Two Blogs and One Claim
Pita is completing a Level 2 reading task. She must choose which of two blog extracts better supports the statement «El voluntariado puede cambiar la actitud de un joven hacia su barrio», then justify her choice in 60–80 words in English. Text A, by Joel, says: «Al principio pensaba que mi barrio no tenía nada. Después de seis meses limpiando el parque los sábados, conocí a vecinos que nunca había visto. No es que todo sea perfecto, pero ahora veo lo que sí funciona.» Text B, by Lucía, says: «Hice veinte horas de voluntariado para el colegio. Fue obligatorio y aprendí a usar una carretilla. No creo que mi barrio haya cambiado, aunque mis amigas dicen que soy más responsable.» Pita likes Text B because it has clear hours and a school requirement. She has to decide quickly, and her teacher has warned that a personal preference is not the same as textual support.
1. Which text better supports the statement? Use two pieces of evidence and address the counterpoint.
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Text A better supports the statement.
- Joel explicitly contrasts his earlier view - «Al principio pensaba que mi barrio no tenía nada» - with his later perception: «ahora veo lo que sí funciona». That is a change of attitude towards the neighbourhood.
- He also says he met neighbours «que nunca había visto», which shows a changed relationship with the local community, not just a completed task.
The counterpoint is «No es que todo sea perfecto». This is a concession, not a denial of change: it makes his positive claim more credible. By contrast, Text B says «No creo que mi barrio haya cambiado», which directly undercuts the statement. Lucía's responsibility is reported by her friends and concerns her, not her attitude to the barrio. Pita's preference for the 20 hours is irrelevant to textual support.
2. Pita writes: 'Text B is better because it gives 20 hours and shows she is responsible.' Identify two reasoning errors and rewrite the judgement in one sentence.
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Two errors:
- She confuses specific detail with relevance. The 20 hours make the text precise, but they do not show a changed attitude towards the neighbourhood; in fact, Lucía says she does not think the barrio has changed.
- She treats someone else's opinion as evidence of Lucía's attitude. «Mis amigas dicen que soy más responsable» is about Lucía's personal responsibility, as reported by others, not about her view of the barrio. It also ignores the negation «No creo que...».
Rewritten judgement: Text A better supports the statement because Joel explicitly contrasts his earlier negative view of the neighbourhood with his later appreciation of what works there, even while acknowledging that not everything is perfect.
3. Explain the function of «No es que todo sea perfecto» in Text A. Why might a weaker reader misread it as contradicting the statement?
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The phrase is a concession: Joel admits there are still problems, but he does not withdraw his main claim that his attitude has changed. The structure «No es que...» rejects an implication - roughly, 'I am not saying everything is perfect' - rather than saying nothing has improved. The subjunctive «sea» is triggered by «No es que».
A weaker reader may see the words «no» and «perfecto» and conclude that Joel is denying all change. But the immediate contrast «pero ahora veo lo que sí funciona» shows that the concession supports a balanced positive judgement. Reading the whole sentence, not just the negative word, is the key.