8th grade Judge sources, quote and paraphrase fairly, and credit them worksheet

Judge sources, quote and paraphrase fairly, and credit them

Grade 8 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   “Solar Lamps in Library Park: A Winter Report” (city report)
   Author: Ravi Kessler, a city parks planner. Container: Parks Department Reports. Publisher: City of Marlow. Date: 3 February 2025. Found at: marlowparks.example/solar-lights.
   [1] Last October, the City of Marlow added eight solar lamps along the path through Library Park. [2] Before the lamps, the path had no lighting, and the library closed at eight o'clock in winter because the walk to the parking lot was too dark. [3] Each lamp cost $1,150, and the parks department paid the $9,200 total from its yearly repair budget.

   [4] Over the winter, staff counted the people who used the path after dark by placing a sensor at the gate. [5] The sensor counted 1,430 evening walkers in January, compared with 260 in January of the year before. [6] “More people stay for the evening programs now, because they can see the way to their cars,” said Gwen Ortega, a librarian who works the late shift.

   [7] The report also notes some weaknesses. [8] Cloudy weeks left two lamps dim, and the sensor cannot tell a person from a large dog. [9] Staff will test brighter batteries before next winter. [10] The library has asked to stay open until nine on weeknights if the counts stay high. [11] The council will vote on that request in April.

2. 1.

   Milo wants to use the librarian's exact words from sentence [6]. Which sentence quotes her fairly and credits the right person?

   • Ravi Kessler, a city parks planner, says that “more people stay for the evening programs now, because they can see the way to their cars.”
   • Gwen Ortega, a librarian who works the late shift, says that “more people stay for the evening programs now, because they can see the way to their cars.”
   • Library Park now has lamps, and “more people stay for the evening programs now, because they can see the way to their cars.”
   • Gwen Ortega, a librarian who works the late shift, says that “more people attend evening programs since the lamps let them find their cars.”

3. Source A

   “Solar Lamps in Library Park: A Winter Report” (city report)
   Author: Ravi Kessler, a city parks planner. Container: Parks Department Reports. Publisher: City of Marlow. Date: 3 February 2025. Found at: marlowparks.example/solar-lights.
   [1] Last October, the City of Marlow added eight solar lamps along the path through Library Park. [2] Before the lamps, the path had no lighting, and the library closed at eight o'clock in winter because the walk to the parking lot was too dark. [3] Each lamp cost $1,150, and the parks department paid the $9,200 total from its yearly repair budget.

   [4] Over the winter, staff counted the people who used the path after dark by placing a sensor at the gate. [5] The sensor counted 1,430 evening walkers in January, compared with 260 in January of the year before. [6] “More people stay for the evening programs now, because they can see the way to their cars,” said Gwen Ortega, a librarian who works the late shift.

   [7] The report also notes some weaknesses. [8] Cloudy weeks left two lamps dim, and the sensor cannot tell a person from a large dog. [9] Staff will test brighter batteries before next winter. [10] The library has asked to stay open until nine on weeknights if the counts stay high. [11] The council will vote on that request in April.
   Source B: news article “Library Loans Hit a Record High,” by Odette Brandt, the library's head librarian. Marlow Library News, 15 January 2025. It reports that books checked out rose 12 percent in 2024, counted from the library's own records. The page has been shared 5,000 times.

4. 2.

   Noah is researching whether more people used the park path after dark once the lamps were added. Which source should Noah rely on, and why?

   • Source A: it counts evening walkers at the path gate before and after the lamps.
   • Source B: the head librarian counted from the library's own records, so the numbers are exact.
   • Source A: it is a city document, and city documents are written by experts.
   • Source B: 5,000 shares show that many people found it useful.

5. Use this

   “Solar Lamps in Library Park: A Winter Report” (city report)
   Author: Ravi Kessler, a city parks planner. Container: Parks Department Reports. Publisher: City of Marlow. Date: 3 February 2025. Found at: marlowparks.example/solar-lights.
   [1] Last October, the City of Marlow added eight solar lamps along the path through Library Park. [2] Before the lamps, the path had no lighting, and the library closed at eight o'clock in winter because the walk to the parking lot was too dark. [3] Each lamp cost $1,150, and the parks department paid the $9,200 total from its yearly repair budget.

   [4] Over the winter, staff counted the people who used the path after dark by placing a sensor at the gate. [5] The sensor counted 1,430 evening walkers in January, compared with 260 in January of the year before. [6] “More people stay for the evening programs now, because they can see the way to their cars,” said Gwen Ortega, a librarian who works the late shift.

