Part 2: INFERENCES

Indicate which conclusion follows from the passage.

1.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the threat of the draft and opposition to the Vietnam War stimulated
political activism among young Americans.

Many college students, in particular, participated in sit-ins, protest marches, and other kinds of
political demonstrations. Not surprisingly, young voter turnout was very high in the elections of
that era. In the 1972 election, for example, 55 percent of Americans aged 18 to 24 voted. By the
year 2000, however, young citizens had become the group least likely to vote. In the presidential
election that year, only a little more than a third of 18- to 24-year-olds cast a ballot.

Therefore, prior to the 2004 presidential election, several media campaigns — including "Vote
or Die," "Choose or Lose," "Slacker Uprising," and the MTV music channel's "Rock the Vote"
began promoting voter registration and political participation among young people. Just before
the election occurred, the Youth Vote Coalition, a Washington-based, independent advocacy
group, reported that 60 percent of all young adults had said they planned to vote.

The actual number of 18- to 24-year-old voters, according to the Center for Information and
Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), was about 10.5 million, or 42.3 percent of
eligible voters under 25. Sources of information: David Klepper, "Young Voters an Unknown
Factor in Election, "The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, SC, October 24, 2004,
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/news/

special_packages/election2004/10002014.htm;

From this passage, a reader might logically draw which conclusion?

a. Modern young Americans are as politically active as young people of the 1960s and 1970s
were.

b. Media campaigns helped to increase youth voter turnout for the 2004 election.

c. Political activism is not as important now as it was back in the 1960s and 1970s.

d. For young people, voting is something their parents do.

2. Laws mandate that truck drivers can drive only eleven hours at a time, with a 60-hour-
per-week maximum. Airline pilots can fly only eight hours in a 24-hour period, with a 30-hour-
per-week maximum. In hospitals, though, medical interns and residents regularly work 100-hour
weeks, including 30-hour shifts. According to studies reported in The New England Journal of
Medicine, these sleep-deprived interns are prone to making more medical mistakes. In the
coronary and intensive care units of Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital, for example,
interns who worked 24-hour shifts and a total of 80 hours per week made six times as many
diagnostic errors and 36 percent more medical errors-such as ordering incorrect dosages of a
medication-than interns who worked 16-hour shifts and only 63 hours per week. As a result,
many people claim that intern hours should be limited, because allowing severely fatigued
doctors-in-training to care for patients can result in deadly mistakes. Hospital and medical
professionals, however, argue that the establishment of mandatory caps on working hours could
actually produce the very same effect. Surgeon Matt Martin, past president of the North
Carolina chapter of the American College of Surgeons, has argued that limiting working hours
limits residents' and interns' experience, "sacrificing valuable opportunities for learning and
exposure to medicine." Therefore, when doctors-in-training work less, they do not gain the
necessary knowledge resulting from long hours of continuous patient care. According to Martin,
limiting hours would require extending training programs another year or two to ensure the
completion of a new doctor's education. He also argues that medicine is not a 9-to-5 job and
that doctors must learn to perform well under adverse conditions, including their own fatigue.
(Sources of information: Matt B. Martin, "Mandates Are Not the Answer," USA Today,
November 10, 2004, p. 11A; "No Shock Here: Interns' Long Hours Cause Medical Errors," no
author credited, USA Today, November 10, 2004, p. 11A)

You have probably heard the expression:" to read between the lines". When you "read between
the lines," you pick up ideas that are not directly stated in what you are reading. These implied
ideas are often important for a full understanding of what an author means. Discovering the
ideas in writing that are not stated directly is called making inferences, or drawing conclusions.

To make inferences, we use all the clues provided by the writer, our own experience and general
knowledge and logic.

Practice 1
There is a tribe on the island of New Guinea known as the Cargo Cult. For decades these people
have been waiting for a great bird to swoop down from the clouds and drop riches and magical
gifts on them. Their whole lives revolve around complicated ceremonies to make this happen.
They are waking for happiness to drop from the sky.

They're not as crazy as they seem. During World War II, huge- airplanes did drop boxes of food
and magical gifts ranging from mirrors to jeeps. Sometimes they dropped bombs. After the war,
a tribal headman made the decision to recreate the wartime conditions and lure back the first
big bird. So at every harvest, these people burn almost all their crops. Periodically they destroy
their villages, too. Most of the men refuse to work at all, keeping a constant vigil.

