Whose view is this, and what is left out?

Grade 9 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   The Sandford Aquarium Opens Its Kelp Forest Hall (press release)

   [1] The Sandford Aquarium will open its new Kelp Forest Hall on Saturday, May 3, after two years of building work on the north side of the aquarium. [2] The hall holds twelve tanks, including a two-story kelp tank that visitors can view from a glass walkway above it and from benches below. [3] “Our aim has always been to spark wonder about the ocean in every child who walks through our doors,” said Director Helen Marsh. [4] Every visitor will agree that the new hall is worth the trip, and it is the finest exhibit of its kind on the coast.

   [5] To help pay for the hall, general admission for adults will rise from $14 to $18 on May 1, while tickets for children under twelve will stay at $9. [6] Members, who pay $60 a year, will continue to enter free and will be invited to a private preview evening on May 2. [7] “We joined last spring, and the preview alone makes the membership worth it,” said Carla Duarte, a member who visits with her two children each month. [8] The Sandford City Council approved the permit for the hall in 2023, and the aquarium paid for the work with ticket sales and private gifts.

   [9] The kelp tank holds 80,000 gallons of seawater, which is pumped in from the bay and filtered on site before it reaches the tanks. [10] Visitors will also be able to watch divers check the kelp and clean the glass at eleven each morning and at two each afternoon. [11] Tickets for opening weekend go on sale online on April 15, and the hall will be open daily from nine until five. [12] Readers who order tickets online before April 30 with the code KELP2 will save $2 on each adult ticket.

2. 1.

   Ari fills the “whose view” column for the price rise. Whose view does the text leave out that a reader most needs?

   • Adults who pay full price: sentence 5 raises their ticket price, but no one who pays it is quoted.
   • The aquarium staff: sentence 2 describes the tanks they built, but no staff member explains the price.
   • Member families: sentence 6 says members enter free, but no member family says how they feel about it.
   • The divers: sentence 10 says they check the kelp and clean the glass, but no diver is quoted.
3. 2.

   Bo fills the flaw column for this press release. Which sentence is the maker’s view dressed up as a fact?

   • Sentence 7: it says the preview makes the membership worth it to get readers to join.
   • Sentence 12: it pushes readers to buy their tickets online before April 30.
   • Sentence 9: it gives the tank’s size to make the hall sound grander than it is.
   • Sentence 4: it says the hall is worth the trip as if no visitor could disagree.
4. 3.

   Esme fills the motive box for this press release. What is the maker’s motive, and which sentence shows it?

   • Political: sentence 8 says the City Council approved the permit for the hall.
   • Commercial: sentence 12 offers a discount on adult tickets bought online with a code.
   • Social: sentences 9 and 10 teach readers how the kelp tank is filled and cleaned.
   • Social: sentence 3 says the aim is to spark wonder about the ocean in children.

5. Ridge Trail Riders News (club newsletter)

   [1] The Thornbury Parks Board will vote on Tuesday, March 12, on whether to open the Ridge Trail to mountain bikes on weekdays, and every member of our club should be in the room. [2] Our club exists to share the joy of riding, and for twelve years we have asked for a fair share of the trails that the town takes care of. [3] The Ridge Trail runs 4.2 miles along the top of Bell Hill and was rebuilt with a wider, harder surface in 2019. [4] A well-built trail like this one takes no harm from bikes, so the board has no good reason to keep riders off it.

   [5] “I have ridden trails like this in three states, and walkers and riders share them without trouble,” said club president Dale Okoro. [6] Member Priya Nand added that weekday riding would let members who work on weekends ride close to home at last. [7] The trail is now open every day to walkers, runners and bird watchers, and to horse riders on Saturdays. [8] The Thornbury Bird Society and several neighbors on Bell Hill Road have written letters to the board about the plan.

   [9] The board’s own count last spring found about 140 people using the trail on an average weekday. [10] Under the proposal, bikes would be allowed on the trail from Monday through Thursday and kept off it on weekends. [11] Members who cannot attend the meeting may send an email to the board before March 10 at the address on its website. [12] Wear your club shirt so the board can see how many riders turned out, and plan to arrive by six-thirty.

6. 4.

   Jun fills the “whose view” column for the plan to let bikes on the Ridge Trail. Whose view does the text leave out that a reader most needs?

   • Members who work weekends: sentence 6 says weekday riding would help them, but no one from that group is asked.
   • The bird watchers and neighbors: sentence 8 says they wrote to the board, but their letters are not quoted.
   • The club’s weekday riders: sentence 1 asks them to come to the vote, but they are not asked their view.
   • The horse riders: sentence 7 says they use the trail on Saturdays, but no horse rider is asked.
7. 5.

   Kira fills the flaw column for this club newsletter. Which sentence is the maker’s view dressed up as a fact?

