Who Works For Free? Post Reading

In paragraph 1, the words hour upon hour, menial tasks, and stuck work to create what kind of tone?

• persuasive
• formal
• critical
• optimistic

Using phrases such as the kicker is and believe it or not makes the tone______.

• formal
• conversational
• sarcastic
• humorous

In the first paragraph, the author...

• makes a claim about what should be done about unpaid internships.
• polls readers to find out how much they know about internships.
• engages readers and gives background information about the topic.
• explains why unpaid internships should be made illegal.

Which BEST describes the way the author structures the analysis?

• The author provides background, explores the issues, proposes a change, and challenges participants to come up with a solution.
• The author presents a position, shares reasons in direct support of the position, and ends by proposing a workable solution to the problem.
• The author provides background, puts forth an opinion, gives specific evidence to support the opinion, and proposes a solution.
• The author provides background, explores different options, shares ideas about who is right, and explains that there is no easy solution.

Which BEST describes the author's main purpose for writing this article?

• to inform readers of the history and future of unpaid internships.
• to warn interns about unpaid internships and suggest ways to avoid them.
• to propose solutions to the problem of companies exploiting unpaid interns.
• to call attention to the problem of unpaid internships and argue for their elimination.

What purpose do the questions in paragraph 1 serve?

• They engage readers and call attention to the problems with internships.
• They challenge readers to recall what they already know about internships.
• They appeal to readers' logic by laying out specific problems and giving answers.
• They set up the argument that internships are not what they used to be.

Which idea does this sentence from paragraph 2 support?
"They were convinced that doing so would mean certain blacklisting in the industry."
HINT: A blacklist is a list of names of people that shouldn't be hired because they can't be trusted.

• Using interns to fill existing jobs is illegal.
• Interns feared speaking up for themselves.
• Companies operated illegally by using unpaid interns.
• Internships were meant to be educational opportunities.

Reread this sentence from paragraph 3.
"Some companies have made gestures toward improving the situation."
The connotation of the word gestures suggests that...

• companies have done all they can to improve the situation.
• companies continue to try to make the situation better.
• the actions companies have taken are not nearly enough.
• the improvements companies made have been successful.

What claim is supported by the examples of companies issuing college credits and small stipends to interns.

• Companies are still not paying minimum wage to interns.
• Companies have made slight changes to make things better. 
• Companies are still behaving illegally by using unpaid interns.
• Internships should pay minimum wage at the very least.

How does the author arrive at the claim that the only way to remedy the abuse of internships is to eliminate unpaid internships all together?

• The author reasons that there is no other way out because the industries have control and young people buy into the control and are willing to work for free.
• The author reasons that until companies are completely regulated they will not quit abusing the power that they have gained over unpaid interns.
• The author supports the claim with examples of abuse and a discussion of the myth that interns will eventually benefit from all their hours of free work.
• The author builds evidence by including firsthand quotations and current information about unpaid internships and government involvement in the process.