Teen Volunteer Work

The author of the POINT article believes that volunteering

• should only be done when a person is young.

• leads to academic success.

• should be organized and managed primarily by religious groups.

• should be a mandatory part of the school curriculum.

Which of the following is NOT a reason the POINT article author believes volunteering should be mandatory for teens?

• Volunteering leads to academic success.

• Volunteering leads to benefits for the community.

• Volunteering leads to benefits for the environment.

• Volunteering is required by law in many states.

Read the paragraph in the POINT article that begins with "One very specific reason to tie volunteer work to education..."

Which type of evidence would be the strongest to add to this paragraph?

• A personal story about how volunteering led to the author making the honor roll in high school.

• A quote from a popular film that shows the link between helping others and personal success.

• A quote from the author's teacher about how volunteers do better in school.

• An experimental study result that shows a clear link between volunteering and academic success.

Read this sentence from the fourth paragraph of the POINT essay: Community service programs across the country will have a fresh new crop of enthusiastic, lifelong volunteers to count on.

What does this sentence reveal about the author's point of view?

• By comparing volunteers to a "crop," the author shows that people should think for themselves before deciding to volunteer.

• The author assumes that people who volunteer as teenagers will want to continue volunteering as adults.

• The author believes that volunteer programs rely on getting new volunteers to sustain their programs over time.

• The author claims that it is better to start volunteering as an adult, when they already know their interests and skills.

What does the first paragraph of the COUNTERPOINT essay reveal about the author's point of view?

• The author believes it is important for teens to develop self-confidence and self-esteem through volunteering.

• The author does not believe volunteering should be mandatory for teenagers.

• The author acknowledges that many teenagers are simply too busy to have time to volunteer.

• The author believes that volunteering is the best way to develop important life skills.

Read the paragraph in the COUNTERPOINT essay that begins with "The most compelling argument against making volunteer work..."

What evidence does the author provide in this paragraph to support the claim that many teens are too busy to add volunteering to their lives?

• The author provides a quote from a respected teen psychologist.

• The author explains how most of the hours in the day are already occupied by other responsibilities.

• The author cites a study that shows teen volunteers are more stressed that non-volunteers.

• The author cites a study that shows that teens who are too busy often exhibit symptoms of stress, like headaches and lack of sleep.

Read the paragraph in the COUNTERPOINT essay that begins with "Another problem with making volunteer work a mandatory part..."

What does this paragraph reveal about the author's point of view?

• The author believes that volunteer work makes a person stronger and more likely to succeed.

• The author believes that mandatory volunteer work will make it more likely that a person will volunteer as an adult.

• The author believes that most teens would like volunteering if they kept their minds open and gave it a chance.

• The author believes that there are many benefits to volunteering when a person chooses to do it for themselves.

Read the paragraph in the COUNTERPOINT essay that begins with "Finally, there is great evidence that the teens..."

What inference can be drawn from this paragraph?

• Teens who don't volunteer are too busy or stressed to volunteer.

• Teens who don't volunteer are too lazy to volunteer.

• Teens who volunteer are better people than teens who don't volunteer.

• Teens who volunteer come from the same life circumstances as teens who don't volunteer.

Which statement would BOTH authors agree with?

• There are many wonderful benefits to volunteering.

• All teenagers should volunteer.

• All adults should volunteer.

• Teenagers should not be forced to volunteer.