Read the story and the questions. Be ready to discuss the answers with your group.
Marcia says that all of her friends have a cell phone, but Marcia’s mom doesn't want to buy her one. Marcia's mom doesn't want Marcia to play video games either. What is more, the Internet scares her. Marcia's mom says, “If Marcia has a cell phone, how do we know whom she is talking to? Video games are bad for you. The Internet is dangerous and uncontrolled. It’s like having a gun in the house. We should just ban her from using the computer, and I'm not buying her a cell phone until she is eighteen. This is the only way we can be sure that Marcia is safe.
Marcia’s dad disagrees with Marcia's mom. Although he agrees that there are some dangers to it, he likes the Internet, and finds it to be very useful. “The trouble is,” he says, “We just can’t stop Marcia from using the Internet, as this would put her at a disadvantage. What is more, I like video games. I think that, when played in moderation, they are fun. Obviously, it is not good to play them without restraint or self-control. Finally, I think Marcia needs a cell phone. We can’t take these things away.”
Questions
1) Which of the following best describes the difference between Marcia's mom and Marcia's dad?
A. Mom wants to ban Marcia from using the computer, while dad likes to
play video games.
B. Mom thinks technology is dangerous, while dad thinks it can be useful.
C. Mom cares little about Marcia's future, while dad is very supportive.
D. Mom is very strict while Dad is open minded.
2) Which of the following best describes the similarity between Marcia's mom and Marcia's dad?
A. Mom and dad both like technology.
B. Mom and dad both think video games are bad.
C. Mom and dad both think the internet is dangerous.
D. Mom and dad both care about Marcia's wellbeing.
3) In paragraph 1, Marcia's mom says, "It's like having a gun in the house." She says this in order to
A. support the idea that the Internet is dangerous
B. reject the claim that guns can be safe if used responsibly
C. encourage Marcia's dad to purchase a gun
D. explain why the Internet is uncontrolled
4) In paragraph 2, Marcia's dad says, "We just can’t stop Marcia from using the Internet, as this would put her at a disadvantage."
What does Marcia's dad mean by this?
A. Marcia needs to learn how to use the internet if she wants to have
friends in the future.
B. Marcia should not stop using the internet because this will seriously
slow her learning.
C. If a person's ability to use the internet becomes important in the future,
Marcia will be at a loss.
D. If Marcia does not learn to use the internet on her own, then she will
never learn to recognize its dangers.
5) In paragraph 2, Marcia's dad says, "Finally, I think Marcia needs a cell phone." Given what you know about Marcia’s mom’s concerns, what is the best reason Marcia's dad can provide to convince Marcia's mom that Marcia needs a cell phone?
A. Marcia can use her cell phone to talk to her friends, instead of needing
to borrow one of ours.
B. Having a cell phone will teach Marcia how to use new technology.
C. Because all of her friends have one, it would be unfair to disallow
Marcia to have a cell phone.
D. If Marcia's is in trouble she can use her cell phone to call for help.
7) Marcia's mom can best be described as
A. ridiculous
B. careful
C. cruel
D. rude
8) Marcia's dad can best be described as
A. shameless
B. foolish
C. wild
D. reasonable
9) Which of the following would be the best way for Marcia to change the way her mom thinks about technology?
A. Read her a newspaper article that talks about the importance of
technology.
B. Provide her an instruction manual detailing how the latest cell phone
functions.
C. Take her to the library and show her the top five most popular internet
websites.
D. Spend the weekend playing video games with her.