Now this decision has been followed by an- entire tribe of people for- over forty years. And the
Cargo Cult isn't just an oddity, either, it's a monumental headache to the government of Papua‫־‬
New Guinea — sometimes the cult members get frustrated and burn other tribes' crops .and
villages as-well as their own. Reasonable explanations make no impression whatsoever. They
continue to wait and burn. They are not known to be happy people.

___ 1. During the war, bombs destroyed some of the Cargo Cult's crops.

___ 2. Most of the women also refuse to work.

___ 3. The Cargo Cult members are neighborly.

___ 4. Cult members prefer the gifts they hope will fall from the sky to the sure benefits of work.

___ 5. The cult members feel they need jeeps to survive in the modern world.

___ 6. Waiting for something to bring them happiness has not made the Cargo Cult members
happy.

Practice 2

Famous showman and circus owner P. T. Bamum is best known for his famous line "There's a
sucker born every minute." He used every opportunity he had to prove the truth of his proverb.
For example, when his exhibition of exotic animals and odd human beings became popular, he
found that people tended to linger inside. This made it impossible for new paying customers to
enter. Bamum solved the problem by hanging a large sign on the wall reading "THIS WAY TO THE
EGRESS". Those following the sign found themselves out on the street Egress is another word for
exit. Bamum was right.
Questions

1. From the passage, we can conclude that Bamum

a. avoided people.

b. liked to trick people.

c. had a high opinion of the average person's intelligence.

2. Bamum wantedpeople to leave the exhibition because.

a. the more quickly they left the more tickets he could sell.

b. he didn't like to be crowded.

c. he wanted to close it

3. From the wording of the new sign, we can infer that it was purposely designed to look
like

a. an exit sign.

b. a practical joke.

c. a sign to another exhibit.

4. It is likely that many people at the exhibition

a. knew the meaning of egress.

b. sneaked into the exhibition without paying.

c. left the exhibition without meaning to.

5. From the last sentence, we can conclude that the author feels that people who didn't
know or guess the meaning of egress were

a. rare

b. suckers

c. lucky
Practice 3

My friends have no friends. They are men. They think they have, friends, and if you ask them
whether they have friends they will say yes, but they don't really. They think, for instance, that
I'm their friend, but I'm not. It's OK. They're not my friends either.

The reason for that is that we are all men — and men, I have come to believe, cannot or will not
have real friends. They have something else — companions, buddies, pals, chums, someone to
drink with and someone to lunch with, but no one when it comes to saying how they feel —
especially how they hurt.

Women know this. They talk about it among themselves. To women, this inability of men to say
what they feel is a source of amazement and then anguish and then, finally, betrayal. Women
will tell you all the time that they don't know the men they live with. They talk of long silences
and of drifting off and of keeping feelings hidden and never letting on about troubles or bothers
or whatever.

Questions

1. We can infer that the author of this passage.

a. believes "companions, buddies, pals, chums" are the same thing as real friends.

b. has genuine friends himself.

c. believes men have no need of genuine friends.

d. feels something prevents men from having genuine friends.

2. We can infer that the author

a. is proud he is able to share his feelings better than other men.

b. believes women want the men in their lives to share their feelings.

c. finds that men share their feelings with the women in their lives.

d. believes men have more hurt feelings than women do.

3. We can infer that the author believes that women have genuine friends.

a. prefer "strong, silent" men.

b. keep their feelings to themselves.

c. understand why men do not talk about their feelings.

4. We can conclude that the author thinks

a. men realize that they don't have friends.

b. men's relationships aren't deep enough to be genuine friendships.

c. men generally have deeper friendships than women do.

d. women should try to be more like men when it comes to friendship.

Practice 4

A corporate president recently made a Visit to a nearby Native American reservation as part of
his firm's public relations program. "We realize that we have not hired any Indians, in the five
years our company has been located in this area," he told the assembled tribespeople, "but we
are looking into the matter very carefully." "Hora, hora," said some of the audience. "We would
like to eventually hire 5 percent -of our total'work force from- this reservation," he said. "Hora,
hora," shouted more of the audience. Encouraged by their enthusiasm, the president closed his
short address by telling them that he hoped his firm would be able to take some hiring action
within the next couple of years. "Hora, hora, hora," cried the total group. With a feeling of
satisfaction, the president left the hail and was taken on a tour of the reservation. Stopping in a
field to admire some of the horses grazing there, the president asked if he could walk up closer
to the animals.

"Certainly” said his guide, "but be careful not to step in the hora."
Questions

1. To get the main point of this passage, the reader must infer

a. the location of the reservation.

b. what kind of company the president headed.

c. the meaning of the word hora.

