7.RI.5Analyze the structure used to organize a text

Citizens of the U.S. have the opportunity and the responsibility to participate in their government. This process of self-government insures that power will always remain where it belongs - with the people.

• The most important right citizens have is the right to vote. By voting, the people have a voice in the government. The people decide who will represent them in the government. Officials can be voted in or out of office. Every person’s vote counts the same as another person’s vote.

The right to vote is a duty or responsibility as well as a privilege. It is important for all citizens to vote in every election to make sure that the democratic, representative system of government is maintained. Persons who do not vote lose their voice in the government. Before voting in an election, each citizen should be well informed about the issues and candidates.

• The government may call upon citizens to serve on a jury. If an individual is chosen for jury duty, he or she must stop work and attend the trial as long as he or she is needed. The members of the jury need to decide the case in as fair a way as they can.

• Men can be asked to serve in the armed forces. During times of war, any man who is physically able can be called upon to fight for the U.S. In peaceful times, there can be a draft or men and women can enlist voluntarily.

1. Why is the structure of this passage significant?

  1. The argument develops as more evidence is introduced.
  2. The ideas are organized and presented in order of importance.
  3. It begins with background information and concludes with the main idea.
  4. It makes a distinction between members of the military and regular citizens.

2. Why is one of the bullet-point sections separated from the other two?

  1. It describes a responsibility rather than a right.
  2. It describes a privilege rather than a responsibility.
  3. It describes the only responsibility that applies to all citizens.

d. It describes the most important responsibility that citizens have.

3. How do the last two paragraphs differ from the first three?

a. The paragraphsexplain what the government can expect from the people.
b. The paragraphsexplain how the people can engage in self-government.

c. The paragraphsexplain how voters can become informed about the candidates.
d. The paragraphsexplain what can happen if the people don’t participate in elections.

Read the following excerpt from “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr. and answer the questions that follow.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation.This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

1. Which statement describes the structure of this passage?

  1. One paragraph introduces an expectation and the other breaks it.
  2. One paragraph presents a problem and the other solves it.
  3. One paragraph establishes a setting and the other introduces a conflict.
  4. One paragraph describes a point of view and the other describes its opposite.

2. How does repetition contribute to the development of ideas in the passage? You may select more than one correct answer. Select one or more correct answers

  1. It compares the realities of three different time periods.
  2. It creates a sense of resolution and concludes the argument.
  3. Itcreates an optimistic tone to empower readers.
  4. Itemphasizes the amount of time that has passed without progress.
  5. Itcreates a sense of impatience that reflects the feeling of the author.