Worksheet

Pick the quotes that prove it best

Grade 9 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    Ferry or Bridge? (letters and a town report)

    Letter from Dana Ortiz, ferry captain: [1] For ninety years, the Marlow ferry has carried cars, bikes and walkers across the Tern River in eleven minutes. [2] A bridge would take years to build, while the ferry sails today. [3] The town's traffic count for 2023 found about 1,400 vehicles a day on the ferry in summer and about 600 in winter. [4] A bridge sized for summer crowds would stand half empty for much of the year, yet the town would still pay to maintain it. [5] The ferry's costs rise and fall with its riders, and a bridge's costs would not.

    Letter from Omar Reyes, bakery owner: [6] My bakery sits at the ferry landing, so I watch the line of waiting cars grow each summer weekend. [7] The line stretches past the school, and drivers can wait forty minutes to board. [8] Some give up and drive twenty miles north to the highway bridge, and I lose their business. [9] The ferry also stops running at 9 p.m., so night-shift nurses at Tern County Hospital must take the long way home. [10] I like the ferry's charm, but charm is no help to a nurse finishing a shift at midnight.

    Town report, 2024: [11] A bridge would cost about $38 million to build, and the ferry costs about $1.2 million a year to operate. [12] State inspectors report that the ferry's main engine, installed in 1998, will need replacement within five years at a cost of about $2 million. [13] A survey of Marlow households found that 58 percent favor keeping the ferry and 31 percent favor a bridge, with the rest undecided.

  2. Esme looks for clues the text only suggests. Claim: “Reyes's letter suggests he is thinking about people other than his own customers.” Which set of three sentences gives the strongest support?

    • [10] I like the ferry's charm, but charm is no help to a nurse finishing a shift at midnight. [11] A bridge would cost about $38 million to build, and the ferry costs about $1.2 million a year to operate. [12] State inspectors report that the ferry's main engine, installed in 1998, will need replacement within five years at a cost of about $2 million.
    • [8] Some give up and drive twenty miles north to the highway bridge, and I lose their business. [9] The ferry also stops running at 9 p.m., so night-shift nurses at Tern County Hospital must take the long way home. [10] I like the ferry's charm, but charm is no help to a nurse finishing a shift at midnight.
    • [6] My bakery sits at the ferry landing, so I watch the line of waiting cars grow each summer weekend. [7] The line stretches past the school, and drivers can wait forty minutes to board. [8] Some give up and drive twenty miles north to the highway bridge, and I lose their business.
    • [2] A bridge would take years to build, while the ferry sails today. [4] A bridge sized for summer crowds would stand half empty for much of the year, yet the town would still pay to maintain it. [5] The ferry's costs rise and fall with its riders, and a bridge's costs would not.

  3. Why Pluto Lost Its Planet Status (article and data note)

    [1] When Clyde Tombaugh found Pluto in 1930, astronomers believed they had discovered a ninth planet, and early estimates made it about as large as Earth. [2] Better measurements steadily shrank it. [3] In 1978, the discovery of its moon Charon allowed astronomers to calculate Pluto's mass, which turned out to be less than one percent of Earth's. [4] Pluto is also smaller than Earth's own moon. [5] In the 1990s, telescopes began to reveal many icy bodies beyond Neptune in a region called the Kuiper belt, and Pluto's orbit placed it among them.

    [6] The turning point came in 2005, when a team led by Mike Brown announced Eris, an object in the same region that seemed at first to be larger than Pluto. [7] If Pluto was a planet, astronomers reasoned, Eris deserved the same title, and others like it would follow. [8] The International Astronomical Union took up the question at its 2006 meeting in Prague. [9] It defined a planet as a body that orbits the Sun, is nearly round, and has cleared its orbit of other objects of comparable size. [10] Pluto meets the first two tests but not the third, so it was classed as a dwarf planet. [11] Some astronomers objected, noting that the vote was taken by a small fraction of the union's members who were still at the meeting. [12] In 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto and returned images of glaciers, mountains and a hazy atmosphere, which made the world look far more active than anyone had expected.

    Data note: [13] Pluto is about 2,377 kilometers across, Eris about 2,326 kilometers, and Earth's moon about 3,474 kilometers.

  4. Bo looks for clues the text only suggests. Claim: “The 2006 definition of a planet was a response to a wave of new discoveries, not a judgment on Pluto alone.” Which set of three sentences gives the strongest support?

    • [1] When Clyde Tombaugh found Pluto in 1930, astronomers believed they had discovered a ninth planet, and early estimates made it about as large as Earth. [8] The International Astronomical Union took up the question at its 2006 meeting in Prague. [10] Pluto meets the first two tests but not the third, so it was classed as a dwarf planet.
    • [10] Pluto meets the first two tests but not the third, so it was classed as a dwarf planet. [11] Some astronomers objected, noting that the vote was taken by a small fraction of the union's members who were still at the meeting. [12] In 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto and returned images of glaciers, mountains and a hazy atmosphere, which made the world look far more active than anyone had expected.
    • [2] Better measurements steadily shrank it. [3] In 1978, the discovery of its moon Charon allowed astronomers to calculate Pluto's mass, which turned out to be less than one percent of Earth's. [4] Pluto is also smaller than Earth's own moon.
    • [5] In the 1990s, telescopes began to reveal many icy bodies beyond Neptune in a region called the Kuiper belt, and Pluto's orbit placed it among them. [6] The turning point came in 2005, when a team led by Mike Brown announced Eris, an object in the same region that seemed at first to be larger than Pluto. [9] It defined a planet as a body that orbits the Sun, is nearly round, and has cleared its orbit of other objects of comparable size.

  5. The Closet Telescope (story)

    [1] When Noah and Jun were sent to the supply closet to retrieve extension cords for the science fair, they discovered a brass telescope beneath a stack of folding chairs. [2] A card taped to its tube read "Property of Marlow School, 1961," in handwriting so faded that Noah had to tilt the card toward the light. [3] The lens cap was missing, the tripod had lost one foot, and the tube was thick with dust. [4] Jun suggested they ask Mr. Ferreira, the custodian, who had worked at the school longer than any teacher. [5] Mr. Ferreira looked at the telescope for a long moment and then said it had been in that closet since before he arrived. [6] He did not ask what they planned to do with it, but he went back to his cart and returned with a screwdriver and a cloth.

    [7] On Friday afternoon, Noah and Jun found the tripod fitted with a new foot cut from a piece of hardwood and sanded smooth. [8] Neither of them had said a word about the foot to Mr. Ferreira. [9] The lens had been carefully wiped clean, and a cap made from a rubber stopper sat on the tube. [10] That night, the two of them set up the telescope on the roof of the parking garage and located Saturn, its rings tilted like a thin silver hat. [11] Noah ran down to the cafeteria entrance, where Mr. Ferreira was locking up, and asked whether he wanted to look. [12] Mr. Ferreira said he had trash to finish first, but he stayed on the roof for ten minutes after the work was done. [13] The next Monday, a note was taped inside the closet door: "Telescope on loan to anyone who asks. R.F."