2. From the passage, we can infer that the audience

a. believed the president's speech.

b. did not believe the president's speech.

c. was confused by the president's speech.

3. From the passage, we can infer that the president

a. thought the Native Americans deserved to be hired.

b. thought his company should not hire the Native Americans.

c. misinterpreted the native Americans' reaction to his speech.

4. From the passage, we can infer that the main reason the president spoke to the Native
Americans about jobs was that

a. they needed the jobs.

b. he thought promising jobs to Native Americans would make his company look good.

c. he thought hiring Native Americans would be good for his company.

Practice 5

New England

The English regarded the northern part of North America as a place that only the mad French
could endow with possibility. English fishermen who strayed from Newfoundland to the coast of
Acadia and New England carried home descriptions of the long, lonely stretch of coast, washed
by the waves of the slate gray Atlantic. Long winters of numbing cold and heavy snowfalls
alternated with short summers of steamy heat. There were no minerals worthy of mining, no
crops worthy of export, no large population of natives suitable for enslaving. To prospective
investors and settlers, the Chesapeake, with its temperate climate and long growing season,
appeared a more likely spot. In truth, of course, Indian tribes had successfully inhabited the
territory that came to be called New England for at least ten thousand years. Each spring they
set fires while the forests were still wet, to burn away the underbrush and make traveling and
hunting easier. Such burnings encouraged the growth of deer and other game (‫ )ציד‬populations
and gave New England forests an almost parklike appearance.

Questions

1. Where is New England? _______________________________________

2. What place is "home"? ________________________________________

3. The English are compared /contrasted with the Indians. (circle one)

4. How are they similar / different ? (circle one)

5. The word “they” (line 9) refers to: ________________________________

6. We can conclude that the English of this era believed

a. the French to be less sensible than themselves.

b. slavery was acceptable.

c. farming and mining were desirable pursuits.

d. all of the above.

7. The passage suggests that New England

a. had a climate similar to that in the Chesapeake area.

b. was more inhabitable than the English believed.

c. was clearly more beautiful than the Chesapeake area.

d. had more minerals to mine than the English realized.

Practice 5

For some time now, computers and cell phones have helped teenagers build and maintain
relationships with their peers. However, many young people are also using these technological
tools to become "cyber-bullies." Through e-mail messages, weblogs, and instant messaging, they
pursue peers they dislike into the schoolyard and beyond, attacking them through insults, name
calling, and gossip. Because many adolescents forward their instant messages to their cell
phones, some young people are being subjected to constant harassment, no matter where they
go. According to psychologists, this form of online taunting is particularly vicious because of the
distance between bully and victim. With advanced technology, bullies can humiliate, embarrass,
or inflict pain upon their prey without being forced to see the consequences. Add to the mix
teenagers' characteristic impulsiveness, and the result is an increased and more brutal level of
electronic attacks. According to Rosalind Wiseman, author of Queen Bees and Wannabees,
online bullying is especially attractive to young girls. Wiseman believes that girls, more than
boys, like to inflict emotional wounds while avoiding direct confrontation. (Source of
information: Amy Harmon, "Internet Gives Teenage Bullies Weapons to Wound From Afar," The
New York Times, August 26, 2004, www.nytimes.com)

From this passage, a reader might logically draw which conclusion?

a. Were cyber-bullying teenagers forced to witness the consequences of their actions,

they might not be so ready to torment their peers.

b. Among teenagers, technological tools like computers and cell phones do more
harm than good.

c. Cyber-bullying often leads to an increase in traditional, physical bullying.

d. Rosalind Wiseman would say that girls are as likely as boys are to start fist fights with
their adversaries.

Practice 6

For some time now, computers and cell phones have helped teenagers build and maintain
relationships with their peers. However, many young people are also using these technological
tools to become "cyber-bullies." Through e-mail messages, weblogs, and instant messaging, they
pursue peers they dislike into the schoolyard and beyond, attacking them through insults, name
calling, and gossip. Because many adolescents forward their instant messages to their cell
phones, some young people are being subjected to constant harassment, no matter where they
go. According to psychologists, this form of online taunting is particularly vicious because of the
distance between bully and victim. With advanced technology, bullies can humiliate, embarrass,
or inflict pain upon their prey without being forced to see the consequences. Add to the mix
teenagers' characteristic impulsiveness, and the result is an increased and more brutal level of
electronic attacks. According to Rosalind Wiseman, author of Queen Bees and Wannabees,
online bullying is especially attractive to young girls. Wiseman believes that girls, more than
boys, like to inflict emotional wounds while avoiding direct confrontation. (Source of
information: Amy Harmon, "Internet Gives Teenage Bullies Weapons to Wound From Afar," The
New York Times, August 26, 2004, www.nytimes.com)

