Explain how the evidence proves the claim
Grade 9 Reading Worksheet
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Compost Bins for the Harwick High Cafeteria (student council proposal, invented town and figures)
[1] Every day at lunch, the Harwick High cafeteria fills eight large trash bags, and much of what goes into them never needed to become trash. [2] The school should collect food scraps for compost, because doing so would shrink the trash the school pays to haul away and would give the garden club free soil.
[3] In an audit last month, the student council weighed one week of cafeteria trash and found that food scraps made up about forty percent of it by weight. [4] The school's hauling company charges by weight, so each pound of scraps kept out of the bags is a pound that the school does not pay to remove. [5] The garden club spends about $300 each spring on bagged soil for the raised beds behind the science wing. [6] At nearby Larkin High, a compost program cut the cafeteria's daily trash from twelve bags to seven within one semester. [7] One sophomore says that the cafeteria smells better on days when the trash cans are emptied early. [8] The club's adviser calls composting “the future of every school.”
[9] The cafeteria also added a salad bar this fall, and it has become popular with students and teachers. [10] Some staff members worry that bins full of scraps would draw flies and smell bad in warm weather. [11] Lidded bins, emptied each afternoon into a closed tumbler behind the gym, keep flies out and keep the smell away from the building. [12] Because the scraps are heavy and the club already buys soil, composting would save money twice, once on hauling and once on soil. [13] The council asks the principal to start a one-semester trial of compost bins in January.
The claim in sentence 2 has two parts: less trash to haul and free soil for the garden club. Which analysis best links sentence 5 to the soil part, Bo?
- The garden club spends about $300 each spring on bagged soil for its raised beds.
- Scraps that go into compost stay out of the trash bags, so the school pays less to haul trash away.
- Because the club buys soil, composting will let the club grow enough food to supply the cafeteria.
- If the club already pays $300 a year for soil, compost made from scraps could replace that cost with free soil.
Which pair of sentences best supports both parts of the claim in sentence 2, Esme?
- Sentences 5 and 7
- Sentences 3 and 6
- Sentences 4 and 9
- Sentences 3 and 5
Sentence 11 answers the worry in sentence 10. Which transition would best open sentence 11, Jun?
- As a result,
- In addition,
- Even so,
- For example,
Use this
A Quiet Reading Period at Oakmere High (letter from the English department, invented town and figures): [1] Most students at Oakmere High say that they would like to read more books, but few can find the time during a crowded school day. [2] The school should add a twenty-minute quiet reading period after lunch, because it would help students finish more books and give afternoon classes a calmer start.
[3] Last spring, two homerooms tried the reading period for ten weeks, and their students finished an average of six books, while other homerooms averaged two. [4] Teachers in the trial rooms logged four disruptions at the start of afternoon classes during those ten weeks, compared with fifteen in rooms without the period. [5] The school library reported that its checkouts rose by about one third while the trial was running. [6] One junior said that reading after lunch made it easier to fall asleep at night. [7] A parent wrote to the principal that reading is “the most important habit a teenager can build.” [8] The English department also started a short-story contest this year, and it drew forty entries from students.
[9] Some teachers object that a reading period would take twenty minutes away from their lessons each day. [10] The trial schedule took only four minutes from each of the five afternoon periods, so no single class lost much time. [11] The period would cost each class a few minutes while tripling the books that students finish and cutting the disruptions that already waste class time. [12] A quiet reading period is a small change that the school could make next semester. [13] We ask the principal to add the period to the schedule in January.
The claim in sentence 2 has two parts: more books finished and a calmer start to afternoon classes. Which analysis best links sentence 4 to the calmer-start part, Kira?
- Because disruptions fell, the reading period will raise students' grades in afternoon classes.
- Students in the trial rooms finished three times as many books, so the period helps students read more.
- Fewer disruptions in the trial rooms suggest that the reading period settles students before lessons begin.
