Interpreting
According to the text, what is the 'key' factor that determines whether spray-painted work is an art project or vandalism?
A) The location of the painting on a public building
B) The use of multiple bright colors
C) The skill level of the graffiti artist
D) Permission from the building owner
D) Permission from the building owner
How do the two sources differ in their view of how graffiti affects a neighborhood's appearance?
A) Both sources agree that graffiti makes neighborhoods look dangerous.
B) One thinks graffiti should only be grey, and the other thinks it should be colorful.
C) Both believe graffiti has no effect on how people feel.
D) One says it makes areas feel messy. The other believes it beautifies "eyesores."
D) One says it makes areas feel messy. The other believes it beautifies "eyesores."
Street art brings creativity to everyone for free , _____ it allows people to express their culture right where they live. Some people think it is just a mess, _____ expert art critics say it is an important art movement.
A. but / so
B. and / or
C. and / but
D. or / but
Correct Answer: C. and / but
Rationale: To achieve a score of 3, a student must use "linking words, conjunctions, and/or transition words or phrases effectively".
The first sentence adds information: street art is free and expresses culture.
The second sentence shows a contrast: some think it’s a mess, but critics say it is important.
A student is writing an essay arguing that graffiti is a form of vandalism. They provide the reason that graffiti costs the city too much money. Which piece of evidence from the "Anti-Graffiti" article BEST supports this reason?
A. "Imagine walking down your street and seeing a bright, colorful mural."
B. "Real artists respect the people around them."
C. "The next time you see graffiti, remember that true art builds a community up."
D. "Cities and taxpayers spend millions of dollars to scrub, blast, and paint over illegal graffiti."
This provides a specific, factual detail (millions of dollars) from the source to support the reason regarding cost.
While revising your group's draft, you find a sentence that is not a complete thought.
Because street art allows people to express their culture right where they live.
Which is the BEST way to rewrite this to be a complete sentence?
A. Street art allows people to express their culture right where they live.
B. Allowing people to express their culture where they live.
C. Culture and history where they live.
D. Street art expressing culture right where they live.
A. Street art allows people to express their culture right where they live.
Which famous artist is mentioned in 'Pro Graffiti' for creating art that shares messages of love and peace?
A) Banksy
B) A small business owner
C) Keith Haring
D) A local library muralist
C) Keith Haring
Which statement would the authors of BOTH articles likely agree with?
A) Property owners should never get to choose what is on their buildings.
B) Illegal graffiti is the best way people can express themselves.
C) Taxpayers should pay more money to clean up all the art.
D) Public art has the power to change how a neighborhood looks
D) Public art has the power to change how a neighborhood looks
Your group wants to add descriptive details to build on the idea that illegal graffiti makes a neighborhood feel "uncared for."
Which description should be added to the draft to BEST build on this idea?
A. Some graffiti uses very bright colors like neon green and electric blue to get your attention.
B. Imagine walking to school and seeing messy scribbles on a neighbor's fence that were put there without asking. It sends a message that the rules do not matter in that neighborhood.
C. Many people think all spray paint is art, but there is a big difference between a mural and a scribble.
D. Cleaning off graffiti involves using loud machines to scrub and blast the paint off the walls.
Correct Answer: B. Imagine walking to school and seeing messy scribbles on a neighbor's fence... It sends a message that the rules do not matter...
Rationale: The rubric rewards "cohesive and effective organizational structure". This choice uses specific details from the "Anti-Graffiti" text to build on the idea of a neighborhood looking "uncared for". It maintains the "purposeful text" required for a high score by staying focused on the negative impact of vandalism.
Your partner wrote: "Street art is important because it is free for everyone." Which sentence adds the BEST elaboration to this idea using information from Source 1?
A. This means people can see beautiful creativity right in their own neighborhoods instead of paying for a museum.
B. Street art is often found on crumbling buildings that look very sad or ugly.
C. Many people think graffiti is just a mess, but others think it is art.
D. Some street artists use spray paint to make giant murals of tropical jungles.
A. This means people can see beautiful creativity right in their own neighborhoods instead of paying for a museum.
This elaborates on the concept of "free" by explaining the benefit of seeing art in a neighborhood versus a museum, which the rubric identifies as "integrating facts and other information."
