Reading Standards for Informational Text > Citing Strong Evidence (CCSS.RI.6.8) Practice Test

Our cafeteria should buy more locally grown produce. When apples and carrots arrive days after harvest, they taste fresher, and students are more likely to eat them. During a month-long pilot at Jefferson and Lincoln Middle Schools, custodial logs show lunch trash dropped from an average of 8 bins to 6.8 bins per day—a 15 percent decrease—on days when local produce was served. Less waste means money saved and a smaller environmental footprint. A district dietitian also noted that locally sourced items kept their crisp texture better than the bagged vegetables we usually get. While exact costs vary, the food service director says prices from nearby farms "should stay near what we pay wholesalers once we factor in shipping." If the food tastes better and we throw less of it away, students will obviously be healthier right away. Plus, everyone will love the new menu and line up for salads. With local growers eager to partner, now is the time to make the switch.

Should our city add protected bike lanes on Pine Avenue? Safety data suggest yes. The state Department of Transportation reports that after Maple City installed protected lanes on Oak Street, injury crashes there fell by 30 percent over two years. Our own police logs show that Pine has had 18 bike-related crashes in the past three years, so even a modest reduction would matter. The project's price tag is also manageable: according to the 2024 city budget, re-striping and flexible posts would cost less than 1 percent of the annual road-maintenance fund. Some local businesses might benefit too. When streets feel safer for biking and walking, shoppers tend to stop more often; a bakery owner near Oak Street says Saturday sales rose once the lanes were in. Drivers won't experience any delays, because taking a few feet of space from the curb lane won't affect car travel times at all. With clear safety gains and reasonable costs, the plan deserves a trial.