   • Sentence 3: it calls the new surface wider and harder to win readers over to the plan.
   • Sentence 4: it says bikes do the trail no harm as if that had been measured.
   • Sentence 1: it tells club members that they should be in the room for the vote.
   • Sentence 5: it says walkers and riders share trails like this one without trouble.

8. Two Days a Week

   A Message from the Willowmere Water Department (printed notice): [1] This summer the Willowmere Water Department asks every household to water lawns no more than two days a week, before eight in the morning or after seven at night. [2] The town reservoir stood at 61 percent of capacity on June 1, its lowest level for that date since the department began keeping records in 1988. [3] Watering in the cool hours matters because much of the water sprayed at midday is lost to the air before it reaches the roots. [4] A healthy lawn needs far less water than most people give it, and a little brown grass in August never hurt anyone.

   [5] “We switched to two days last year, and our tomatoes and roses did just fine,” said Glen Arbuckle, a retired teacher on Maple Court. [6] Department director Rosa Fenn said the plan could save as much as ten million gallons over the summer if most homes take part. [7] Houses with even numbers may water on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and houses with odd numbers on Wednesdays and Sundays. [8] The rule does not limit watering by hand with a can or with a hose that has a shutoff nozzle.

   [9] Several landscaping companies in town plant new lawns and young trees each spring, and their crews water many yards on weekday mornings. [10] Rain barrels, which collect water from a roof for later use, cost about $40 at hardware stores in town. [11] The department will mail each household a reminder card with its watering days in the first week of July. [12] Questions about the schedule can be sent to the department at the phone number printed on the back of this notice.

9. 6.

   Milo fills the “whose view” column for the two-day watering rule. Whose view does the text leave out that a reader most needs?

   • Home gardeners: sentence 1 asks them to cut back, but the notice does not ask how they feel.
   • People who water by hand: sentence 8 mentions them, but no one who waters by hand is asked.
   • The landscaping companies: sentence 9 says their crews water many yards, but no one from them is asked.
   • The department’s staff: sentence 11 says they will mail cards, but no staff member is asked.
10. 7.

    Noah fills the flaw column for this printed notice. Which sentence is the maker’s view dressed up as a fact?

    • Sentence 5: it says tomatoes and roses did just fine on two days a week.
    • Sentence 2: it uses the 61 percent figure to alarm readers into saving water this summer.
    • Sentence 4: it says a little brown grass harms no one as if that were a known fact.
    • Sentence 1: it asks each household to water its lawn two days a week at most.
11. 8.

    Pia fills the motive box for this printed notice. What is the maker’s motive, and which sentence shows it?

    • Social: sentence 1 asks every household to use less water so the town’s supply lasts.
    • Commercial: sentence 10 gives the price of rain barrels at stores in town.
    • Social: sentence 7 sets the watering days for houses by their numbers.
    • Political: sentence 6 quotes the director of a town department about the plan to save water.

12. A New Life for the Ambrose Depot (sponsored article)

    [1] This article was paid for by Depot Hall Partners, the company that is turning the old Ambrose train depot into an indoor food hall. [2] The brick depot, which was built in 1912, has stood empty since the last passenger train stopped in Ambrose in 2011. [3] The new hall will hold fourteen food stalls, a coffee counter and long shared tables under the depot’s restored wooden ceiling. [4] Partner Marcus Bell said the company hopes the hall will “bring the whole town together under one roof again.”

    [5] A food hall is exactly what downtown Ambrose has been missing, and it will turn a quiet block into the busiest spot in the county. [6] Jenna Ruiz, who plans to open a dumpling stall, said the low rent for a small stall made it possible for her to start a business. [7] The Ambrose Town Council approved a twenty-year lease of the depot to the company in March. [8] Building work began in April, and the hall is set to open in the first week of October.

    [9] On Depot Street, where most of the houses face the building, a new parking lot is being built on the old rail yard. [10] The hall will be open from seven in the morning until eleven at night, seven days a week. [11] Six stalls are still available, and cooks who want to rent one can call the company’s office on Front Street. [12] Opening day will include a ribbon cutting at noon and live music on the old station platform.

13. 9.

    Tala fills the flaw column for this sponsored article. Which sentence is the maker’s view dressed up as a fact?

    • Sentence 4: it says the hall will bring the whole town together under one roof.
    • Sentence 11: it invites cooks to call the office and rent one of the six stalls.
    • Sentence 2: it mentions the empty depot to make readers want the building filled.
    • Sentence 5: it says downtown has been missing a food hall as if everyone knew it.
14. 10.

    Zee fills the motive box for this sponsored article. What is the maker’s motive, and which sentence shows it?

    • Political: sentence 7 says the Town Council approved the lease in March.
    • Commercial: sentence 3 says the hall will hold fourteen food stalls and a coffee counter.
    • Social: sentence 4 says the hope is to bring the whole town together again.
    • Commercial: sentence 11 asks cooks to call the company and rent a stall.