  6. Kira looks for clues the text only suggests. Claim: “Mr. Ferreira repaired the telescope on his own initiative and wanted it used.” Which set of three sentences gives the strongest support?

    • [3] The lens cap was missing, the tripod had lost one foot, and the tube was thick with dust. [4] Jun suggested they ask Mr. Ferreira, the custodian, who had worked at the school longer than any teacher. [5] Mr. Ferreira looked at the telescope for a long moment and then said it had been in that closet since before he arrived.
    • [10] That night, the two of them set up the telescope on the roof of the parking garage and located Saturn, its rings tilted like a thin silver hat. [11] Noah ran down to the cafeteria entrance, where Mr. Ferreira was locking up, and asked whether he wanted to look. [12] Mr. Ferreira said he had trash to finish first, but he stayed on the roof for ten minutes after the work was done.
    • [7] On Friday afternoon, Noah and Jun found the tripod fitted with a new foot cut from a piece of hardwood and sanded smooth. [9] The lens had been carefully wiped clean, and a cap made from a rubber stopper sat on the tube. [10] That night, the two of them set up the telescope on the roof of the parking garage and located Saturn, its rings tilted like a thin silver hat.
    • [6] He did not ask what they planned to do with it, but he went back to his cart and returned with a screwdriver and a cloth. [7] On Friday afternoon, Noah and Jun found the tripod fitted with a new foot cut from a piece of hardwood and sanded smooth. [13] The next Monday, a note was taped inside the closet door: "Telescope on loan to anyone who asks. R.F."

  7. Should First Bell Move Later? (editorial)

    [1] For three years, the Calloway school district has debated moving the high school bell from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., and the argument has grown more heated each spring. [2] Supporters cite research showing that teenagers' body clocks shift later during adolescence, which makes early mornings harder to handle. [3] A national pediatric group recommends that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30. [4] Calloway's own sleep survey of 600 students found that 71 percent got fewer than eight hours on school nights. [5] Opponents respond that a later bell would push practices and jobs into the evening. [6] They point out that Lakeview, a neighboring district, moved its bell in 2019 and saw no change in attendance. [7] Supporters answer that attendance is a blunt measure, and that Lakeview's students reported getting about forty minutes more sleep. [8] The bus company adds that a later start would require new routes and might raise transportation costs by 9 percent.

    [9] Some of this evidence is stronger than the rest. [10] The sleep data and the Lakeview report describe real students, while the cost figure is an estimate that depends on choices the district has not yet made. [11] A fair decision would also weigh how much sleep matters to learning and to health, which is harder to measure than bus routes. [12] A pilot year at one school would give the district its own numbers before it commits to a change at the district's other high schools and middle schools.

  8. Luz looks for clues the text only suggests. Claim: “The writer leans toward a later bell without saying so directly.” Which set of three sentences gives the strongest support?

    • [1] For three years, the Calloway school district has debated moving the high school bell from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., and the argument has grown more heated each spring. [2] Supporters cite research showing that teenagers' body clocks shift later during adolescence, which makes early mornings harder to handle. [3] A national pediatric group recommends that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30.
    • [4] Calloway's own sleep survey of 600 students found that 71 percent got fewer than eight hours on school nights. [11] A fair decision would also weigh how much sleep matters to learning and to health, which is harder to measure than bus routes. [12] A pilot year at one school would give the district its own numbers before it commits to a change at the district's other high schools and middle schools.
    • [5] Opponents respond that a later bell would push practices and jobs into the evening. [6] They point out that Lakeview, a neighboring district, moved its bell in 2019 and saw no change in attendance. [8] The bus company adds that a later start would require new routes and might raise transportation costs by 9 percent.
    • [7] Supporters answer that attendance is a blunt measure, and that Lakeview's students reported getting about forty minutes more sleep. [9] Some of this evidence is stronger than the rest. [10] The sleep data and the Lakeview report describe real students, while the cost figure is an estimate that depends on choices the district has not yet made.

  9. Ferry or Bridge? (letters and a town report)

    Letter from Dana Ortiz, ferry captain: [1] For ninety years, the Marlow ferry has carried cars, bikes and walkers across the Tern River in eleven minutes. [2] A bridge would take years to build, while the ferry sails today. [3] The town's traffic count for 2023 found about 1,400 vehicles a day on the ferry in summer and about 600 in winter. [4] A bridge sized for summer crowds would stand half empty for much of the year, yet the town would still pay to maintain it. [5] The ferry's costs rise and fall with its riders, and a bridge's costs would not.

    Letter from Omar Reyes, bakery owner: [6] My bakery sits at the ferry landing, so I watch the line of waiting cars grow each summer weekend. [7] The line stretches past the school, and drivers can wait forty minutes to board. [8] Some give up and drive twenty miles north to the highway bridge, and I lose their business. [9] The ferry also stops running at 9 p.m., so night-shift nurses at Tern County Hospital must take the long way home. [10] I like the ferry's charm, but charm is no help to a nurse finishing a shift at midnight.

    Town report, 2024: [11] A bridge would cost about $38 million to build, and the ferry costs about $1.2 million a year to operate. [12] State inspectors report that the ferry's main engine, installed in 1998, will need replacement within five years at a cost of about $2 million. [13] A survey of Marlow households found that 58 percent favor keeping the ferry and 31 percent favor a bridge, with the rest undecided.

  10. Jun tests a claim that carries a limit. Claim: “The ferry's limits are real, yet the evidence stops short of showing that a bridge is the answer.” Which set supports the claim as worded, limit included?

    • [7] The line stretches past the school, and drivers can wait forty minutes to board. [9] The ferry also stops running at 9 p.m., so night-shift nurses at Tern County Hospital must take the long way home. [12] State inspectors report that the ferry's main engine, installed in 1998, will need replacement within five years at a cost of about $2 million.
    • [7] The line stretches past the school, and drivers can wait forty minutes to board. [9] The ferry also stops running at 9 p.m., so night-shift nurses at Tern County Hospital must take the long way home. [11] A bridge would cost about $38 million to build, and the ferry costs about $1.2 million a year to operate.
    • [8] Some give up and drive twenty miles north to the highway bridge, and I lose their business. [10] I like the ferry's charm, but charm is no help to a nurse finishing a shift at midnight. [13] A survey of Marlow households found that 58 percent favor keeping the ferry and 31 percent favor a bridge, with the rest undecided.
    • [3] The town's traffic count for 2023 found about 1,400 vehicles a day on the ferry in summer and about 600 in winter. [4] A bridge sized for summer crowds would stand half empty for much of the year, yet the town would still pay to maintain it. [5] The ferry's costs rise and fall with its riders, and a bridge's costs would not.

