688 New Review- All the Garbage

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New Review: All the Garbage Have you ever wondered where all of your trash goes? How about what happens when you recycle that soda can? Or what you specifically can do to help the Earth? Well, Rebecca Benson’s impressive new book entitled What Do We Do With All the Garbage? contains answers to these questions and more. In her new book, Benson opens with several provocative images: mountains of trash accumulated in a landfill outside of New York City, birds that have been choked by 6-pack rings on the beach, and miles of cut down forest land juxtaposed aside a bin of junk mail. In the subsequent chapters, Benson goes into great depth noting where exactly our trash goes after we throw it away. From trashcan to landfill, her comprehensive and stirring explanation leaves the reader wondering what he or she can do to help. Following her life cycle of a piece of trash, Benson begins to explain how recycling works to reduce the amount of trash that goes into the landfill. The chapter “Recycling: A Journey to the Past, Present, and Future” describes the process of recycling, benefits of recycling, and possibilities recycling opens up for the future. Her innovative suggestions for ways that recycled items could be re-used for a multitude of purposes excite and incite possibility for change. In the final section of her book, Benson tells the story of several schools and local government agencies that have designed noteworthy programs and projects to encourage reusing and recycling in the community. Highlighted with a moving narrative from a tenacious 7th grade student who single-handedly started a recycling program in her middle school, the closing chapter offers inspiring alternatives to simply taking out the trash. What Do We Do With All the Garbage? by Rebecca Benson is an informative and entertaining read. Her precise and thorough articulation of the global waste problem is riveting. She not only portrays the problem accurately, but she also presents authentic and manageable solutions. Certainly, this is a book worth reading for all ages. An added bonus is that it is printed on 100% recycled paper and 10% of the proceeds from its sale go to global recycling initiatives. Go out and purchase this book today!

1) Which of the following literary devices does the author use in paragraph 1? A. Satire, characterized by the use of ridicule to expose a vice, weakness, or flaw. B. Inversion, characterized by the reversal of the usual order of words in order to add emphasis or character. C. Rhetorical question, characterized by a question posed for effect rather than one that expects a reply. D. Personification, characterized by the attribution of human traits or characteristics to non-human animals, inanimate objects, or abstract ideas. E. Metaphor, characterized by an abstract comparison between two things without the usage of the words “like” or “as.”

2) According to the author, with which of the following images does Rebecca Benson open her new

book? A. mountains of trash accumulated in a New York City landfill B. the life cycle of a piece of trash from trash can to landfill C. plastic debris floating in the ocean D. a 7th grade student who started a recycling program at her school E. dangerous chemicals flowing into rivers and streams

3) At the end of paragraph 2, the author refers to Benson’s “stirring explanation” in order to A. mock the author’s unconvincing argumentation B. persuade the reader to explore more books by this author C. restate how many answers this book provides to the reader D. demonstrate that Benson’s writing is direct and explanatory E. emphasize that he or she was moved by the explanation

4) Based on its use in paragraph 3, it can be understood that the word innovative belongs to which of the following word groups? A. debatable, arguable, questionable B. original, new, fresh C. stark, drastic, distinct D. insignificant, trivial, minor E. surprising, shocking, unexpected

5) At the end of paragraph 4, the author writes, “Highlighted with a moving narrative from a tenacious 7th grade student who single-handedly started a recycling program in her middle school, the closing chapter offers inspiring alternatives to simply taking out the trash.” This sentence best serves as a(n) A. personal exploration B. opposing viewpoint C. challenge to the reader D. specific example E. catchy slogan

6) Which of the following sentences best summarizes the author’s opinion about this book? A. Where Does all the Garbage Go? is a typical book from the contemporary Earth Science genre. B. With its groundbreaking information, this book will surely serve to inform scientists around the globe.

C. Rebecca Benson’s new book is both informative and entertaining, and it is a must read for anyone. D. The question and answer format makes Benson’s new book fun and accessible to all ages. E. Part of the profits from sales of the book will go towards supporting recycling initiatives.

7) Who do you think is the most likely audience for What Do We Do With All the Garbage? Who is most likely to purchase the book? Why?

Answers and Explanations 1) C Core Standard: Key Ideas and Details At the beginning of the passage, the author writes, “Have you ever wondered where all of your trash goes? How about what happens when you recycle that soda can? Or what you specifically can do to help the Earth?” From this, we can tell that the author asks three questions in a row. The questions are asked one right after the other, and since we are not given an opportunity to actually answer them, we can tell that the author does not expect a reply. Using this information, we can tell that the author uses a rhetorical question, which is characterized by a question posed for effect rather than one that expects a reply. This lets us know that (C) is correct.

The passage does not provide information to support choices (A), (B), (D), or (E). Therefore they are incorrect.

2) A Core Standard: Key Ideas and Details To answer this detail question correctly, we need to find where the author discusses the opening of the book in the passage. A good way to do this is to scan the topic sentence of each paragraph, since this sentence will likely tell us what information can be found in the rest of that paragraph. The topic sentence of paragraph 2 starts with: "In her new book, Benson opens with several provocative images…" This lets us know that the details we are looking for can likely be found in paragraph 2. Immediately after this, in paragraph 2, the author writes, “…mountains of trash accumulated in a landfill outside of New York City…” This lets us know that mountains of trash accumulated in a New York City landfill is the image that Rebecca Benson opens her new book with. Therefore (A) is correct.