- Teachers logged four disruptions in the trial rooms and fifteen in rooms without the reading period.
Which pair of sentences best supports both parts of the claim in sentence 2, Luz?
- Sentences 3 and 5
- Sentences 3 and 8
- Sentences 3 and 4
- Sentences 4 and 6
Sentence 10 answers the objection in sentence 9. Which transition would best open sentence 10, Milo?
- Still,
- Also,
- Therefore,
- For instance,
Water Refill Stations for Brightwater Middle School (parent group letter, invented town and figures)
[1] Students at Brightwater Middle School bring or buy hundreds of plastic water bottles every week, and most of the empty bottles end up in the trash. [2] The school should install water refill stations in its main hallways, because they would cut plastic waste and lead students to drink more water during the day.
[3] Over two weeks in April, the custodians counted about 900 empty plastic bottles a week in the school's trash and recycling bins. [4] In a survey of 400 students, 230 said that they skip drinking water at school because the old fountains are slow and the water comes out warm. [5] Kellam Middle School installed two refill stations last year, and their built-in counters recorded more than 30,000 refills by June. [6] One science teacher says that students always seem happier with a cold drink in hand. [7] A student council member called the bottles “a complete waste of everyone's money.” [8] The school also replaced the old lockers in the gym last summer.
[9] Each station costs about $1,200, and some parents question whether the school can afford two of them. [10] The parent group has already won a $3,000 grant from the county recycling office, which would cover both stations and their installation. [11] With the grant in hand, the stations would cost the school's own budget nothing, while each refill would replace a bottle that would otherwise be thrown away. [12] Clean, cold water should be easy for students to reach in every hallway. [13] We ask the principal to approve the stations before the hot weeks of May.
The claim in sentence 2 has two parts: less plastic waste and more water drunk at school. Which analysis best links sentence 5 to the waste part, Noah?
- Each refill at Kellam could fill a reusable bottle instead of a new plastic one, so stations here could cut bottle waste too.
- Since Kellam logged 30,000 refills, Brightwater will stop throwing away plastic of any kind.
- Students who find cold water close at hand drink more of it, so the stations would help students drink more.
- Kellam's two stations recorded more than 30,000 refills between their installation and June.
Which transition would best open sentence 11, Ren?
- However,
- As a result,
- In addition,
- For example,
Open the Calloway High Gym on Saturday Mornings (remarks to the school board, invented town and figures)
[1] On Saturday mornings, the gym at Calloway High sits empty and dark, while many teenagers in town have nowhere indoors to play basketball or run. [2] The district should open the gym from nine to noon on Saturdays, because it would give teens a safe place to exercise and would cost the district very little.
[3] The nearest public court is four miles from the high school, and it has no roof, no lights and a cracked surface. [4] In a survey of 300 teens at the youth center, 180 said that they would use the gym at least twice a month on Saturday mornings. [5] The head custodian already works from eight to noon on Saturdays to clean the building, so the doors would be unlocked and staffed anyway. [6] The district's facilities office estimates that lighting and heating the gym for three hours would cost about $25 each Saturday. [7] One sophomore says that shooting baskets in the rain at the outdoor court is no fun. [8] A council member called the plan “a no-brainer that any town would love.”
[9] The gym floor was refinished last summer and now has bright new lines for volleyball. [10] Some board members worry that the district could be blamed if a teen were hurt during an open gym session. [11] The district's insurance policy already covers community use of school buildings, and a trained adult volunteer would supervise each session. [12] With a custodian already on duty and a cost of about $25 a morning, the district could open the gym for about the price of two basketballs. [13] We ask the board to approve a spring trial of open gym on Saturday mornings.
Which pair of sentences best supports both parts of the claim in sentence 2, Zee?
- Sentences 5 and 6
- Sentences 4 and 6
- Sentences 6 and 9
- Sentences 3 and 7
Which transition would best open sentence 12, Ari?
- In addition,
- Therefore,
- However,
- For instance,
