Write an argument that answers the other side

Grade 8 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Open Swim on Wednesdays (argument draft)

   [1] The Neptune Lane Community Pool is open to the public on weekends, but it is reserved for the swim team on Wednesday evenings. [2] The pool should open to the public on Wednesday evenings from six to eight o'clock. [3] Families with school-age children often cannot swim on weekends because of games, lessons, and work shifts. [4] The pool's own sign-in book shows that the weekend lanes are crowded, with a wait of fifteen minutes or more for a lane on most Saturdays.

   [5] Some members of the swim team say that public swimmers would crowd their practice. [6] That worry is not as big as it sounds. [7] There is also another reason. [8] The pool has ten lanes, and the swim team uses only four of them during practice, leaving six lanes empty.

   [9] Others say the town cannot afford another lifeguard shift, because the pool lost money last summer. [10] But the facts show that this is not true. [11] For these reasons, the pool should open six lanes to the public on Wednesday evenings.

2. 1.

   Sentence [5] states a worry that is fair but not final. Kira wants to replace sentence [6] with a sentence that grants what is fair and answers with evidence. Which one?

   • The team's worry is fair, but practice uses only four of the ten lanes, so six lanes could stay open to the public.
   • The team's worry is silly, and swimmers on a team should simply learn to share the pool with other people.
   • The team's worry is fair, but a lifeguard shift on Wednesday evening would cost the town about the price of two season passes.
   • The team's worry is fair, so the pool should probably keep Wednesday evenings reserved for the swim team.
3. 2.

   Luz wants to replace sentence [10] with evidence that answers the claim in sentence [9] about the lost money. Which sentence does that?

   • But the records show that the pool did lose money last summer, as the town's own accounts clearly confirm.
   • But the pool's sign-in book shows that the weekend lanes are crowded, with a wait of fifteen minutes or more on most Saturdays, and that families cannot swim then.
   • But the records show that the swim team uses four of the ten lanes during practice, so six lanes sit empty on Wednesday evenings.
   • But the town's records show that last summer's loss came from a one-time pump repair of 9,000 dollars, not from lifeguard shifts.
4. 3.

   Milo thinks sentence [7] does not connect the two reasons. Which sentence should replace it so that it links the second reason to the first?

   • In addition to the weekend crowding, a second reason is that the Wednesday lanes go unused.
   • As the weekend crowding shows, families struggle to find a lane, and that supports the claim.
   • Wednesday evenings leave most of the pool's space unused by the public, and the lanes stay quiet.
   • Because the pool wastes space on Wednesday evenings, the weekend lanes are crowded.

5. Recycling at the Ballpark (argument draft)

   [1] On game days, the stands at Hallam Field fill with fans who finish their beverages and toss the cans and bottles into one trash bin. [2] The ballpark should place a recycling bin beside each trash bin in the stands so that fans can sort their own bottles and cans. [3] Much of what fans throw away could be recycled instead of being buried in a landfill outside town. [4] A sorting crew examined the contents of the bins after the last home game and found that 71 of 100 pieces of trash were cans or bottles.

   [5] Some fans say that separate bins would confuse people who are in a hurry and slow down the cleanup after each game. [6] People will figure it out. [7] Here is a second reason. [8] The county landfill that takes the park's trash is filling up, and recycling would keep thousands of pounds out of it each season.

   [9] The team's manager says that recycling bins would cost too much, because the park already pays a hauling fee for each bin it empties. [10] But the manager does not have the facts. [11] For these reasons, the park should place a recycling bin beside each trash bin in the stands.

6. 4.

   Sentence [5] states a worry that is fair but not final. Noah wants to replace sentence [6] with a sentence that grants what is fair and answers with evidence. Which one?

   • That worry is silly, and separate bins are a simple idea that any fan can handle after a quick look.
   • That worry is fair, but the county landfill is filling up, and recycling would keep thousands of pounds of trash out of it each season.
   • That worry is fair, but the nearby high school field tried paired bins last spring, and its cleanup took the same twenty minutes.
   • That worry is fair, so the park should probably wait until fans are more used to sorting their trash.
7. 5.

   Pia wants to replace sentence [10] with evidence that answers the claim in sentence [9] about the hauling fee. Which sentence does that?

