Name: 

Read the following paragraph.
It’s been a cold fall. Every morning the grass is covered with frost. Ice hangs off the bottom of cars. As we walk to school, our fingers freeze inside our gloves and our cheeks are bright red when we enter our classrooms. I can’t wait until spring!
Which of the following cannot be proven by the paragraph?

Students must have exceptional qualities in able to join the student council?
Which of the reasons below is the least valued reason for being invited to join the students council?

Read the paragraph.
My parents have been married for 15 years. Last summer we threw them a big surprise party with a cake, presents, and about 20 years. We had games like volleyball and croquet. The best game of all was darts, though. I beat everyone – even my dad! We told them the party would be twice as big on their 20th anniversary.
Which sentence is not a fact, but an opinion?

Read the ad.
FOR SALE: Beautiful, red sailboat. 2 years old, like new. Has been used only 3 times.
Which words in the ad are an opinion?

Read the passage.
Golf is a great sport. The goal is to hit a ball into eighteen small holes in with least amount of shots as possible. Talented golfers can usually complete each shot with three to five hits, but amateurs like me take nine or ten shots per hole. It’s best to play on a warm, sunny day, but many golfers go out as soon as the snow melts in the spring. It’s unsafe to play golf during a rainstorm because there have been instances where lightning has struck a golfer’s club.
Which of the following is a provable fact based on the preceding paragraph?

Read the paragraph.
Television shows are great. Some people complain about violence and bad language, but they just don’t understand what makes good entertainment. My friends and I love the sitcoms about teenagers. Those movie stars are just like us and understand how we feel. Television improves our understanding of the real world and makes us better people.
Which statement is true about the paragraph?

Evaluative Reading Comprehension—Inference--RIT 201 – 210
Read the passage.
“Each [leaf] was shaped like an inverted umbrella spiked on a massive trunk…” from “the Pit of Wings” by Ramsey Campbell
Copyright Info: Not enough information. Campbell, Ramsey. The Pit of Wings, page 60.
(Teacher authors: Phillips, Blackman, Felts).
What can be inferred from this line?

Read the passage.
“Best of all, perhaps, [Buck] loved to lie near the fire, hind legs crouched under him, forelegs stretched out front, head raised, and eyes blinking dreamily at the flames. Sometimes he thought of Judge Miller’s big house in the sun-kissed Santa Clara Valley, and of the cement swimming tank.” – from “Against Odds”
Copyright Info: Not enough informationL Against Odds, page 392 (Phillips, Blackman, Felts).
What is important to Buck?

Evaluative Reading Comprehension—Bias, Assumptions, Stereotype --RIT 211 – 220
Read the advertisement.
Real men don’t cook! Who wants to spend a lazy Sunday slaving over a cookbook? With our BigMan canned meals, it’s as easy as dumping it into a bowl and turning on the microwave. “Keep those BigMan dinners comin’, Ma!”
Who is the most discriminated against in the advertisement?

Read the paragraph.
Junk food is the worst poison to hit society in the last hundred years. Everyday millions of young people suck down sugary sodas, gulp greasy French fries, and gorge on candy bars and potato chips. Cigarettes may cause lung cancer, but our country’s addiction to junk food will surely be our demise as our children grow into adulthood unhealthy and unhappy.
What is the assumption underlying this paragraph?

Read the following paragraph.
The most important advance of this century has not been in medicine or technology. It’s been in society’s willingness to open practically all professions to women. Women can excel in careers now that were not even available to them 50 years ago.
Which of the following people would be most likely to agree with this paragraph’s opinion?

Read the following paragraph.
Jane and Henry were the best of friends. They grew up on the same street and played together all through grade school. They felt like they knew everything about each other. Now that they were both in high school, they didn’t spend as much time together. Jane was running for class president that year, and most everyone was planning to vote for her. Henry felt left out and decided to run against her. When he realized that Jane was still winning, he challenged her to a
debate in front of the school. He knew that if he promised free pizza for lunch every Friday, that he might have a chance at winning.
Why is Henry running for class president?

Read the following paragraph.
Shelby noticed that her dogs were never excited to see her when she came home. She always went straight to the kitchen to get herself a snack and sat in front of the television until her parents came home. It wasn’t her job to feed the dogs or give them snacks, and she didn’t really like to pet them play with them in the afternoons. So, the dogs just lay on the carpet until it was dinnertime.
Which statement leads to stereotypical thinking?

Read the following paragraph.
As the teacher started to hand out the science tests, Jake felt a lump in his throat. His hand was shaking as he wrote his name on the top of his test. As he read the first question, beads of sweat began to form on his forehead, and he had no idea what the correct answers were on the entire test.
What can you infer?