9th grade Two authors, one topic, two conclusions worksheet

Two authors, one topic, two conclusions

Grade 9 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Two Letters on the Fairhaven Library DVDs (two letters)

   Text A, a letter from Ms. Delia Brandt, a member of the library board: [1] The Fairhaven Public Library should turn its DVD room into three small study rooms before the fall semester begins. [2] According to the library's own records, DVD checkouts have fallen by half over the past five years, from about 600 a month to about 300. [3] Meanwhile, the front desk turns away students on most weeknights because the two existing study rooms are already booked. [4] The DVD room is the one quiet space on the first floor that has its own door, which is exactly what a study group needs. [5] The remaining DVDs could fit on two shelves near the audiobooks, so families who still borrow them would lose very little. [6] A library has to follow what its readers actually use, and the numbers show that use has moved.

   Text B, a letter from Mr. Arturo Vance, a retired teacher who volunteers at the front desk: [7] Before the board empties the DVD room, it should look closely at who still checks out those 300 discs each month. [8] Many of them are families on the east side of town, where several households have told me they have no fast internet at home. [9] For those families, the library's DVDs are the cheapest way to watch films, nature documentaries and language lessons together. [10] Cutting the collection down to two shelves would mean far fewer titles, and families would wait weeks for the ones they wanted. [11] I agree that students need more space, but the empty meeting room on the second floor could be booked for study groups on weeknights. [12] The DVD room should stay as it is, at least until the board has asked the families who use it.

2. 1.

   Bo fills the matrix row for details stressed or left out. Which detail does Mr. Vance stress that Ms. Brandt leaves out?

   • Students are turned away because the study rooms are booked (sentence 3).
   • Families would have to pay a fee to borrow DVDs from two shelves (sentence 10).
   • DVD checkouts have dropped to about 300 a month (sentences 2 and 7).
   • Many families who borrow DVDs have no fast internet at home (sentence 8).
3. 2.

   Esme fills the conclusion row of the matrix. What does each author conclude about the DVD room?

   • Ms. Brandt: DVD checkouts have fallen by half. Mr. Vance: many east-side families lack fast internet.
   • Ms. Brandt: turn it into study rooms this fall. Mr. Vance: move the DVDs to two shelves near the audiobooks.
   • Ms. Brandt: keep it until the board asks the families who use it. Mr. Vance: turn it into study rooms this fall.
   • Ms. Brandt: turn it into study rooms this fall. Mr. Vance: keep it until the board asks the families who use it.

4. Two Views on Closing Front Street (a column and a letter)

   Text A, a column by Mr. Lucas Ferro, who runs Ferro Hardware on Front Street: [1] The council wants to close Front Street to cars on Saturday mornings, but the trial last June showed why that plan would hurt the shops it claims to help. [2] It is true that the town counted about 1,400 people on the street on each trial morning, compared with about 900 on an ordinary Saturday. [3] Most of those visitors, however, were strolling with coffee rather than carrying bags, and a crowd that browses does not pay the rent. [4] My own receipts fell by about a fifth on those three mornings, because customers who needed lumber, paint or fence posts could not park near my door. [5] Two other shops that sell heavy goods told me that their sales dropped as well. [6] Front Street should stay open to cars on Saturdays, and the council could hold an occasional street fair instead.

   Text B, a letter from Ms. Noor Haddad, who leads the Granger Walking Club: [7] The three trial Saturdays last June gave Front Street something it has not had in years, which is a crowd. [8] The town's count of about 1,400 people each morning, up from about 900, shows how many residents want a safe place to walk downtown. [9] The four cafés on the street reported busier mornings, and the bakery sold out of bread by ten o'clock on two of the three days. [10] Older members of our club said they felt comfortable crossing the street without watching for turning cars. [11] I understand that some shops worry about parking, so the town could reserve spaces on Ash Lane for customers picking up heavy goods. [12] Front Street should close to cars on Saturday mornings, at least from May through September, when the walking weather is reliable.

5. 3.

   Jun fills one row of the matrix. Both texts mention the count of about 1,400 people on each trial morning. How does each author use it?

   • Mr. Ferro says the count was too low to trust; Ms. Haddad says it was taken on the wrong day.
   • Mr. Ferro says it shows residents want a safe place to walk; Ms. Haddad says most of the crowd browsed rather than bought.
   • Mr. Ferro says most of the crowd browsed rather than bought; Ms. Haddad says it shows residents want a safe place to walk.
   • Both authors use it to show the closing brought more paying customers to the shops.
6. 4.

   Kira fills the matrix row for details stressed or left out. Which detail does Mr. Ferro stress that Ms. Haddad leaves out?

   • The shops on Front Street would have to close early on Saturdays (sentence 6).
   • About 1,400 people came on each trial morning, up from about 900 (sentences 2 and 8).
   • Mr. Ferro's receipts fell by about a fifth on the trial mornings (sentence 4).
   • The cafés on the street reported busier mornings during the trial (sentence 9).
7. 5.

   Luz fills the conclusion row of the matrix. What does each author conclude about Front Street on Saturday mornings?

   • Mr. Ferro: keep it open to cars and hold an occasional fair. Ms. Haddad: reserve spaces on Ash Lane for pickups.
   • Mr. Ferro: his receipts fell by about a fifth. Ms. Haddad: the bakery sold out of bread on two days.
   • Mr. Ferro: close it to cars from May through September. Ms. Haddad: keep it open to cars and hold an occasional fair.
   • Mr. Ferro: keep it open to cars and hold an occasional fair. Ms. Haddad: close it to cars from May through September.

