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Evaluative Reading Comprehension—Bias, Assumption, Stereotype--RIT 221 – 230
Read the following paragraph.
     ”Where’s your dog, Ellie?” Mrs. Minter sneered.  Mrs. Minter had lived alone in a big white house next door ever since her husband died twelve years earlier.
     “In the house, I guess,” Ellie said.
     “Has it been there all night?” Mrs. Minter asked.
     “Well, I think so.”
     Mrs. Minter continued, “Well, it seems mighty funny to me that one of my chickens was killed last night and there are dog prints in the mud by the chicken coop.”
     “It wasn’t my dog,” Ellie finished.
     “Oh, I’m sure it wasn’t, “ said Mrs. Minter.  “I’m sure your mutt is just as pure and innocent as the new fallen snow.”

CHOOSE ONE SENTENCE THAT BEST TELLS WHAT MRS. MINTER WAS THINKING WHEN SHE WAS TALKING TO ELLIE.

Read the paragraph.
Disneyland is the best theme park in America.  Young or old, male or female, there is something for everyone.  The brave and daring will love Space Mpuntain, a body-jarring coaster ride through the park. Little kids enjoy spinning on giant sized teacups.  Teens favor realistic haunted house themed to match the movie, “The Nighr Before Christmas.”

WHAT IS THE AUTHOR’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS DISNEYLAND?

Read the paragraph.
Our after school programs are wonderful!  As students, we have the option to sign up for numerous different classes and activities.  One of my favorite was “Splatter Paint” art.  We taped huge pieces of paper to the wall, drenched sponges in paint, and threw the sponges at the paper.  I looked like a rainbow by the time I got home.  I also loved the snowflake-cutting workshop.  We made intricate snowflakes using only scissors and white paper.  The tiny scraps littered the carpets like real snow.  We stay as late as we can and have a wild time!

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE WOULD MOST LIKELY DISAGREE WITH THE IDEAS IN THE PARAGRAPH?

Read the paragraph.
I could live on chocolae!  Every season is chocolate season.  In the fall, stores sellgiant bags of candy bars for Halloween.  At Christmas, boxes of chocolate covered almonds are as common as ants at a picinic. Spring means Easter baskets full of hollow chocolate bunnies.  Best of all, who can resist a fripping chocolate ice cream cone on a sunny day?

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING DOES NOT EXPRESS HOW THE WRITER FEELS ABOUT THIS TOPIC.

Evaluative Reading Comprehension—Bias, Assumptions, Stereotypes--RIT 231 – 240
Read the paragraph.
Contrary to popular belief, not all cats are loners.  One of the most famous examples was the female cat, Rosy, who saved her kittens from a burning building. It was an old, deserted warehouse, and she and her offspring were living in an abandoned locker.  When the building began to burn, dozens of people witnessed her carrying  her babies out one by one.  They were later adopted by a kind vet who treated Rosy’s burns and nursed the kittens back to health. 

WHAT STEREOTYPE DOES THE AUTHOR EXPECT THE READERS TO HAVE ABOUT CATS?

Read the passage.
Reintroducing native wolves to Yellowstone Park was a huge mistake.  These beasts are cruel, indiscriminate hunters.  They invade ranches in the middle of the night and savagely destroy any livestock they come across.  They are dirty, diseased brutes who spread viruses to all the animals in their path.  They should be sent back to where they came from.

What does the writer assume in the paragraph?

Evaluative Reading Comprehension—Classify, Thinking Skills--RIT 221 – 230
Read the definitions.
Dormitory - a room or building with many rooms for sleping and living in
Synagogue - a building or place for religous study
Igloo - a hut, usually dome-shaped and made from blocks of packed snow
Apartment - a group of rooms to live in, especially one of a number in an apartment house
Camper - a motor vehicle or trailor equipped for camping out

Read the paragraph.
School was canceled during an unexpected snowstorm last May.  A.) We woke up expecting spring flowers only to find the gardens covered in a foot of snow.  B) The front door was blocked shut by a massive drift that had blown against it.   C)  We re-started the heater, made a batch of hot chocolate, and settled in for the day.  D)  Last year there was a little snow, but we still had drought conditions through the summer.

Which sentence does not belong?

Read the definitions.
Ivy - a climbing vine with a woody stem and green leaves.
Spruce - an evergreen tree with slender needles
Crocus - a spring blooming plant of the iris family with grass-like leaves and a yellow, purple or white flower
Gladiolus - an iris-like plant with sword-like leaves and tall spikes of funnel-shaped flowers
Moss - a very small green plant that grows in velvety clusters on rocks and moist ground

Which plants are more logically grouped together?

Evaluative Reading Comprehension—Evaluate Validity--RIT 221 – 230
Read the following logical argument.

Some students are creative, some people are ambitious, and all students are curios.

If these statements are facts, which of the following sentences is definitely true?

Read the passage.
The teacher told the class, “Every student who had cereal for breakfast last year received a passing grade on the test.  So, if you want to pass, have cereal for breakfast.”

What is faulty about the teachers reasoning?

Read the passage.
Trampolines are a great piece of exercise equipment.  For one thing, it is so much fun to jump, fly and flip in the air that it doesn’t seem boring like regular exercise equipment.  Also, this exercise is typically done outside, so you get fresh air in addition to burning calories.

Which of the following conclusions is not supported by facts or details in the passage?