Argument

A. (1–4.) In each group, one statement is the point of an argument, and the other

statements are support for that point. Write the letter of the point of each group.

___ Group 1

A. Curved streets discourage speeding cars.

B. For residential neighborhoods, curved streets have advantages.

C. The graceful lines of curved streets are more attractive than straight lines.

___ Group 2

A. In stores, at bus stops, and at theaters, people are expected to wait for their turn in

line.

B. In cities, many everyday activities occur according to a system of rules.

C. In North America, pedestrians keep to the right as a way to avoid running into

others.

D. Drivers are expected to stick to one side of the road.

___ Group 3

A. In recent years, 62 percent of all traffic deaths took place at night.

B. The chances of being in a fatal accident are nearly four times greater at night than

during the day.

C. Driving at night is less safe than driving in the daytime.

D. Many dangerous corners and curves are poorly lit or unlit at night.

___ Group 4

A. Dinosaur fossils teach us about animals that are now extinct.

B. Fossils have “recorded” much about the past of the Earth and its inhabitants.

C. Fossils of ferns found in the Arctic suggest climatic changes.

D. Seashell fossils found high in the mountains indicate that those areas were once

covered by salt water.

B. Each point is followed by three statements that provide relevant support and three that

do not. In the spaces, write the letters of the three relevant statements of support.

Point: Selling cigarettes ought to be against the law.

A. Cigarette smoking kills many more people than all illegal drugs combined.

B. Today, tobacco growing is actually supported by government subsidies.

C. Smoking makes clothing smell bad and stains teeth.

D. Alcohol is another legal drug that kills numerous Americans every year.

E. Nonsmokers are endangered by breathing the smoke from others’cigarettes.

F. Tobacco is one of the most addictive of all drugs.

5–7. Items that logically support the point: _____ _____ _____

Point: Taking good care of a pet is healthy for the pet owner.

A. Before-and-after studies have shown that petting an animal causes a

decrease in many people’s blood pressure.

B. Owning a dog that needs a daily walk can encourage a senior citizen to get

some much-needed exercise.

C. Most people can easily afford the expense of pet food and veterinary care.

D. According to the 2007–2008 National Pet Owners Survey, 63 percent of

American households own a pet.

E. The American Heart Association has said that pet owners are more likely to

survive during the first year after a heart attack than people who don’t own

pets.

F. In addition to cats and dogs, people have fish, birds, snakes, pigs, and even

insects for pets.

8–10. Items that logically support the point: _____ _____ _____

Critical Reading

A. Two of the statements below are facts, and three are opinions. In addition, two

statements include both fact and opinion. Identify facts with an F, opinions with an O,

and statements of fact and opinion with F+O.

_____ 1.          Couples should know each other for at least a year before getting married.

_____ 2.          For various reasons, some spouses take separate vacations.

_____ 3.          In point of fact, it is always better for spouses to vacation together.

_____ 4.          Here’s a disgusting fact: By the time the average person is 70, he or she

will have shed about forty pounds of dead skin.

_____ 5.          Some human eyes are so sensitive that on a clear, dark night they can spot a

candle flame more than thirty miles away.

_____ 6.          Paul Revere is famous for his midnight ride to warn the colonists that the

British were coming during the American Revolution, but he should be

equally honored for his fine work as a silversmith.

_____ 7.          No reform movement of any era was more significant than the drive to

abolish slavery.

B. (8–10.) The following paragraph contains three sentences. One is fact, one is opinion,

and one sentence combines fact and opinion. Identify the fact with an F, the opinion

with an O, and the statement of fact and opinion with an F+O.

8People who think of Alaska as an unattractive frozen wasteland are just plain

wrong. 9Alaska is a land of various wildlife, varying climates, and hundreds of forms

of plant life. 10In fact, the highest mountains in North America are in Alaska, where

they have a starring role in some unforgettable scenery.

8. _____ 9. _____ 10. _____

C. (11–15.) The passage below contains five sentences. Each sentence expresses a fact,

the author’s opinion, or a combination of fact and opinion. Identify each sentence as

fact (F), opinion (O), or fact and opinion (F+O).

11Red is the most common color for barns throughout the United States. 12It’s

fortunate that red is such a good color for barns because the early farmers who

established the tradition didn’t have other paint colors to choose from. 13Pioneer farmers

painted their barns with a mixture of skim milk, linseed oil, lime, and iron oxide, with

the iron oxide furnishing the red color to the mixture. 14Since outdoor paints are now

available in a variety of colors, today’s farmers paint their barns red out of choice, not

necessity. 15Everyone of taste would certainly agree that the countryside would be less

beautiful if it were dotted with, for example, jet-black, purple or ultramarine barns.

11. _____ 12. _____ 13. _____ 14. _____ 15. _____

D. Read the following passage from an article in Fortune magazine, and then identify each of

the listed excerpts from the passage as fact (F), the author’s opinion (O), or a combination

of fact and opinion (F+O). (Only one of the excerpts combines fact and opinion.)

1There was plenty of gossip in the corridors of Levi Strauss when Donna Goya, a

personnel manager and rising star, cut back to a three-day-a-week work schedule.

2“One of my colleagues thanked me for taking myself out of the running,” she recalls.

3Two years later, with her son in kindergarten, Goya returned to regular hours—and a

promotion to director of personnel. 4The colleague who was glad to see her leave?

5“Now he works for me.”

6Donna Goya belongs to a pioneering group of managers and professionals who are

breaking the stranglehold of the five-day workweek to devote more time to other aspects

of their lives, such as caring for a young child or an elderly parent. 7These men and

women have told their companies that, for a while, they will require flexible work schedules.

