The Library That Lost Its Shelves
A Grade 7 class reads a one-page article about a school library that moved its 6,000 books into a smaller room. The article says the librarian removed 1,200 books, added 300 new ones, and installed four low shelves instead of ten tall ones. It quotes her: "We kept what students actually borrow." A student named Malik says the library now feels "emptier but easier to use." The article ends with a line from the principal: "Fewer books, more readers." The class must answer questions using only this article, not their own opinions about libraries.
1. A student claims the article proves students read more after the change. Is that claim fully supported? Explain what the article does and does not show.
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The claim is only partly supported. The article shows the principal saying "Fewer books, more readers," which is an opinion, not data. No number of readers, checkouts, or reading minutes is given. The only numbers are 6,000 books, 1,200 removed, 300 added, four shelves, and ten shelves. So the article shows a change in the collection and the room, and it shows two people's reactions (the librarian and Malik). It does not show that reading increased. A careful answer says the principal's line suggests the school believes reading improved, but the article gives no evidence to prove it.
2. Malik says the library feels "emptier but easier to use." How do the article's details explain both parts of his comment?
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"Emptier" is explained by the numbers: 1,200 books removed and only 300 added, so the collection shrank by 900 books (6,000 to 5,100). The room also has four shelves instead of ten, so there is more open space. "Easier to use" is explained by the librarian's quote, "We kept what students actually borrow," and by the low shelves. If the remaining books are the ones students want, and the shelves are low, students can find books faster. The two parts are not a contradiction: the room holds less, but what is left is more useful. Linking a number to each half of the quote is what earns full marks.
3. The librarian says, "We kept what students actually borrow." What does this quote suggest about how she decided which books to remove?
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It suggests she used borrowing records, not personal taste or age of books. She removed the 1,200 books that students did not borrow and kept the ones with a record of use. The word "actually" hints that some books looked useful but were not borrowed. A strong answer notes the limit: the article does not say how she measured borrowing or over what period, so we infer the method but cannot state it as fact. The quote supports an inference about her criteria, not a proven procedure.