Your partner wrote a paragraph about cleaning up graffiti, but the verb tenses are mixed up.
Every year, cities spent millions of dollars to clean walls. This money will help building new playgrounds instead.
Which version uses the correct verb tenses to describe an ongoing problem?
A. Every year, cities spending millions of dollars to clean walls. This money helped build new playgrounds instead.
B. Every year, cities spend millions of dollars to clean walls. This money could help build new playgrounds instead.
C. Every year, cities will spend millions of dollars to clean walls. This money was helping build new playgrounds instead.
D. Every year, cities spends millions of dollars to clean walls. This money helping build new playgrounds instead.
B. Every year, cities spend millions of dollars to clean walls. This money could help build new playgrounds instead.
Choice B uses the present tense ("spend") and the conditional ("could help") to match the factual tone of the source
How does the cost of cleaning graffiti affect a community's infrastructure?
A) It diverts funds away from projects like fixing roads and building playgrounds.
B) It leads to higher prices at local small businesses
C) It creates new jobs for professional cleaners
D) It encourages the government to provide more grants for professional artists.
A) It diverts funds away from projects like fixing roads and building playgrounds.
Both authors start their articles by asking the reader to do what?
A. Imagine walking down a street
B. Draw a picture in a notebook
C. Visit a famous museum
D. Call the police about a crime
A. Imagine walking down a street
While revising a paragraph of your group's draft research text about the benefits of street art, you notice some information could be added to connect the ideas.
Street art can turn an old, crumbling building into a landmark. For example, a colorful mural of a tropical jungle can make a neighborhood feel alive. _____________________. As you can see, street art can make a neighborhood feel safer and more welcoming.
Which sentence BEST connects the ideas in the paragraph?
A. However, some artists like Banksy sell their work for millions of dollars.
B. Real artists should always ask for a permit before they start painting.
C. In addition, cleaning up illegal graffiti costs cities millions of dollars every year.
D. Also, seeing a beautiful mural shows people that others care about their space.
D. Also, seeing a beautiful mural shows people that others care about their space.
The paragraph's purpose is to describe how street art improves a neighborhood's "feel." According to the rubric for Trait 1, a score of 3 requires "logically grouping related sentences". Sentence B directly supports the preceding sentence about a neighborhood feeling "alive" and the following sentence about it feeling "safer". Choice A is off-topic (costs), and Choice D is about rules, not the visual effect.
Your group wants to show that murals can change a neighborhood's "feeling." Which sentence effectively combines details from both sources?
A. The first source says graffiti is vandalism, while the second source says it is a masterpiece.
B. Illegal graffiti can make people feel unsafe, but planned murals can make a neighborhood feel more welcoming.
C. Keith Haring and Banksy are two famous artists mentioned in the articles.
D. Cleaning up graffiti is expensive and takes money away from building new playgrounds.
B. Illegal graffiti can make people feel unsafe, but planned murals can make a neighborhood feel more welcoming.
This satisfies the "integrating relevant and well-chosen evidence... from multiple sources" requirement by contrasting the "unsafe" feeling from Source 1 with the "welcoming" feeling from Source 2.
Choose the correct words to complete the sentence so that the subjects and verbs match.
Real artists ________ the people around them. If a painter ________ to create a mural, they ask for a permit.
Which set of words is correct?
A. respects / want
B. respect / wants
C. respect / want
D. respects / wants
B. respect / wants
"Artists" is plural and needs "respect"; "painter" is singular and needs "wants."
According to the Source 1, why is street art considered 'free' art?
A) The paint used for street art is given away for free
B) The city provides the wall for free to any painter
C) It is found in public spaces instead of expensive museums
D) Artists are never paid for any of their work.
C) It is found in public spaces instead of expensive museums
Which detail is mentioned in both "Anti-Graffiti" and "Pro-Graffiti"?
A. The names of famous artists
B. The cost of cleaning supplies
C. The use of bright colors
D. The rules for getting a permit
C. The use of bright colors
You are revising the concluding paragraph of your group’s draft.
In conclusion, illegal graffiti is a form of vandalism because it is done without permission. It takes money away from fixing roads and schools to pay for cleaning.
Which sentence should be added to the end of the paragraph to make the conclusion stronger?
