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Part II-8th Grade Module 2 Unit 1 Mid Unit Assessment

Last updated almost 5 years ago
13 questions
Note from the author:
Grade 8 Mid Unit assessment; Module 2 Unit 1 Part II (2/2)

Part II:

8th Grade Mid-Unit Assessment

Module 2: Unit 1

Part II: Analyze a Claim in a Text

Directions: Read the text excerpt about food additives. Then, fill in the missing parts of the graphic organizer and answer the questions that follow.
Excerpt from Chew on This by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson
Studies have found that the color of a food can influence the way people think it tastes. Brightly colored foods seem to taste better than bland-looking foods, even when their flavors are exactly the same. The color additives in children’s foods have become increasingly bold. According to IFF, kids are now drawn to outrageous colors and foods that change color in your mouth. Foods that are strawberry-flavored no longer need to be pink; grape-flavored foods don’t need to be purple. Bright blue and green colorings are quite popular, regardless of the food’s flavor. Boys are more likely than girls to try goods that are strangely colored (like purple French fries and purple ketchup) or foods that do strange things in your mouth (like Mega Warheads, which turn your tongue blue).
The popularity of unnatural colors, however, has led to accidental poisonings. Some laundry detergents and window-washing fluids are the same bright blue color as drinks such as Frost Gatorade. Small children have tried to drink these toxic liquids, thinking they will taste delicious. For thousands of years people could judge the safety of a food by its color. Foods that were dangerous or had gone bad often didn’t look right. If your red meat turned green or blue, you’d probably decide not to eat it. The widespread use of bold food coloring has made it harder to see if something’s wrong with your food. And some poisonous liquids, deliberately given unnatural colors so that nobody will drink them, now remind toddlers of their favorite drinks.
The US government claims that the color and flavor additives widely used in processed foods are safe. That may not always be the case. Carmine can cause allergic reactions in some people. Tartrazine, a yellow food coloring, can cause hyperactivity, headaches, rashes, and an increased risk of asthma in some children. It has been banned in Norway, Finland, and Austria but is still used by food companies in the United States and Great Britain. Tartrazine can be found in British and American sodas, candies, chewing gum, Jell-OTM, and butterscotch pudding mixes, among other things.
A number of scientists now worry that eating so many different chemicals in processed foods may not be good for young children. A study conducted in 2004 at the University of Southampton in England looked at the behavior of 277 children who were three to four years old. Over a series of weeks the researchers gave each child either a fruit drink or a drink made with artificial colors and flavors that tasted exactly the same. The kids never knew which drink they were getting. They seemed much more hyperactive when they had the drink full of artificial ingredients than when they had the fruit juice. Each of the widely used chemical additives may be safe to eat by itself, but the safety of eating a large combination of additives in every meal remains unknown. “We assume that because these things do not make us drop dead, they’re safe,” says Dr. Vyvyan Howard, a leading expert on toxic substances at the University of Liverpool in England. “It’s not true. In my opinion, I would recommend that kids just stay away from them.”


Source: Excerpt from Chew on This: Everything You Don’t Want to Know about Fast Food by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson. Text copyright © 2006 by Eric Schlosser. Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Directions: Answer these final questions about the article.

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Text Excerpt or Video
Purpose

Excerpt from Chew on This by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson (pages 106–108)


What is the author’s purpose for this text? (RI.8.6)

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Text Excerpt or Video
Purpose

Excerpt from Chew on This by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson (pages 106–108)


  1. What is the main claim of this text? (RI.8.8)

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Text Excerpt or Video
Supporing Point 1


Excerpt from Chew on This by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson (pages 106–108)


What is one supporting point for the main claim? (RI.8.1, RI.8.8)

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Text Excerpt or Video
Relevant Evidence Used to Develop Point


Excerpt from Chew on This by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson (pages 106–108)


  1. What is one piece of relevant evidence that supports this point? (RI.8.1, RI.8.8)

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Text Excerpt or Video
Supporting Point 2

Excerpt from Chew on This by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson (pages 106–108)

  1. Write down a second supporting point below. (RI.8.1, RI.8.8)

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Text Excerpt or Video
Relevant Evidence Used to Develop Point

Excerpt from Chew on This by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson (pages 106–108)

Write down one piece of relevant evidence provided by the author below. (RI.8.1, RI.8.8)

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Text Excerpt or Video
Sufficient Evidence

Excerpt from Chew on This by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson (pages 106–108)

  1. Is the evidence included in this passage sufficient? Why or why not? (RI.8.1, RI.8.8)

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Text Excerpt or Video
Sound Reasoning

Is the reasoning in the second paragraph sound? Why or why not? (RI.8.8)

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  1. Which of the following pieces of evidence, if the author chose to include it, would be irrelevant to the author’s claim? (RI.8.8)

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2. In the third paragraph, how do the authors respond to the United States Government’s conflicting viewpoint that food additives are safe? (RI.8.1, RI.8.6)
  1. By referencing research findings about the flavors of sodas, candies, chewing gum, Jell-OTM, and butterscotch pudding mixes
  2. By referencing research findings about specific chemicals that are harmful
  3. By referencing an expert doctor’s opinion that refutes this viewpoint
  4. By referencing research findings about additives banned in the United States

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3. In the fourth paragraph, what type of paragraph structure does the author use? (RI.8.5)

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4. How does the following quotation contribute to developing the concept that chemicals in processed foods may not be safe for young children? (RI.8.5)

“We assume that because these things do not make us drop dead, they’re safe,” says Dr. Vyvyan Howard, a leading expert on toxic substances at the University of Liverpool in England. “It’s not true. In my opinion, I would recommend that kids just stay away from them.”

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5. Why does the author include this paragraph, and what role does it play in the author’s overall purpose? (RI.8.5, RI.8.6)