Mr. Zamora's Site
10th Persuasive Prep
Reading Comprehension
Read the following selection. Then answer the questions that follow.
It's Time to Combat Noise Pollution
Jen Pauken
It's time to take a serious look at the problem of noise pollution. Most
people recognize the need to reduce the level of chemical pollutants in our soil,
water, and air. However, we often overlook noise, a kind of pollution that we live
with almost everywhere we go.
Experts agree that long-term exposure to high levels of noise has an
impact on our health in many ways. Several studies have demonstrated a link
between noise and digestive problems, hormone imbalances, and immune
system disorders. In a study published in the journal Archives of Environmental
Health, university and government researchers determined that noise raises
10 stress levels. The experts at the American Speech and Hearing Association
have documented that loud noises lead to elevated blood pressure, fatigue, and
loss of sleep. Over time, such stresses can lead to serious cardiovascular
problems, such as increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.
The effect of noise pollution on mental health is also well documented.
Research indicates that people who live in particularly noisy areas, such as near
airports or heavily traveled roads, have more frequent headaches, are more
accident-prone, and seek psychiatric treatment more often than those who live in
less noisy areas. Studies compiled by the World Health Organization show that
people exposed to constant high levels of noise report increased levels of
20 anxiety. Further studies show that children who are exposed to high noise
levels have lower reading and math test scores, have more trouble concentrating,
and may have a greater tendency toward violent behavior than children who are
not exposed to similarly high noise levels. Overall, these effects of noise result
in poor health and lost time at work and at school.
Perhaps the most common adverse effect of noise pollution is hearing
loss. Approximately 10 million Americans suffer from noise-induced hearing
loss, causing terrible damage to the quality of their lives.
Lengthy, repeated exposure to noises at 90 decibels and above can
gradually cause hearing loss. What does that mean? A decibel is the scientific
30 unit used to measure sound. To give some idea of decibel levels, a whisper is
about 20 decibels, while normal conversation measures about 60 decibels. City
traffic comes in at from 80 to 85 decibels, and lawn mowers create about 90
decibels of sound. A garbage truck registers 100 decibels. Rock concerts and
firecrackers produce sounds of up to 140 decibels. Cars with mega-stereo
systems typically generate 120 decibels, although some have actually reached
levels of up to 170 decibels. Regular exposure to sound above 110 decibels
causes permanent hearing loss at a much faster pace than exposure to sounds
from 90 to 110 decibels. Because cells of the inner ear are damaged, such
damage is irreversible.
40 The good news is that hearing loss caused by noise pollution is
preventable. Everybody makes some noise-it's part of living. We can, however,
control excessive noise with some direct measures. We can wear earplugs when a
place is noisy and turn down the volume on headsets and televisions.
On a larger scale, we can help create laws and ordinances against noise
pollution. Cities and towns throughout the United States have begun to enact
noise ordinances, largely because of grassroots efforts by ordinary people.
These laws help protect "quiet zones," providing some means of controlling
the level of sound in public places. A driver whose car emits loud music in an
established quiet zone may face a stiff fine.
50 Other countries are taking more aggressive measures to control noise.
Australia have the most sophisticated regulations. Lawn mowers, chain saws, and
jackhammers carry a "noise" label, warning the person using the machine to
wear ear protectors.
Some might argue that these laws unduly limit personal freedom. Even
with the negative health effects of exposure to noise, don't we as free individuals
have the right to do what we want? Yes, up to a point. But with freedom comes
responsibility—the responsibility to consider the rights and well-being of others.
For example, the issue of public safety arises when loud noises block out the
sounds of emergency sirens in traffic. Because emergency vehicles need to get
60 to their destinations as fast as possible, losing critical seconds can mean the
difference between life and death.
Children's needs must also be considered; they have a right to be
protected from hearing loss. Children rely on adults to act on their behalf. Just
as all states mandate seatbelts and child safety seats, laws should restrict the
volume levels where children are concerned.
As a society, we've reached a turning point. We have been able to
recognize the terrible effects of chemical pollution; now we need to take steps to
curb noise pollution. For our physical and mental health, it's time to turn down
the volume.
