Apply Reading Standards to Literary Nonfiction Practice Test

Read the excerpt from a literary nonfiction opinion column (paragraphs numbered).

(1) Our school should replace most paper worksheets with digital assignments next year.

(2) First, digital work is easier to organize. When assignments are online, students can’t lose them in backpacks, and teachers can see who turned in what.

(3) Second, switching to digital will save trees. If each student uses 500 sheets a year, that’s 500,000 sheets for our school—an entire forest.

(4) Third, students already spend time on screens, so using screens for homework won’t change anything.

(5) Some people worry about students who don’t have reliable internet. But almost everyone has a phone now, and the library has Wi‑Fi.

(6) Finally, my cousin’s school went digital and their test scores went up, which proves digital assignments help students learn.

Writing task (RI.8.8): Delineate and evaluate the argument, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify any irrelevant evidence.

Which written response best applies RI.8.8?

Read the excerpt from a personal essay (paragraphs numbered).

(1) I started volunteering at the animal shelter because I wanted to “make a difference.”

(2) On my first day, the manager handed me a mop. “Start with the kennels,” she said. I nodded, pretending I hadn’t hoped to play with puppies.

(3) Cleaning wasn’t glamorous, but it taught me how the shelter actually worked: disease spreads fast, and one missed step can make a whole row of dogs sick.

(4) Later, when I finally walked a nervous beagle, I understood why the rules mattered. The dog trusted me because the place smelled clean and calm.

Writing task (RI.8.1): Cite the strongest textual evidence to support an analysis of what the text says explicitly and what it implies.

Which written response best demonstrates RI.8.1?