A student says in a class presentation: "Our town needs a second crosswalk on Ash Street. Drivers there average 40 miles per hour. Sixty students cross that street each morning." Which sentence states the speaker's claim?

In a class presentation a student says: "Sixth graders should get lockers. We carry four textbooks at once. Also, the gym floor was refinished in July." Which statement is the reason given for the locker claim?

A speaker's remarks are printed: "Our library should stay open until six. Last week the after-school sign-in sheet listed 48 names. Longer hours would also raise our reading scores." Which claim does the speaker leave unsupported?

A student says in a class presentation: "Our cafeteria wastes more food than any other school in the district." She gives no numbers. What should a listener ask for next?

A speaker lists four points: (1) Volunteers filled 62 bags last spring. (2) Riverside Park opened in 1974. (3) We should hold a cleanup in April. (4) So April is the month to schedule it. Which order gives background, claim, evidence, then conclusion?

A student says in a class presentation: "Recycling bins belong in every classroom. Room 12's bin filled twice a week last month. Our town's recycling center opened in 1998. Rooms without bins threw out their paper." Which detail does not bear on her point?

Two speakers cite a source aloud. Speaker A: "People say bats eat many mosquitoes." Speaker B: "Dr. Alvarez, a biologist who counted our county's bat colony, reported the number." Which citation is more useful to a listener?

A speaker says: "Buses should leave at 3:15. Right now 40 students miss the 3:05 bus every week." The speaker backs the claim with a specific number a listener could check.

A speaker says: "Our team practices harder than any team in the league. Everyone knows it." Which follow-up question best challenges her support for the claim?

A speaker reporting on a garden project has three points: (1) We moved the beds into full sun. (2) Beans in the shaded beds died early. (3) The new beds yielded twice as much. Which order names the problem, then the change, then the result?

A speaker's stated point is that the school day starts too early. Which detail from her remarks is pertinent to that point?

A student says in a class presentation: "Studies show that music helps memory." A listener wants to check that source. Which question best targets the weakness in the citation?

A speaker says: "The chess club should meet twice a week, because one meeting leaves games unfinished. Our last tournament ran three hours over." Which part gives the reason for the claim?

A speaker says: "Our recycling program is failing." She offers no support at all. Which evidence would best support that claim?

A speaker claims the new lunch schedule has shortened the cafeteria lines. Which follow-up question asks the speaker for evidence?

A speaker says: "Ash Creek flooded in 2019. That spring the water rose two feet over our levee, so we need a taller levee. Flooding here will get worse every year." Which statement is asserted with no evidence behind it?

A speaker will state her claim first and then her two pieces of evidence: (1) Yearbook sales rose 30 percent. (2) The yearbook sale should run in November. (3) November had our highest lunchroom traffic. Which order does that?

A speaker's stated point is that the field trip should go to the wetlands. Which sentence in her remarks is an aside rather than support for that point?

A speaker says: "Band builds teamwork. For our last concert, 40 players stayed after school to rehearse together. Band members have better attendance than other students." Which claim does the speaker leave unsupported?

A speaker reports: "Our club sold 300 tickets in the gym and 90 tickets online. Online sales cost us no volunteer hours." Which conclusion follows from the speaker's own points?