An article says the canal opened in 1838, rescued Fenn's Landing from ruin, and was fought by forty farmers it calls stubborn holdouts. Which words show where the writer's sympathy sits?

A town history lists the mill's new jobs, its higher wages, and the school it paid for. It never mentions the twelve-hour shifts or the children on the spinning floor. What does that omission suggest?

"Historians of the county have long called the 1868 fire an accident. The stove was old. The night was dry. Yet the warehouse was insured twice that spring." Which sentence marks where the author turns from those historians?

An essay reads: "The turnpike company did drain the swamp and did keep the bridge repaired. Even so, it charged the wagoners of Reed County twice what it charged its own shareholders." What does the author concede before disagreeing?

"The ferry began in 1841 with one flatboat and two hands. By 1850 it carried 60 wagons a week. It was the finest thing in the county. That growth suggests the inland road was busy." Which sentence is a reasoned judgment?

A city report says the aldermen who backed the gaslights "pressed boldly forward" while the councilmen who wanted to wait "dragged their feet." What do those two phrases reveal?

A city guide praises the new streetcar line for its speed, its low fare, and the houses built along it. It says nothing about the two blocks of homes torn down for the track. What does leaving that out suggest?

A merchant's 1848 circular describes the new telegraph line, lists the towns it reaches, and closes by inviting readers to buy shares in it. What does that closing reveal about the writer's purpose?

A county paper calls the cannery owners "men of vision" and the fishermen who asked for higher prices "a restless few." Which choice by the writer shows where the writer stands?

A report on the dredged harbor lists the larger ships it drew, the wharf jobs it made, and the customs fees it earned. It never gives the dredging's cost or the oyster beds it buried. That silence suggests what?

"Earlier writers gave the credit for the road to Governor Hale. The county's own pay books, however, name its builders as the farmers of three townships." What does the word "however" signal here?

"The dam was finished in 1889. It raised the millpond by nine feet. It is the ugliest structure in the valley. Two mills closed the year after it was built." Which sentence states an opinion?

A coast history says the keeper "stood faithfully" through the gale while the board that had cut his pay "sat comfortably" in the capital. What do those two phrases reveal?

A booklet on the sawmill lists its output, its payroll, and the church it helped build. It does not mention the hillsides it stripped or the river it choked with sawdust. What does that choice of facts suggest?

An 1855 pamphlet describes the prairie's deep soil and mild winters, prints the price of a section, and gives the land office's address. What does that content reveal about the pamphlet's purpose?

"The tax did fall hardest on the small farms, and the vote was close. All the same, the new schoolhouse took in ninety children who had no school before." What does the writer grant before disagreeing?

A mill town paper calls the owners' offer "generous" and the weavers who refused it "ungrateful." Which aspect of the account reveals the writer's point of view?

A town booklet prints the yearly rainfall, the two rail lines, and the price of lots. It never mentions the river's flood of 1884, which reached the courthouse steps. What does leaving the flood out suggest?

"The elevator opened in 1897. Wheat shipments doubled in two years. It is the pride of the whole county and always has been. The doubling suggests farmers had lacked storage." Which sentence is a reasoned judgment?

A history says the road's backers "boasted of progress" while the shopkeepers along it "pleaded for delay." True or False: the writer's word choices favor the road's backers.

A company history calls the quarry owners "openhanded" and says the stonecutters "grumbled" about the wage. Which choice shows where the writer's sympathy lies?

A trail history lists the herds delivered, the prices paid at the railhead, and the drovers' wages. It says nothing of the ranchers whose grass the herds ate through. What does that omission suggest?

"Town legend holds that the flood spared the north bank. The 1873 damage rolls, which list nine ruined barns there, tell another story." Which aspect of the passage shows the author's own position?

A fair committee's notice praises the county's stock, lists the premiums offered for cattle and butter, and asks every farmer to enter something. What does that content reveal about the notice's purpose?

A newspaper calls the toll bridge company's rates "fair and modest" and the wagoners who petitioned against them "a noisy crowd." What do those descriptions reveal?

A district report lists the acres the ditch watered, the orchards it fed, and the taxes it raised. It gives no space to the ranches downstream left with less water. What does that silence suggest?

"The courthouse was raised in 1856. Its walls are two feet thick. Nothing built since has half its dignity. The county paid $14,000 for it and never borrowed again." Which sentence gives the writer's opinion?

"The brickyard did smoke the valley, and two neighbors sued over it. Even so, its kilns roofed half the town after the fire of 1881." What does the writer admit before making the writer's own point?

A regimental history calls its own colonel's retreat "a prudent withdrawal" and the opposing commander's identical move "a flight." What does that difference in wording reveal?

An account of the ice harvest lists the tons cut, the wages paid, and the city buyers who took the crop. It never mentions the three cutters who drowned that winter. What does the writer's choice of facts suggest?

A brigade's 1871 handbill describes two shops lost for want of a pump, prints what a new engine would cost, and names where to leave a subscription. What does that content reveal about its purpose?

"Guidebooks of the day called the pass an easy crossing. The freight bills tell a different story: six teams were lost there in one season." Which phrase marks where the author parts from the guidebooks?

A trustees' report calls the library's subscribers "public-spirited" and the townspeople who voted against a tax-funded library "close-fisted." What does that word choice reveal?

A postal history lists the new road's mail days, its riders' pay, and the towns it linked. It leaves out the farms whose fields the road cut through. What does that omission suggest?

"The beds were leased in 1902. The catch fell by half in six years. That lease was the worst bargain the state ever made. The fall suggests the beds were dredged too fast." Which sentence is a reasoned judgment?

A town report lists the new bridge's cost, its width, and the name of the ferry it replaced. It never mentions the ferrymen who lost their work. True or False: because it gives only facts, the report cannot show the writer's point of view.

A survey calls the drained marsh "reclaimed land" and the same ground before draining "a useless waste." What does that wording reveal about the surveyor's point of view?

A county sketch names the courthouse's architect, its cost, and the day it opened. It never says the old courthouse was pulled down over the objection of half the board. What does that omission suggest?

An 1863 shipyard notice lists the wages paid to riveters, the hours of the day shift, and the gate where men should apply. What does that content reveal about the notice's purpose?

"The company did build the hospital, and it did pay the doctor. Still, it charged each miner a dollar a month for both, whether he used them or not." What does the writer concede before making the writer's own point?