Disciplinary Argument and Informative Writing (History, Science, and Technical Subjects)

Question 1

A group investigated seed growth in different light. Which sentence states a claim their data could support?

Accepted Answer

The seeds in the dark box grew more slowly than the seeds on the windowsill.

Answer

Plants are the most interesting topic in seventh-grade science.

Answer

Our group set two boxes of radish seeds on the counter on Monday.

Answer

Light levels are measured in units called lux.

Question 2

A history paper on the town of Ashford must open with a claim. Which sentence states a claim the paper could argue with evidence?

Accepted Answer

The canal mattered more to Ashford's growth than the railroad did.

Answer

The canal through Ashford opened in 1832.

Answer

The canal was forty miles long and four feet deep.

Answer

The canal was the nicest thing anyone in Ashford ever built.

Question 3

Claim: The town should dredge the harbor channel. Which sentence acknowledges the opposing claim fairly without giving up the argument?

Accepted Answer

Opponents note that dredging stirs up sediment that can smother oyster beds for a season, a cost the plan must address.

Answer

Opponents just want to stop progress in the harbor, so their view does not need an answer.

Answer

Some worry that a shallow channel will keep the ferry from docking, which is the reason the town wants the work done.

Answer

Because dredging would stir up sediment and smother the oyster beds, the town should drop the project altogether.

Question 4

Claim: The stream is warmer downstream of the mill than upstream. Which data point is relevant evidence for that claim as stated?

Accepted Answer

Downstream temperature averaged 18.4 degrees C; upstream temperature averaged 15.1 degrees C.

Answer

Dissolved oxygen averaged 6.2 milligrams per liter downstream and 7.0 upstream.

Answer

The mill has operated beside the stream since 1974, when the channel was widened.

Answer

Temperatures were taken with a digital thermometer accurate to within 0.1 degrees C.

Question 5

A team claims road salt raises chloride levels in Grange Creek all winter. Their evidence is one sample taken the morning after a February storm. Which addition would make the evidence sufficient?

Accepted Answer

Samples from the same site across several weeks of winter, plus a reading from before the salting season.

Answer

A second sample drawn from the same site an hour later on the morning after that February storm.

Answer

A photograph of the salt truck spreading salt on the road above the creek that same morning.

Answer

A description of how the chloride test kit measures a sample of water drawn from the creek.

Question 6

Which write-up describes the step precisely enough for another group to repeat it exactly?

Accepted Answer

Measure 50 milliliters of water into a 100-milliliter beaker, warm it to 40 degrees C, add 5 grams of salt, and stir for 30 seconds.

Answer

Measure 50 milliliters of water into a beaker, warm it on the hot plate, add 5 grams of salt, and stir until it looks dissolved.

Answer

Heat water in a beaker on the hot plate, then add salt and keep stirring, taking care not to spill any of it.

Answer

Warm the water in a beaker to 40 degrees C, add a spoonful of salt, and stir for 30 seconds.

Question 7

A procedure reads: "Drop the marble into the tube and time how long it takes to reach the bottom." Which added detail would most improve the chance of repeating the trial?

Accepted Answer

The height of the tube and the exact points at which timing starts and stops.

Answer

The average time the group recorded across all of its trials.

Answer

The brand of stopwatch the group used to time each trial.

Answer

The reason the group used a tube rather than a tall jar.

Question 8

Which sentence fits the formal, objective style expected in a lab report's results section?

Accepted Answer

The solution turned pale yellow within 20 seconds of the second drop.

Answer

The solution turned a beautiful pale yellow within 20 seconds of the second drop.

Answer

We were pretty amazed when the solution finally changed color.

Answer

You should have seen how quickly that solution changed color.

Question 9

A draft reads: "We put the stuff into the liquid and it went away." Which revision uses precise, domain-specific language for a chemistry write-up?

Accepted Answer

We added 5 grams of sodium chloride to 100 milliliters of water, and the crystals dissolved completely.