8The surprise is that, in many cases, their careers are prospering. 9It’s still an uphill

battle against well-established corporate practice, but by now enough companies have

tried this kind of new approach that some lessons can be learned. 10And they ought to be.

11Flexible is a term that covers a variety of arrangements: hours other than nine to

five, part-time work, job sharing, leaves of absence, working at home. 12From the

company’s perspective, the theory goes, allowing employees to work fewer and more

flexible hours is a powerful way to attract and retain top-caliber people. 13Adaptable

schedules should also promote a sense of empowerment among workers and a feeling

that the company trusts them. 14Most important, these work arrangements enable dualcareer

parents to address the serious societal issue of raising children responsibly.

15Sounds great. 16Why is it, then, that employees even of seemingly progressive

companies still encounter a lot of resistance when they try to take advantage of the

option? . . .

17Now some of the most forward-looking corporations—among them American

Express, IBM, Levi Strauss, NCNB, and PepsiCo—are systematically trying to

promote flexibility throughout their organizations.

_____ 16. Two years later, with her son in kindergarten, Goya returned to regular

hours—and a promotion to director of personnel.

_____ 17. These men and women have told their companies that, for a while, they

will require flexible work schedules.

_____ 18. And they ought to be.

_____ 19. Flexible is a term that covers a variety of arrangements: hours other than nine

to five, part-time work, job sharing, leaves of absence, working at home.

_____ 20. Now some of the most forward-looking corporations—among them

American Express, IBM, Levi Strauss, NCNB, and PepsiCo—are systematically

trying to promote flexibility throughout their organizations.

Internet Literacy

1. When searching on the internet, what steps can you take to make sure you’re finding what you need?

Answer:

2.  If someone asked you to find out the average cost of living in Parkersburg, what are 4 search terms you would use to find the answer?

___________

___________

___________

___________

3.  What is Phishing?

Answer:

4. Who is most vulnerable to Phishing scams?

Answer:

5. What is one way to find out if an email you’ve received is a phishing scam?

Answer:

If you received this message in your email, what would you do with it?

Official Notice for all eBay users

Dear eBay User,

During our regular udpate and verification of the accounts, we couldn’t verify your current information. Either your information has changed or it is incomplete.

As a result, your access to bid or buy on Ebay has been restricted. To start using your eBay account fully, please update and verify your information by clicking below :

http://www.ebay.com.us:eBayISAPIdllVerifyInformation

Regards,

eBay

**Please Do Not Reply To This E-Mail As You Will Not Receive A Responce**

Copyright 1995-2003 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of the eBay User Agreement and Privacy Policy.

Now that we’ve discussed this email, here is the truth about it:

http://www.snopes.com/fraud/phishing/ebay.asp

Read this article and answer the questions below:

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20040325thursday.html

a. Based on this article, what is “phishing”?

b. According to government officials and private investigators, who are the most likely groups behind most phishing attempts?
c. How is fraudulent email spread that makes it so difficult to track?
d. Do federal investigators think Helen Carr is a typical phisher? Why or why not?
e. According to Christopher Wray, what is the single biggest type of consumer fraud?
f. According to the article, why is it often difficult to tell the difference between a legitimate and fraudulent email?
g. What are some ways phishers try to hook unwary recipients, according to the article?
h. What are some technological solutions attempted by Microsoft, eBay and PayPal?
i. How effective are these solutions, according to Howard Schmidt of eBay?
j. What other solutions are helpful, according to the article?

Some more examples of Phishing scams:

http://www.snopes.com/fraud/phishing/fbstarter.asp

http://www.snopes.com/fraud/phishing/subpoena.asp

http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/cnnalert.asp

I will show you how to set up and use a Twitter account if you are interested.

Facebook is now the most popular social networking site.  We will do an overview of the site and talk about avoiding spam and hackers, as well as how to block certain things on your page from the general public.

Task 1: Find out what the high and low temperatures will be tomorrow.

Search Terms:

URL:

Response:

Task 2: Define triskaidekaphobia.

Search Terms:

URL:

Response:

Task 3:  How many syllables are in a Haiku?

Search Terms:

URL:

Response:

Task 4:  Who was the last NASCAR driver to win the Winston Cup

(note –  it’s now called the Nextel Cup – you need to find the last winner of the Winston Cup).

Search Terms:

URL:

Response:

Task 6: Name a famous author from West Virginia.

Search Terms:

URL:

Response:

Task 7: What is the high school graduation rate in West Virginia?

Search Terms:

URL:

Response:

Tuesday’s lesson includes search tips, blogging, Twitter and Facebook.

Thursday’s lesson includes scam detection, internet safety, and keeping your computer free of viruses and spyware.

All lessons for this week’s classes will be posted by date (11/3 or 11/5) and by subject.  We’ll go through everything together, step by step.  Remember, after creating your WordPress blog, you will be able to use it anytime for anything you like.

Lesson 1: Creating a Blog!
Go to http://www.wordpress.com

Click the orange “Sign Up Now” button

Create your username and password, fill in all requested information, and click “Next”

Choose your blog domain (This can be your username, your real name, or anything else you like)

Give your blog a title

Click “Sign Up”

Go to the email address you used to set up your blog to confirm your signup.  You will receive the email immediately. Open it and click the confirmation link.

Go back to WordPress.com and sign in to your account.

Go to http://read090wvup.wordpress.com and wait for my instructions…