A. Banksy is a famous artist who creates mysterious paintings.
B. Many people enjoy walking to the park when the walls are clean.
C. By respecting property and following the law, we can keep our cities beautiful for everyone.
D. Some business owners have to pay for the cleaning out of their own pockets.
Correct Answer: C. By respecting property and following the law, we can keep our cities beautiful for everyone.
The rubric states that a score of 3 "provides a strong concluding statement or section that effectively finalizes the response". Choice C summarizes the main argument of the "Anti-Graffiti" text (respecting property and following laws) and provides a final, positive "call to action" for the community. Choice A is a random fact about Banksy that does not "finalize" an anti-graffiti argument.
Which sentence uses the most concrete details from the Source 1 article to support the opinion that street art is a respected art movement?
A. Many experts think that street art is very cool and important for regular people.
B. Some artists are so famous that their work is now sold for millions of dollars and protected by glass covers.
C. Street art is a legitimate form of art that deserves our respect.
D. Graffiti is more than just paint on a wall; it is a voice for the people.
B. Some artists are so famous that their work is now sold for millions of dollars and protected by glass covers.
This choice uses "concrete details" (millions of dollars, glass covers) rather than general statements, which is a requirement for a Score 3.
To earn a Score 2 on the rubric, a student should use a "variety of sentence structures". Which paragraph BEST shows a variety of simple and compound sentences?
A. Graffiti is bad. It is a crime. It costs money. It is not art.
B. Some people think graffiti is a mess. Other people think it is art. Art critics think it is important.
C. While some people think graffiti is just a mess, many others believe it is a beautiful form of art. It allows people to express themselves, and it brings creativity to the streets for free.
D. Graffiti is a voice for the people. Graffiti is a splash of color. Graffiti deserves our respect.
C. While some people think graffiti is just a mess, many others believe it is a beautiful form of art. It allows people to express themselves, and it brings creativity to the streets for free.
This paragraph uses a complex sentence starting with "While" and a compound sentence using "and." This demonstrates the "variety of sentence structures" needed for the highest score.
What analogy does the author use to explain why business owners dislike illegal graffiti?
A) A contractor forgetting to finish the job
B) A stranger drawing on your favorite toys
C) A student losing their school books
D) A neighbor building a fence too high
B) A stranger drawing on your favorite toys
Both articles agree that how a building looks can change:
A. The price of the paint
B. How the neighborhood feels to people
C. The weather in the city
D. The type of books in the library
B. How the neighborhood feels to people
Read the opinion statement from your group's draft text:
Illegal graffiti is a costly problem that affects the whole community.
Which TWO pieces of evidence from the "Anti-Graffiti" article BEST support this opinion?
A. "Real artists respect the people around them."
B. "Cities and taxpayers spend millions of dollars to scrub, blast, and paint over illegal graffiti."
C. "This is money that could be spent on... building new playgrounds [or] buying books for schools."
D. "The next time you see graffiti, remember that true art builds a community up."
Correct Answers: B and C
B: "Cities and taxpayers spend millions of dollars..."
C: "This is money that could be spent on... building new playgrounds..."
Rationale: The prompt asks for evidence that graffiti is a costly problem for the community. Choice B provides the specific cost (millions of dollars), and Choice C explains the "effect" on the community (loss of playgrounds/books). Choice A is about "respect," which does not directly support the "costly" part of the opinion statement.
The writer’s opinion is: "Graffiti is a problem because it ignores property rights." Which evidence from the video is the most relevant to this specific opinion?
A. "When walls are covered in illegal markings, it can make an area look uncared for."
A. "This is a violation of property rights... business owners do not want people drawing on their buildings without asking."
C. "Graffiti happens when someone sneaks out and paints on a wall, a bridge, or a sign."
D. "We should encourage real artists to work with the city to create legal murals."
A. "This is a violation of property rights... business owners do not want people drawing on their buildings without asking."
This is the most relevant because it directly addresses the "property rights" mentioned in the opinion, showing the writer’s ability to "connect evidence to clear reasons."
Your group's draft has a mistake in how a word is used.
Business owners do not want people drawing on there buildings without asking first.
What is the correct way to write the italic word?
A. they're
B. their
C. thier
D. there (it is already correct)
B. their
A Score 2 response "contains few, if any, errors in usage". "Their" is the correct possessive pronoun for the buildings belonging to the business owners.