From this passage, a reader might logically draw which conclusion?

a. Were cyber-bullying teenagers forced to witness the consequences of their actions,

they might not be so ready to torment their peers.

b. Among teenagers, technological tools like computers and cell phones do more
harm than good.

c. Cyber-bullying often leads to an increase in traditional, physical bullying.

d. Rosalind Wiseman would say that girls are as likely as boys are to start fist fights with
their adversaries.

Practice 7
Why do thieves steal art masterpieces from museums or private collectors' homes? Unlike gold
or jewels, a famous painting, easily recognized as one created by say Rembrandt, Picasso, or
Degas, cannot be sold on the legitimate market, no matter how much it is worth. Nor can it be
displayed as a trophy. Sooner or layer, word of its location would get back to the rightful owner.
Nevertheless, criminals persist in stealing famous masterpieces even though some soon find out
that the painting is a burden and end up discarding it because it can't be sold. Other thieves,
however, try to use artworks in underworld deals, exchanging them for drugs, forged
documents, or illegal weapons. Still other criminals use the paintings to gain prestige among
their colleagues. In fact, stolen works are occasionally recovered because a robber brags about
the crime, and someone tells the police in exchange for a reward. (Source of information: Sarah
Lyall, "Stolen Art Can Reappear in Unexpected Ways," The New York Times, August 26, 2004,
www.nytimes.com)

From this passage, a reader might logically draw which conclusion?

a. Offering a reward for a stolen artwork is a waste of time.

b. Drug dealers tend to be knowledgeable about fine art.

c. For art thieves, paintings are more valuable than other forms of art.

d. Art thieves can sometimes be vain about their accomplishments.

Practice 8

Adults in France routinely eat dishes loaded with high-fat cream, butter, cheese, and meat. They
don't count calories or carbohydrates, and they don't spend hours in the gym working out. Yet,
only 10 percent of French people are obese, compared to 33 percent of Americans. Ironically,
the French also live longer and have lower death rates from heart disease. What is behind this
"French paradox," as it has been called? Anne Barone, author of Chic and Slim: How Those
French Women Eat all that Rich Food and Still Stay Slim, says that sense of personal style keeps
French women svelte. While they don't restrict their food choices, they do consciously limit how
much they eat because they want to look good in sexy lingerie and fashionable clothing. Of
course, it helps that French portion sizes in restaurants are smaller. One study, for example,
found that French meals are only 75 percent the size of meals served in Philadelphia
restaurants. In the United States, a hot dog is 63 percent larger than a hot dog in France, and a
croissant made in America is 100 percent larger than one made in France. Psychologist Paul
Rozin says, "People tend to consume what is put in front of them, and [they] generally consume
more when offered more food." Others, however, believe that the root of the French paradox is
the overall attitude about eating that pervades French culture. The French don't gulp food on
the go, eat at their desks, or take their meals in front of the television. They sit down to regular
meals, usually with family members or friends. The French are also inclined to eat slowly,
savoring the experience of good food combined with good company. Thus researchers at the
University of Pennsylvania found that the French take much longer to eat than Americans do.
Yet even though a lunch might last two hours, the French still manage to eat less than
Americans do in a rushed, 15-minute mid-day meal. Plus, unlike Americans, the French do not
snack between meals. (Source of information: Mimi Spencer, "Let Them Eat Cake," The
Observer, November 7, 2004,
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmonthly/story/0,9950,1342296,00.html)

From this passage, a reader might logically draw which conclusion?

a. Anne Barone would agree with Paul Rozin's claim that people mindlessly eat
whatever is put in front of them.

b. If Americans ate out more in good restaurants, they would probably be a lot
slimmer.

c. University of Pennsylvania researchers would agree that high-calorie, high-fat fast

food restaurant meals are a major cause of obesity in America.

d. If Americans sat down to eat more home-cooked meals with their families, their
obesity rate might decrease.

Understanding Figurative Language

Directions: The underlined statements that appear below all have a figurative, or implied,
meaning that goes beyond their literal, or factual, interpretations. For each underlined
sentence, pick the statement that best sums up the figurative or inferential meaning.

