OLS ELA 5th 8.14 Solar Power Wrap-up

Refer to your Expeditions in Reading book for a complete version of this text.

Based on “Solar Power for Public Buildings,” what is the author’s position on the use of solar power in all of California's public buildings?

• Powering public buildings with solar energy will be good for the economy. 

• Solar power is not as clean energy created from other sources.

• Using solar energy to power public buildings does not solve California's energy problem.

• California has taken the lead over other states in increasing its use of solar energy. 

Refer to your Expeditions in Reading book for a complete version of this text.

Read the sentences from “Solar Power for Public Buildings.”

So pollution levels will drop. Big cities will have less smog. There will be fewer health problems from breathing dirty air. Rivers and streams will also be less contaminated. Drinking water will be cleaner.

How does the author relate the ideas in the sentences?

• with cause and effect

• by using time order

• with facts and statistics

• by comparing two things

Refer to your Expeditions in Reading book for a complete version of this text.

How does the author of “Solar Power for Public Buildings” conclude that converting all public buildings to solar power will boost California’s economy?

• by listing jobs created by solar and explaining how workers with earnings to spend help businesses

• by describing different branches of science that promote increasing the use of solar power

• by claiming that the conversion to solar power will improve the quality of life for citizens

• by proving that using solar power for energy is cleaner than using natural gas and oil

Read the paragraph from “Solar-Powered Public Buildings? Not So Fast, California!”

And, sure, it sounds like a good idea. After all, who doesn’t want to save money? Who doesn’t want to protect the planet? Who rejects the use of advanced technology? It all seems so simple.

How does the author relate the ideas in the sentences?

• with parallelism

• by using time order

• by using cause and effect

• with facts and data

How does the author of “Solar-Powered Public Buildings? Not So Fast, California!” support the claim that increasing solar energy will interrupt the delivery of electricity to Californians? 

• by exposing the hidden costs in updating the state’s public buildings to be ready to use solar electricity 

• by explaining that California produces so much extra electricity that it must pay to give it away

• by describing the power outages that happen when too much solar energy is produced

• by arguing that energy prices in the state are more expensive than anywhere else in the country

The author’s purpose in “Solar-Powered Public Buildings? Not So Fast, California!” is to convince readers that converting public buildings to use solar power will be too expensive. 

How effective is the author in achieving this purpose?

• effective, because the author reveals the dangers of using solar power in public buildings

• effective, because the author provides the actual cost of converting public buildings to solar power

• ineffective, because the author provides only personal opinions about increasing solar power

• ineffective, because the author fails to provide the total number of buildings in California

Choose the statement from the paragraph that is exaggerated.

Californians care about the environment more than anyone else in the world. The state has led the way in renewable energy. In 2015, California passed Senate Bill 350. The bill sets specific requirements for reducing the use of fossil fuels and increasing the use of renewable sources, like solar and wind power. Since 2015, the state has seen incredible progress toward these goals. Today, about a quarter of the state's power comes from renewable sources, especially solar. But at what cost?

• Californians care about the environment more than anyone else in the world.

• The state has led the way in renewable energy.

• But at what cost?

• Since 2015, the state has seen incredible progress toward these goals.

Read the paragraph from “Solar-Powered Public Buildings? Not So Fast, California!”  

Rather, California actually pays those other states to take its extra solar electricity (Penn). That’s right. California—and Californians—give other states money to take the solar electricity that California—and Californians—paid to create. Getting rid of excess power costs the state more cash!

A student wants to explain why California must pay other states to take its excess power.

Which paragraph from “Too Much of a Good Thing?” could best be combined with the information from “Solar-Powered Public Buildings? Not So Fast, California!” to achieve this?

• Paragraph 1

• Paragraph 2

• Paragraph 3

• Paragraph 4