Three ways a writer persuades, and whether each is earned
Grade 8 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Refill Stations for Cedar Hollow (persuasive speech)
[1] Members of the school board, I am here to ask you to install two water bottle refill stations at Cedar Hollow Middle School. [2] I have been the school nurse at Cedar Hollow for fourteen years, so I know this building and its students well. [3] Last month I counted the plastic bottles in the lunchroom bins, and the total was 212 bottles in five school days. [4] Right now the only working fountain is at the far end of the gym hallway, and it needs about a minute to fill one bottle.
[5] Picture a student in the last hour of the day, bottle empty, with a long hallway between that student and a cold drink. [6] Our neighbor Ms. Doyle, who has taught the violin for thirty years, says refill stations are a wise choice for any school. [7] The supplier's written quote is $1,100 for each station, and the parent group has offered to pay the full cost.
[8] I have no link to the supplier, and I will not earn one cent from this plan. [9] Imagine the pride our students would feel in a school that takes care of them. [10] I hope the board will approve both stations at tonight's meeting. [11] Thank you for your time.
Ari reads a school nurse's speech to the board. Which sentence uses logic (logos), a fact someone could check?
- [10] I hope the board will approve both stations at tonight's meeting.
- [5] Picture a student in the last hour of the day, bottle empty, with a long hallway between that student and a cold drink.
- [2] I have been the school nurse at Cedar Hollow for fourteen years, so I know this building and its students well.
- [3] Last month I counted the plastic bottles in the lunchroom bins, and the total was 212 bottles in five school days.
Bo studies sentence [8]. Which appeal does it use?
- Ethos: it shows the speaker has nothing to gain from the plan
- Logos: it states a fact about the supplier that a listener could check
- Pathos: it makes listeners feel sorry for the speaker's hard work
- No appeal: it just fills a space before the closing request
Refill Stations for Cedar Hollow (persuasive speech)
[1] Members of the school board, I am here to ask you to install two water bottle refill stations at Cedar Hollow Middle School. [2] I have been the school nurse at Cedar Hollow for fourteen years, so I know this building and its students well. [3] Last month I counted the plastic bottles in the lunchroom bins, and the total was 212 bottles in five school days. [4] Right now the only working fountain is at the far end of the gym hallway, and it needs about a minute to fill one bottle.
[5] Picture a student in the last hour of the day, bottle empty, with a long hallway between that student and a cold drink. [6] Our neighbor Ms. Doyle, who has taught the violin for thirty years, says refill stations are a wise choice for any school. [7] The supplier's written quote is $1,100 for each station, and the parent group has offered to pay the full cost.
[8] I have no link to the supplier, and I will not earn one cent from this plan. [9] Imagine the pride our students would feel in a school that takes care of them. [10] I hope the board will approve both stations at tonight's meeting. [11] Thank you for your time. Misuse key. Outside expert: real training, but in a different field from the claim. Number nobody can check: no source, count or way to look it up. Number about the wrong thing: a real count that does not measure what the claim needs. Feeling in place of evidence: a feeling is offered where a fact is needed.
Esme uses the misuse key on the speech. Which sentence misuses its appeal?
- [5] Picture a student in the last hour of the day, bottle empty, with a long hallway between that student and a cold drink.
- [3] Last month I counted the plastic bottles in the lunchroom bins, and the total was 212 bottles in five school days.
- [6] Our neighbor Ms. Doyle, who has taught the violin for thirty years, says refill stations are a wise choice for any school.
- [2] I have been the school nurse at Cedar Hollow for fourteen years, so I know this building and its students well.
A Chess Club for Maple Street (persuasive speech)
[1] Thank you for letting me speak tonight about starting a chess club at the Maple Street Community Center. [2] For nine years I ran a chess club at the Riverside Center, where I taught more than two hundred players how to open a game and finish it. [3] The center's gym sits empty on Thursday afternoons, so the club would not need to borrow or build a new room. [4] A set of boards and pieces costs about $14, and the center's activity fund still has $200 left this year, enough for twelve sets.
[5] Last week the front desk kept a list of young people who asked about chess, and by Friday the list had reached thirty-one names. [6] Studies show that nine out of ten students who join a chess club earn better grades. [7] Think of a quiet corner of the room where two players lean over a board, each one lost in thought and in no hurry to move.
[8] I have never been paid to teach chess, and I would not ask for pay at this center either. [9] Imagine the enormous grin on a beginner's face the first time a long game ends in a win. [10] I hope you will approve the club for the spring season. [11] Thank you again for your time.
Jun reads a chess coach's speech. Which sentence uses emotion (pathos), a picture that stirs a feeling?
- [10] I hope you will approve the club for the spring season.
- [5] Last week the front desk kept a list of young people who asked about chess, and by Friday the list had reached thirty-one names.
- [2] For nine years I ran a chess club at the Riverside Center, where I taught more than two hundred players how to open a game and finish it.
- [9] Imagine the enormous grin on a beginner's face the first time a long game ends in a win.
Kira studies sentence [2]. Which appeal does it use?
