Write an argument that weighs the other side

Grade 9 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   A Winter Coat Exchange at Carver High (argument draft)

   [1] Each winter at Carver High School, some students arrive at the bus stop in sweatshirts on mornings when the temperature drops well below freezing, while outgrown coats sit unused in closets across town. [2] The student council should run a winter coat exchange in the front lobby each November, where families could drop off clean coats that no longer fit and take home ones that do. [3] A coat exchange would meet a real need at almost no cost, and the council could measure its results within a single season.

   [4] First, an exchange would keep students warm on the coldest mornings and save their families the cost of buying new coats. [5] Winter can be really cold. [6] The front lobby has a long bench, two coat racks and a folding table that the drama club uses for ticket sales in the spring.

   [7] Second, an exchange would keep good coats in use instead of sending them to the landfill or leaving them in storage. [8] When the council held a one-day trial last January, families dropped off eighty-four coats, and students and families took home sixty-seven of them before the lobby closed. [9] So sixty-seven coats were taken.

   [10] Honestly, it is pathetic that a town full of people with closets stuffed with junk lets kids freeze at the bus stop. [11] Some teachers worry that the exchange would leave piles of unclaimed coats, but a shelter in the county has agreed to collect any coats that remain after a week. [12] For these reasons, the student council should hold a winter coat exchange in the lobby each November.

2. 1.

   Bo notices that sentence [9] only repeats [8]. Which sentence would explain how the evidence in [8] supports the reason in [7]?

   • At the one-day trial last January, families left eighty-four coats in the lobby, and sixty-seven of them were taken home that afternoon.
   • Because sixty-seven of the eighty-four donated coats went home with new owners, most of them would be worn again instead of being stored or thrown out.
   • This shows that a single coat exchange would empty the town's closets of unused coats and end winter coat waste in the county for good.
   • The drama club also offered to lend its rolling racks so that the donated coats could be sorted by size before the exchange opened.
3. 2.

   Esme thinks sentence [10] uses loaded words. Which version keeps its point in a formal, objective tone?

   • Seriously, you've probably got a bunch of old coats just sitting in your closet while kids freeze outside.
   • It is disgraceful that selfish, careless households hoard their old coats while students shiver helplessly at the bus stop.
   • The town's bus routes were redrawn last fall, and several stops now sit farther from students' homes than before.
   • Many families keep outgrown coats in storage while some students still wait for the bus without warm clothing.

4. Shade for the Bus Loop (argument draft)

   [1] On warm afternoons at Ridgeline High School, about two hundred students wait in the open bus loop for as long as twenty-five minutes, with no roof, trees or awning between them and the sky. [2] The school council should ask the district to build a covered shelter along the north side of the loop before classes begin next August. [3] A shelter would protect students' health and help the afternoon dismissal run more smoothly for students and drivers.

   [4] The first reason is that a shelter would protect waiting students from both heat and rain, which are the two most common complaints the office receives about the loop. [5] Lots of students do not like standing outside. [6] The loop's dark asphalt surface also holds the afternoon heat long after the sun has started to set behind the gymnasium.

   [7] The second reason is that a shelter would keep students together in one place, which helps the drivers load their buses quickly. [8] During a week of light rain last spring, when students crowded under the gym doorway across the lot instead, the assistant principal recorded that the buses left an average of nine minutes late. [9] So the buses were nine minutes late when it rained.

   [10] Frankly, anyone who thinks students should just tough it out in the heat has obviously never stood in that miserable loop. [11] A shelter would cost money, but the district has already set aside funds this year for improvements to school grounds. [12] For these reasons, the council should request a covered shelter for the Ridgeline bus loop this year.

5. 3.

   Jun sees that sentence [5] does not back the two-part reason in [4]. Which evidence should replace [5] because it covers both parts?

   • One afternoon last September a sophomore felt faint in the heat, and a week later the same student's books were soaked by rain.
   • District readings put the loop at 97 degrees on six September afternoons, and students waited there uncovered through eleven rainy dismissals last spring.
   • Covered shelters at other schools in the district are built from steel posts and a sloped metal roof that drains to one side.
   • District readings put the asphalt loop at 97 degrees or hotter on six separate afternoons last September, while students stood in the open waiting for buses.
6. 4.

   Kira notices that sentence [9] only repeats [8]. Which sentence would explain how the evidence in [8] supports the reason in [7]?

   • When students scattered across the lot to find cover, drivers had to wait for them, so a shelter at the curb would remove that delay.
   • During a week of light rain last spring, the buses left the Ridgeline loop an average of nine minutes behind schedule.
   • This shows that a shelter would get each bus out early in any weather and end late arrivals at home for good.
   • The bus company also reported that two drivers waited at the curb on several dry afternoons last fall for students who had wandered to the far end of the lot.
7. 5.

   Luz thinks sentence [10] uses loaded words. Which version keeps its point in a formal, objective tone?

   • Honestly, if you had to stand out in that loop on a hot day, you'd be begging for some shade too.
   • The district repaved the bus loop two summers ago and painted new lines and arrows to guide the drivers.
   • Forcing students to bake in that neglected, miserable loop is a cruel policy that a caring council would refuse to allow.
   • Students who wait in the open loop on hot afternoons face real discomfort that a covered shelter would reduce.