  11. Why Pluto Lost Its Planet Status (article and data note)

    [1] When Clyde Tombaugh found Pluto in 1930, astronomers believed they had discovered a ninth planet, and early estimates made it about as large as Earth. [2] Better measurements steadily shrank it. [3] In 1978, the discovery of its moon Charon allowed astronomers to calculate Pluto's mass, which turned out to be less than one percent of Earth's. [4] Pluto is also smaller than Earth's own moon. [5] In the 1990s, telescopes began to reveal many icy bodies beyond Neptune in a region called the Kuiper belt, and Pluto's orbit placed it among them.

    [6] The turning point came in 2005, when a team led by Mike Brown announced Eris, an object in the same region that seemed at first to be larger than Pluto. [7] If Pluto was a planet, astronomers reasoned, Eris deserved the same title, and others like it would follow. [8] The International Astronomical Union took up the question at its 2006 meeting in Prague. [9] It defined a planet as a body that orbits the Sun, is nearly round, and has cleared its orbit of other objects of comparable size. [10] Pluto meets the first two tests but not the third, so it was classed as a dwarf planet. [11] Some astronomers objected, noting that the vote was taken by a small fraction of the union's members who were still at the meeting. [12] In 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto and returned images of glaciers, mountains and a hazy atmosphere, which made the world look far more active than anyone had expected.

    Data note: [13] Pluto is about 2,377 kilometers across, Eris about 2,326 kilometers, and Earth's moon about 3,474 kilometers.

  12. Milo tests a claim that carries a limit. Claim: “The decision to call Pluto a dwarf planet followed a reasoned test, but it did not settle the matter among astronomers.” Which set supports the claim as worded, limit included?

    • [10] Pluto meets the first two tests but not the third, so it was classed as a dwarf planet. [11] Some astronomers objected, noting that the vote was taken by a small fraction of the union's members who were still at the meeting. [12] In 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto and returned images of glaciers, mountains and a hazy atmosphere, which made the world look far more active than anyone had expected.
    • [3] In 1978, the discovery of its moon Charon allowed astronomers to calculate Pluto's mass, which turned out to be less than one percent of Earth's. [5] In the 1990s, telescopes began to reveal many icy bodies beyond Neptune in a region called the Kuiper belt, and Pluto's orbit placed it among them. [6] The turning point came in 2005, when a team led by Mike Brown announced Eris, an object in the same region that seemed at first to be larger than Pluto.
    • [8] The International Astronomical Union took up the question at its 2006 meeting in Prague. [9] It defined a planet as a body that orbits the Sun, is nearly round, and has cleared its orbit of other objects of comparable size. [10] Pluto meets the first two tests but not the third, so it was classed as a dwarf planet.
    • [9] It defined a planet as a body that orbits the Sun, is nearly round, and has cleared its orbit of other objects of comparable size. [10] Pluto meets the first two tests but not the third, so it was classed as a dwarf planet. [11] Some astronomers objected, noting that the vote was taken by a small fraction of the union's members who were still at the meeting.

  13. The Closet Telescope (story)

    [1] When Noah and Jun were sent to the supply closet to retrieve extension cords for the science fair, they discovered a brass telescope beneath a stack of folding chairs. [2] A card taped to its tube read "Property of Marlow School, 1961," in handwriting so faded that Noah had to tilt the card toward the light. [3] The lens cap was missing, the tripod had lost one foot, and the tube was thick with dust. [4] Jun suggested they ask Mr. Ferreira, the custodian, who had worked at the school longer than any teacher. [5] Mr. Ferreira looked at the telescope for a long moment and then said it had been in that closet since before he arrived. [6] He did not ask what they planned to do with it, but he went back to his cart and returned with a screwdriver and a cloth.

    [7] On Friday afternoon, Noah and Jun found the tripod fitted with a new foot cut from a piece of hardwood and sanded smooth. [8] Neither of them had said a word about the foot to Mr. Ferreira. [9] The lens had been carefully wiped clean, and a cap made from a rubber stopper sat on the tube. [10] That night, the two of them set up the telescope on the roof of the parking garage and located Saturn, its rings tilted like a thin silver hat. [11] Noah ran down to the cafeteria entrance, where Mr. Ferreira was locking up, and asked whether he wanted to look. [12] Mr. Ferreira said he had trash to finish first, but he stayed on the roof for ten minutes after the work was done. [13] The next Monday, a note was taped inside the closet door: "Telescope on loan to anyone who asks. R.F."

  14. Pia tests a claim that carries a limit. Claim: “Mr. Ferreira did most of the work of reviving the telescope, though the boys' curiosity began it.” Which set supports the claim as worded, limit included?

    • [1] When Noah and Jun were sent to the supply closet to retrieve extension cords for the science fair, they discovered a brass telescope beneath a stack of folding chairs. [10] That night, the two of them set up the telescope on the roof of the parking garage and located Saturn, its rings tilted like a thin silver hat. [11] Noah ran down to the cafeteria entrance, where Mr. Ferreira was locking up, and asked whether he wanted to look.
    • [2] A card taped to its tube read "Property of Marlow School, 1961," in handwriting so faded that Noah had to tilt the card toward the light. [3] The lens cap was missing, the tripod had lost one foot, and the tube was thick with dust. [5] Mr. Ferreira looked at the telescope for a long moment and then said it had been in that closet since before he arrived.
    • [6] He did not ask what they planned to do with it, but he went back to his cart and returned with a screwdriver and a cloth. [7] On Friday afternoon, Noah and Jun found the tripod fitted with a new foot cut from a piece of hardwood and sanded smooth. [9] The lens had been carefully wiped clean, and a cap made from a rubber stopper sat on the tube.
    • [1] When Noah and Jun were sent to the supply closet to retrieve extension cords for the science fair, they discovered a brass telescope beneath a stack of folding chairs. [7] On Friday afternoon, Noah and Jun found the tripod fitted with a new foot cut from a piece of hardwood and sanded smooth. [9] The lens had been carefully wiped clean, and a cap made from a rubber stopper sat on the tube.

  15. Should First Bell Move Later? (editorial)

    [1] For three years, the Calloway school district has debated moving the high school bell from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., and the argument has grown more heated each spring. [2] Supporters cite research showing that teenagers' body clocks shift later during adolescence, which makes early mornings harder to handle. [3] A national pediatric group recommends that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30. [4] Calloway's own sleep survey of 600 students found that 71 percent got fewer than eight hours on school nights. [5] Opponents respond that a later bell would push practices and jobs into the evening. [6] They point out that Lakeview, a neighboring district, moved its bell in 2019 and saw no change in attendance. [7] Supporters answer that attendance is a blunt measure, and that Lakeview's students reported getting about forty minutes more sleep. [8] The bus company adds that a later start would require new routes and might raise transportation costs by 9 percent.

