Why It Matters Teens are Reading Less

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1. Which quotation best highlights how teenagers today differ from teens of the past?

• Most of us spend much more time with digital media than we did a decade ago.” (Paragraph 1)

• “Compared to teens a couple of decades ago, the way they interact with traditional media like books and movies is fundamentally different.” (Paragraph 1)

• “My co-authors and I analyzed nationally representative surveys of over one million U.S. teens collected since 1976…” (Paragraph 2)

• . “Increasingly, books seem to be gathering dust.” (Paragraph 3)

Which detail best illustrates the growth in technology use among teens

• . “And that’s just three activities; if other digital media activities were included, that estimate would surely rise.” (Paragraph 4)

• Online time has doubled since 2006 and social media use moved from a periodic activity to a daily one.” (Paragraph 5)

• . “One out of 10 8th graders in 2016 spent 40 hours a week or more gaming – the time commitment of a full-time job.” (Paragraph 6)

• . “Some people are just more interested in media and entertainment, they point out, so more of one type of media doesn’t necessarily mean less of the other.” (Paragraph 8)

Today's teens are

• reading less challenging material

• reading more challenging material

Which piece of evidence from the text best supports the answer to question 3?

• . “This fits a larger pattern: In another analysis, we found that today’s teens go out with their friends considerably less than previous generations did.” (Paragraph 11)

• By 2016, only 16% did – a huge drop, even though the book, newspaper or magazine could be one read on a digital device…” (Paragraph 13)

• But they’re reading short texts and Instagram captions, not longform articles that explore deep themes and require critical thinking and reflection.” (Paragraph 15)

• There was a study from the Pew Research Center a few years ago finding that young people actually read more books than older people.” (Paragraph 17)

According to the section “The way forward,” how does the ability to read more complex texts enrich people’s lives?

• They find new ways to multitask

• They learn to engage with the world around them.

• They cultivate ways to manage their mental health.

• They become more likely to convince their peers to read.

Which quotation from the text best supports the answer to question 5?

• “Data connecting excessive digital media time to mental health issues suggests a limit of two hours a day of free time spent with screens” (Paragraph 20)

• “Of the trends we found, the pronounced decline in reading is likely to have the biggest negative impact.” (Paragraph 21)

• "It’s crucial for being an informed voter, an involved citizen, a successful college student and a productive employee.” (Paragraph 21)

• "If print starts to die, a lot will go with it.” (Paragraph 22)