Passage The Local Library
The Local Library
(1) According to a 2015 survey, more than two-thirds of Americans own a smartphone, which means that obtaining information or communicating with people is easier than ever before. (2) With the swipe of a finger, the tap of an icon, or a verbal command, people have instant access to articles, blogs, news, and social networking websites. (3) Even with all these immediately available sources of information, one of the best resources for many members of the community also happens to be one of the oldest. (4) The public library is a great place for people to get information.
(5) The public library serves a truly critical role in promoting community. (6) With the explosion of digital media in recent years, people in different locations can now communicate almost instantaneously. (7) And yet many people complain of feeling more isolated and alone than ever before. (8) The library stands in a rare position to help community members meet this universal need for human connection and companionship.
(9) Furthermore, libraries provide certain amenities, such as access to the Internet, for free to all people. (10) A student who does not have a computer at home can research and type a paper for school. (11) Similarly, an unemployed adult without access to the Internet can make use of library resources to find job opportunities. (12) The free items that are found at the library can help people get a lot done.
(13) Public libraries also offer a variety of resources to community members. (14) One important resource is the local librarian, who does far more than check out books and collect fines. (15) Other library resources include free or low-cost tutoring and training programs. (16) Additionally, lectures, book groups, and town meetings promote critical thinking and community engagement. (17) A typical librarian holds a master’s degree and can help library patrons navigate through the flood of information available in print and on the Internet.
(18) The hallmark of a public library is that its materials and services are accessible to all. (19) The library connects people to a network of information and resources and is an important part of a community.
Question
Which concluding sentence should be added after sentence 19 to support the argument presented in the passage?
- ATherefore, patrons of the public library can grow in both their social life and their level of community engagement.
- BClearly, it is in the best interest of community members to maintain, support, and use their public library.
- CAfter all, the public library has been a part of American communities since the first library was founded in 1833.
- DIn fact, community leaders must work together to find ways to generate more involvement in events at the public library.
Show the answer
Correct answer: B
The question asks for a concluding sentence that would follow sentence 19 and support the argument presented in the passage.
Option B is correct because it logically follows sentence 19 and supports the argument that the public library facilitates connections within a community and provides valuable services—some at no cost—by urging community members to use, maintain, and support their local public library.
Option A is incorrect because it does not provide a logical conclusion that fully supports the argument in the passage; the sentence addresses only one benefit of having a public library, ignoring the valuable services and resources it provides.
Option C is incorrect because it presents the idea that the library has been in existence since 1833, which does not logically provide a conclusion for the passage or support the argument developed in the passage.
Option D is incorrect because it presents a new claim—community leaders must work together to support library events—instead of a conclusion that supports the argument presented in the passage.
Question analysis
This conclusion question asks which sentence should be added after the library essay’s last line. Students choose a closing statement that best supports the argument as a whole. Several endings sound final, so the challenge is judging which one fits the complete argument rather than one part of it.
- NYS standards
- 7W1e concluding an argument
- Grade level
- Grade 7 reading and task
- Compared with grade 7
- At grade 7 Writing a conclusion that explains an argument’s significance is a grade 7 standard. This item asks students to recognize one rather than write it, but they must keep the essay’s full argument in mind to judge which closing sentence fits best.
- Estimated difficulty
- Moderate: several steps, or a close reading with one strong distractor.
- Thinking it demands
- Depth of knowledge 2, skills and concepts · mainly evaluate
- What makes it hard
- Evidence in several places moderate
- How sentences fit together minor
- Evidence
- Answered from the whole text
- Reading level
- Passage: about grade 11, 341 words; question and choices: about grade 12, 92 words.
- Students, last 30 days
- Not enough answers yet to show (it takes 10).
Why it is hard, traps and wrong answers (shows the answer)
Why it is hard
All four endings open with a word that sounds conclusive, “Therefore,” “Clearly,” “After all” or “In fact,” so the opening word is no guide. Students lose the point when they accept a closing line that is true to one part of the essay, or one that introduces something new such as a date or a task for community leaders. The right ending turns the essay’s reasons into a call to keep using and supporting the library.
Evidence in several places moderate Working it out
To judge whether an ending covers the whole argument, students must recall that the free Internet access and the tutoring sit in paragraphs 3 and 4, far from the last sentence. (Kirsch & Mosenthal, 1990; Gorin & Embretson, 2006)
How sentences fit together minor Working it out
Sentence 19 already calls the library “an important part of a community,” so the added line has to build on it, moving from praise to what readers should do. (Halliday & Hasan, 1976)
Strategy: Jot down the essay’s main reasons in a phrase each, then choose the ending that ties them together without bringing in a new fact or a new claim.
Traps
- Too narrow: A single detail offered as the central idea or a summary, or a summary that keeps minor details and leaves out an essential part.
- Off the point: Adds or keeps something that does not support the paragraph's or the passage's focus, or an introduction or conclusion that misses the main point.
The wrong answers, classified
A Too narrow (King et al., 2004)
Sounds conclusive with “Therefore” and restates the social and community-engagement benefits, but omits the free services and resources that make up half the argument.
C Off the point (Halliday & Hasan, 1976)
Is drawn by the authoritative “After all” and a historical date, but a founding in 1833 appears nowhere in the essay and supports none of its reasons.
D Off the point (Halliday & Hasan, 1976)
Knows a persuasive essay often ends with a call to action, but this one assigns a new task to community leaders instead of urging readers to use the library.
Working it out, step by step
Figure out what the question asks
You need a concluding sentence: a last sentence that wraps up the argument. A good conclusion pulls the main points together. It does not bring in a new fact or a new claim.
List the essay’s main reasons
- The library helps people connect with others (paragraph 2).
- It gives free things, like Internet access (paragraph 3).
- It offers librarians, tutoring and lectures (paragraph 4).
- It is open to all and is “an important part of a community” (paragraph 5).
All of these support one claim: people should value and use their library.
Decide what the ending should do
Sentence 19 already says the library “connects people to a network of information and resources.” The new last sentence should build on that. It can tell readers what to do, now that they know the reasons. This kind of ending is called a call to action.
Check each choice
- A is wrong. It covers only social life and community involvement. It leaves out the free services and resources.
- B is right. It tells community members to “maintain, support, and use” the library. That fits every reason in the essay.
- C is wrong. The year 1833 is a new fact that the essay never mentions. It proves nothing about the library’s value.
- D is wrong. It makes a new claim about what community leaders must do.
Watch out: A starts with “Therefore,” so it sounds like a conclusion. But it sums up only part of the argument.
Choose the answer
B ties all the reasons together and tells readers what to do. So the answer is B.
Why this answer and not the closest wrong one
A is the closest wrong answer. It sounds like an ending and repeats ideas from the essay. But it names only the social side of the library. B covers the whole argument: because the library does all these things, people should keep it going and use it.
More questions like this
The original DOE question
The passage “The Local Library” as printed (page 120)