    [9] Some of this evidence is stronger than the rest. [10] The sleep data and the Lakeview report describe real students, while the cost figure is an estimate that depends on choices the district has not yet made. [11] A fair decision would also weigh how much sleep matters to learning and to health, which is harder to measure than bus routes. [12] A pilot year at one school would give the district its own numbers before it commits to a change at the district's other high schools and middle schools.

  16. Ren tests a claim that carries a limit. Claim: “The survey and the Lakeview report support trying a later bell, though they stop short of settling the question.” Which set supports the claim as worded, limit included?

    • [5] Opponents respond that a later bell would push practices and jobs into the evening. [6] They point out that Lakeview, a neighboring district, moved its bell in 2019 and saw no change in attendance. [8] The bus company adds that a later start would require new routes and might raise transportation costs by 9 percent.
    • [2] Supporters cite research showing that teenagers' body clocks shift later during adolescence, which makes early mornings harder to handle. [3] A national pediatric group recommends that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30. [4] Calloway's own sleep survey of 600 students found that 71 percent got fewer than eight hours on school nights.
    • [4] Calloway's own sleep survey of 600 students found that 71 percent got fewer than eight hours on school nights. [7] Supporters answer that attendance is a blunt measure, and that Lakeview's students reported getting about forty minutes more sleep. [12] A pilot year at one school would give the district its own numbers before it commits to a change at the district's other high schools and middle schools.
    • [4] Calloway's own sleep survey of 600 students found that 71 percent got fewer than eight hours on school nights. [7] Supporters answer that attendance is a blunt measure, and that Lakeview's students reported getting about forty minutes more sleep. [10] The sleep data and the Lakeview report describe real students, while the cost figure is an estimate that depends on choices the district has not yet made.

  17. Ferry or Bridge? (letters and a town report)

    Letter from Dana Ortiz, ferry captain: [1] For ninety years, the Marlow ferry has carried cars, bikes and walkers across the Tern River in eleven minutes. [2] A bridge would take years to build, while the ferry sails today. [3] The town's traffic count for 2023 found about 1,400 vehicles a day on the ferry in summer and about 600 in winter. [4] A bridge sized for summer crowds would stand half empty for much of the year, yet the town would still pay to maintain it. [5] The ferry's costs rise and fall with its riders, and a bridge's costs would not.

    Letter from Omar Reyes, bakery owner: [6] My bakery sits at the ferry landing, so I watch the line of waiting cars grow each summer weekend. [7] The line stretches past the school, and drivers can wait forty minutes to board. [8] Some give up and drive twenty miles north to the highway bridge, and I lose their business. [9] The ferry also stops running at 9 p.m., so night-shift nurses at Tern County Hospital must take the long way home. [10] I like the ferry's charm, but charm is no help to a nurse finishing a shift at midnight.

    Town report, 2024: [11] A bridge would cost about $38 million to build, and the ferry costs about $1.2 million a year to operate. [12] State inspectors report that the ferry's main engine, installed in 1998, will need replacement within five years at a cost of about $2 million. [13] A survey of Marlow households found that 58 percent favor keeping the ferry and 31 percent favor a bridge, with the rest undecided.

  18. Tala combines evidence from more than one part of the text. Claim: “Between them, the letters and the town report suggest the ferry is cheap to run now but may soon cost the town more.” Which set supports it best?

    • [8] Some give up and drive twenty miles north to the highway bridge, and I lose their business. [9] The ferry also stops running at 9 p.m., so night-shift nurses at Tern County Hospital must take the long way home. [10] I like the ferry's charm, but charm is no help to a nurse finishing a shift at midnight.
    • [3] The town's traffic count for 2023 found about 1,400 vehicles a day on the ferry in summer and about 600 in winter. [4] A bridge sized for summer crowds would stand half empty for much of the year, yet the town would still pay to maintain it. [5] The ferry's costs rise and fall with its riders, and a bridge's costs would not.
    • [5] The ferry's costs rise and fall with its riders, and a bridge's costs would not. [11] A bridge would cost about $38 million to build, and the ferry costs about $1.2 million a year to operate. [12] State inspectors report that the ferry's main engine, installed in 1998, will need replacement within five years at a cost of about $2 million.
    • [1] For ninety years, the Marlow ferry has carried cars, bikes and walkers across the Tern River in eleven minutes. [11] A bridge would cost about $38 million to build, and the ferry costs about $1.2 million a year to operate. [13] A survey of Marlow households found that 58 percent favor keeping the ferry and 31 percent favor a bridge, with the rest undecided.

  19. Should First Bell Move Later? (editorial)

    [1] For three years, the Calloway school district has debated moving the high school bell from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., and the argument has grown more heated each spring. [2] Supporters cite research showing that teenagers' body clocks shift later during adolescence, which makes early mornings harder to handle. [3] A national pediatric group recommends that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30. [4] Calloway's own sleep survey of 600 students found that 71 percent got fewer than eight hours on school nights. [5] Opponents respond that a later bell would push practices and jobs into the evening. [6] They point out that Lakeview, a neighboring district, moved its bell in 2019 and saw no change in attendance. [7] Supporters answer that attendance is a blunt measure, and that Lakeview's students reported getting about forty minutes more sleep. [8] The bus company adds that a later start would require new routes and might raise transportation costs by 9 percent.

    [9] Some of this evidence is stronger than the rest. [10] The sleep data and the Lakeview report describe real students, while the cost figure is an estimate that depends on choices the district has not yet made. [11] A fair decision would also weigh how much sleep matters to learning and to health, which is harder to measure than bus routes. [12] A pilot year at one school would give the district its own numbers before it commits to a change at the district's other high schools and middle schools.

  20. Noah combines evidence from more than one part of the text. Claim: “The editorial gives evidence for both a sleep problem and a possible remedy.” Which set supports it best?

    • [5] Opponents respond that a later bell would push practices and jobs into the evening. [6] They point out that Lakeview, a neighboring district, moved its bell in 2019 and saw no change in attendance. [8] The bus company adds that a later start would require new routes and might raise transportation costs by 9 percent.
    • [3] A national pediatric group recommends that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30. [4] Calloway's own sleep survey of 600 students found that 71 percent got fewer than eight hours on school nights. [7] Supporters answer that attendance is a blunt measure, and that Lakeview's students reported getting about forty minutes more sleep.
    • [9] Some of this evidence is stronger than the rest. [10] The sleep data and the Lakeview report describe real students, while the cost figure is an estimate that depends on choices the district has not yet made. [12] A pilot year at one school would give the district its own numbers before it commits to a change at the district's other high schools and middle schools.
    • [2] Supporters cite research showing that teenagers' body clocks shift later during adolescence, which makes early mornings harder to handle. [3] A national pediatric group recommends that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30. [4] Calloway's own sleep survey of 600 students found that 71 percent got fewer than eight hours on school nights.
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Answer Key - Grade 9 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    Ferry or Bridge? (letters and a town report)

    Letter from Dana Ortiz, ferry captain: [1] For ninety years, the Marlow ferry has carried cars, bikes and walkers across the Tern River in eleven minutes. [2] A bridge would take years to build, while the ferry sails today. [3] The town's traffic count for 2023 found about 1,400 vehicles a day on the ferry in summer and about 600 in winter. [4] A bridge sized for summer crowds would stand half empty for much of the year, yet the town would still pay to maintain it. [5] The ferry's costs rise and fall with its riders, and a bridge's costs would not.