8. Two Columns on the Bay Road Fund (two columns)

   Text A, a column by Ms. Priya Lund, a member of the Halston Tree Committee: [1] Halston has set aside $40,000 for Bay Road this year, and the wisest use of that money is to plant shade trees along the sidewalk. [2] Bay Road has almost no shade between the bus stop and the elementary school, so people waiting for the bus on summer afternoons stand in full sun. [3] A nursery quoted the committee $500 a tree, including planting, which means the fund would cover about eighty trees. [4] Trees take many years to grow, which is exactly why the town should plant them now rather than wait for another budget. [5] Street trees also cool the air around them and give birds a place to nest. [6] The town should spend the whole fund on trees this year.

   Text B, a column by Mr. Owen Pike, who serves on the town's sidewalk safety panel: [7] Before Halston spends its $40,000 for Bay Road, it should look closely at the sidewalk itself. [8] Last spring the panel walked the road and marked twenty-six places where slabs have lifted by more than an inch, which is enough to catch a stroller wheel or a walker. [9] A contractor estimated that fixing those places would cost about $25,000. [10] The roots of large trees are a common reason that slabs lift, so planting eighty trees beside the old sidewalk could add to the problem in later years. [11] The town should repair the twenty-six places first and spend what is left on smaller trees planted in wide beds. [12] Shade matters, but a sidewalk that trips people is not doing its basic job.

9. 6.

   Milo fills one row of the matrix. Both texts start from the $40,000 set aside for Bay Road. How does each author use that amount?

   • Ms. Lund counts the eighty trees it would buy; Mr. Pike says repairs would take $25,000 and leave the rest for trees.
   • Both authors use it to count how many shade trees Bay Road could get this year.
   • Ms. Lund says repairs would take $25,000 and leave the rest for trees; Mr. Pike counts the eighty trees it would buy.
   • Ms. Lund says it is too little for any work; Mr. Pike says it should be saved for next year.
10. 7.

    Noah fills the matrix row for details stressed or left out. Which detail does Mr. Pike stress that Ms. Lund leaves out?

    • Twenty-six slabs on Bay Road have lifted by more than an inch (sentence 8).
    • People at the bus stop stand in full sun on summer afternoons (sentence 2).
    • The town has set aside $40,000 for Bay Road this year (sentences 1 and 7).
    • A nursery would plant smaller trees for half the price (sentence 11).
11. 8.

    Pia fills the conclusion row of the matrix. What does each author conclude about the Bay Road fund?

    • Ms. Lund: spend the whole fund on trees this year. Mr. Pike: repair the lifted slabs first, then plant smaller trees.
    • Ms. Lund: spend the whole fund on trees this year. Mr. Pike: plant no trees on Bay Road this year.
    • Ms. Lund: Bay Road has almost no shade. Mr. Pike: tree roots are a common reason slabs lift.
    • Ms. Lund: repair the lifted slabs first, then plant smaller trees. Mr. Pike: spend the whole fund on trees this year.

12. Two Letters on an Ivydale Dog Park (two letters)

    Text A, a letter from Ms. Carmen Ostrow, who serves on the Ivydale Parks Board: [1] Ivydale needs a fenced dog park, and the east lawn at Cooper Field is the right place to build one. [2] In a parks survey last winter, 212 residents asked for a dog park, more than asked for any other new feature. [3] Right now some owners let their dogs run loose on the school fields at dawn, which leaves the grass torn up and the neighbors annoyed. [4] The east lawn already has a parking lot, a water fountain and a paved path from the bus stop. [5] A fence and two benches would cost about $18,000, which the parks budget can cover this year. [6] The board should approve a dog park on the east lawn of Cooper Field this spring.

    Text B, a letter from Mr. Hal Benning, who coaches in the Ivydale youth soccer league: [7] No one on our league board doubts the 212 residents who asked for a dog park, but the east lawn at Cooper Field is the wrong spot for it. [8] That lawn is the flattest grass in town, and four youth teams practice on it on weekday evenings from April to October. [9] If a fence goes up, those teams will have to share the west field, which already hosts games on Saturdays and floods after heavy rain. [10] The parking lot that the dog park would use is also full on practice nights, when parents line the curb waiting for their children. [11] The empty lot behind the public works garage is nearly as close to the bus stop and is used by no one. [12] The town should build its dog park, but on the public works lot rather than on a field that children already use.

13. 9.

    Tala fills the matrix row for details stressed or left out. Which detail does Mr. Benning stress that Ms. Ostrow leaves out?

    • In a parks survey, 212 residents asked for a dog park (sentences 2 and 7).
    • Dog owners would pay a yearly fee to use the fenced park (sentence 5).
    • Dogs running loose at dawn tear up the grass on the school fields (sentence 3).
    • Four youth teams practice on the east lawn on weekday evenings (sentence 8).
14. 10.

    Zee fills the conclusion row of the matrix. What does each author conclude about the dog park?

    • Ms. Ostrow: build it on Cooper Field's east lawn this spring. Mr. Benning: build it on the public works lot instead.
    • Ms. Ostrow: 212 residents asked for a dog park. Mr. Benning: the west field floods after heavy rain.
    • Ms. Ostrow: build it on the public works lot instead. Mr. Benning: build it on Cooper Field's east lawn this spring.
    • Ms. Ostrow: build it on Cooper Field's east lawn this spring. Mr. Benning: build no dog park in Ivydale.