Quarter 2 Assessment Review Quiz 3

(1) Playing online “brain-training games” doesn’t help you become smarter or more focused.
(2) Companies behind these training programs promise to sharpen the mental skills of young people and slow their decline in older adults. (3) However, the Federal Trade Commission recently ordered one of the largest companies involved in creating these games to stop
making such claims.

(4) Some scientists claim the games work, but Daniel Simons, a psychology professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and six other scientists reviewed over 130 studies of brain games and concluded that “many of the studies did not really adhere to what we think of as the best practices.” (5) He also stated that while some of the studies were good and showed that the games help people get better at a specific task, there was a lack of evidence showing that practicing a specific skill resulted in gains in memory or thinking. (6) I asked my friend Mitch, who plays brain games, if he saw any improvements in his grades after playing these brain games over the course of a few months. (7) He laughed and said, “No, but they’re fun to play!”

What is the author's claim?

• "Brain Games" do not make you smarter or more focused.

• "Brain Games" do make you smarter or more focused

(1) Playing online “brain-training games” doesn’t help you become smarter or more focused.
(2) Companies behind these training programs promise to sharpen the mental skills of young people and slow their decline in older adults. (3) However, the Federal Trade Commission recently ordered one of the largest companies involved in creating these games to stop
making such claims.

(4) Some scientists claim the games work, but Daniel Simons, a psychology professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and six other scientists reviewed over 130 studies of brain games and concluded that “many of the studies did not really adhere to what we think of as the best practices.” (5) He also stated that while some of the studies were good and showed that the games help people get better at a specific task, there was a lack of evidence showing that practicing a specific skill resulted in gains in memory or thinking. (6) I asked my friend Mitch, who plays brain games, if he saw any improvements in his grades after playing these brain games over the course of a few months. (7) He laughed and said, “No, but they’re fun to play!”

Which sentence in the first paragraph provides a fact?

• Sentence 1

• Sentence 2

• Sentence 3

Answer explanation

TYPE OF EVIDENCE

DEFINITION

facts: Information that can be proved true

statistics: evidence based on numerical data

examples: specific instances of a general rule

personal observations: the writer sharing his or her experiences

(1) Playing online “brain-training games” doesn’t help you become smarter or more focused.
(2) Companies behind these training programs promise to sharpen the mental skills of young people and slow their decline in older adults. (3) However, the Federal Trade Commission recently ordered one of the largest companies involved in creating these games to stop
making such claims.

(4) Some scientists claim the games work, but Daniel Simons, a psychology professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and six other scientists reviewed over 130 studies of brain games and concluded that “many of the studies did not really adhere to what we think of as the best practices.” (5) He also stated that while some of the studies were good and showed that the games help people get better at a specific task, there was a lack of evidence showing that practicing a specific skill resulted in gains in memory or thinking. (6) I asked my friend Mitch, who plays brain games, if he saw any improvements in his grades after playing these brain games over the course of a few months. (7) He laughed and said, “No, but they’re fun to play!”

What sentence addresses the counterclaim?

• Sentence 1

• Sentence 2

• Sentence 3

• Sentence 4

Answer explanation

TYPE OF EVIDENCE

DEFINITION

facts: Information that can be proved true

statistics: evidence based on numerical data

examples: specific instances of a general rule

personal observations: the writer sharing his or her experiences

(1) Playing online “brain-training games” doesn’t help you become smarter or more focused.
(2) Companies behind these training programs promise to sharpen the mental skills of young people and slow their decline in older adults. (3) However, the Federal Trade Commission recently ordered one of the largest companies involved in creating these games to stop
making such claims.

(4) Some scientists claim the games work, but Daniel Simons, a psychology professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and six other scientists reviewed over 130 studies of brain games and concluded that “many of the studies did not really adhere to what we think of as the best practices.” (5) He also stated that while some of the studies were good and showed that the games help people get better at a specific task, there was a lack of evidence showing that practicing a specific skill resulted in gains in memory or thinking. (6) I asked my friend Mitch, who plays brain games, if he saw any improvements in his grades after playing these brain games over the course of a few months. (7) He laughed and said, “No, but they’re fun to play!”

What type of evidence is provided in sentence 7?

• Fact

• Statistic

• Example

• Anecdote (personal observations)

Answer explanation

TYPE OF EVIDENCE

DEFINITION

facts: Information that can be proved true

statistics: evidence based on numerical data

examples: specific instances of a general rule

personal observations: the writer sharing his or her experiences

(1) Children should not be allowed to play hard-contact sports such as football because we now know that repeated blows to the head can lead to permanent brain damage. (2) Dr. Bennet Omalu, a clinical professor at the University of California, Davis, Medical Center, has found evidence of damage “at the cellular level” in the brains of children who play football. (3) “If children keep playing,” he warns, “these cellular injuries accumulate to cause irreversible brain damage” called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). (4) In a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr. Ann McKee, a neuropathologist, reported that of the 111 NFL players’ brains she examined, 110 of them had CTE.

