whitfield, a pastry chef who owns the bakery on Elm Street, says a repair cafe is the smartest use of a community room. [7] Imagine an old radio humming again on a neighbor's kitchen shelf, fixed by a volunteer who simply wanted to help.

    [8] The cafe needs six tables, a power strip for each one and a few volunteers, and the center already owns the tables. [9] I have asked for no pay, and I will bring my own tools to every cafe. [10] A neighbor walking out with a working lamp instead of a trash bag is a small joy our whole town should share. [11] I ask the board to approve the first cafe for the second Saturday in March. Labels. Earned: the appeal fits the claim and holds up. Misused: it fits badly (an expert from another field, a number nobody can check, a count about the wrong thing) or a feeling stands where a fact is needed.

  9. Milo fills in four rows of the matrix, using the labels. Which sort is right?

    • [2] ethos, earned; [6] ethos, earned; [7] pathos, earned; [8] logos, earned
    • [2] ethos, earned; [6] ethos, misused; [7] pathos, earned; [8] logos, misused
    • [2] logos, earned; [6] ethos, misused; [7] pathos, earned; [8] logos, earned
    • [2] ethos, earned; [6] ethos, misused; [7] pathos, earned; [8] logos, earned

  10. River Cleanup Day (persuasive speech)

    [1] Neighbors, I am inviting every family at Westbrook Middle School to join our River Cleanup Day on the first Saturday of May. [2] I founded the Eastgate River Watch, and our group has cleaned the same two-mile stretch every spring for nine years. [3] Last year forty-one volunteers filled sixty-two bags of litter in three hours, according to our group's log. [4] Scientists say the litter in this river has doubled in the past five years.

    [5] I walk that riverbank every Sunday, and I still stop each time I see a heron standing in the shallows. [6] The county park office gave us a permit and will lend gloves and bags to every volunteer. [7] Mr. Kline, a dentist whose office stands near the bridge, says that cleanup days do wonders for a river's health.

    [8] Imagine your family on the bridge at noon, bags full, looking down at a river that sparkles in the sun. [9] Cleanup runs from 9:00 a.m. to noon at the Eastgate bridge, and the town will haul away every bag for free. [10] Please bring a water bottle, a hat and a friend. [11] Thank you for caring about our river.

  11. Luz studies sentence [5]. Which appeals does it use?

    • Trust (ethos) and feeling (pathos): the weekly walks, and the pause for a heron
    • Reason (logos) and feeling (pathos): a fact about the shallows, and the pause for a heron
    • Feeling (pathos) alone: the pause for a heron in the shallows
    • Trust (ethos) and reason (logos): the weekly walks, and a fact about the shallows

  12. Kira judges sentence [4]. Which comment about its appeal is fair?

    • Earned: it gives a number that shows litter is a growing problem
    • Misused: it asks listeners to worry instead of giving a fact
    • Misused: no study or scientist is named, so no one can check the doubling
    • Misused: the number counts litter, which the cleanup claim does not need

  13. A Friday Radio Hour (persuasive speech)

    [1] Principal Hart, I am asking you to give us one hour each Friday for a student-run radio show on the school speakers. [2] In my twelve years advising the school newspaper, I have edited 410 student stories, so I know how much practice it takes to write clearly. [3] Our newspaper comes out four times a year, so most of its news is old before students read it. [4] The school office lists 640 students, which shows how much good a radio hour would do.

    [5] Last month I asked the twenty students in my club to try a three-minute show, and eighteen of them asked to do another. [6] When a classmate's voice carries down the hall, the whole school will smile, and that smile is all the proof we need. [7] Imagine a sixth grader's voice, steady and proud, reading the morning weather for the whole school.

    [8] The district technology office confirmed that the speaker system can carry a live show with one small cable. [9] The cable and a microphone would cost $85, and the library has already set that amount aside. [10] I have supervised student clubs for twelve years without extra pay, and I would supervise the radio hour the same way. [11] I hope you will approve the Friday radio hour starting in October.

  14. Esme studies sentence [2]. Which appeals does it use?

    • Trust (ethos) alone: the twelve years of advising the school newspaper
    • Trust (ethos) and feeling (pathos): the years as an adviser, and the joy of clear writing
    • Trust (ethos) and reason (logos): the years as an adviser, and the count of 410 stories
    • Reason (logos) and feeling (pathos): the count of 410 stories, and the joy of clear writing

  15. Bo judges sentence [8]. Which comment about its appeal is fair?

    • Misused: the cable counts a cost, not whether students would benefit
    • Earned: it names the district technology office, and the fact fits the plan
    • Misused: a journalism teacher cannot judge how a speaker system works
    • Misused: no one can check who says the speaker system can carry a show

  16. A Friday Radio Hour (persuasive speech)

    [1] Principal Hart, I am asking you to give us one hour each Friday for a student-run radio show on the school speakers. [2] In my twelve years advising the school newspaper, I have edited 410 student stories, so I know how much practice it takes to write clearly. [3] Our newspaper comes out four times a year, so most of its news is old before students read it. [4] The school office lists 640 students, which shows how much good a radio hour would do.

    [5] Last month I asked the twenty students in my club to try a three-minute show, and eighteen of them asked to do another. [6] When a classmate's voice carries down the hall, the whole school will smile, and that smile is all the proof we need. [7] Imagine a sixth grader's voice, steady and proud, reading the morning weather for the whole school.

    [8] The district technology office confirmed that the speaker system can carry a live show with one small cable. [9] The cable and a microphone would cost $85, and the library has already set that amount aside. [10] I have supervised student clubs for twelve years without extra pay, and I would supervise the radio hour the same way. [11] I hope you will approve the Friday radio hour starting in October. Labels. Earned: the appeal fits the claim and holds up. Misused: it fits badly (an expert from another field, a number nobody can check, a count about the wrong thing) or a feeling stands where a fact is needed.

  17. Ari fills in four rows of the matrix, using the labels. Which sort is right?

    • [3] logos, earned; [4] ethos, misused; [6] pathos, misused; [7] pathos, earned
    • [3] logos, earned; [4] logos, misused; [6] pathos, misused; [7] pathos, earned
    • [3] logos, misused; [4] logos, misused; [6] pathos, misused; [7] pathos, earned
    • [3] logos, earned; [4] logos, misused; [6] pathos, earned; [7] pathos, earned