Appeals to trust, feeling and reason

Grade 9 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Say Yes to the Scoreboard (op-ed)

   [1] When the school board announced that Brightline Energy would sponsor our new scoreboard, some parents objected. [2] Their objection misses what the sponsorship means: the district gets $15,000, and we all know how thin athletic budgets run. [3] The Brightline logo will appear on the scoreboard only, not on uniforms or in classrooms. [4] Star pitcher Marcus Bell, who led the state in strikeouts, drinks Brightline before every game and says it is "the secret to my fastball," and nobody who has watched Marcus pitch can doubt him. [5] Critics point out that the drink contains 240 milligrams of caffeine, but those critics have never carried a team through extra innings. [6] Teenagers drink soda every day, and a scoreboard sponsor will not change that, so vote yes for the scoreboard, and vote yes for our kids.

2. 1.

   Ari tests each appeal in the op-ed. Which gives the least real support for accepting the sponsorship, and why?

   • The ethos in sentence 4: a pitcher's strikeouts say nothing about whether the drink is safe.
   • The logos in sentence 2: a $15,000 payment is too small to matter for athletic budgets.
   • The pathos in sentence 4: a famous pitcher's quote stirs excitement and offers nothing else.
   • The ethos in sentence 4: Marcus Bell is a teenager, so his word on any drink is worthless.
3. 2.

   The op-ed answers critics of the caffeine with a dismissal. Bo wants to add one sentence after sentence 5. Which addition would give the board real support?

   • Last season my own son waited through the winter for the scoreboard to be finished, and he was thrilled when it came.
   • Most other districts in the state take sponsor money, so the board has no choice but to say yes.
   • The district nurse notes the 100-milligram teen limit, and the contract bans selling Brightline at school.
   • Marcus Bell has also won two regional awards and a state title, so his word on caffeine is reliable.
4. 3.

   Esme sums up the whole op-ed. Which choice best describes how it persuades and whether that suits its purpose of winning the board's approval?

   • It persuades through evidence alone, which shows the sponsorship is safe and settles the caffeine concern.
   • Its strongest support is the fifteen thousand dollars, but a pitcher's word and a dismissal of critics weaken the case.
   • It persuades through fame, which suits teenagers deciding whether to drink Brightline before their own games.
   • It persuades mainly through feeling, which suits a board that wants a warm story about local kids and sports.

5. The Package That Works (student op-ed)

   [1] Last year, students at Westbrook College who bought the optional $120 study-skills package earned an average GPA of 3.4, compared with 2.9 for students who did not. [2] The numbers are plain: the package works. [3] I took the package myself, and my GPA rose from 2.7 to 3.3 in two semesters. [4] Dean Marcus Whitlow, who has led the college for twelve years, says the package "has been a cornerstone of student success." [5] Critics say the college should make the package free, but a free package would not be valued, because people respect what they pay for. [6] Every student deserves the chance to succeed, and no student should be left behind because of a hesitation to invest in themselves, so I urge the board to keep the package as it is.

6. 4.

   The op-ed treats a gap between two groups as proof. Kira wants to add one sentence after sentence 2. Which addition would give the board real support?

   • A follow-up of 400 students compared GPAs before and after buying the package; the average rose 0.3.
   • Students who do not buy the package are simply not committed to doing well in their classes.
   • Many students have told me the package changed their lives for the better, and I believe them.
   • The 3.4 average is higher than the 3.0 average of the whole college, a gap of a full 0.4.
7. 5.

   Luz sums up the whole op-ed. Which choice best describes how it persuades and whether that suits its purpose of keeping the package?

   • It leans on a gap between groups, a story and a dean's praise, which sounds firm but never shows cause.
   • It persuades through the dean's praise, which suits students deciding whether to buy the package.
   • It persuades through a controlled study, which shows the package raised GPAs for the students who bought it.
   • It persuades through feeling alone, which suits a board that wants a kind, student-centered message.

8. Two Letters on Uniforms (two letters to the school board)

   Letter A. [1] I have taught for twenty-six years, and I can tell you that a uniform changes a classroom. [2] Our school's discipline referrals fell from 212 to 158 the year after uniforms were adopted. [3] Parents report that mornings are calmer, and teachers say that hallway conversations have shifted from what people are wearing to what they are reading. [4] I ask the board to extend the policy to the middle school.

   Letter B. [5] Imagine being a student who cannot afford the right shoes. [6] Our district's uniform requires polo shirts, khaki pants and black shoes, and families spent an average of $94 per child on the required items this fall. [7] That same year, referrals fell at nearby schools with no uniform requirement, from 190 to 151. [8] Calm hallways, it seems, are not the exclusive gift of one policy, and I ask the board to leave the middle school as it is.

9. 6.

   Milo tests each appeal in Letter A. Which gives the least real support for extending the uniform policy, and why?

   • The logos in sentence 2: referrals fell, but Letter B shows they fell where no uniforms were worn.
   • The ethos in sentence 2: a before-and-after count from the school's own records is an appeal to trust.
   • The ethos in sentence 1: twenty-six years of teaching is too short to count as real experience.
   • The logos in sentence 2: the drop from 212 to 158 is too small to matter to a whole school.
10. 7.

    Noah wants Letter A's writer to add one sentence after sentence 2 that answers Letter B's evidence. Which addition would give the board real support?

    • Our students look sharper in uniform, and families say they feel proud at pick-up each afternoon.
    • The 212 referrals the year before were higher than at any other school in the state last year.
    • At three nearby schools with no uniforms, referrals fell 8 percent; ours fell 25 percent.
    • Uniforms are the main reason referrals fall in a school, and no study has suggested otherwise.
11. 8.

    Pia compares the two letters, which use similar numbers. Which choice best describes how Letter B answers Letter A?

    • Letter B speaks to students who cannot afford uniforms, and not to the board that will vote.
    • Letter B opens with a picture, then uses the same kind of evidence to show Letter A's count has another cause.
    • Letter B shows that uniforms do not reduce referrals, because other schools improved without them.
    • Letter B relies on feeling alone, which is why its evidence is weaker than Letter A's.

12. The Bridge We Deserve (speech to the town meeting)

    [1] I am Chef Dominic Alvarez, and my restaurant's tables have been full every Saturday for eleven years. [2] That makes me an expert on what this town wants, and what this town wants is the new Harbor Bridge. [3] Think of the last time you sat in traffic on Route 14 with the sun going down and your family hungry in the back seat. [4] The city's engineers estimate that the bridge will cut the trip across the harbor from thirty-five minutes to twelve, and the $64 million cost works out to about $90 per resident over twenty years. [5] Opponents say the money should go to schools, but nobody who loves children could say that, and everyone I know is for the bridge.

13. 9.

    Ren tests each appeal in the speech. Which gives the least real support for building the bridge, and why?

    • The ethos in sentence 2: a restaurant's full tables do not show what residents want from a bridge.
    • The logos in sentence 4: the engineers' estimate is just an estimate, so it cannot count as evidence.
    • The ethos in sentence 2: a chef is too busy running a kitchen to know anything about bridges.
    • The pathos in sentence 2: a chef's full tables are meant to make listeners feel the town's excitement.
14. 10.

    Sentence 5 answers the opponents with a charge instead of evidence. Tala wants to add one sentence after sentence 4. Which addition would give the town real support?

    • The 64 million dollars comes from a state road fund that cannot be spent on schools.
    • Schools in this town are already among the strongest in the county, so they need nothing more this year.
    • My own children were nearly late for school last week because of that traffic on Route 14.
    • Chef Alvarez has hired forty local students over eleven years, many from the high school.