"It's Time to Combat Noise Pollution" by Jen Pauken. Copyright (c) Jen Pauken.
Reprinted by permission of the author.
Comprehension
Answer the following questions about the persuasive essay “It’s Time to Combat Noise Pollution.”
1. What is the author’s main claim in this selection?
|A. |Many Americans have hearing problems. |
|B. |Car radios are often too loud. |
|C. |Noise pollution is a serious problem. |
|D. |Students should turn down radios. |
2. Which of the following statements is an opinion?
|A. |“It’s time to take a serious look at the problem of noise pollution.” |
|B. |“Approximately 10 million Americans suffer from noise-induced hearing loss.” |
|C. |“Rock concerts and firecrackers produce sounds of up to 140 decibels.” |
|D. |“Lawn mowers, chain saws, and jackhammers carry a ‘noise’ label.” |
3. In lines 14–24, the author supports her claim with
|A. |personal examples |
|B. |scientific research |
|C. |rhetorical questions |
|D. |expert opinions |
4. Which sentence best summarizes the main idea of lines 14–24?
|A. |People in noisy areas have headaches. |
|B. |Loud noises increase anxiety levels. |
|C. |Noise pollution causes various problems. |
|D. |High noise levels affect children. |
5. Which of the following groups of words contains loaded language?
|A. |“causing terrible damage” |
|B. |“registers 100 decibels” |
|C. |“turn down the volume” |
|D. |“carry a ‘noise’ label” |
6. Which of the following statements is a fact?
|A. |“A decibel is the scientific unit used to measure sound.” |
|B. |“Australia has the most sophisticated regulations.” |
|C. |“Children’s needs must also be considered.” |
|D. |“As a society, we’ve reached a turning point.” |
7. Which group of words contains loaded language?
|A. |“effect of noise pollution” (line 14) |
|B. |“to measure sound” (line 30) |
|C. |“damage is irreversible” (line 39) |
|D. |“can wear earplugs” (line 42) |
8. Which persuasive technique does the author use in lines 44–46?
|A. |bandwagon |
|B. |testimonial |
|C. |appeal to fear |
|D. |loaded language |
9. Which statement counters an argument?
|A. |“We can, however, control excessive noise with some direct measures.” |
|B. |“Some might argue that these laws unduly limit personal freedom.” |
|C. |“Children rely on adults to act on their behalf.” |
|D. |“As a society, we’ve reached a turning point.” |
10. Which of the following is a rhetorical device used in lines 56–57?
|A. |analogy |
|B. |parallelism |
|C. |repetition |
|D. |testimonial |
11. Which persuasive technique does the author use in lines 58–61?
|A. |appeal to vanity |
|B. |appeal to fear |
|C. |appeal by transfer |
|D. |appeal by testimonial |
12. Which of the following sentences uses an analogy as a rhetorical device?
|A. |It is time to take action and stop noise pollution. |
|B. |Firecrackers can produce sounds of up to 140 decibels. |
|C. |A child’s physical and mental health are affected by noise. |
|D. |Noise pollution is a germ that is making the world sick. |
13. The rhetorical devices in this selection
|A. |tell about the author’s own experiences |
|B. |show similarities and differences |
|C. |emphasize important points |
|D. |state facts and opinions |
Use context clues and your knowledge of specialized vocabularies to answer the following questions.
14. What does the word volume mean in line 69 of “It’s Time to Combat Noise Pollution”?
|A. |level of anxiety |
|B. |noise pollution |
|C. |loudness of a sound |
|D. |negative effect |
Read the dictionary entries and answer the questions that follow.
[pic]
15. Which definition best matches the meaning of the word adverse as it is used in line 25 of “It’s Time to Combat Noise Pollution”?
|A. |1 |
|B. |2 |
|C. |3 |
|D. |4 |
16. Which word is a synonym for adverse in line 25 of “It’s Time to Combat Noise Pollution”?
|A. |opposing |
|B. |conflicting |
|C. |unfavorable |
|D. |contrary |
Read the persuasive speech and answer the questions that follow.