   [7] The report also notes some weaknesses. [8] Cloudy weeks left two lamps dim, and the sensor cannot tell a person from a large dog. [9] Staff will test brighter batteries before next winter. [10] The library has asked to stay open until nine on weeknights if the counts stay high. [11] The council will vote on that request in April.
   Draft by Pia: Ravi Kessler, a city parks planner, wrote that the sensor counted 1,430 evening walkers in January, compared with 260 in January of the year before.

6. 3.

   Pia's draft paraphrase of sentence [5] is shown below the article. Which rewrite is a real paraphrase that keeps both counts?

   • Ravi Kessler, a city parks planner, reports that evening use of the path rose from 260 walkers in January a year earlier to 1,430 this January.
   • Ravi Kessler, a city parks planner, reports that many more people walked the path after dark in January once the lamps were up.
   • Ravi Kessler, a city parks planner, reports that evening use rose from 260 to 1,430 walkers, which shows the council was wise to buy the lamps.
   • Ravi Kessler, a city parks planner, wrote that the sensor tallied 1,430 night walkers in January, compared with 260 in January of the previous year.

7. Use this

   “Why Lake Pemberton Is Low This Autumn” (water district report)
   Author: Priscilla Hartnell, a hydrologist. Container: Eastgate Water Notes. Publisher: Eastgate Water District. Date: 27 October 2025. Found at: eastgatewater.example/pemberton.
   [1] Lake Pemberton, the reservoir that supplies Eastgate, stood at 61 percent full on 1 October, down from 78 percent a year earlier. [2] Two things explain most of the drop. [3] First, only 19 inches of rain fell in the lake's drainage area between January and September, compared with a usual 27 inches. [4] Second, summer use rose when a long heat wave sent water demand up by 12 percent in July.

   [5] The district measures the level every morning with a gauge bolted to the dam, and it publishes the readings in a daily table. [6] “Two dry seasons in a row mean the lake needs more than one wet week to recover,” said Rosa Whitaker, the district's operations manager. [7] The lake is not in danger of running dry. [8] The district says the current level holds enough water for about eleven months at today's use.

   [9] If the winter rains arrive on time, the lake should begin to rise by December. [10] Customers can help by watering lawns before 8 a.m. and fixing leaks quickly. [11] The district will report the level again on 1 December.

8. 4.

   Ren wants to use the operations manager's exact words from sentence [6]. Which sentence quotes her fairly and credits the right person?

   • Rosa Whitaker, the district's operations manager, explains that “after two dry seasons the lake needs several wet weeks to recover.”
   • Rosa Whitaker, the district's operations manager, explains that “two dry seasons in a row mean the lake needs more than one wet week to recover.”
   • Priscilla Hartnell, a hydrologist, explains that “two dry seasons in a row mean the lake needs more than one wet week to recover.”
   • Lake Pemberton is low, and “two dry seasons in a row mean the lake needs more than one wet week to recover.”

9. Source A

   “Why Lake Pemberton Is Low This Autumn” (water district report)
   Author: Priscilla Hartnell, a hydrologist. Container: Eastgate Water Notes. Publisher: Eastgate Water District. Date: 27 October 2025. Found at: eastgatewater.example/pemberton.
   [1] Lake Pemberton, the reservoir that supplies Eastgate, stood at 61 percent full on 1 October, down from 78 percent a year earlier. [2] Two things explain most of the drop. [3] First, only 19 inches of rain fell in the lake's drainage area between January and September, compared with a usual 27 inches. [4] Second, summer use rose when a long heat wave sent water demand up by 12 percent in July.

   [5] The district measures the level every morning with a gauge bolted to the dam, and it publishes the readings in a daily table. [6] “Two dry seasons in a row mean the lake needs more than one wet week to recover,” said Rosa Whitaker, the district's operations manager. [7] The lake is not in danger of running dry. [8] The district says the current level holds enough water for about eleven months at today's use.

   [9] If the winter rains arrive on time, the lake should begin to rise by December. [10] Customers can help by watering lawns before 8 a.m. and fixing leaks quickly. [11] The district will report the level again on 1 December.
   Source B: web page “A New Gauge for the Lake Pemberton Dam,” by Hollis Parrett, a district engineer. Eastgate Water Notes, 4 September 2025. It explains how the dam gauge was rebuilt and tested against a hand-held tape. The page has been shared 3,200 times.

10. 5.

    Tala is researching how much rain fell in the lake's drainage area from January to September. Which source should Tala rely on, and why?

    • Source A: it is the newest page on the district's site.
    • Source B: the district engineer rebuilt the gauge, so the readings are trustworthy.
    • Source B: 3,200 shares show that many readers trust it.
    • Source A: it gives the rainfall in inches for the drainage area, compared with the usual amount.

