Chocolate Explosion
What is the publication date of the Rothschild letter?
Month Day, Year
May 4, 1943
What is the author’s MAIN purpose in the text "Is It Fair To Eat Chocolate?"
A. To inform readers about conditions faced by child laborers who harvest chocolate in West Africa
B. To persuade readers to consider how the chocolate they eat is produced so that they can help end child labor
C. To describe the process by which chocolate today is produced and sold
D. To narrate the experiences of children who are forced to pick cocoa beans that will be sold to big chocolate companies
B. To persuade readers to consider how the chocolate they eat is produced so that they can help end child labor
Although much of this article is informational, the ultimate purpose is persuasive. The author provides the readers with so much information about the harsh realities of chocolate production because her goal is to persuade her readers to choose to support companies that are fair to workers.
Which sentence from the text BEST shows that Fair Trade is good for farmers?
A. “For generations they have depended on growing and selling cocoa beans as their main means of survival.” (4)
B. “Companies that buy cocoa beans from these farmers sign a document promising to pay the farmers a fair trade price which is enough for them to buy food and clothing for their families and send their children to school.” (6)
C. “Also, all organic chocolate made with cocoa grown on farms without child laborers is labeled fair trade.” (6)
D. “Now chocolate can be eaten fair and square!” (8)
B. “Companies that buy cocoa beans from these farmers sign a document promising to pay the farmers a fair trade price which is enough for them to buy food and clothing for their families and send their children to school.” (6)
The phrase “which is enough for them to buy food and clothing for their families and send their children to school” details the exact benefits Fair Trade offers farmers.
What does URL stand for?
Universal Resource Locator
Read this sentence from paragraph 4 of "Is It Fair to Eat Chocolate?": “For generations they have depended on growing and selling cocoa beans as their main means of survival.” What is the meaning of the word “means” as it is used in this sentence?
A. Method
B. Definition
C. Purpose
D. Demonstration
A. Method
In this context, “means” refers to the method or way of survival practiced by the families who grow and sell cocoa beans.
What was the purpose of the exploding chocolate bar?
The Nazi's attempted to kill England's prime minister, Winston Churchill.
British spies uncovered the plot and intervened before anything happened.
In the article, "Is it Fair to Eat Chocolate?" what is the author’s MAIN purpose for beginning paragraph 1 with a question to readers?
A. To give readers information about the topic
B. To present the author’s point of view on the topic
C. To grab the readers’ attention by making them think about their own experiences with the topic
D. To explain a problem that needs a solution
C. To grab the readers’ attention by making them think about their own experiences with the topic.
The technique of directly addressing the readers with a personal question engages readers in the topic of the article by encouraging them to reflect on their own related experiences.
In paragraph 8 of "Is It Fair to Eat Chocolate?", the author argues that people should buy Fair Trade chocolate if they are concerned about child labor. Which claim is most important to the author’s argument that buying Fair Trade chocolate will help?
A. Child laborers who harvest cocoa beans face dangerous conditions.
B. Children who work as laborers for chocolate companies do so because their family cannot make a living wage without their help.
C. People who buy chocolate in the US have the power to influence the big chocolate companies.
D. People in the US consume a lot of chocolate
C. People who buy chocolate in the US have the power to influence the big chocolate companies.
The claim that consumers in the US “have the power to influence the big chocolate companies” is key to the author’s central argument: that people should buy Fair Trade chocolate if they are concerned about child labor.
Plagiarism is when you take someone else's words or ideas and you try to pass them off as your own original work without giving your source credit.
"Before 1999, the government in the Ivory Coast set a minimum price for cocoa, but then the cocoa industry was privatized and the MINIMUM price disappeared."
The word “minimum” means that the price ______
A. needs to be a certain amount or higher.
B. needs to be a certain amount or lower.
C. needs to be set very low.
D. needs to be set so it never changes.
A. needs to be a certain amount or higher.
In this context, the phrase “minimum price” means that the government in the Ivory Coast could declare that the price of cocoa could only be set at a certain amount or higher.
The drawing of the chocolate bomb has a caption that reads: “The bomb is made of steel with a thin covering of real chocolate. When the piece of chocolate at the end is broken off the canvas shown is pulled, and after a delay of seven seconds the bomb explodes.”
What information from the letter is NOT included in this caption?
A. The bomb is made of chocolate-covered steel.
B. The wrapper says PETERS brand chocolate.
C. Breaking off a piece of chocolate pulls the canvas.
D. The bomb explodes after a delay of seven seconds.
B. The wrapper says PETERS brand chocolate.
The caption reiterates much of what is described in the letter, but it does not mention that the brand of chocolate is PETERS.
Which sentence from paragraph 6 of "Is It Fair to Eat Chocolate?" MOST clearly states the writer’s point of view?
A. “There is hope.”
B. “An emerging group of farms in Africa and South America are called Fair Trade Certified.”
C. “Companies that buy cocoa beans from these farmers sign a document promising to pay the farmers a fair trade price which is enough for them to buy food and clothing for their families and send their children to school.”