(1) It's Friday night at the basketball game. (2) It's a packed house, and tension is in the air. (3) The home team crowd starts to chant. (4) The visitors start, too. (5) Before long, both sides are slinging insults and hurling abuse. (6) By the time the game is over, players have been benched. (7) Fans have been escorted out of the building.
(8) I don't know what has happened to friendly competition and sporting behavior. (9) It seems that many high school sporting events turn into free-for-alls. (10) All this in the name of victory. (11) It's time to restore maturity and manners to high school sports. (12) Cheer, don't jeer.
(13) First, all of these hostile acts and this fighting give teens a bad name. (14) Many, if not most, of us attend games for two reasons. (15) We enjoy watching sports, and we want to support our teams. (16) We cheer, not jeer. (17) A few people can change the whole situation, though. (18) When the name-calling starts, more and more people jump into the mix. (19) I think spectators and players need to stop that kind of behavior.
(20) Also, with tight school budgets, this kind of trouble might be just the reason needed to cut sports programs for good. (21) Cutting sports programs would do more harm than good. (22) Benefits such as physical fitness, leadership roles, and scholarship opportunities are no small matter. (23) By having a fun activity and a place to relax with friends, spectators benefit, too.
(24) Some people believe that these heated, confrontational rivalries are good for sports. (25) Rivalry makes players more competitive. (26) And it adds interest to games. (27) I would argue that open hostility and aggression are not good for sports. (28) That kind of behavior is simply not fair to anyone: players, referees, coaches, and most of all, supporters.
(29) When I look at the team photos that line the hallways, picture after picture show student athletes who are dignified and serious. (30) They were honorable, and their fans were respectful. (31) I wish that our present-day participants would behave the same way. (32) Cheer, don't jeer.
17. Choose the best way to rewrite sentence 1 to make the introduction more memorable.
|A. |Tonight our team is playing a game of basketball. |
|B. |Imagine game night: Fans fill the bleachers. |
|C. |Many people in my town enjoy sports, especially basketball. |
|D. |Basketball games are always on Friday nights. |
18. Choose the best way to make sentence 4 parallel to sentence 3.
|A. |The visitor crowd starts to chant. |
|B. |The visitor chanting is loud, too. |
|C. |The crowd for the visitors also chants. |
|D. |The other team’s fans start to chant. |
19. Which sentence clearly identifies the author’s issue?
|A. |sentence 1 |
|B. |sentence 4 |
|C. |sentence 9 |
|D. |sentence 14 |
20. Which sentence is the thesis statement?
|A. |sentence 9 |
|B. |sentence 10 |
|C. |sentence 11 |
|D. |sentence 12 |
21. Choose how to rewrite sentence 19 as an imperative sentence.
|A. |People often behave that way. |
|B. |The entire crowd starts to act that way. |
|C. |Do you think people should act like that? |
|D. |Stop that kind of behavior. |
22. Which sentence contains a relevant detail that supports the author’s position?
|A. |sentence 1 |
|B. |sentence 8 |
|C. |sentence 12 |
|D. |sentence 20 |
23. In what place would the following sentence best support the author’s position? Studies show that sports offer many benefits for student athletes.
|A. |before sentence 18 |
|B. |after sentence 20 |
|C. |after sentence 21 |
|D. |before sentence 24 |
24. In which sentence does the author anticipate an opposing viewpoint?
|A. |sentence 20 |
|B. |sentence 24 |
|C. |sentence 29 |
|D. |sentence 31 |
25. Choose the best way to make sentence 26 parallel to sentence 25.
|A. |Interesting games have rivalries. |
|B. |Rivalry makes games more interesting. |
|C. |Games with rivalry are more interesting. |
|D. |Rivalry can add interest to many games. |
26. Where would the following sentence best answer the opposing viewpoint? Attendance at games starts to drop, and sometimes it’s just plain scary to be there