11. Use this

    “Why Lake Pemberton Is Low This Autumn” (water district report)
    Author: Priscilla Hartnell, a hydrologist. Container: Eastgate Water Notes. Publisher: Eastgate Water District. Date: 27 October 2025. Found at: eastgatewater.example/pemberton.
    [1] Lake Pemberton, the reservoir that supplies Eastgate, stood at 61 percent full on 1 October, down from 78 percent a year earlier. [2] Two things explain most of the drop. [3] First, only 19 inches of rain fell in the lake's drainage area between January and September, compared with a usual 27 inches. [4] Second, summer use rose when a long heat wave sent water demand up by 12 percent in July.

    [5] The district measures the level every morning with a gauge bolted to the dam, and it publishes the readings in a daily table. [6] “Two dry seasons in a row mean the lake needs more than one wet week to recover,” said Rosa Whitaker, the district's operations manager. [7] The lake is not in danger of running dry. [8] The district says the current level holds enough water for about eleven months at today's use.

    [9] If the winter rains arrive on time, the lake should begin to rise by December. [10] Customers can help by watering lawns before 8 a.m. and fixing leaks quickly. [11] The district will report the level again on 1 December.
    Draft by Zee: Priscilla Hartnell, a hydrologist, wrote that, second, summer use rose when a long heat wave sent water demand up by 12 percent in July.

12. 6.

    Zee's draft paraphrase of sentence [4] is shown below the article. Which rewrite is a real paraphrase that keeps the heat wave and the 12 percent?

    • Priscilla Hartnell, a hydrologist, reports that people used more water in July.
    • Priscilla Hartnell, a hydrologist, reports that a long spell of hot weather made July's water demand 12 percent higher.
    • Priscilla Hartnell, a hydrologist, reports that July's heat wave raised water demand by 12 percent because residents wasted water.
    • Priscilla Hartnell, a hydrologist, wrote that, secondly, summer use increased when a long heat wave pushed water demand up by 12 percent in July.

13. Use this

    “Riding the Canal Path: A Year of Counts” (newspaper article)
    Author: Elias Montrose, a transportation reporter. Container: Harborview Courier. Publisher: Harborview Media. Date: 5 May 2025. Found at: harborviewcourier.example/canalpath.
    [1] The Canal Path, a paved trail beside the old canal, opened to bicycles and walkers in April of last year. [2] The county placed two counters on the path, one near Locks Road and one near Dunmore Bridge. [3] Each counter records a tally every time a person rides or walks past it.

    [4] Over twelve months, the counters recorded 148,000 trips near Locks Road and 96,000 near Dunmore Bridge. [5] Weekends were busiest, with Saturday counts about twice as high as Tuesday counts. [6] The counters cannot tell whether one person passed several times, so the numbers are trips, not people. [7] “I had to hire a second mechanic because so many new riders are bringing in bikes,” said Tessa Rowan, who owns Rowan Cycle Repair near the path.

    [8] The county plans to add a third counter near Mill Pond this summer. [9] It will also survey riders about where they live and why they use the path. [10] Results from the survey should be ready by October. [11] Until then, the county says the trip counts are the best figures available.

14. 7.

    Ari wants to use the shop owner's exact words from sentence [7]. Which sentence quotes her fairly and credits the right person?

    • Tessa Rowan, who owns Rowan Cycle Repair near the path, says, “I hired another mechanic since new riders keep bringing in their bikes.”
    • A repair shop near the path got so busy that the owner had to hire a second mechanic because “so many new riders are bringing in bikes.”
    • Tessa Rowan, who owns Rowan Cycle Repair near the path, says, “I had to hire a second mechanic because so many new riders are bringing in bikes.”
    • Elias Montrose, a transportation reporter, says, “I had to hire a second mechanic because so many new riders are bringing in bikes.”

15. Use this

    “Riding the Canal Path: A Year of Counts” (newspaper article)
    Author: Elias Montrose, a transportation reporter. Container: Harborview Courier. Publisher: Harborview Media. Date: 5 May 2025. Found at: harborviewcourier.example/canalpath.
    [1] The Canal Path, a paved trail beside the old canal, opened to bicycles and walkers in April of last year. [2] The county placed two counters on the path, one near Locks Road and one near Dunmore Bridge. [3] Each counter records a tally every time a person rides or walks past it.

    [4] Over twelve months, the counters recorded 148,000 trips near Locks Road and 96,000 near Dunmore Bridge. [5] Weekends were busiest, with Saturday counts about twice as high as Tuesday counts. [6] The counters cannot tell whether one person passed several times, so the numbers are trips, not people. [7] “I had to hire a second mechanic because so many new riders are bringing in bikes,” said Tessa Rowan, who owns Rowan Cycle Repair near the path.

    [8] The county plans to add a third counter near Mill Pond this summer. [9] It will also survey riders about where they live and why they use the path. [10] Results from the survey should be ready by October. [11] Until then, the county says the trip counts are the best figures available.
    Draft by Esme: Elias Montrose, a transportation reporter, wrote that weekends were busiest, with Saturday counts about twice as high as Tuesday counts.