    Letter from Omar Reyes, bakery owner: [6] My bakery sits at the ferry landing, so I watch the line of waiting cars grow each summer weekend. [7] The line stretches past the school, and drivers can wait forty minutes to board. [8] Some give up and drive twenty miles north to the highway bridge, and I lose their business. [9] The ferry also stops running at 9 p.m., so night-shift nurses at Tern County Hospital must take the long way home. [10] I like the ferry's charm, but charm is no help to a nurse finishing a shift at midnight.

    Town report, 2024: [11] A bridge would cost about $38 million to build, and the ferry costs about $1.2 million a year to operate. [12] State inspectors report that the ferry's main engine, installed in 1998, will need replacement within five years at a cost of about $2 million. [13] A survey of Marlow households found that 58 percent favor keeping the ferry and 31 percent favor a bridge, with the rest undecided.

  2. Esme looks for clues the text only suggests. Claim: “Reyes's letter suggests he is thinking about people other than his own customers.” Which set of three sentences gives the strongest support?

    • [10] I like the ferry's charm, but charm is no help to a nurse finishing a shift at midnight. [11] A bridge would cost about $38 million to build, and the ferry costs about $1.2 million a year to operate. [12] State inspectors report that the ferry's main engine, installed in 1998, will need replacement within five years at a cost of about $2 million.
    • [8] Some give up and drive twenty miles north to the highway bridge, and I lose their business. [9] The ferry also stops running at 9 p.m., so night-shift nurses at Tern County Hospital must take the long way home. [10] I like the ferry's charm, but charm is no help to a nurse finishing a shift at midnight.
    • [6] My bakery sits at the ferry landing, so I watch the line of waiting cars grow each summer weekend. [7] The line stretches past the school, and drivers can wait forty minutes to board. [8] Some give up and drive twenty miles north to the highway bridge, and I lose their business.
    • [2] A bridge would take years to build, while the ferry sails today. [4] A bridge sized for summer crowds would stand half empty for much of the year, yet the town would still pay to maintain it. [5] The ferry's costs rise and fall with its riders, and a bridge's costs would not.

  3. Why Pluto Lost Its Planet Status (article and data note)

    [1] When Clyde Tombaugh found Pluto in 1930, astronomers believed they had discovered a ninth planet, and early estimates made it about as large as Earth. [2] Better measurements steadily shrank it. [3] In 1978, the discovery of its moon Charon allowed astronomers to calculate Pluto's mass, which turned out to be less than one percent of Earth's. [4] Pluto is also smaller than Earth's own moon. [5] In the 1990s, telescopes began to reveal many icy bodies beyond Neptune in a region called the Kuiper belt, and Pluto's orbit placed it among them.

    [6] The turning point came in 2005, when a team led by Mike Brown announced Eris, an object in the same region that seemed at first to be larger than Pluto. [7] If Pluto was a planet, astronomers reasoned, Eris deserved the same title, and others like it would follow. [8] The International Astronomical Union took up the question at its 2006 meeting in Prague. [9] It defined a planet as a body that orbits the Sun, is nearly round, and has cleared its orbit of other objects of comparable size. [10] Pluto meets the first two tests but not the third, so it was classed as a dwarf planet. [11] Some astronomers objected, noting that the vote was taken by a small fraction of the union's members who were still at the meeting. [12] In 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto and returned images of glaciers, mountains and a hazy atmosphere, which made the world look far more active than anyone had expected.

    Data note: [13] Pluto is about 2,377 kilometers across, Eris about 2,326 kilometers, and Earth's moon about 3,474 kilometers.

  4. Bo looks for clues the text only suggests. Claim: “The 2006 definition of a planet was a response to a wave of new discoveries, not a judgment on Pluto alone.” Which set of three sentences gives the strongest support?

    • [1] When Clyde Tombaugh found Pluto in 1930, astronomers believed they had discovered a ninth planet, and early estimates made it about as large as Earth. [8] The International Astronomical Union took up the question at its 2006 meeting in Prague. [10] Pluto meets the first two tests but not the third, so it was classed as a dwarf planet.
    • [10] Pluto meets the first two tests but not the third, so it was classed as a dwarf planet. [11] Some astronomers objected, noting that the vote was taken by a small fraction of the union's members who were still at the meeting. [12] In 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto and returned images of glaciers, mountains and a hazy atmosphere, which made the world look far more active than anyone had expected.
    • [2] Better measurements steadily shrank it. [3] In 1978, the discovery of its moon Charon allowed astronomers to calculate Pluto's mass, which turned out to be less than one percent of Earth's. [4] Pluto is also smaller than Earth's own moon.
    • [5] In the 1990s, telescopes began to reveal many icy bodies beyond Neptune in a region called the Kuiper belt, and Pluto's orbit placed it among them. [6] The turning point came in 2005, when a team led by Mike Brown announced Eris, an object in the same region that seemed at first to be larger than Pluto. [9] It defined a planet as a body that orbits the Sun, is nearly round, and has cleared its orbit of other objects of comparable size.

  5. The Closet Telescope (story)

    [1] When Noah and Jun were sent to the supply closet to retrieve extension cords for the science fair, they discovered a brass telescope beneath a stack of folding chairs. [2] A card taped to its tube read "Property of Marlow School, 1961," in handwriting so faded that Noah had to tilt the card toward the light. [3] The lens cap was missing, the tripod had lost one foot, and the tube was thick with dust. [4] Jun suggested they ask Mr. Ferreira, the custodian, who had worked at the school longer than any teacher. [5] Mr. Ferreira looked at the telescope for a long moment and then said it had been in that closet since before he arrived. [6] He did not ask what they planned to do with it, but he went back to his cart and returned with a screwdriver and a cloth.

    [7] On Friday afternoon, Noah and Jun found the tripod fitted with a new foot cut from a piece of hardwood and sanded smooth. [8] Neither of them had said a word about the foot to Mr. Ferreira. [9] The lens had been carefully wiped clean, and a cap made from a rubber stopper sat on the tube. [10] That night, the two of them set up the telescope on the roof of the parking garage and located Saturn, its rings tilted like a thin silver hat. [11] Noah ran down to the cafeteria entrance, where Mr. Ferreira was locking up, and asked whether he wanted to look. [12] Mr. Ferreira said he had trash to finish first, but he stayed on the roof for ten minutes after the work was done. [13] The next Monday, a note was taped inside the closet door: "Telescope on loan to anyone who asks. R.F."