D. “There are about 45,000 farmers in this program.”
E. “Chocolate made from these farmers’ beans is labeled Fair Trade.”
F. “Also, all organic chocolate made with cocoa grown on farms without child laborers is labeled fair trade.”
A. “There is hope.”
All sentences in this paragraph, except the first one, state factual, verifiable information. The first sentence (“There is hope”) states an assessment of the situation that the author personally believes
Which sentence from paragraph 7 of "Is It Fair To Eat Chocolate?" expresses the author’s OPINION?
A. “Farmers must have control over their cocoa bean prices.”
B. “Before 1999, the government in the Ivory Coast set a minimum price for cocoa, but then the cocoa industry was privatized and the minimum price disappeared.”
C. “Groups like Save the Children say that minimum price laws need to return.
A. “Farmers must have control over their cocoa bean prices.”
The word “must” suggests that this is the author’s personal opinion. (Note that the opinion expressed in the last sentence of the paragraph refers to the opinion of groups like Save the Children, not her own.)
Paraphrase this piece of information:
When chocolate gets cold, a whitish coating called blooming will begin to cover it due to excess moisture sitting on the surface but it is just sugar.
If you refrigerate your chocolate, you might begin to notice a whitish coating. No need to worry! This is a process called blooming which is caused by excess moisture sitting on the surface of the chocolate. It is actually just sugar.
Read this sentence from paragraph 3 of "Is It Fair to Eat Chocolate?": “Going to school is out of the question.” Which statement BEST describes the meaning of the phrase “out of the question” as it is used in this sentence?
A. Child laborers question why they cannot go to school.
B. The families of child laborers question the value of school.
C. Going to school is not possible for child laborers.
D. Going to school is not something child laborers like to do.
C. Going to school is not possible for child laborers.
Going to school is “out of the question,” or not possible, for children in Sametta’s situation because their families must rely on their income in order to survive.
DAILY DOUBLE!
What information from Rothschild's letter is shown in the illustration? Select THREE.
A. “Slabs of chocolate which are made of steel with a very thin covering of real chocolate.”
B. “Inside there is high explosive and some form of delay mechanism.”
C. “A piece of canvas is revealed stuck into the middle of the piece which has been broken off and sticking into the middle of the remainder of the slab.”
D. “This initiates the mechanism.”
E. “The paper half taken off revealing one end and another with the piece broken off showing the canvas.”
A, C, E
A. “Slabs of chocolate which are made of steel with a very thin covering of real chocolate.”
C. “A piece of canvas is revealed stuck into the middle of the piece which has been broken off and sticking into the middle of the remainder of the slab.”
E. “The paper half taken off revealing one end and another with the piece broken off showing the canvas.”
The illustration shows a slab of chocolate with a thin steel interior, a piece of chocolate broken off to reveal the canvas stuck into the steel, and half the paper torn off to better reveal the bar. The illustration does not show the actual explosive or the delay mechanism that initiates it.
Which sentence from paragraph 5 of "Is It Fair to Eat Chocolate?" MOST CLEARLY states that a lack of money among farming families is the biggest reason for child labor?
A. “In 2001 the U.S. government created a document, the Harkin-Engel Protocol, that called the chocolate companies to help eliminate child slavery and child labor by July 2005.”
B. “However, chocolate companies have not abided by this protocol and the deadline has been extended to July 2008.”
C. “Even if the companies do convince countries to stop selling their children, and they teach farmers that their children need to go to school, the cocoa farmers would still make barely enough money to survive."
C. “Even if the companies do convince countries to stop selling their children, and they teach farmers that their children need to go to school, the cocoa farmers would still make barely enough money to survive.”
This sentence states that, even if families were morally opposed, their financial straits would still force them to put their children to work instead of sending them to school: “the cocoa farmers would still make barely enough money to survive.”
“Big chocolate companies like Mars/M&M want to buy cocoa beans for as little cash as possible so that they can make big profits selling their chocolate products. Chocolate companies pay farmers a very low price for their cocoa beans. Most farmers only earn between $30 and $100 a year. Cheap or free labor means more profits for the chocolate companies.”
This excerpt supports which TWO inferences (conclusions) about big chocolate companies?
A. Big chocolate companies feel bad about the harsh conditions faced by their child laborers.
B. Paying workers low wages is one way big chocolate companies can keep profits high.
C. Big chocolate companies have the power to decide how much they will pay for cocoa beans.
D. Big chocolate companies did not make enough profits in the past, so they feel pressure to make higher profits now.
E. Big chocolate companies plan to start paying laborers more
B, C
B. Paying workers low wages is one way big chocolate companies can keep profits high.
C. Big chocolate companies have the power to decide how much they will pay for cocoa beans.
The statement that big chocolate companies “want to buy cocoa beans for as little cash as possible so that they can make big profits” directly implies that paying low wages is one way to keep profits high, and also that they have the power to decide how much they will pay for cocoa beans. It does not imply that they feel bad about the harsh conditions faced by their laborers (child or otherwise). And it neither implies specifics about past profits or losses nor does it suggest future economic plans.