1. Two women were talking about a third woman's fiancé, whom they both disliked,
considering him rude, inconsiderate, and, worst of all, dishonest. When one woman said she
was going to tell their friend what she thought of the fiancé, the other woman said "You can
forget that idea. When you're in love, even a cliff looks liionships.
c. When people are in love, they don't see things realistically.

2. Two lawyers were talking about an exceptionally gifted colleague who, after a string of
victories, lost a big case. They both seemed puzzled by the man's unexpected defeat. Then one
of them shrugged and said "Hey, You know what? Even monkeys fall out of trees." (Japanese
proverb)

What is the figurative meaning of the underlined statement?

a. Anyone who is successful very early in life is bound, at some point, to fail.

b. Even those who are very gifted at what they do can still make a mistake.

c. Fraud and deception can bring people success some of the time but not always.

3. At the end of his tenure in office, President Lyndon Baines Johnson felt himself to be
under attack on all sides due to his handling of the U.S. role in the Vietnam war. He was also
convinced that the journalists who reported on his office would not give him a break. In a fury at
the press, Johnson insisted: "If one morning I walked on top of the water across the Potomac
River, the headline that afternoon would read: 'President Can't Swim.'"

What is the figurative meaning of the underlined statement?

a. Johnson meant that all his great accomplishments as president were persistently
ignored.

b. No matter what great things Johnson did, they were bound to be negatively
interpreted by the press.

c. In Washington, people would always dislike Johnson no matter what great things
he accomplished for society.

4. Asked if he considered Washington a friendly place, President Harry Truman said, "If
you want a friend in Washington, get a dog."
What is the figurative meaning of the underlined statement?

a. Truman was suggesting that dogs make wonderful pets.

b. Truman was suggesting that Washington is a tough town, one where it doesn’t pay to
think anyone is your friend.

c. Truman was suggesting that taking a dog for a walk is a good way to meet people.

5. A young man who had failed at an Internet venture for which he had borrowed money
was complaining to his father about his debts. His father listened for a while and then said,
"Cheer up. After all, you know what the Chinese say, A fall into a ditch makes you wiser."

What is the figurative meaning of the underlined statement?

a. People can learn a lot from bad experiences.

b. When people become too proud of their accomplishments, it's good for them to
experience failure.

c. Making a lot of mistakes when you are young makes you much wiser when you get
older.

Understanding Longer Readings

Directions: Read each selection. Then click the appropriate buttons to identify the author's main
idea, tone, purpose, and degree of bias.

1. Vaccinations: Pros and Cons

A vaccine is a medication, given either orally or by injection, that prevents or reduces the risk of
contracting a particular disease. Vaccines are also known as immunizations because they
stimulate the natural disease-fighting abilities of the body. They work by giving the body practice
in fighting off a disease. A vaccine contains a small amount of bacteria or virus that causes
infection. When that bacteria or virus is introduced into the body, the immune system
recognizes it as an intruder and manufacturers specific antibodies that will fight infection if the
body comes under attack.

Immunizations for children continue to be the subject of heated debate because they do have
some negative side effects. Mild, short-term side effects include pain or tenderness at the point
of injection, mild fever, irritability, sleepiness, and decreased appetite. More serious side effects,
though rare, include an increased risk of seizures. In addition, a very small number of children
have had severe allergic reactions, called anaphylaxis, to some vaccines. Reactions include hives,
difficulty breathing, and a drop in blood pressure. Such consequences have led some people to
create anti-vaccine groups. Convinced that vaccines can cause problems, such as autism,
diabetes, learning disabilities, and asthma, members of these groups refuse to immunize their
children. They also fight against laws that require children to be vaccinated in order to attend
public schools.

The positive effects of vaccinations, however, are simply undeniable. As a matter of fact,
vaccines were on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's list of the top ten public
health achievements in the twentieth century. Immunizations have eliminated some diseases
that killed or severely disabled thousands every year. For example, vaccines have completely
eliminated polio. They also wiped out smallpox, which 10 million people used to contract every
year as late as the 1960s. Vaccines have also significantly reduced the occurrence of many other
diseases. Measles used to infect about 4 million children per year, but in 1997, there were only
138 cases of measles in the United States. Vaccines have also reduced the number of cases of
diphtheria, meningitis, and pertussis (whooping cough), which used to kill or cause brain
damage in thousands of children each year. It's not surprising that most health care
professionals believe the benefits of immunization far outweigh their few risks, and they are
correct in their belief.