  6. Kira looks for clues the text only suggests. Claim: “Mr. Ferreira repaired the telescope on his own initiative and wanted it used.” Which set of three sentences gives the strongest support?

    • [3] The lens cap was missing, the tripod had lost one foot, and the tube was thick with dust. [4] Jun suggested they ask Mr. Ferreira, the custodian, who had worked at the school longer than any teacher. [5] Mr. Ferreira looked at the telescope for a long moment and then said it had been in that closet since before he arrived.
    • [10] That night, the two of them set up the telescope on the roof of the parking garage and located Saturn, its rings tilted like a thin silver hat. [11] Noah ran down to the cafeteria entrance, where Mr. Ferreira was locking up, and asked whether he wanted to look. [12] Mr. Ferreira said he had trash to finish first, but he stayed on the roof for ten minutes after the work was done.
    • [7] On Friday afternoon, Noah and Jun found the tripod fitted with a new foot cut from a piece of hardwood and sanded smooth. [9] The lens had been carefully wiped clean, and a cap made from a rubber stopper sat on the tube. [10] That night, the two of them set up the telescope on the roof of the parking garage and located Saturn, its rings tilted like a thin silver hat.
    • [6] He did not ask what they planned to do with it, but he went back to his cart and returned with a screwdriver and a cloth. [7] On Friday afternoon, Noah and Jun found the tripod fitted with a new foot cut from a piece of hardwood and sanded smooth. [13] The next Monday, a note was taped inside the closet door: "Telescope on loan to anyone who asks. R.F."

  7. Should First Bell Move Later? (editorial)

    [1] For three years, the Calloway school district has debated moving the high school bell from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., and the argument has grown more heated each spring. [2] Supporters cite research showing that teenagers' body clocks shift later during adolescence, which makes early mornings harder to handle. [3] A national pediatric group recommends that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30. [4] Calloway's own sleep survey of 600 students found that 71 percent got fewer than eight hours on school nights. [5] Opponents respond that a later bell would push practices and jobs into the evening. [6] They point out that Lakeview, a neighboring district, moved its bell in 2019 and saw no change in attendance. [7] Supporters answer that attendance is a blunt measure, and that Lakeview's students reported getting about forty minutes more sleep. [8] The bus company adds that a later start would require new routes and might raise transportation costs by 9 percent.

    [9] Some of this evidence is stronger than the rest. [10] The sleep data and the Lakeview report describe real students, while the cost figure is an estimate that depends on choices the district has not yet made. [11] A fair decision would also weigh how much sleep matters to learning and to health, which is harder to measure than bus routes. [12] A pilot year at one school would give the district its own numbers before it commits to a change at the district's other high schools and middle schools.

  8. Luz looks for clues the text only suggests. Claim: “The writer leans toward a later bell without saying so directly.” Which set of three sentences gives the strongest support?

    • [1] For three years, the Calloway school district has debated moving the high school bell from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., and the argument has grown more heated each spring. [2] Supporters cite research showing that teenagers' body clocks shift later during adolescence, which makes early mornings harder to handle. [3] A national pediatric group recommends that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30.
    • [4] Calloway's own sleep survey of 600 students found that 71 percent got fewer than eight hours on school nights. [11] A fair decision would also weigh how much sleep matters to learning and to health, which is harder to measure than bus routes. [12] A pilot year at one school would give the district its own numbers before it commits to a change at the district's other high schools and middle schools.
    • [5] Opponents respond that a later bell would push practices and jobs into the evening. [6] They point out that Lakeview, a neighboring district, moved its bell in 2019 and saw no change in attendance. [8] The bus company adds that a later start would require new routes and might raise transportation costs by 9 percent.
    • [7] Supporters answer that attendance is a blunt measure, and that Lakeview's students reported getting about forty minutes more sleep. [9] Some of this evidence is stronger than the rest. [10] The sleep data and the Lakeview report describe real students, while the cost figure is an estimate that depends on choices the district has not yet made.

  9. Ferry or Bridge? (letters and a town report)

    Letter from Dana Ortiz, ferry captain: [1] For ninety years, the Marlow ferry has carried cars, bikes and walkers across the Tern River in eleven minutes. [2] A bridge would take years to build, while the ferry sails today. [3] The town's traffic count for 2023 found about 1,400 vehicles a day on the ferry in summer and about 600 in winter. [4] A bridge sized for summer crowds would stand half empty for much of the year, yet the town would still pay to maintain it. [5] The ferry's costs rise and fall with its riders, and a bridge's costs would not.

    Letter from Omar Reyes, bakery owner: [6] My bakery sits at the ferry landing, so I watch the line of waiting cars grow each summer weekend. [7] The line stretches past the school, and drivers can wait forty minutes to board. [8] Some give up and drive twenty miles north to the highway bridge, and I lose their business. [9] The ferry also stops running at 9 p.m., so night-shift nurses at Tern County Hospital must take the long way home. [10] I like the ferry's charm, but charm is no help to a nurse finishing a shift at midnight.

    Town report, 2024: [11] A bridge would cost about $38 million to build, and the ferry costs about $1.2 million a year to operate. [12] State inspectors report that the ferry's main engine, installed in 1998, will need replacement within five years at a cost of about $2 million. [13] A survey of Marlow households found that 58 percent favor keeping the ferry and 31 percent favor a bridge, with the rest undecided.

  10. Jun tests a claim that carries a limit. Claim: “The ferry's limits are real, yet the evidence stops short of showing that a bridge is the answer.” Which set supports the claim as worded, limit included?

    • [7] The line stretches past the school, and drivers can wait forty minutes to board. [9] The ferry also stops running at 9 p.m., so night-shift nurses at Tern County Hospital must take the long way home. [12] State inspectors report that the ferry's main engine, installed in 1998, will need replacement within five years at a cost of about $2 million.
    • [7] The line stretches past the school, and drivers can wait forty minutes to board. [9] The ferry also stops running at 9 p.m., so night-shift nurses at Tern County Hospital must take the long way home. [11] A bridge would cost about $38 million to build, and the ferry costs about $1.2 million a year to operate.
    • [8] Some give up and drive twenty miles north to the highway bridge, and I lose their business. [10] I like the ferry's charm, but charm is no help to a nurse finishing a shift at midnight. [13] A survey of Marlow households found that 58 percent favor keeping the ferry and 31 percent favor a bridge, with the rest undecided.
    • [3] The town's traffic count for 2023 found about 1,400 vehicles a day on the ferry in summer and about 600 in winter. [4] A bridge sized for summer crowds would stand half empty for much of the year, yet the town would still pay to maintain it. [5] The ferry's costs rise and fall with its riders, and a bridge's costs would not.