Answer

We added 5 grams of the white powder to 100 milliliters of water, and it went away.

Answer

We placed the substance into the container of liquid, and after a while all of it went away.

Answer

We added the salt to the water, and after a while the crystals disappeared.

Question 10

A technical report compared two coolers. Which sentence states a conclusion tied to the data rather than to a preference?

Accepted Answer

The insulated cooler held unmelted ice for six hours longer than the uninsulated cooler did.

Answer

The insulated cooler held ice six hours longer, so it is the best cooler any family can buy.

Answer

Everyone on the testing team liked the insulated cooler much more than the other one.

Answer

Insulated coolers are the smartest choice for anyone shopping for a cooler this summer.

Question 11

Claim: Ashford's mills closed because the river's flow dropped, not because workers left. Which evidence bears on the claim as stated?

Accepted Answer

Mill records show the water level below the wheel's working minimum for eleven months before the closing.

Answer

Census figures show the town's population fell by a third in the decade after the mills closed.

Answer

The mill owner's letters describe the machinery as almost thirty years old and often broken.

Answer

A county newspaper reported that a new rail line opened eight miles from the town in 1889.

Question 12

A writer has stated a claim about flood walls and now wants to introduce the opposing view before answering it. Which phrase signals that turn?

Accepted Answer

Critics of the plan argue that

Answer

As the data above show,

Answer

In addition to this evidence,

Answer

For this reason, the town

Question 13

A harbor survey report contains these sentences. Which one is speculation rather than a finding the survey supports?

Accepted Answer

The traders may have hoped the harbor would reopen within a year.

Answer

The harbor's depth at low tide measured 1.2 meters in 1868.

Answer

Customs records list forty-one vessels entering the harbor in 1868.

Answer

The falling vessel counts suggest that silt was already turning away large ships.

Question 14

A report argues that the town should test well water yearly, because nitrate rose at three of five wells over the past decade and nitrate above 10 milligrams per liter is unsafe for infants. Which conclusion follows?

Accepted Answer

Yearly testing would catch rising nitrate at these wells before it reaches the unsafe level.

Answer

Nitrate at three of the wells is already above the 10 milligrams per liter limit.

Answer

Nitrate will keep rising at the same rate at all five of the town's wells.

Answer

Farm fertilizer is causing the rising nitrate at the three wells.

Question 15

A write-up states: "Streams with more roadside trees had cooler water, so planting trees cools streams." Where does the reasoning break down?

Accepted Answer

It treats a pattern found in the measurements as proof that one thing caused the other.

Answer

It draws a conclusion about streams from evidence that was gathered about roads.

Answer

It restates the claim instead of offering any reason a reader should accept it.

Answer

It reports a measurement without naming the instrument that produced the reading.

Question 16

A student argues that oxygen levels in Grange Creek have fallen since 2015. Which source offers the most relevant and accurate evidence for that claim?

Accepted Answer

A state agency's yearly oxygen readings for Grange Creek from 2012 through last year.

Answer

A canoe-rental company's web page saying the creek is cleaner now than it has ever been.

Answer

A 1998 university study of oxygen levels in a river forty miles away.

Answer

A blog post in which a local angler recalls better fishing years ago.

Question 17

Procedure: 1. Mass the empty crucible. 2. Add 3 grams of copper sulfate crystals. 3. Heat the crucible for 10 minutes. 4. Cool it, then mass it again. Why must step 1 come before step 2?

Accepted Answer

The mass recorded in step 4 means nothing unless the crucible's own mass is already known.

Answer

With the crystals inside, the crucible would be too heavy for the balance to read.

Answer

Massing the crucible first warms it up so the crystals heat evenly in step 3.

Answer

Weighing the empty crucible first shows whether the balance works before the test begins.

Question 18

Claim: The 1908 fire law improved factory safety in Bellingford. Which sentence acknowledges an opposing claim and answers it without conceding the argument?