1. What is the author's overall main idea?

a. Vaccinations have many serious negative side effects.

b. Vaccinations do more harm than good.

c. The benefits of vaccinating children far outweigh the possible negative consequences.

d. Vaccinations are the 20th century's greatest medical achievement.

2. How would you describe the author's tone?

a. outraged

b. sure and confident

c. sad and solemn

d. emotionally neutral

3. How would you describe the author's purpose?

a. She wants to tell readers about the controversies surrounding children's

vaccinations.

b. She wants to convince parents that they should avoid vaccinating their children.
c. She wants to promote vaccinations for children.

d. She wants to list the pros and cons of vaccinations for children.

4. With which of the following do you agree?

a. The author is biased in favor of routine vaccinations for children.

b. The author is biased against routine vaccinations for children.

c. The author shows no evidence of any bias.

2. Make It Illegal to Be a Bad Samaritan*

On May 25, 1997, twenty-two-year-old Jeremy Strohmeyer chased seven-year-old Sherrice

Iverson into the stall of a public bathroom, where he molested and then strangled her. At one
point, his friend David Cash looked over the door of the stall and saw Strohmeyer struggling with
the little girl. Cash, however, didn't intervene to help Sherrice. Instead, he told his friend they
had to get going and left the little girl alone with her killer.

Although Jeremy Strohmeyer is now serving a life sentence without parole, David Cash remains
a free man to this day. And given his comments after Sherrice's death, it's doubtful that he is
guilt-stricken: "I'm not going to get upset over somebody else's life. I just worry about myself
first."

In Las Vegas, where the crime was committed, there's no law saying a bystander has to come to
the aid of a crime victim, even if the victim is in danger of being murdered. Yet as the case of
Sherrice Iverson suggests, we need a Good Samaritan law that says bystanders can't simply
watch or walk away while someone is being brutally attacked. They don't have to intervene
physically, but they must call for help. If they don't, they should be fined and sentenced to
spend some time in jail. In states that already have Good Samaritan laws, the penalties for
breaking that law should be made much, much tougher. In Vermont, for example, failure to help
someone being attacked only results in a hundred-dollar fine. The fine should be a hundred
times that amount.

Although many European countries do have Good Samaritan laws, American individualism
seems to have interfered with court willingness to make protecting others part of our legal code.
According to UCLA law professor Peter Arnella, "The criminal law in this country tends to
overvalue the notion of individual rights . . . even when the person is risking a serious social
harm."

A famous turn-of-the-century case often cited by legal scholars certainly supports Arnella's
position. During a couple's weekend vacation, one member fell into a drug-induced coma. The
man's partner responded by going home and leaving him to die. The case ultimately went all the
way to the Michigan Supreme Court, where the court found that the partner who left had no
legal duty to intervene and offer aid.

Legal or not, most people would argue that there was a moral duty at stake in the Michigan case
and certainly in the case of Sherrice Iverson. We need a Good Samaritan law on the books, and
we need it now. (Sources of information: Courtney Robertson, "Berkeley Wants Student to Get
Out of Town," http://www.pub.umich.edu/daily/1998/sep/09-30-98; Helen Robeson, "Make It
Illegal to Be a Bad Samaritan," Moral Choices, June 1, 1999, p. 25)

* Samaritan: A person from Samaria, a part of the Holy Land of the Bible. Jesus tells the story of
the "good Samaritan" who selflessly helped someone who had been beaten and left behind by
robbers.

1. What is the author's overall main idea?

a. Our judicial system needs a Good Samaritan law.

b. Good Samaritans laws work only in theory.

c. Europeans might need a Good Samaritan law but Americans do not.

d. A Good Samaritan law will help curb crime among adolescents.

2. How would you describe the author's tone?

a. emotionally neutral

b. insistent

c. casual

d. anxious

3. How would you describe the author's purpose?

a. She wants to describe Good Samaritan laws in Europe and compare them to the
U.S.

b. She wants to describe a terrible crime that could have been avoided.

c. She wants to convince readers that something like a Good Samaritan law would
conflict with the American idea of taking responsibility for one's self.

c. She wants to convince readers that something like a Good Samaritan law would
conflict with the American idea of taking responsibility for one's self.

d. She wants to persuade readers that there must be something like a Good
Samaritan law introduced into the U.S. legal system.
 4. With which of the following do you agree?

a. The author is biased in favor of a Good Samaritan law

b. The author is biased against the concept of a Good Samaritan law.

c. The author is biased against the concept of a Good Samaritan law.