Plastic Pollution Editorial Insights

When previewing the text “Editorials” what information would you expect to see under the heading “The Trouble With Plastic”?

“This morning, a turtle feeds serenely next to a half submerged Walgreen’s bag. The bag looks ghostly, ethereal even, floating, as if in some kind of purgatory suspended between its briefly useful past and its none-too-promising future. A bright blue bags floats just out of reach, while a duck cruises by. Here's a Ziploc bag, there a Safeway bag.” What is the message of the passage above?

“Moreover, unlike other forms of litter, like cigarette butts and beer cans, plastic shopping bags fly. They catch the breeze, attaching to trees and power lines, sinking into rivers and lakes and floating out to sea, where sea turtles and marine mammals mistake them for jellyfish, eat them and die. What message does this passage convey

The plastic bag is an icon of convenience culture, by some estimates the single most ubiquitous consumer item on Earth, numbering in the trillions. They're made from petroleum or natural gas with all the attendant environmental impacts of harvesting fossil fuels. One recent study found that the inks and colorants used on some bags contain lead, a toxin. In addition to polluting lakes, oceans and other bodies of water, what other problems does the author associate with plastic bags?

“Yet, I can’t help being struck that our efforts represent a tiny drop in the ocean. If there’s one thing we know about these plastic bags, it’s that there are billions and billions more where they came from.” Which words in the passage should be emphasized?

“Extremely delicate or refined: tenuous, ghostlike” is the definition of ____________.

“Floating bags can look all too much like tasty jellyfish to hungry marine critters. According to the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation, more than a million birds and *,* marine mammals and sea turtles die every year from eating or getting entangled in plastic.” Are the words in italics appropriate to emphasize? Why or why not?

After previewing the text “Editorials” and seeing the heading “Are you ready to eliminate plastic bags from your life?” would you expect the reading to be persuasive or narrative? Why?

“In a couple of hours, I fish more than two dozen plastic bags out of the lake with my net, along with cigarette butts, candy wrappers and a soccer ball. As we work, numerous passersby on the popular trail that circles the urban lake shout their thanks, which is an undeniable boost. Yet, I can’t help being struck that our efforts represent a tiny drop in the ocean. If there’s one thing we know about these plastic bags, it’s that there are billions and billions more where they came from.” What is the author’s argument in this passage?

An editorial is usually written following the text structure of a(n) ___________ a. letter c. essay b. short story d. poem

With due respect to the moms and dads who are doing their part, turning off the S.U.V. for a half-minute is only the tiniest baby step in what looks to be a huge journey.” Which words in the sentence above should be emphasized? a. due, moms, dads c. to, who, the b. half-minute, baby step, huge d. with, doing, S.U.V.

“Moreover, unlike other forms of litter, like cigarette butts and beer cans, plastic shopping bags fly. They catch the breeze, attaching to trees and power lines, sinking into rivers and lakes and floating out to sea, where sea turtles and marine mammals mistake them for jellyfish, eat them and die.” The passage is an example of _______________. a. a strongly worded opinion c. a thesis statement b. using facts to support an opinion d. using lies to support an opinion

Purgatory means __________________. a. the forefront in any movement, field, activity, or the like c. being or seeming to be everywhere at the same time; omnipresent b. a place or condition of suffering, in between good and bad; expiation, or remorse d. having an abundance of wealth, property, or other material goods; prosperous; rich

It takes millions of barrels of oil to make the * billion plastic bags that Americans use every year. About * percent of those bags are recycled the rest are still with us, and will be long after we die, since they do not rot. The passage above uses __________ to make a point. a. opinion c. offensive language b. statistics d. pictures

“Following the lead of countries like Ireland, Bangladesh, South Africa, Thailand and Taiwan, some U.S. cities are striking back against what they see as an expensive, wasteful and unnecessary mess.” According to the passage, some cities and countries see plastic bags as ___________________. a. expensive c. unnecessary b. wasteful d. all of the above.

“Following the lead of countries like Ireland, Bangladesh, South Africa, Thailand and Taiwan, some U.S. cities are striking back against what they see as an expensive, wasteful and unnecessary mess...In Ireland, a now *-cent tax on plastic bags has slashed their use by more than * percent since *.” Based on this passage, you can conclude that the author ________________________. a. feels that the tax in Ireland is not helping the plastic bag problem. c. feels that Ireland should remove the tax on plastic bags b. feels that the tax in Ireland has been an effective way to prevent plastic bag pollution. d. feels that the tax in Ireland is unfair

“In a couple of hours, I fish more than two dozen plastic bags out of the lake with my net, along with cigarette butts, candy wrappers and a soccer ball. As we work, numerous passersby on the popular trail that circles the urban lake shout their thanks, which is an undeniable boost. Yet, I can’t help being struck that our efforts represent a tiny drop in the ocean. If there’s one thing we know about these plastic bags, it’s that there are billions and billions more where they came from.” In this passage, the author uses ______________ to convey a message. a. strong language c. descriptive language b. numbers d.

The purpose of a caption is to provide a visual to support text. describe an image in a text. organize and sort information. divide a book into logical units.

Which statement best describes the role of the headings in a text? The headings identify important topics in a section. The headings provide details about pictures in a text. The headings define unfamiliar vocabulary words. The headings summarize the information in a text.

Which statement best describes the purpose of a timeline in an informational text? It serves to sort information under headings, or categories. It provides the reader with dates of key events in chronological order. It displays trends over time and can show relationships. It makes comparisons of ideas or sets of information.

Read the subheadings from Chapter One in Windows to the Universe: Revolutions in Astronomy. Maya Astronomers: Masters of Time and Stars Babylonian Calendars: Tracking Time by the Moon Ancient Egyptian Calendars: Solar and Lunar Systems The Ancient Greeks: Building Theories of the Universe Based on the subheadings, how is the information in this chapter most likely organized? into sections that examine the contributions of different ancient civilizations to astronomy and timekeeping into a timeline that explores the evolution of calendar systems in chronological order into a series of charts that compare ancient and modern methods of tracking time and observing the universe into chapters that describe the scientific tools used by ancient astronomers across different eras

Look at this section from the table of contents for a book about the flu. CONTENTS *. OVERHEARD IN THE LAB: What’s the Word? *. SEE FOR YOURSELF: Nothing to Sneeze At *. WHO’S WHO? The Medical Team *. CASE #*: The Mystery of the Flu! An *-year-old-girl and her mother both catch a case of the flu. How contagious is the flu? If you wanted to learn common vocabulary and words scientists use, which page would you turn to? * * * *

Which information would most likely be presented in graph form? a series of images that all feature the same person a comparison of daily temperatures during June a list of important dates all connected to the same event a detailed paragraph about a topic that relates to the text

Read this chapter title from Windows to the Universe: Revolutions in Astronomy. Chapter *: Picturing Modern Telescope Discoveries Based on this chapter title, what is this section most likely about? how telescopes used in space have evolved over time the author's opinion about which telescope has been most influential how telescopes influenced the development of cameras for smartphones the possible future of telescopes based on current technological trends in astronomy

Which statement best describes the purpose of an index? An index helps reader locate a topic in a text. An index provides a comparison between two or more topics. An index defines vocabulary words that may be unfamiliar to readers. An index organizes the facts that are located throughout the text.