8. A Weather Station on the Roof of Pryor High (argument draft)

   [1] Pryor High School sits on a hill above the river valley, and the nearest official weather station is at the county airport, fourteen miles away and three hundred feet lower. [2] The science department should install a small automatic weather station on the roof of the school, with sensors for temperature, wind, rainfall and humidity. [3] A station on the roof would serve both the classrooms and the playing fields, and a single grant from the county could cover its cost.

   [4] To begin with, a station would give science classes real local data to study and give coaches accurate readings before outdoor practices. [5] Weather is an interesting subject. [6] The roof already holds two large ventilation units and a flagpole that the custodians lower each evening at sunset.

   [7] In addition, the station would be inexpensive to run once it is installed, because it powers itself and sends its readings to the school without a cable. [8] The county education office reports that the same solar-powered model at Danvers High has needed one new battery and two cleanings of its rain gauge in four years. [9] Danvers High has had the station for four years.

   [10] It is ridiculous that a school full of supposedly brilliant scientists has to guess the weather like cave dwellers staring up at the sky. [11] Some staff members worry that students might climb onto the roof, but the station's display would sit in the library, and the roof door would stay locked. [12] For these reasons, the science department should apply for a grant to put a weather station on the roof this year.

9. 6.

   Milo sees that sentence [5] does not back the two-part reason in [4]. Which evidence should replace [5] because it covers both parts?

   • Automatic weather stations usually measure air temperature with a sensor kept inside a white, vented shield that blocks direct sunlight.
   • Science teachers report that classes now study airport numbers from fourteen miles away, and last spring coaches canceled six practices for storms that never reached the hill.
   • Last spring, coaches canceled outdoor practice six times because of storms shown at the airport that never reached the hill above the river.
   • One afternoon last spring, a lab on rainfall used numbers from the airport, and the soccer practice was canceled for a storm that missed the school.
10. 7.

    Noah notices that sentence [9] only repeats [8]. Which sentence would explain how the evidence in [8] supports the reason in [7]?

    • Over its four years at Danvers High, the solar-powered station has needed a single new battery and two cleanings of its rain gauge.
    • One battery and two cleanings in four years means that the same model on Pryor's roof would cost the school very little to keep running.
    • This shows that the station would run for decades with no care whatsoever and would cost the school nothing more once it is installed.
    • The county education office also reports that students at Danvers High post the station's readings on the school's website each morning.
11. 8.

    Pia thinks sentence [10] uses loaded words. Which version keeps its point in a formal, objective tone?

    • It is embarrassing that a school with such costly science labs relies on lazy guesswork from a distant and useless airport station.
    • Without local readings, the school must rely on airport data that may not match conditions on the hill.
    • Come on, you'd think a school with a bunch of science teachers could figure out what the weather is doing up here.
    • The county airport opened a new runway last summer and now handles about twice as many small planes as it did before.

12. A Bike Repair Stand at the Millrace Trailhead (argument draft)

    [1] The Millrace Trail runs nine miles along the old mill canal, and on summer weekends hundreds of cyclists begin their rides at the trailhead parking lot on Foundry Street. [2] The parks office should install a public bike repair stand, with an air pump and basic tools attached on steel cables, beside the trailhead map. [3] A repair stand is a small and inexpensive project that would solve a real and frequent problem for the people who use the trail.

    [4] The main reason is that a repair stand would let riders fix flat tires and loose chains right at the trailhead instead of ending their rides. [5] Bikes sometimes break. [6] The trailhead also has a drinking fountain, two picnic tables and a bulletin board where the parks office posts trail notices.

    [7] A second reason is that a stand would cost little to buy and would require almost no upkeep from the parks office. [8] The neighboring town of Elm Ford installed the same model three years ago for about fourteen hundred dollars and has replaced a single worn hose since then. [9] Elm Ford paid fourteen hundred dollars for its stand.

    [10] It is pathetic that a trail this popular leaves its riders stranded like helpless tourists, staring at a broken bike in a parking lot. [11] A volunteer cycling club has offered to inspect the stand each month and report any damage or missing tools to the parks office. [12] For these reasons, the parks office should install a bike repair stand at the Millrace trailhead before the summer season begins.

13. 9.

    Tala notices that sentence [9] only repeats [8]. Which sentence would explain how the evidence in [8] supports the reason in [7]?

    • Because Elm Ford has replaced a single hose in three years, a stand of the same model here would likely need very little upkeep.
    • This shows that the stand will last forever without repairs and will pay for itself within the first summer.
    • Elm Ford's parks director also reported that cyclists use the town's repair stand on most days from April through October, especially on summer weekends.
    • Three years ago, Elm Ford bought the same stand for about fourteen hundred dollars and has since changed one worn hose.
14. 10.

    Zee thinks sentence [10] uses loaded words. Which version keeps its point in a formal, objective tone?

    • Riders who get a flat tire at the trailhead now have no way to repair it and must end their rides there.
    • The Millrace Trail was built on the old towpath of a canal that once carried lumber down to the river mills.
    • It is disgraceful that this neglected trail abandons its riders and leaves them helpless beside their broken bikes.
    • Dude, getting a flat at the trailhead with no pump is so lame, and you're just stuck there with your bike.