True Detective
A student is writing about the effects of social media on teenagers. Which evidence is stronger?
A) Many teenagers use social media everyday, and some of them feel anxious or sad sometimes.
B) A study published in JAMA Pediatrics found that teens who spent more than three hours a day on social media had significantly higher rates of depression and anxiety than those who spent less time online.
B)
Provides a source and a published study
This is the term for giving human qualities to non-human things, like "the wind whispered through the trees."
Personification
Me and my friend goes to the library every tuesday after school.
My friend and I go to the library every Tuesday after school.
This city is the capitol of Colorado
Denver
A student is writing about climate change solutions. Both pieces of evidence are factual — which one better supports the claim?
A) Renewable energy includes solar, wind, and hydroelectric power. These energy sources do not produce carbon emissions the way fossil fuels do.
B) According to the International Energy Agency, solar and wind energy collectively reduced global CO₂ emissions by 1.5 billion tons in 2023 — the equivalent of removing all the cars in the United States from the road.
B)
Uses a credible source and actual measurements to show the effect of renewable energy.
This type of figurative language directly compares two unlike things WITHOUT using 'like' or 'as' — for example, 'Life is a rollercoaster.'
Metaphor
Its important to return you're library books before their due.
It's important to return your library books before they're due.
"Its" → "It's" (contraction of "it is")
"you're" → "your" (possessive, not a contraction)
"their" → "they're" (contraction of "they are")
The U.S. declared independence from this country in 1776
Great Britain
A student argues that book banning in schools is harmful. Both pieces of evidence seem to support this — which is more effective?
A) Madeleine Albright once said that reading challenging books is important for young people, and many authors agree that students should be exposed to a variety of ideas.
B) A 2021 report by PEN America found that schools with fewer book restrictions produced students who scored higher on open-ended reasoning assessments, suggesting that exposure to diverse perspectives develops analytical thinking.
B)
Uses a specific study to support their claim. (A) is the opinion of an author and is anecdotal evidence.
This is the term for when an author hints at something that will happen later in the story.
Forshadowing
Last weak, we red a knew book in english class about a boy who one a race.
Last week, we read a new book in English class about a boy who won a race.
This is the main gas that plants absorb from the air during photosynthesis
Carbon Dioxide
A student is arguing that physical education should be required every day in middle school. Which piece of evidence better supports this claim?
A) Researchers at the University of Illinois tracked 200 middle schoolers over one semester and found that students who exercised for at least 30 minutes before class scored 15% higher on attention-based tasks than students who did not, regardless of sleep quality or diet.
B) A report from the American Academy of Pediatrics states that regular physical activity is associated with improved concentration and reduced symptoms of ADHD in school-aged children.
A)
The evidence is more specific, giving an exact time for exercise as well as a percentage of higher scores.
This literary device occurs when a story pauses to show a scene from the character's past, giving background information.
Flashback
I were really hungry after school so I ate a sandwitch and then had an apple.
I was really hungry after school, so I ate a sandwich and then had an apple.
This is 15% of 200
30
A student is writing about whether students should be allowed to use phones during lunch. Which evidence better supports this claim?
A) A 2022 survey by Common Sense Media found that 67% of teens report using their phones during meals with others, and the majority said they still felt connected to the people they were with.
B) A longitudinal study from UCLA's Children's Digital Media Center followed 1,200 students across three years and found no statistically significant difference in social skills scores between students at phone-permitted schools versus phone-restricted schools.
B)
A uses data that was self-reported, meaning the subjects of the study came up with the data as opposed to the researchers conducting the study.
This is when a word or phrase means the opposite of what it literally says — for example, a character says 'Oh great, another Monday' while groaning.
Sarcasm
The dog ran across the yard it knocked over the trash can and then it hid under the porch.
The dog ran across the yard, knocked over the trash can, and then hid under the porch.
Colorado shares it's border with this many states
7