Present Claims Emphasizing Salient Points Practice Test

Jamal gives a persuasive speech to his class arguing that the school should start a “no single-use plastic bottles” policy. He says, “I have three points,” but then spends most of his time describing the history of plastic, his favorite water bottle colors, and a long story about a beach trip. His main claim—“we should switch to refill stations”—is mentioned once in the middle and not repeated. He reads word-for-word from his paper, keeps his eyes down, and speaks so quietly that students in the back ask him to repeat sentences.

What is the most important improvement Jamal should make to better meet presentation expectations?

Sofia presents social studies research on why people migrated to her state in the 1800s. She says, “The key evidence is that jobs in mining and railroads pulled many families here,” and then gives two short examples from primary-source letters mentioning wages and work opportunities. She also mentions, briefly, what clothing people wore and what popular songs sounded like, but she does not connect those details to her claim. Sofia speaks clearly and at a good volume, but she looks at her note cards almost the entire time.

Which evaluation is most accurate?