  11. Why Pluto Lost Its Planet Status (article and data note)

    [1] When Clyde Tombaugh found Pluto in 1930, astronomers believed they had discovered a ninth planet, and early estimates made it about as large as Earth. [2] Better measurements steadily shrank it. [3] In 1978, the discovery of its moon Charon allowed astronomers to calculate Pluto's mass, which turned out to be less than one percent of Earth's. [4] Pluto is also smaller than Earth's own moon. [5] In the 1990s, telescopes began to reveal many icy bodies beyond Neptune in a region called the Kuiper belt, and Pluto's orbit placed it among them.

    [6] The turning point came in 2005, when a team led by Mike Brown announced Eris, an object in the same region that seemed at first to be larger than Pluto. [7] If Pluto was a planet, astronomers reasoned, Eris deserved the same title, and others like it would follow. [8] The International Astronomical Union took up the question at its 2006 meeting in Prague. [9] It defined a planet as a body that orbits the Sun, is nearly round, and has cleared its orbit of other objects of comparable size. [10] Pluto meets the first two tests but not the third, so it was classed as a dwarf planet. [11] Some astronomers objected, noting that the vote was taken by a small fraction of the union's members who were still at the meeting. [12] In 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto and returned images of glaciers, mountains and a hazy atmosphere, which made the world look far more active than anyone had expected.

    Data note: [13] Pluto is about 2,377 kilometers across, Eris about 2,326 kilometers, and Earth's moon about 3,474 kilometers.

  12. Milo tests a claim that carries a limit. Claim: “The decision to call Pluto a dwarf planet followed a reasoned test, but it did not settle the matter among astronomers.” Which set supports the claim as worded, limit included?

    • [10] Pluto meets the first two tests but not the third, so it was classed as a dwarf planet. [11] Some astronomers objected, noting that the vote was taken by a small fraction of the union's members who were still at the meeting. [12] In 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto and returned images of glaciers, mountains and a hazy atmosphere, which made the world look far more active than anyone had expected.
    • [3] In 1978, the discovery of its moon Charon allowed astronomers to calculate Pluto's mass, which turned out to be less than one percent of Earth's. [5] In the 1990s, telescopes began to reveal many icy bodies beyond Neptune in a region called the Kuiper belt, and Pluto's orbit placed it among them. [6] The turning point came in 2005, when a team led by Mike Brown announced Eris, an object in the same region that seemed at first to be larger than Pluto.
    • [8] The International Astronomical Union took up the question at its 2006 meeting in Prague. [9] It defined a planet as a body that orbits the Sun, is nearly round, and has cleared its orbit of other objects of comparable size. [10] Pluto meets the first two tests but not the third, so it was classed as a dwarf planet.
    • [9] It defined a planet as a body that orbits the Sun, is nearly round, and has cleared its orbit of other objects of comparable size. [10] Pluto meets the first two tests but not the third, so it was classed as a dwarf planet. [11] Some astronomers objected, noting that the vote was taken by a small fraction of the union's members who were still at the meeting.

  13. The Closet Telescope (story)

    [1] When Noah and Jun were sent to the supply closet to retrieve extension cords for the science fair, they discovered a brass telescope beneath a stack of folding chairs. [2] A card taped to its tube read "Property of Marlow School, 1961," in handwriting so faded that Noah had to tilt the card toward the light. [3] The lens cap was missing, the tripod had lost one foot, and the tube was thick with dust. [4] Jun suggested they ask Mr. Ferreira, the custodian, who had worked at the school longer than any teacher. [5] Mr. Ferreira looked at the telescope for a long moment and then said it had been in that closet since before he arrived. [6] He did not ask what they planned to do with it, but he went back to his cart and returned with a screwdriver and a cloth.

    [7] On Friday afternoon, Noah and Jun found the tripod fitted with a new foot cut from a piece of hardwood and sanded smooth. [8] Neither of them had said a word about the foot to Mr. Ferreira. [9] The lens had been carefully wiped clean, and a cap made from a rubber stopper sat on the tube. [10] That night, the two of them set up the telescope on the roof of the parking garage and located Saturn, its rings tilted like a thin silver hat. [11] Noah ran down to the cafeteria entrance, where Mr. Ferreira was locking up, and asked whether he wanted to look. [12] Mr. Ferreira said he had trash to finish first, but he stayed on the roof for ten minutes after the work was done. [13] The next Monday, a note was taped inside the closet door: "Telescope on loan to anyone who asks. R.F."

  14. Pia tests a claim that carries a limit. Claim: “Mr. Ferreira did most of the work of reviving the telescope, though the boys' curiosity began it.” Which set supports the claim as worded, limit included?

    • [1] When Noah and Jun were sent to the supply closet to retrieve extension cords for the science fair, they discovered a brass telescope beneath a stack of folding chairs. [10] That night, the two of them set up the telescope on the roof of the parking garage and located Saturn, its rings tilted like a thin silver hat. [11] Noah ran down to the cafeteria entrance, where Mr. Ferreira was locking up, and asked whether he wanted to look.
    • [2] A card taped to its tube read "Property of Marlow School, 1961," in handwriting so faded that Noah had to tilt the card toward the light. [3] The lens cap was missing, the tripod had lost one foot, and the tube was thick with dust. [5] Mr. Ferreira looked at the telescope for a long moment and then said it had been in that closet since before he arrived.
    • [6] He did not ask what they planned to do with it, but he went back to his cart and returned with a screwdriver and a cloth. [7] On Friday afternoon, Noah and Jun found the tripod fitted with a new foot cut from a piece of hardwood and sanded smooth. [9] The lens had been carefully wiped clean, and a cap made from a rubber stopper sat on the tube.
    • [1] When Noah and Jun were sent to the supply closet to retrieve extension cords for the science fair, they discovered a brass telescope beneath a stack of folding chairs. [7] On Friday afternoon, Noah and Jun found the tripod fitted with a new foot cut from a piece of hardwood and sanded smooth. [9] The lens had been carefully wiped clean, and a cap made from a rubber stopper sat on the tube.

  15. Should First Bell Move Later? (editorial)

    [1] For three years, the Calloway school district has debated moving the high school bell from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., and the argument has grown more heated each spring. [2] Supporters cite research showing that teenagers' body clocks shift later during adolescence, which makes early mornings harder to handle. [3] A national pediatric group recommends that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30. [4] Calloway's own sleep survey of 600 students found that 71 percent got fewer than eight hours on school nights. [5] Opponents respond that a later bell would push practices and jobs into the evening. [6] They point out that Lakeview, a neighboring district, moved its bell in 2019 and saw no change in attendance. [7] Supporters answer that attendance is a blunt measure, and that Lakeview's students reported getting about forty minutes more sleep. [8] The bus company adds that a later start would require new routes and might raise transportation costs by 9 percent.