(5) Some argue that teens and their parents should be able to decide if they want to play impact sports such as football. (6) However, kids may not realize that they are doing long-term damage to themselves. (7) I myself played football as a kid and never thought about the damage that tackling or being tackled might have done to me. (8) But now we know about the risks of CTE, and we have no excuses. (9) Brains cannot repair themselves—a damaged neuron remains damaged. (10) Society has a long tradition of passing laws to protect children’s health. (11) Think of the minimum age requirements for driving cars. (12) The growing evidence about the causes of CTE means that it is time to protect children from hard-contact sports such as football.

What is the author's claim?

• Children should not play hard-contact sports because of the risk of CTE.

• Children should only play hard-contact sports with protective head gear because of the risk of CTE.

• Children should play hard-contact sports with proper protections.

(1) Children should not be allowed to play hard-contact sports such as football because we now know that repeated blows to the head can lead to permanent brain damage. (2) Dr. Bennet Omalu, a clinical professor at the University of California, Davis, Medical Center, has found evidence of damage “at the cellular level” in the brains of children who play football. (3) “If children keep playing,” he warns, “these cellular injuries accumulate to cause irreversible brain damage” called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). (4) In a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr. Ann McKee, a neuropathologist, reported that of the 111 NFL players’ brains she examined, 110 of them had CTE.

(5) Some argue that teens and their parents should be able to decide if they want to play impact sports such as football. (6) However, kids may not realize that they are doing long-term damage to themselves. (7) I myself played football as a kid and never thought about the damage that tackling or being tackled might have done to me. (8) But now we know about the risks of CTE, and we have no excuses. (9) Brains cannot repair themselves—a damaged neuron remains damaged. (10) Society has a long tradition of passing laws to protect children’s health. (11) Think of the minimum age requirements for driving cars. (12) The growing evidence about the causes of CTE means that it is time to protect children from hard-contact sports such as football.

Which of the following contains an example as supporting evidence?

• Sentence 1

• Sentence 2

• Sentence 3

• Sentence 4

(1) Children should not be allowed to play hard-contact sports such as football because we now know that repeated blows to the head can lead to permanent brain damage. (2) Dr. Bennet Omalu, a clinical professor at the University of California, Davis, Medical Center, has found evidence of damage “at the cellular level” in the brains of children who play football. (3) “If children keep playing,” he warns, “these cellular injuries accumulate to cause irreversible brain damage” called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). (4) In a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr. Ann McKee, a neuropathologist, reported that of the 111 NFL players’ brains she examined, 110 of them had CTE.

(5) Some argue that teens and their parents should be able to decide if they want to play impact sports such as football. (6) However, kids may not realize that they are doing long-term damage to themselves. (7) I myself played football as a kid and never thought about the damage that tackling or being tackled might have done to me. (8) But now we know about the risks of CTE, and we have no excuses. (9) Brains cannot repair themselves—a damaged neuron remains damaged. (10) Society has a long tradition of passing laws to protect children’s health. (11) Think of the minimum age requirements for driving cars. (12) The growing evidence about the causes of CTE means that it is time to protect children from hard-contact sports such as football.

In which sentence is a fact from a published source provided?

• Sentence 1

• Sentence 2

• Sentence 3

• Sentence 4

(1) Children should not be allowed to play hard-contact sports such as football because we now know that repeated blows to the head can lead to permanent brain damage. (2) Dr. Bennet Omalu, a clinical professor at the University of California, Davis, Medical Center, has found evidence of damage “at the cellular level” in the brains of children who play football. (3) “If children keep playing,” he warns, “these cellular injuries accumulate to cause irreversible brain damage” called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). (4) In a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr. Ann McKee, a neuropathologist, reported that of the 111 NFL players’ brains she examined, 110 of them had CTE.

(5) Some argue that teens and their parents should be able to decide if they want to play impact sports such as football. (6) However, kids may not realize that they are doing long-term damage to themselves. (7) I myself played football as a kid and never thought about the damage that tackling or being tackled might have done to me. (8) But now we know about the risks of CTE, and we have no excuses. (9) Brains cannot repair themselves—a damaged neuron remains damaged. (10) Society has a long tradition of passing laws to protect children’s health. (11) Think of the minimum age requirements for driving cars. (12) The growing evidence about the causes of CTE means that it is time to protect children from hard-contact sports such as football.

In which sentence is a statistic provided?

• Sentence 4

• Sentence 5

• Sentence 6

• Sentence 7