Grade 12 Reading & writing practice

What is on the worksheet

1. A headline says incidents doubled but omits counts. Which extra fact matters?

   1. the number of syllables
   2. the headline font only
   3. the reporter’s favourite colour
   4. the original and new incident counts

2. Beyond the tested range A cooling model is fitted to measurements from 20 to 60 minutes after an object is removed from a warm enclosure. Its predictions match the observed interval closely. A report then uses the same formula to estimate the object’s temperature days later without checking environmental changes or the model’s assumptions. The analyst distinguishes interpolation within the fitted interval from extrapolation far beyond it. Why does a close fit within the interval not guarantee accuracy days later?

3. Reading and literary analysis: which term fits this description? A narrator whose account the reader has reason to question.

   1. Summary
   2. Simile
   3. Plot
   4. Unreliable narrator

4. Which claim is more appropriately scoped?

   1. In the supplied sample, later buses were more often delayed
   2. Every bus everywhere is always late
   3. No evidence can matter
   4. All transport is impossible

5. A poll receives 18 yes responses out of 30 total. What percentage said yes?

6. Which is proper paraphrasing?

   1. Restate the meaning accurately and cite the source
   2. Change a few words and claim original research
   3. Invent a page reference
   4. Reverse the author's uncertainty

7. The shared path A council must allocate a fixed budget between repairing a shared path and expanding a car park. A traffic count measures vehicles, while a community survey records experiences of walking and cycling. Each source captures something different. A policy brief argues that the decision should state its goals explicitly before treating any one measure as decisive. Identify a value judgement that would remain even with better data.

8. Which item normally needs attribution in an academic essay?

   1. Your own choice of heading
   2. The number of paragraphs in your draft
   3. Your own original observation, identified as such
   4. A distinctive argument developed by another author

9. A relationship in the data A town reported that library visits and bicycle journeys both rose over three years. A headline claimed that visiting the library caused people to cycle more. The report itself did not track individual choices. During the same period, the town opened new cycle paths and expanded library hours. Why does the shared upward trend not establish the headline claim?

10. Which sampling approach is least obviously self-selected?

    1. an optional poll on a fan page
    2. randomly contacting a defined sample
    3. asking friends who agree
    4. collecting only positive reviews

11. Reading and literary analysis: which term fits this description? A conclusion supported by clues and reasoning, not always explicitly stated.

    1. Symbol
    2. Inference
    3. Protagonist
    4. Mood

12. The revised conclusion After analysing a small data set, Jo wrote that a new method always improved performance. A peer reviewer noted the short study period, uncertain measurement and absence of a comparison group. Jo did not erase the results. Instead, Jo narrowed the conclusion, described the limitations and proposed a more informative follow-up study. Design one feature of the follow-up study.

13. Voices in an archive Two accounts described the opening of a factory. An owner called it a source of progress; a worker described long hours and uncertain pay. Neither account represented every person in the town. A historian treated the disagreement as evidence about different experiences and interests, then sought wage records, council minutes and later testimony. Explain what wage records could add to this enquiry.

14. Voices in an archive Two accounts described the opening of a factory. An owner called it a source of progress; a worker described long hours and uncertain pay. Neither account represented every person in the town. A historian treated the disagreement as evidence about different experiences and interests, then sought wage records, council minutes and later testimony. Write a defensible research question prompted by the two accounts.

15. A source reports an association, but an essay says it proves causation. Explain the problem.

16. Write one sentence acknowledging a limitation of a survey answered only by volunteers.

17. The threshold in the model A river model issued a warning when a predicted level exceeded a fixed threshold. During testing, one prediction fell just below the threshold and another just above it, even though the difference was smaller than the model's usual uncertainty. The analyst kept the operational threshold but added a review zone around it. Cases in that zone received closer attention instead of being described as completely different levels of certainty. The threshold still supported action, but the report explained that a sharp decision boundary did not make the underlying measurements equally sharp. Why keep the threshold at all if predictions are uncertain?

18. Which summary preserves uncertainty?

    1. The result settles every debate.
    2. The method is guaranteed to work.
    3. No further research can matter.
    4. The small trial suggests a possible benefit.

19. Writing and argument: which term fits this description? The people for whom a text is intended.

    1. Plagiarism
    2. Audience
    3. Editing
    4. Citation

20. The cheaper proposal A headline said that Proposal B would cost 20% less than Proposal A. The detailed table showed that A included equipment, installation and five years of maintenance, while B listed equipment and installation only. Both arithmetic totals were correctly added, but they covered different things. The review group requested a common five-year cost comparison and kept uncertain maintenance estimates visible. After the missing category was included, B still appeared cheaper, though by a much smaller margin. The headline had been numerically neat but incomplete. Rewrite the headline's claim more cautiously without inventing a new percentage.