    [9] Some of this evidence is stronger than the rest. [10] The sleep data and the Lakeview report describe real students, while the cost figure is an estimate that depends on choices the district has not yet made. [11] A fair decision would also weigh how much sleep matters to learning and to health, which is harder to measure than bus routes. [12] A pilot year at one school would give the district its own numbers before it commits to a change at the district's other high schools and middle schools.

  16. Ren tests a claim that carries a limit. Claim: “The survey and the Lakeview report support trying a later bell, though they stop short of settling the question.” Which set supports the claim as worded, limit included?

    • [5] Opponents respond that a later bell would push practices and jobs into the evening. [6] They point out that Lakeview, a neighboring district, moved its bell in 2019 and saw no change in attendance. [8] The bus company adds that a later start would require new routes and might raise transportation costs by 9 percent.
    • [2] Supporters cite research showing that teenagers' body clocks shift later during adolescence, which makes early mornings harder to handle. [3] A national pediatric group recommends that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30. [4] Calloway's own sleep survey of 600 students found that 71 percent got fewer than eight hours on school nights.
    • [4] Calloway's own sleep survey of 600 students found that 71 percent got fewer than eight hours on school nights. [7] Supporters answer that attendance is a blunt measure, and that Lakeview's students reported getting about forty minutes more sleep. [12] A pilot year at one school would give the district its own numbers before it commits to a change at the district's other high schools and middle schools.
    • [4] Calloway's own sleep survey of 600 students found that 71 percent got fewer than eight hours on school nights. [7] Supporters answer that attendance is a blunt measure, and that Lakeview's students reported getting about forty minutes more sleep. [10] The sleep data and the Lakeview report describe real students, while the cost figure is an estimate that depends on choices the district has not yet made.

  17. Ferry or Bridge? (letters and a town report)

    Letter from Dana Ortiz, ferry captain: [1] For ninety years, the Marlow ferry has carried cars, bikes and walkers across the Tern River in eleven minutes. [2] A bridge would take years to build, while the ferry sails today. [3] The town's traffic count for 2023 found about 1,400 vehicles a day on the ferry in summer and about 600 in winter. [4] A bridge sized for summer crowds would stand half empty for much of the year, yet the town would still pay to maintain it. [5] The ferry's costs rise and fall with its riders, and a bridge's costs would not.

    Letter from Omar Reyes, bakery owner: [6] My bakery sits at the ferry landing, so I watch the line of waiting cars grow each summer weekend. [7] The line stretches past the school, and drivers can wait forty minutes to board. [8] Some give up and drive twenty miles north to the highway bridge, and I lose their business. [9] The ferry also stops running at 9 p.m., so night-shift nurses at Tern County Hospital must take the long way home. [10] I like the ferry's charm, but charm is no help to a nurse finishing a shift at midnight.

    Town report, 2024: [11] A bridge would cost about $38 million to build, and the ferry costs about $1.2 million a year to operate. [12] State inspectors report that the ferry's main engine, installed in 1998, will need replacement within five years at a cost of about $2 million. [13] A survey of Marlow households found that 58 percent favor keeping the ferry and 31 percent favor a bridge, with the rest undecided.

  18. Tala combines evidence from more than one part of the text. Claim: “Between them, the letters and the town report suggest the ferry is cheap to run now but may soon cost the town more.” Which set supports it best?

    • [8] Some give up and drive twenty miles north to the highway bridge, and I lose their business. [9] The ferry also stops running at 9 p.m., so night-shift nurses at Tern County Hospital must take the long way home. [10] I like the ferry's charm, but charm is no help to a nurse finishing a shift at midnight.
    • [3] The town's traffic count for 2023 found about 1,400 vehicles a day on the ferry in summer and about 600 in winter. [4] A bridge sized for summer crowds would stand half empty for much of the year, yet the town would still pay to maintain it. [5] The ferry's costs rise and fall with its riders, and a bridge's costs would not.
    • [5] The ferry's costs rise and fall with its riders, and a bridge's costs would not. [11] A bridge would cost about $38 million to build, and the ferry costs about $1.2 million a year to operate. [12] State inspectors report that the ferry's main engine, installed in 1998, will need replacement within five years at a cost of about $2 million.
    • [1] For ninety years, the Marlow ferry has carried cars, bikes and walkers across the Tern River in eleven minutes. [11] A bridge would cost about $38 million to build, and the ferry costs about $1.2 million a year to operate. [13] A survey of Marlow households found that 58 percent favor keeping the ferry and 31 percent favor a bridge, with the rest undecided.

  19. Should First Bell Move Later? (editorial)

    [1] For three years, the Calloway school district has debated moving the high school bell from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., and the argument has grown more heated each spring. [2] Supporters cite research showing that teenagers' body clocks shift later during adolescence, which makes early mornings harder to handle. [3] A national pediatric group recommends that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30. [4] Calloway's own sleep survey of 600 students found that 71 percent got fewer than eight hours on school nights. [5] Opponents respond that a later bell would push practices and jobs into the evening. [6] They point out that Lakeview, a neighboring district, moved its bell in 2019 and saw no change in attendance. [7] Supporters answer that attendance is a blunt measure, and that Lakeview's students reported getting about forty minutes more sleep. [8] The bus company adds that a later start would require new routes and might raise transportation costs by 9 percent.

    [9] Some of this evidence is stronger than the rest. [10] The sleep data and the Lakeview report describe real students, while the cost figure is an estimate that depends on choices the district has not yet made. [11] A fair decision would also weigh how much sleep matters to learning and to health, which is harder to measure than bus routes. [12] A pilot year at one school would give the district its own numbers before it commits to a change at the district's other high schools and middle schools.

  20. Noah combines evidence from more than one part of the text. Claim: “The editorial gives evidence for both a sleep problem and a possible remedy.” Which set supports it best?

    • [5] Opponents respond that a later bell would push practices and jobs into the evening. [6] They point out that Lakeview, a neighboring district, moved its bell in 2019 and saw no change in attendance. [8] The bus company adds that a later start would require new routes and might raise transportation costs by 9 percent.
    • [3] A national pediatric group recommends that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30. [4] Calloway's own sleep survey of 600 students found that 71 percent got fewer than eight hours on school nights. [7] Supporters answer that attendance is a blunt measure, and that Lakeview's students reported getting about forty minutes more sleep.
    • [9] Some of this evidence is stronger than the rest. [10] The sleep data and the Lakeview report describe real students, while the cost figure is an estimate that depends on choices the district has not yet made. [12] A pilot year at one school would give the district its own numbers before it commits to a change at the district's other high schools and middle schools.
    • [2] Supporters cite research showing that teenagers' body clocks shift later during adolescence, which makes early mornings harder to handle. [3] A national pediatric group recommends that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30. [4] Calloway's own sleep survey of 600 students found that 71 percent got fewer than eight hours on school nights.