What is a source?
A source is a place you can get a piece of information from.
Read this sentence from Lord Rothschild’s letter: “When the piece of chocolate is pulled sharply, the canvas is also pulled and this initiates the mechanism.” Which of the following would BEST replace the underlined word?
A. Tugs on
B. Communicates with
C. Begins
D. Introduces
C. Begins
The word “initiates” means “begins.” In this context, pulling on the canvas initiates the mechanism of the bomb, or begins the process that results in an explosion.
Which sentence in the letter from Lord Rothschild (a British intelligence officer) BEST states his reason for requesting the drawing you see below the letter?
A. "I wonder if you could do a drawing for me of an explosive slab of chocolate."
B. "We have received information that the enemy are using pound slabs of chocolate which are made of steel with a very thin covering of real chocolate."
C. "When you break off a piece of chocolate at one end in the normal way, instead of it falling away, a piece of canvas is revealed stuck into the middle of the piece which has been broken off and sticking into the middle of the remainder of the slab."
D. "I enclose a very poor sketch done by somebody who has seen one of these."
E. "Would it be possible for you to do a drawing of this, one possibly with the paper half taken off revealing one end and another with the piece broken off showing the canvas."
B. “We have received information that the enemy are using pound slabs of chocolate which are made of steel with a very thin covering of real chocolate.”
Lord Rothschild requests a drawing of the exploding chocolate bar so that the British intelligence community can better visualize something that has only been described to them. The correct answer choice explains how the need for such a drawing arose.
In the passage “Is It Fair to Eat Chocolate?” paragraph 1, the author makes a claim: “Child labor is becoming of increasing concern to people who buy chocolate.”
Which of the following types of evidence does the author use to support this claim?
A. Statistics about how many children work in chocolate production
B. Quotes from customers who are concerned about child labor
C. An anecdote (story) about a child laborer’s living and working conditions
D. An explanation of the economic forces involved in chocolate production
A, C, D
A. Statistics about how many children work in chocolate production
C. An anecdote (story) about a child laborer’s living and working conditions
D. An explanation of the economic forces involved in chocolate production
The author supports her claim with statistics about how many children work in chocolate production in paragraph 3: “Every day in the Ivory Coast, as well as in Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon, about 300,000 children are forced to pick cocoa beans that will be sold to big chocolate companies like Nestle and Cargill. About 6,000 of these children are treated like slaves—they sleep in dirty rooms, work 12-hour days without pay, are fed very little, and are sometimes whipped.” She provides an anecdote about a child laborer’s living and working conditions in paragraph 2: “Imagine this: 12-year old Sametta lives in Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa....” She explains the economic forces involved in chocolate production in paragraph 4: “The reason is money....” She does not provide testimonies from customers who are concerned about child labor.
In paragraph 2 of "Is it Fair to Eat Chocolate?" the author describes Sametta’s daily routine. It states that Sametta “does not go to school.” Which sentence in this paragraph BEST explains why?
A. “Imagine this: 12-year old Sametta lives in Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa.”
B. “She wakes up at 4:00 a.m., eats millet porridge, then walks two miles to her family’s cocoa bean field.”
C. “For the next 12 hours she picks cocoa pods and breaks them open so she can scoop out the 30–50 seeds, or ‘beans,’ inside.”
D. “About 400 beans are needed to make one pound of chocolate.”
E. “Sametta does not go to school.” F. “Her family needs her to work in order for them to survive.”
G. “Her health is at risk because she uses a sharp machete to harvest the cocoa pods, which are sprayed with poisonous pesticides.”
F. “Her family needs her to work in order for them to survive.”
The explanation that “Her family needs her to work in order for them to survive” directly follows the statement that “Sametta does not go to school,” implying causality.
List 5 domain extensions and circle the 2 that are most credible.
.com
.edu
.gov *
.net *
.org
Which sentence from paragraph 6 of "Is It Fair to Eat Chocolate?" BEST explains what “Fair Trade Certified” means?
A. “There is hope.”
B. “An emerging group of farms in Africa and South America are called Fair Trade Certified.”
C. “Companies that buy cocoa beans from these farmers sign a document promising to pay the farmers a fair trade price which is enough for them to buy food and clothing for their families and send their children to school.”
D. “There are about 45,000 farmers in this program.”
E. “Chocolate made from these farmers’ beans is labeled Fair Trade.”
F. “Also, all organic chocolate made with cocoa grown on farms without child laborers is labeled fair trade.
C. “Companies that buy cocoa beans from these farmers sign a document promising to pay the farmers a fair trade price which is enough for them to buy food and clothing for their families and send their children to school.” This paragraph begins a section called “A New Solution: Fair Trade.”
The first sentence states that there is hope, the second sentence introduces the term “Fair Trade,” and the third sentence explains what is meant by that designation (“companies ... sign a document promising to pay ... a fair trade price...”).