Accepted Answer

Some historians point out that inspections lagged for two years, yet injury reports fell once inspectors arrived.

Answer

Some historians think the older factories were perfectly safe already and needed no inspection law at all.

Answer

Some historians note that the law worked well, which is exactly the argument this paper already makes.

Answer

Because inspections lagged for two years, the law changed nothing in Bellingford's factories at all.

Question 19

A technical article will explain how a household filter removes sediment, bacteria, and the chemicals that affect taste. Which opening previews what follows?

Accepted Answer

A household filter works against three kinds of impurity: sediment, bacteria, and taste-causing chemicals.

Answer

Sediment is any solid particle, from grains of sand to flakes of rust, that moving water carries along.

Answer

Water filters have been sold in hardware stores and mail-order catalogs for many decades.

Answer

Nothing beats a cold glass of clean, filtered water on a hot summer afternoon.

Question 20

A results section reads: "The aluminum block cooled fast." The purpose is to let another class compare their results with these. What should the writer do next?

Accepted Answer

Replace "fast" with the measured temperature drop and the time it took.

Answer

Change "fast" to "very fast" so the size of the result stands out.

Answer

Add a sentence describing how the block felt to the touch at the end.

Answer

Move the sentence into the conclusion, where results are summarized.

Question 21

A technical report will argue for one of two bridge deck coatings. Which sentence states a claim the report can argue with evidence?

Accepted Answer

The epoxy coating is the better choice for the Ashford bridge because it resists salt damage longer.

Answer

The epoxy coating was applied to the Ashford bridge deck in March, after the salting season ended.

Answer

A bridge deck is the surface that carries traffic across the span between the bridge's piers.

Answer

Nobody enjoys driving across a bridge deck that has worn rough over several winters.

Question 22

Claim: Lawn fertilizer is the main cause of the summer algae blooms in Miller Lake. Which sentence acknowledges the opposing claim fairly without giving up the argument?

Accepted Answer

Some residents argue that failing septic tanks release most of the nutrients, but monitoring found the highest nitrogen levels beside fertilized lawns.

Answer

Some residents argue that failing septic tanks release most of the nutrients, and they are probably right that the tanks are the lake's main problem.

Answer

Some residents argue that lakes are always green in summer and that nothing anyone does can change that at all.

Answer

Some residents argue that fertilizer washing off lawns feeds the blooms, which is exactly what this report sets out to show.

Question 23

Claim: The district should keep the middle school's later start time. One sentence below abandons the claim instead of answering the opposing view. Which one?

Accepted Answer

Critics say the buses now run late, and honestly the schedule should probably go back to the earlier start.

Answer

Critics say the buses now run late, yet the district's own route logs show delays fell after the change.

Answer

Critics say the buses now run late, though those same routes ran late in the two years before the change.

Answer

Critics say the buses now run late; even so, attendance records show fewer first-period absences since the change.

Question 24

Claim: Bellingford grew in the 1840s because of the new canal, not the railroad. Which evidence is relevant to the claim as stated?

Accepted Answer

The town's population doubled in the six years after the canal opened, and the railroad did not reach Bellingford until 1861.

Answer

The canal was 40 feet wide at the surface, 4 feet deep, and took the digging crews four years to finish.

Answer

Railroad companies laid hundreds of miles of new track across the neighboring states during the 1840s and 1850s.

Answer

Canal boats leaving Bellingford carried grain, lumber, and barrels of salted fish down to the coast.

Question 25

A report claims a home water filter still removes sediment after six months of use. Its evidence is one filter tested in one house. Which addition would make the evidence sufficient?

Accepted Answer

Test results from many filters used in different households and water supplies

Answer

A second test of that same filter in that same house a week later

Answer

A fuller description of how that one filter was installed under the sink

Answer

The manufacturer's stated six-month replacement interval for the cartridge

Question 26

A student argues that ferry ridership in Marlow has risen since 2019. Which source gives the most accurate and current evidence for that claim?

