Bias, Central Idea, and Author's Purpose

What does it mean to show bias?

• to be concieted

• to favor one side over another

• to refuse to take a side

• to show selfishness

A school randomly chose ten English teachers and asked them which type of juice their students would prefer. Which reason best shows why this sample is biased?

• The sample didn't include students.
• The sample is too small.
• The sample can only be accurate if each teacher is included in the sample

At a middle school, the 7th graders will conduct a survey for where to go on a field trip. Which method will result in the least biased decision?

• to randomly ask 8th grade students who went on a field trip last year
• to randomly choose some 7th grade students to select a location
• to ask all 7th grade teachers and administrators for a location
• to ask the student council to choose a location

The choir director in a high school wants to know how the students in the school feel about singing. If the director selects 100 girls and 100 boys to complete a survey, which method will result in a biased sample?

• The students will be selected from the choir
• The students will be selected randomly throughout the school
• The students will be selected on Wednesday afternoon before the choir concert
• The choir director will select five students from each of the forty homerooms in the school

This is something that actually exists or happened and is verifiable.

• fact

• bias

• opinion

Read the following passage.

Everyone who cooks should own a food processor. This marvelous invention is now being used by over 12 million vegetarians, compared with only half that number a couple of years ago. Vegetarians rarely have a weight problem since most vegetables are low in calories and contain little or no fat. They do not suffer a build-up of cholesterol in the bloodstream as they grow older. Some doctors have suggested a link between vegetarianism and longevity. As Americans become more health-conscious, vegetarianism will certainly become more popular.

The author show bias FOR

• eating "health foods"

• becoming a vegetarian

• avoiding cholesterol

True or False: Everybody is biased in some way.

• True
• False

Read the following passage.

Citizens of the Fairlawn Park area look with alarm at the evil plot to change a beautiful spot into a baseball park. If this malicious plan is carried out, the lovely trees in the park will be chopped down. Values of the property within the area will drop sharply as the park fills with the filth and debris of the bulldozers and other equipment. Later the shrieks of the young ruffians who take over the park will destroy the peace and quiet of the neighborhood. Obviously no one cares about the poor citizen who has slaved to pay for his home and to keep up with his taxes.

The author is biased AGAINST...

• homeowners and taxpayers

• citizens of the Fairlawn Park area

• a baseball field in the park

• more trees in the park

Read the passage and find the topic of the text.

Millions of acres of tropical rainforest have been destroyed. Many animals and people lose their homes when the rain forest is cut down. Today, people are destroying the forests so quickly that the animals are unable to adapt. Many of these animals, such as the leopard, need miles and miles of untouched rain forest in order to live. Furthermore, as more of the rainforest is destroyed, the risk of air pollution and loss of oxygen increases.

What is the topic of this text ?

• acres

• rainforest

• oxygen

Read the passage and find the central idea.

Millions of acres of tropical rainforest have been destroyed. Many animals and people lose their homes when the rain forest is cut down. Today, people are destroying the forests so quickly that the animals are unable to adapt. Many of these animals, such as the leopard, need miles and miles of untouched rain forest in order to live. Furthermore, as more of the rainforest is destroyed, the risk of air pollution and loss of oxygen increases.

What is the central idea of the text ?

• The destruction of the rain forest is harming humans and animals.

• Forests provide oxygen for humans and animals

• Leopards are losing their homes

• The destruction of the rain forest is an interesting subject