   • But the county's records show that paired bins at the high school field did not slow the cleanup after games.
   • But the county's records show that the park does pay a hauling fee for each bin it empties, as the manager says.
   • But the county's records show that most of the park's trash, 71 of 100 pieces, is cans or bottles.
   • But the county's price list shows that recycling pickup is free, while the park pays a fee for each trash bin it empties.

8. Signs for Eagle Ridge (argument draft)

   [1] Eagle Ridge has six miles of hiking trails, but many of its markers have faded in the weather, and several forks have no sign at all. [2] The county parks office should replace the faded markers on Eagle Ridge and add a sign at each fork. [3] Hikers who cannot read the markers may turn onto a closed trail or head back in the wrong direction, even though they believe they are on the right path. [4] Last year, rangers guided 43 lost hikers back to the trailhead, and most of them had missed a turn at an unmarked fork.

   [5] Some hikers say that new signs would spoil the natural appearance of the ridge. [6] That is only an opinion. [7] Think about the rangers too. [8] Each rescue takes about three hours, and those hours are taken away from trail repair and park patrols.

   [9] Others say that new signs would cost too much, because the county has already spent its trail budget on a footbridge. [10] But the county has more money than that. [11] For these reasons, the parks office should replace the faded markers and add a sign at each fork.

9. 6.

   Sentence [5] states a worry that is fair but not final. Tala wants to replace sentence [6] with a sentence that grants what is fair and answers with evidence. Which one?

   • That concern is fair, so the county should probably leave the faded markers just as they are.
   • That concern is fair, but small brown wooden signs already mark the lower valley trails, where they blend in with the trees.
   • That concern is silly, and the people who raise it are not thinking about the ridge itself.
   • That concern is fair, but signs would cost the county about the price of one trail bench, a small part of its budget this year.
10. 7.

    Zee wants to replace sentence [10] with evidence that answers the claim in sentence [9] about the spent budget. Which sentence does that?

    • But the county's survey found that small brown signs blend in with the trees on the lower valley trails.
    • But the county's budget report shows that a state grant paid for the footbridge, leaving the trail budget untouched.
    • But the county's rescue log shows that rangers guided 43 lost hikers back to the trailhead last year.
    • But the county's budget report shows that the footbridge was a large project this year, as the critics say.
11. 8.

    Ari thinks sentence [7] does not connect the two reasons. Which sentence should replace it so that it links the second reason to the first?

    • Rangers spend their days on many jobs across the park, and rescues are one of them in a busy week.
    • Since the rangers are so busy with other tasks, hikers end up getting lost more often.
    • Beyond the danger to hikers, a related reason is the time that each rescue takes from the rangers.
    • As the rescue count shows, many hikers who miss a turn end up lost on the ridge.

12. A Quiet Car on the Lakeline (argument draft)

    [1] Each weekday, about nine hundred riders take the Lakeline commuter train into the city. [2] The Lakeline railway should set aside one car on each morning train as a quiet car. [3] Many riders use the trip to read, study, or finish work before the day begins. [4] A rider survey found that 64 percent of riders said phone calls and loud music made it hard to concentrate.

    [5] Some riders say that a quiet car would make the other cars louder, as noisy riders move into them. [6] Those riders can adjust to the change. [7] Here is another thing. [8] The railway runs eight cars, and the cars near the front carry the fewest passengers, so one of them could become a quiet car without removing any seats.

    [9] Others say that a quiet car would be hard to enforce, because the conductor cannot be in every car at once. [10] But the signs would take care of it. [11] For these reasons, the Lakeline railway should set aside a quiet car on each morning train.

13. 9.

    Esme wants to replace sentence [10] with evidence that answers the claim in sentence [9] about enforcing the rule. Which sentence does that?

    • But the Marlow line's rider survey found no rise in noise in its other cars after a quiet car was added, even in the rush hour.
    • But conductors on the Marlow line logged just three complaints in a year about its quiet car, and none needed enforcement.
    • But the railway's survey found that 64 percent of riders had trouble concentrating on a noisy car.
    • But it is true that the conductor cannot be in every car at once, because one conductor serves several cars.
14. 10.

    Jun thinks sentence [7] does not connect the two reasons. Which sentence should replace it so that it links the second reason to the first?

    • As the survey shows, many riders struggle to concentrate when the cars are noisy and crowded.
    • Since the front cars carry the fewest passengers, so many riders struggle to concentrate.
    • Beyond the survey results, a second reason is practical: a quiet car could be added without removing a seat.
    • The railway runs eight cars on each train, and some of them are nearly empty.