Mother Jones: Fierce Fighter

What mainly does the author say was Mother Jones’s greatest ability?

• A. Raising money for her planned march

• B. Speaking to audiences about her cause

• C. Making friends with powerful businessmen

• D. Convincing children to fight for their rights

What is most likely the author’s purpose for including paragraph 4 in the excerpt?

Nationwide, eighty thousand children worked in the textile industry. In the South, Mother Jones had seen how dangerous their jobs were. Barefooted little girls and boys reached their tiny hands into the treacherous machinery to repair snapped threads or crawled underneath the machinery to oil it. At textile union headquarters, Mother Jones met more of these mill children. Their bodies were bone-thin, with hollow chests. Their shoulders were rounded from long hours spent hunched over the workbenches. Even worse, she saw “some with their hands off, some with the thumb missing, some with their fingers off at the knuckles”—victims of mill accidents.

• A. To point out how skilled the children were at the jobs they held in the factories

• B. To emphasize the poor pay that the children received for the hours they worked

• C. To encourage children to be more careful when working with powerful machinery

• D. To show the effect that factory jobs had on the health and wellness of child workers

1. Which sentence from the excerpt most closely shows Mother Jones’s effort to obtain sympathy for child workers?

• 1. A. “‘Well, I’ve got stock in these little children,’ she said, ‘and I’ll arrange a little publicity.’”

• 1. B. “‘Philadelphia’s mansions were built on the broken bones, the quivering hearts, and drooping heads of these children,’ she said.”

• 1. C. “‘Some day the workers will take possession of your city hall, and when we do, no child will be sacrificed on the altar of profit.’”

• 1. D. “‘Here’s a textbook on economics.’”

1. How did Mother Jones best draw a connection between the children who work in the factories and the people that live in the cities, according to the excerpt?

• 1. A. She explains there are laws that can charge a fee to people in the community when children are injured in factory jobs.

• 1. B. She writes a public letter to the president to remind him that the children who work in the factories are just like his children.

• 1. C. She explains how the possessions that people enjoy are made in factories by children who work long hours under poor conditions.

• 1. D. She explains that the federal government can force any child to work in a factory whether the child is from a poor or wealthy family.

1. Which paragraph from the excerpt most strongly supports the answer to Question 4?

• 1. A. Paragraph 5

• 1. B. Paragraph 9

• 1. C. Paragraph 20

• 1. D. Paragraph 25

1. When Mother Jones speaks to the crowd about her firsthand observations of child labor conditions, which rhetorical appeal is she primarily using?

• 1. A. Pathos (emotion)

• 1. B. Logos (logic)

• 1. C. Ethos (credibility)

• 1. D. Kairos (timing)

1. How does Mother Jones use logical reasoning to persuade her audience about the need for child labor laws?

• 1. A. By sharing her personal experiences

• 1. B. By highlighting the economic benefits of education

• 1. C. By appealing to the emotions of the crowd

• 1. D. By organizing a dramatic march

1. When Mother Jones describes the thin, hollow-chested children she met at the textile union headquarters, which rhetorical appeal is she primarily using?

• 2. A. Pathos (emotion)

• 1. B. Ethos (credibility)

• 1. C. Logos (logic)

• 1. D. Kairos (timing)

The word "treacherous" is made up of the Anglo-French roots trecher , meaning “trick, deceive” and suffix ous, meaning “full of.” Based on this information, what is the meaning of treacherous?

• 1. A. Safe and reliable

• 1. B. Honest and straightforward

• 1. C. Dangerous and deceptive

• 1. D. Calm and peaceful

Complete the chart by dragging and dropping the correct meaning to match the term.

• to proclaim; to say strongly

• appeal

• the condition of being wealthy

• declare

• of very great extent;a large amount of

• vast

• to make serious or heartfelt request

• prosperity