- Ethos: it points to nine years of running a club like this one
- No appeal: it just says where the speaker used to work
- Pathos: it makes listeners feel the joy of a first win at chess
- Logos: it gives a number, two hundred players, that listeners can check
A Chess Club for Maple Street (persuasive speech)
[1] Thank you for letting me speak tonight about starting a chess club at the Maple Street Community Center. [2] For nine years I ran a chess club at the Riverside Center, where I taught more than two hundred players how to open a game and finish it. [3] The center's gym sits empty on Thursday afternoons, so the club would not need to borrow or build a new room. [4] A set of boards and pieces costs about $14, and the center's activity fund still has $200 left this year, enough for twelve sets.
[5] Last week the front desk kept a list of young people who asked about chess, and by Friday the list had reached thirty-one names. [6] Studies show that nine out of ten students who join a chess club earn better grades. [7] Think of a quiet corner of the room where two players lean over a board, each one lost in thought and in no hurry to move.
[8] I have never been paid to teach chess, and I would not ask for pay at this center either. [9] Imagine the enormous grin on a beginner's face the first time a long game ends in a win. [10] I hope you will approve the club for the spring season. [11] Thank you again for your time. Misuse key. Outside expert: real training, but in a different field from the claim. Number nobody can check: no source, count or way to look it up. Number about the wrong thing: a real count that does not measure what the claim needs. Feeling in place of evidence: a feeling is offered where a fact is needed.
Luz uses the misuse key on the speech. Which sentence misuses its appeal?
- [2] For nine years I ran a chess club at the Riverside Center, where I taught more than two hundred players how to open a game and finish it.
- [5] Last week the front desk kept a list of young people who asked about chess, and by Friday the list had reached thirty-one names.
- [6] Studies show that nine out of ten students who join a chess club earn better grades.
- [7] Think of a quiet corner of the room where two players lean over a board, each one lost in thought and in no hurry to move.
Free Wednesday Mornings at the Museum (persuasive speech)
[1] Good evening, and thank you for the chance to ask for free school mornings at the Fairmount Town Museum. [2] I have volunteered as a museum guide for eleven years, and I have led school groups since my first week. [3] The museum's price list shows that a school group now pays $6 for each student. [4] Of the forty-two teachers I phoned last spring, only nine had booked a visit, and most of them named the price.
[5] Last year 52,000 people visited the museum, so it is clear that families love this place. [6] Picture a class of twelve-year-olds crowding around the old ship model, hands in the air, full of questions. [7] The museum's budget report shows that Wednesday mornings are its quietest hours, with fewer than twenty visitors.
[8] My plan would fill those quiet hours with school groups. [9] A child who stands before the town's first fire bell, mouth open in wonder, may remember it for life. [10] I am a volunteer, so I gain nothing if the board says yes except a busier Wednesday. [11] I ask the board to make Wednesday mornings free for school groups starting in September.
Milo reads a museum guide's speech. Which sentence builds trust (ethos) in the speaker?
- [3] The museum's price list shows that a school group now pays $6 for each student.
- [8] My plan would fill those quiet hours with school groups.
- [6] Picture a class of twelve-year-olds crowding around the old ship model, hands in the air, full of questions.
- [2] I have volunteered as a museum guide for eleven years, and I have led school groups since my first week.
Noah studies sentence [3]. Which appeal does it use?
- Ethos: it shows the speaker knows the museum's records well
- Logos: it states a price that anyone can look up on the price list
- No appeal: it just introduces the idea of a price
- Pathos: it makes listeners feel how costly a visit is for families
Lights for the Soccer Path (persuasive speech)
[1] Neighbors, I am here to ask the town to put six lights along the path between Lincoln Park and the soccer fields where our teams practice. [2] I have coached youth soccer at those fields for eleven seasons, and I know that path very well. [3] The path is 600 feet long, and right now it has no lighting of any kind. [4] On the October evenings when I kept notes, practice ended at 6:15 and the sun had already set by 5:40.
[5] The town's public-works office quoted $5,400 for all six lights, and the booster club has promised to raise half of that amount. [6] Imagine a player leaving the field after dark with a bag on one shoulder, and a path that glows like a ribbon from the field to the street. [7] Once those lights come on, our town will feel like one big family, and that is reason enough to build them.
[8] I will gain nothing from the lights except an easier and more comfortable walk home for the players on my team. [9] A glowing path would make our fields feel welcoming and friendly to every family who comes to watch a game. [10] I ask the town council to vote for the lights at its next meeting. [11] Thank you for listening to me tonight.
Ren reads a coach's speech about path lights. Which sentence uses logic (logos), a fact someone could check?
- [3] The path is 600 feet long, and right now it has no lighting of any kind.
- [11] Thank you for listening to me tonight.
- [2] I have coached youth soccer at those fields for eleven seasons, and I know that path very well.
- [6] Imagine a player leaving the field after dark with a bag on one shoulder, and a path that glows like a ribbon from the field to the street.
Tala studies sentence [9]. Which appeal does it use?
- Logos: it predicts a fact about what the lights will do for the fields
- Ethos: it shows the speaker knows what families want at a game
- Pathos: it makes listeners feel the welcome of a glowing path
- No appeal: it just describes how the path looks