A student is drafting an argument about the school's start time. Which sentence states a debatable claim rather than a fact or a personal preference?

Claim: "The school should keep its bell-to-bell phone rule." Which sentence acknowledges the opposing view fairly before answering it?

Draft: "Later start times let teenagers sleep more. ___ districts that moved to 8:45 report fewer tardy arrivals." Which transition shows the relationship between the two sentences?

Claim: "The town should light the river path because the path is unsafe after dark." Judged for relevance, which evidence bears on the claim as stated?

A student argues that electric school buses lower a district's fuel costs. Which source is both credible and accurate for that claim?

A draft argues the library should stay open until 6:00 p.m., citing a survey of 120 students without home internet and buses that run until 6:15. Which conclusion follows from that argument?

A draft argues that middle schoolers should be assigned no more than sixty minutes of homework a night. Which sentence, if added, would most weaken the writer's argument?

Claim: "The cafeteria should switch to reusable trays." Which sentence states the opposing view fairly?

Draft: "Some coaches say a later start would disrupt practice. ___ three districts moved practices to mornings and lost no players." Which transition fits the relationship?

Claim: "The school should offer an after-school bike-repair club." Which reason supports that claim by logical reasoning?

A student is revising an argument for the school board. Which sentence keeps a formal style while making the same point?

Claim: "Fifth-period study hall raises grades across the school." Evidence offered: one student's math grade rose from a C to a B after joining. Judged for sufficiency, what does the writer still need?

A writer notes that reading scores rose the same year the library added beanbag chairs, and concludes the chairs raised the scores. What is wrong with that reasoning?

Draft: "The town should fund the summer bus route. Ridership rose twenty-two percent in July. Most riders were students. Walking to the lunch site takes an hour." Which sentence states the writer's claim?

Claim: "The school should plant a garden in the courtyard." Which sentence acknowledges an opposing claim without conceding the argument?

Several sources give the cost of running the school pool. Which is the best evidence for a claim about this year's pool budget?

Claim: "Adding a crossing guard at Oak Street would make the morning walk safer." Judged for relevance, which evidence bears on the claim as stated?

Draft: "___ that later buses would cost more, the district's own figures show the same drivers working one later shift." Which opening signals that the writer is stating an opposing view before answering it?

A draft argues that the town library should extend its evening hours. Which sentence, if added, would weaken the argument?

A student is writing an argument for science class about the school's recycling bins. Which sentence states a debatable claim rather than a fact or a preference?

Draft topic: a skate park on the empty lot behind the fire station. Which sentence could a reasonable person disagree with, making it a workable claim?

Claim: "The school store should stop selling energy drinks." Which sentence names the opposing view fairly before answering it?

Claim: "The district should replace the gym's old lighting with LED fixtures." Which sentence only restates the writer's own position while pretending to be an objection?

Claim: "Seventh graders should eat lunch outdoors on dry days." Which sentence gives up the claim instead of answering the objection?

Draft: "Adding a second recess would shorten each class by four minutes. ___ teachers at Bell Middle report that students finish more work after the extra break." Which transition fits the relationship?

Draft: "Buses idle outside the school for twenty minutes each morning. ___ the district burns fuel before a single student has been dropped off." Which transition fits the relationship?

A writer has finished a paragraph about the cost of repaving the track and is beginning a paragraph about safety. Which opening sentence links the two ideas?

A student claims that crashes on Main Street fell after the new signal was installed last year. Which source is both credible and current for that claim?

A student argues that the school's new water bottle filling stations cut plastic waste. Which evidence comes from a source independent of anyone with a stake in the answer?

Claim: "The school day should include a twenty-minute silent reading block." Which evidence actually bears on that claim rather than being true but beside the point?

Claim: "Attendance improves when homeroom opens with a five-minute check-in." The writer offers last Tuesday's attendance figure. Judged for sufficiency, what does the argument still need?

A draft reports three heat advisories in May, a courtyard with no trees, and outdoor lunch on eighty days a year. Which conclusion follows from that argument?

A student is sending an argument about the parking lot to the town council. Which sentence is too informal for that audience?

Claim: "The town should add a shaded bench at the Pine Street bus stop." Which reason supports that claim by logical reasoning?

A writer visited one school that dropped letter grades, saw calmer students, and concluded that dropping letter grades calms students everywhere. What breaks in that reasoning?

A writer argues, "The new grading policy is unfair because it treats students unfairly." What breaks in that reasoning?

Draft: "The town should extend the bike path to Cedar Park. Riders now share a narrow shoulder with traffic. Some neighbors say the path would cut through their yards. The town owns that strip already." Which sentence states the counterclaim?

A student claims that the cafeteria's new compost bin reduced the amount of trash the school throws away. Which evidence would best support that claim?

A draft states that the state requires 180 school days a year. Which step best checks that the figure is accurate before it goes into the argument?

A draft argues for keeping the late bus, noting that sixty-two students stay for clubs and that many have no other ride home. Which concluding statement follows from that argument?