|A. |before sentence 24 |
|B. |before sentence 26 |
|C. |after sentence 27 |
|D. |after sentence 28 |
27. Choose how to rewrite sentence 31 as an imperative sentence.
|A. |When will participants act honorably? |
|B. |Please behave the same way. |
|C. |Everyone would act in the same way. |
|D. |Don’t you want to be respectful? |
10th Persuasive Prep
Answer Section
1. ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: APS_act0976aaf18008e5bd_728
TOP: Unit 6 Test A NOT: mllit9_2007
2. ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: APS_act0976aaf18008e5bd_729
TOP: Unit 6 Test A NOT: mllit9_2007
3. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: APS_act0976aaf18008e5bd_730
TOP: Unit 6 Test A NOT: mllit9_2007
4. ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: APS_act0976aaf18008e5bd_731
TOP: Unit 6 Test A NOT: mllit9_2007
5. ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: APS_act0976aaf18008e5bd_732
TOP: Unit 6 Test A NOT: mllit9_2007
6. ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: APS_act0976aaf18008e5bd_733
TOP: Unit 6 Test A NOT: mllit9_2007
7. ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: APS_act0976aaf18008e5bd_734
TOP: Unit 6 Test A NOT: mllit9_2007
8. ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: APS_act0976aaf18008e5bd_735
TOP: Unit 6 Test A NOT: mllit9_2007
9. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: APS_act0976aaf18008e5bd_736
TOP: Unit 6 Test A NOT: mllit9_2007
10. ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: APS_act0976aaf18008e5bd_737
TOP: Unit 6 Test A NOT: mllit9_2007
11. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: APS_act0976aaf18008e5bd_738
TOP: Unit 6 Test A NOT: mllit9_2007
12. ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: APS_act0976aaf18008e5bd_739
TOP: Unit 6 Test A NOT: mllit9_2007
13. ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: APS_act0976aaf18008e5bd_740
TOP: Unit 6 Test A NOT: mllit9_2007
14. ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: APS_act0976aaf18008e5bd_751
STA: CA.CACS.RLA.97.9-10.R.1.1 TOP: Unit 6 Test A
NOT: mllit9_2007
15. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: APS_act0976aaf18008e5bd_755
TOP: Unit 6 Test A NOT: mllit9_2007
16. ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: APS_act0976aaf18008e5bd_756
TOP: Unit 6 Test A NOT: mllit9_2007
17. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: APS_act0976aaf18008e5bd_759
STA: CA.CACS.RLA.97.9-10.W.1.9 TOP: Unit 6 Test A
NOT: mllit9_2007
18. ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: APS_act0976aaf18008e5bd_760
STA: CA.CACS.RLA.97.9-10.C.1.2 TOP: Unit 6 Test A
NOT: mllit9_2007
19. ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: APS_act0976aaf18008e5bd_761
TOP: Unit 6 Test A NOT: mllit9_2007
20. ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: APS_act0976aaf18008e5bd_762
TOP: Unit 6 Test A NOT: mllit9_2007
21. ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: APS_act0976aaf18008e5bd_763
STA: CA.CACS.RLA.97.9-10.C.1.3 TOP: Unit 6 Test A
NOT: mllit9_2007
22. ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: APS_act0976aaf18008e5bd_764
TOP: Unit 6 Test A NOT: mllit9_2007
23. ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: APS_act0976aaf18008e5bd_765
TOP: Unit 6 Test A NOT: mllit9_2007
24. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: APS_act0976aaf18008e5bd_766
TOP: Unit 6 Test A NOT: mllit9_2007
25. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: APS_act0976aaf18008e5bd_767
STA: CA.CACS.RLA.97.9-10.C.1.2 TOP: Unit 6 Test A
NOT: mllit9_2007
26. ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: APS_act0976aaf18008e5bd_768
TOP: Unit 6 Test A NOT: mllit9_2007
27. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: APS_act0976aaf18008e5bd_769
STA: CA.CACS.RLA.97.9-10.C.1.3 TOP: Unit 6 Test A
NOT: mllit9_2007
................
................
In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.
To fulfill the demand for quickly locating and searching documents.
It is intelligent file search solution for home and business.