Accepted Answer

The ferry authority's published monthly ridership counts from 2019 through last year

Answer

A 2016 state transportation study of ferry use in the Marlow area

Answer

A travel blog post describing crowded weekend sailings last summer

Answer

A ferry company advertisement calling the Marlow route the region's busiest

Question 27

Claim: The XR-9 battery lasts longer in cold weather than a standard battery does. Which source offers the most credible evidence for that claim?

Accepted Answer

A university engineering lab's report on tests of both batteries at -10 degrees Celsius

Answer

The XR-9 package, printed by its maker, which says the battery is built for winter

Answer

A hardware store website listing the XR-9 among its best-selling batteries

Answer

A customer review saying the reviewer's flashlight still worked one cold morning

Question 28

A history paper argues that Ashford's school board voted in 1893 to fund night classes. Which source is the strongest evidence for what the board decided?

Accepted Answer

The board's own 1893 meeting minutes recording the vote

Answer

A 1975 town history describing schooling in Ashford in the 1890s

Answer

An 1901 newspaper editorial praising the quality of Ashford's schools

Answer

A recent magazine article on the spread of night classes in America

Question 29

Claim: The town should replace the wooden footbridge with a steel span. Which reason supports the claim by reasoning rather than by restating it?

Accepted Answer

Steel does not rot, so a steel span would end the yearly plank repairs the wooden bridge needs.

Answer

A steel span is simply the right choice for what this town needs at the crossing now.

Answer

The wooden footbridge should be replaced because it ought to be replaced fairly soon.

Answer

Several nearby towns have already replaced their own wooden footbridges with steel spans.

Question 30

A report argues Ashford should add a bus route to its high school. Its support: "Surveys of college students in other towns show most would ride a new campus bus." Where does the reasoning break down?

Accepted Answer

The survey measured a different group of riders than the claim is about.

Answer

The support treats one week of data as evidence of a long-term trend.

Answer

The support treats two things happening together as cause and effect.

Answer

The support restates the claim instead of offering a reason for it.

Question 31

A science write-up reads: "Chloride rose at both test sites after each storm. ___ the road crew's records show salt was spread before every one of those storms." Which transition fits the gap?

Accepted Answer

Moreover,

Answer

However,

Answer

For example,

Answer

In other words,

Question 32

A field report draft reads: "Sadly, we only found four crayfish, which was disappointing." Which revision keeps the finding but removes the writer's personal reaction?

Accepted Answer

Four crayfish were found in the 20-meter survey reach.

Answer

Only four crayfish turned up, which is a shame for the creek.

Answer

The survey produced a disappointing total of four crayfish.

Answer

We had hoped for more crayfish, but the reach held just four.

Question 33

A procedure step reads: "Heat the solution until it changes." Which revision makes the step precise enough for another group to repeat it?

Accepted Answer

Heat the solution on the hot plate until a thermometer in it reads 80 degrees Celsius.

Answer

Heat the solution on the hot plate until it is done, then take it off.

Answer

Heat the solution carefully for a while, watching it closely as it warms on the plate.

Answer

Heat the solution until it looks clearly different from how it started.

Question 34

A history write-up narrates the 1889 Ashford flood. Which sentence narrates the event with the order and detail a reader needs?

Accepted Answer

After three days of rain, the dam gave way at dawn on May 12, and water reached the mill district within an hour.

Answer

The flood of 1889 was easily the worst thing that ever happened to the unlucky town of Ashford and its people.

Answer

The dam gave way, and the town of Ashford had stood beside that river for nearly a century by then.

Answer

Water moved through the mill district quickly once something gave way somewhere upstream that morning.

Question 35

A technical article for readers new to plumbing will use the term "backflow." Which sentence defines it so the rest of the article can build on it?

Accepted Answer

Backflow is the movement of water backward through a pipe, opposite to its normal direction of flow.

Answer

Backflow is a serious problem that every homeowner in an older house should take seriously.

