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Grade 9 · English Language Arts · Unit 4 of 10

Close Reading

Inference, theme and author's craft

What your child practises

Reading original short passages and answering questions about theme, tone, word choice, structure and the author's purpose, using evidence from the text.

Ontario Curriculum expectation: C3.2, C3.3 · inferences and analyzing complex texts

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    The tone of this passage is best described as…

    Is a Four-Day School Week Worth It?

    Some school districts in North America have tried a four-day week, usually with longer days on Monday to Thursday. Supporters claim the change saves money on transportation and heating, and gives students and teachers a day for appointments, work or rest.

    Critics point out that research is mixed. Several studies found small drops in test scores, especially in math, while others found no change at all. Parents who work on Fridays may struggle to find child care, and the longer days can leave younger students tired by the afternoon.

    The strongest case for the change may be in rural districts, where long bus rides make every school day expensive. In larger cities with many working parents, the costs may outweigh the benefits. A decision like this probably depends less on a single rule than on the needs of the community.

    • balanced and thoughtful
    • bored and uninterested
    • silly and sarcastic
    • angry and one-sided
    Show answer

    balanced and thoughtful

    Hint: The author presents both supporters and critics and avoids strong emotions.

  2. Question 2

    Which sentence best states the author's overall position?

    Is a Four-Day School Week Worth It?

    Some school districts in North America have tried a four-day week, usually with longer days on Monday to Thursday. Supporters claim the change saves money on transportation and heating, and gives students and teachers a day for appointments, work or rest.

    Critics point out that research is mixed. Several studies found small drops in test scores, especially in math, while others found no change at all. Parents who work on Fridays may struggle to find child care, and the longer days can leave younger students tired by the afternoon.

    The strongest case for the change may be in rural districts, where long bus rides make every school day expensive. In larger cities with many working parents, the costs may outweigh the benefits. A decision like this probably depends less on a single rule than on the needs of the community.

    • Test scores always go up.
    • The four-day week may suit some communities better than others, depending on their needs.
    • A four-day week never works.
    • Every school should switch to four days.
    Show answer

    The four-day week may suit some communities better than others, depending on their needs.

    Hint: The last paragraph says the decision “depends … on the needs of the community.”

  3. Question 3

    What kind of evidence does the author use in the second paragraph?

    Is a Four-Day School Week Worth It?

    Some school districts in North America have tried a four-day week, usually with longer days on Monday to Thursday. Supporters claim the change saves money on transportation and heating, and gives students and teachers a day for appointments, work or rest.

    Critics point out that research is mixed. Several studies found small drops in test scores, especially in math, while others found no change at all. Parents who work on Fridays may struggle to find child care, and the longer days can leave younger students tired by the afternoon.

    The strongest case for the change may be in rural districts, where long bus rides make every school day expensive. In larger cities with many working parents, the costs may outweigh the benefits. A decision like this probably depends less on a single rule than on the needs of the community.

    • A single personal story
    • A famous quotation
    • Research findings that disagree with each other
    • A joke
    Show answer

    Research findings that disagree with each other

    Hint: “Several studies found small drops… others found no change.”

  4. Question 4

    Why does the author mention rural districts?

    Is a Four-Day School Week Worth It?

    Some school districts in North America have tried a four-day week, usually with longer days on Monday to Thursday. Supporters claim the change saves money on transportation and heating, and gives students and teachers a day for appointments, work or rest.

    Critics point out that research is mixed. Several studies found small drops in test scores, especially in math, while others found no change at all. Parents who work on Fridays may struggle to find child care, and the longer days can leave younger students tired by the afternoon.

    The strongest case for the change may be in rural districts, where long bus rides make every school day expensive. In larger cities with many working parents, the costs may outweigh the benefits. A decision like this probably depends less on a single rule than on the needs of the community.

    • To show where the benefits are strongest
    • To prove cities are better
    • To list all school districts
    • To criticize bus drivers
    Show answer

    To show where the benefits are strongest

    Hint: The passage says the case is strongest where “long bus rides make every school day expensive.”

  5. Question 5

    The word “performed” in the second paragraph is used to suggest that the town in summer…

    The Quiet Season

    Every winter, the town of Alder Creek went quiet. The loggers headed south, the tourists vanished, and the only sound along Main Street was snow sliding off tin roofs.

    Some people called it boring. Odile called it honest. In summer, the town performed: banners on lampposts, a fiddler in the park, shopkeepers smiling at strangers. In winter, you saw what the town was when nobody was watching: a handful of neighbours shovelling each other's walks, a lit window at the library, a pot of soup passed over a fence.

    “You can't see a place properly when it's showing off,” Odile liked to say. She had lived there for seventy years and had never once wanted to leave during the quiet season.

    • acts in a play
    • is dishonest with the law
    • puts on a show for visitors
    • works more slowly
    Show answer

    puts on a show for visitors

    Hint: Banners, fiddlers and smiling shopkeepers are presented as a display for outsiders.

  6. Question 6

    What does the author reveal about Odile in the last sentence?

    The Quiet Season

    Every winter, the town of Alder Creek went quiet. The loggers headed south, the tourists vanished, and the only sound along Main Street was snow sliding off tin roofs.

    Some people called it boring. Odile called it honest. In summer, the town performed: banners on lampposts, a fiddler in the park, shopkeepers smiling at strangers. In winter, you saw what the town was when nobody was watching: a handful of neighbours shovelling each other's walks, a lit window at the library, a pot of soup passed over a fence.

    “You can't see a place properly when it's showing off,” Odile liked to say. She had lived there for seventy years and had never once wanted to leave during the quiet season.

    • She dislikes winter.
    • She plans to move away.
    • She works for the tourist office.
    • She is deeply attached to the town and its quiet season.
    Show answer

    She is deeply attached to the town and its quiet season.

    Hint: Seventy years and “never once wanted to leave” show strong attachment.

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