The passage does not provide information to support choices (B), (C), (D), or (E). Therefore they are incorrect.

3) E Core Standard: Integration of Knowledge At the end of paragraph 2, the author writes, “From trashcan to landfill, her comprehensive and stirring explanation leaves the reader wondering what he or she can do to help.” If the author was left “wondering what he or she can do to help,” we can tell that the “stirring explanation” was really moving. This lets us know that the author refers to Benson’s “stirring explanation” in order to emphasize that he or she was moved by the explanation. Therefore (E) is correct.

The passage does not provide information to support choices (A), (B), (C), or (D). Therefore they are incorrect.

4) B Core Standard: Craft and Structure

innovative (adjective): featuring new methods; advanced and original.

In paragraph 3, the author writes, “Her innovative suggestions for ways that recycled items could be re-used for a multitude of purposes excite and incite possibility for change.” We can use context clues—hints from known words or phrases around the unknown word or phrase—to help us figure out what innovative most nearly means. The suggestions are described as innovative in this sentence. We can also tell that the suggestions relate to ideas for re-using recycled items for a “multitude of purposes” in an exciting way. Since this is exciting, we can tell that the innovative suggestions must feature new or original ideas. This lets us know that innovative describes something that features new, original ideas. Original, new, and fresh all describe something that features new, original ideas. Using this information, we can tell that innovative belongs to the word group containing original, new, and fresh. Therefore (B) is correct.

Using the above information, we can tell that innovative describes something that features new or original ideas. Debatable, arguable, and questionable all describe something that can be argued. Since this is not the same thing as featuring new or original ideas, we can tell that innovative does not belong to the word group containing these words. This means (A) is incorrect.

Using the above information, we can tell that innovative describes something that features new or original ideas. Stark, drastic, and distinct have more of a negative connotation than something that features a new or original idea. For instance, stark means bleak, drastic means something like extreme, and distinct means sharp. Using this information, we can tell that innovative does not belong to the word group containing these words. This means (C) is incorrect.

Using the above information, we can tell that innovative describes something that features new or original ideas. Insignificant, trivial, and minor describe small things that do not really matter. Since this is not the same thing as featuring new or original ideas, we can tell that innovative does not belong to the word group containing these words. Therefore (D) is incorrect.

Using the above information, we can tell that innovative describes something that features new or original ideas. Surprising, shocking, and unexpected describe startling or unanticipated things. Since this is not the same thing as featuring new or original ideas, we can tell that innovative does not belong to the word group containing these words. Therefore (E) is incorrect.

5) D Core Standard: Integration of Knowledge At the end of paragraph 4, the author writes, “Highlighted with a moving narrative from a tenacious 7th grade student who single-handedly started a recycling program in her middle school, the closing chapter offers inspiring alternatives to simply taking out the trash.” In the sentence before this, the author writes, “In the final section of her book, Benson tells the story of several schools and local government agencies that have designed noteworthy programs and projects to encourage reusing and recycling in the community.” This lets us know that the “moving narrative from a tenacious 7th grade student” is a specific example of someone who designed a noteworthy program to encourage reusing and recycling. This lets us know that the sentence above best serves as a specific example. Therefore (D) is correct.

The author does not provide information to support choices (A), (B), (C), or (E). Therefore they are incorrect.

6) C Core Standard: Integration of Knowledge At the end of the first paragraph, the author writes, “…Benson’s impressive new book…contains answers to these questions…” Since this book answers questions, we can tell that it must be informative. Later, the author uses words like “excite,” “stirring,” and “inspiring.” This lets us know that he or she thinks Benson’s new book is also entertaining. Finally, in the last paragraph, the author writes, “What Do We Do With All the Garbage? by Rebecca Benson is an informative and entertaining read.” This supports the conclusions above. At the end of the passage, the author urges all readers to purchase the book, after noting, “Certainly, this is a book worth reading for any and all ages.” Using this information, we can tell that the sentence—Rebecca Benson’s new book is both informative and entertaining, and it is a must read for anyone.—best summarizes the author’s opinion about this book. Therefore (C) is correct.

Using the above information, we can tell that the author of this passage is very excited about this book, which presents new and exciting approaches to recycling. This lets us know that the sentence—Where Does all the Garbage Go? is a typical book from the contemporary Earth Science genre.—does not best summarize the author’s opinion about this book. Because this sentence does not reflect the enthusiasm of the author, we can tell that (A) is incorrect.

The author of the passage never mentions that this book should inform scientists around the globe. Instead, using the above information, we can tell that the author encourages readers of all ages to read this book. This lets us know that the sentence—With its groundbreaking information, this book will surely serve to inform scientists around the globe.—does not best summarize the author’s opinion about this book. This means (B) is incorrect.

The author never mentions that this book is written in a question and answer format. This lets us know that the sentence—The question and answer format makes Benson’s new book fun and accessible to any and all ages.—does not best summarize the author’s opinion about this book. Therefore (D) is incorrect.

The author of the passage does mention that “10% of the proceeds from [the book’s] sale go to global recycling initiatives.” However, this statement is a fact, not an opinion. The sentence—Part of the profits from sales of the book will go towards supporting recycling initiatives.—cannot summarize the author’s opinion about this book. Therefore (E) is incorrect.