16. 8.

    Esme's draft paraphrase of sentence [5] is shown below the article. Which rewrite is a real paraphrase that keeps the Saturday and Tuesday comparison?

    • Elias Montrose, a transportation reporter, reports that the path carried twice as many trips on a Saturday as on a Tuesday because people prefer weekends.
    • Elias Montrose, a transportation reporter, reports that the path carried roughly twice as many trips on a Saturday as on a Tuesday.
    • Elias Montrose, a transportation reporter, reports that weekends brought a lot of trips to the path.
    • Elias Montrose, a transportation reporter, wrote that weekends were the busiest, with Saturday counts roughly double Tuesday counts.

17. Source A

    “Repairing the Old Mill Bridge: What It Will Cost” (county bulletin)
    Author: Noreen Castellane, a county engineer. Container: County Works Bulletin. Publisher: Haverly County. Date: 14 January 2026. Found at: haverlycounty.example/millbridge.
    [1] The Old Mill Bridge, built in 1931, carries about 600 vehicles a day across Cutter Creek, linking the farms on the east side with the town on the west. [2] In November, county inspectors examined the steel beams, the deck and the footings. [3] They found rust on 14 of the 22 beams and a crack in one footing. [4] The crack is not wide enough to close the bridge, but inspectors say it should be repaired within two years, before another winter of freezing and thawing can widen it.

    [5] County engineers priced three options. [6] Patching the rust and the crack would cost about $380,000 and add roughly twenty years of life. [7] Replacing the deck would cost $1.9 million and add forty years, but the bridge would stay closed for about five months. [8] A full new bridge would cost $4.6 million and last about eighty years.

    [9] “We use the bridge to move hay in summer, so any closing would cost us a lot of time,” said Dale Pruitt, a farmer whose fields lie on both sides of the creek. [10] The commissioners will hear public comments on 12 February. [11] Residents may send comments to the county by mail or through the web page.
    Source B: blog post “The Old Bridge Is Hopeless,” by Rudy Baines, a local commuter. Backroad Notes, 20 January 2026. It says the patch would cost a fortune and that the county never fixes anything. It gives no figures. The page has been shared 2,500 times.

18. 9.

    Kira is researching how much it would cost to patch the rust and the crack. Which source should Kira rely on, and why?

    • Source B: it speaks directly about the cost of patching the bridge, which is what the question asks.
    • Source A: it comes from a county office, so its numbers have been checked by experts.
    • Source B: 2,500 shares show that most readers agree with it.
    • Source A: the county priced the patch after its engineers inspected the beams and footing.

19. Use this

    “Repairing the Old Mill Bridge: What It Will Cost” (county bulletin)
    Author: Noreen Castellane, a county engineer. Container: County Works Bulletin. Publisher: Haverly County. Date: 14 January 2026. Found at: haverlycounty.example/millbridge.
    [1] The Old Mill Bridge, built in 1931, carries about 600 vehicles a day across Cutter Creek, linking the farms on the east side with the town on the west. [2] In November, county inspectors examined the steel beams, the deck and the footings. [3] They found rust on 14 of the 22 beams and a crack in one footing. [4] The crack is not wide enough to close the bridge, but inspectors say it should be repaired within two years, before another winter of freezing and thawing can widen it.

    [5] County engineers priced three options. [6] Patching the rust and the crack would cost about $380,000 and add roughly twenty years of life. [7] Replacing the deck would cost $1.9 million and add forty years, but the bridge would stay closed for about five months. [8] A full new bridge would cost $4.6 million and last about eighty years.

    [9] “We use the bridge to move hay in summer, so any closing would cost us a lot of time,” said Dale Pruitt, a farmer whose fields lie on both sides of the creek. [10] The commissioners will hear public comments on 12 February. [11] Residents may send comments to the county by mail or through the web page.
    Draft by Luz: Noreen Castellane, a county engineer, wrote that inspectors found rust on 14 of the 22 beams and a crack in one footing.

20. 10.

    Luz's draft paraphrase of sentence [3] is shown below the bulletin. Which rewrite is a real paraphrase that keeps the number of rusty beams and the crack?

    • Noreen Castellane, a county engineer, reports that the bridge has some rust and a crack.
    • Noreen Castellane, a county engineer, wrote that inspectors discovered rust on 14 of the 22 beams and a crack in one footing.
    • Noreen Castellane, a county engineer, reports that 14 of the 22 beams are rusty, and the bridge is clearly too dangerous to keep open.
    • Noreen Castellane, a county engineer, reports that 14 of the bridge's 22 beams are rusty, and one footing has also cracked.