The Two-Text Comparison
Students read two short passages about honeybees. Passage A says, "Bees are busy all day and never rest; a hive can make 100 pounds of honey in a season." Passage B says, "Worker bees take short rests inside the hive; a strong hive may make 60 to 100 pounds of honey, depending on flowers and weather." A student writes, "Both passages say the same thing: bees work hard and make 100 pounds of honey." The teacher asks the class to compare how the passages treat the same topic and judge the student's summary.
1. Identify one way the passages agree and one way they differ. Support each with words from the passages.
Read the worked answer
Agreement: both describe bees as hardworking and both mention a hive making up to 100 pounds of honey (A: "100 pounds"; B: "60 to 100 pounds"). Difference: A says bees "never rest," while B says they "take short rests inside the hive." A gives a single figure (100 pounds); B gives a range and adds conditions ("depending on flowers and weather"). So B is more cautious and specific about limits.
2. Judge the student's summary. Is it accurate? Rewrite it to reflect both passages fairly.
Read the worked answer
The summary is partly inaccurate. It says both passages claim bees make 100 pounds, but B says 60 to 100 depending on conditions, not a fixed 100. It also ignores the disagreement about resting. A fair rewrite: "Both passages describe bees as hardworking and say a hive can make up to 100 pounds of honey. Passage A says bees never rest and gives a single figure, while Passage B says bees take short rests and gives a range that depends on flowers and weather." This keeps the shared idea and the difference.
3. Which passage gives stronger evidence for its claim about honey amounts, and why?
Read the worked answer
Passage B gives stronger support because it qualifies the claim: "60 to 100 pounds, depending on flowers and weather." It names conditions that affect the amount, which makes the statement more believable and harder to disprove. Passage A's flat "100 pounds" is a single number with no conditions, so one bad season would contradict it. Strong evidence usually accounts for variation. The judgement is that B's caution is a strength, not a weakness, even though A's number sounds more impressive.