Answer

Backflow is the kind of trouble that plumbers are called out to fix in older houses every winter.

Answer

Backflow happens when a valve, a pump, or a sudden change in water pressure is involved.

Question 36

A report argues buses need new air filters every 6 months. Its evidence: filters tested at 6 months passed, and filters at 12 months failed on 9 of the 10 buses tested. Which conclusion follows from that evidence?

Accepted Answer

Filters left in place for 12 months usually fail, so changing them at 6 months keeps them inside the range that passed.

Answer

Because the 12-month filters failed on 9 of 10 buses, the district's buses are unsafe for students to ride.

Answer

Filters should be changed every 9 months, halfway between the two points that were tested.

Answer

Air filters must be changed every 6 months because 6 months is the correct interval for a bus filter.

Question 37

Claim: Grange Creek carries more sediment after upstream logging. A table beside it gives sediment, rainfall and water temperature for the periods before and after. Which figures support the claim as stated?

Accepted Answer

The sediment values of 12 and 31 milligrams per liter

Answer

The rainfall total recorded for the period before logging

Answer

The water temperature recorded for the period after logging

Answer

The number of days each period in the table covers

Question 38

A science paper must make clear which position is the writer's own and which belongs to another researcher. Which sentence does that?

Accepted Answer

Chen (2019) attributes the fish die-off to warming water; this paper argues instead that low oxygen was the main cause.

Answer

The fish die-off has been blamed on warming water, but low oxygen turns out to have been the main cause.

Answer

Researchers disagree about the cause of the fish die-off, and several possible explanations remain open.

Answer

Chen (2019) and this paper both examine the fish die-off in the lake in considerable detail.

Question 39

Which sentence reports a measurement precisely enough for another class to compare its own results with it?

Accepted Answer

The block's mass was 248 grams, measured on a digital balance reading to the nearest gram.

Answer

The block felt fairly heavy for something of that size, heavier than expected.

Answer

The block's mass was about a quarter of a kilogram, give or take a little either way.

Answer

The block had noticeably more mass than the plastic one sitting on the tray.

Question 40

A report uses a figure from a state agency's 2024 water survey. Which sentence attributes the data so a reader can check it?

Accepted Answer

The 2024 state water survey found nitrate above 10 milligrams per liter at three of the county's wells.

Answer

Studies have shown that nitrate sits above safe levels at several of the county's wells.

Answer

It is widely known that some of the county's wells carry nitrate above safe levels.

Answer

An online source states that nitrate has become a growing problem in wells all across the county.

BLASTROOM

BLASTROOM

BLASTROOM

Disciplinary Argument and Informative Writing (History, Science, and Technical Subjects)

Ways to Play

Device Games: Students play on their phones

Blast Go

Board Games: Teacher-led, projected to the class

Like what you see?

Zombie Escape

Avalanche

Maze Blast

Cave Climb

Blast Out

Mystery Auction

Tour Guide

Food Truck Rush

Tug of War

Bug Blast

Alien Blast

Glacier Rush

BlastRace

BlastQuiz

BlastBoard

Seek & Destroy

Mystery Blast

Checkers

Texas Hold 'Em

Da Bomb

Castle Siege

Hot Potato

Market Mayhem

King of the Hill

Bank Heist

Top Corner

Disciplinary Argument and Informative Writing (History, Science, and Technical Subjects)

Ways to Play

Device Games: Students play on their phones

Blast Go

Board Games: Teacher-led, projected to the class

Like what you see?

More like this

Zombie Escape

Avalanche

Maze Blast

Cave Climb

Blast Out

Mystery Auction

Tour Guide

Food Truck Rush

Tug of War

Bug Blast

Alien Blast

Glacier Rush

BlastRace

BlastQuiz

BlastBoard

Seek & Destroy

Mystery Blast

Checkers

Texas Hold 'Em

Da Bomb

Castle Siege

Hot Potato

Market Mayhem

King of the Hill

Bank Heist

Top Corner