Reading practice | 15 questions in three levels | אנגלית לתיכון, כיתות י׳ ו־י״א

Three Ideas, One Budget

by Maya Levin, student reporter (fictional)

(1) Choosing how to spend public money is never simple, especially when every option sounds attractive. Riverside's young people now face exactly this problem, and the arguments on all sides deserve a closer look.

(2) Supporters of the homework café point out that many students have no quiet place to study at home. The café would offer free Wi-Fi, volunteer tutors and a warm space until 9 pm. However, it would cost about ₪60,000 every year to run, so the budget would cover only the first two and a half years. After that, the city would need to find new funding.

(3) The bike lanes would be a one-time investment of ₪150,000, the entire budget. Parents who support the idea say that dangerous roads are the main reason their children are driven to school. If students could cycle safely, traffic near schools might fall and young people would become more independent. Critics reply that the lanes would help only students who live within cycling distance.

(4) The skatepark is the cheapest proposal at ₪90,000, which would leave money for a smaller second project. Its supporters argue that the current park is so damaged that it has become unsafe, and that teenagers need places to meet that are not shops or screens. Opponents worry that a skatepark serves a relatively small group.

(5) Perhaps the real question is not which idea is best, but what kind of evidence should decide. Should the council follow the most votes, the greatest long-term benefit, or the needs of the students who have the fewest alternatives? Whatever the result, the process itself is teaching Riverside's teenagers something valuable: that good decisions depend on clear information, honest debate and a willingness to accept trade-offs.

דף תרגול

Reading practice | 15 questions in three levels | אנגלית לתיכון, כיתות י׳ ו־י״א

אנגלית | כיתה י, כיתה יא | Making Decisions: Plans and Evidence | תשפ״ז

Reading practice | 15 questions in three levels: יחידה משולבת באנגלית לכיתות י׳ ו־י״א בנושא קבלת החלטות על סמך ראיות, ברמות 3, 4 ו־5 יחידות, עם הסברים מלאים, תשובות לדוגמה ומחוונים.

How to work

Read both texts once for the main idea. Then answer the questions for your level (3, 4 or 5 points). Every answer has a full explanation after you check it.

Texts

Text 1 | Notice

RIVERSIDE YOUTH COUNCIL | YOUR CITY, YOUR CHOICE

This year the city has given the Youth Council ₪150,000 to spend on one project for young people. Three ideas have reached the final stage:

A homework café in the public library, open on weekday evenings
Safe bike lanes connecting the three secondary schools
A renovated skatepark in Oak Park

How to take part: Read the proposals on the council website, then vote online between 1 and 14 March. Every student aged 13 to 18 who lives in Riverside may vote once. The council will announce the result at an open meeting on 20 March at 6 pm in the community centre.

Text 2 | Article

Three Ideas, One Budget

by Maya Levin, student reporter (fictional)

תרגול

[3 pts | A2+] According to the notice, how much money will the Youth Council spend?
1. ₪60,000
2. ₪90,000
3. ₪150,000
4. ₪300,000
[3 pts | A2+] Who can vote?
1. Any adult who lives in Riverside
2. Students aged 13 to 18 who live in Riverside
3. Only members of the Youth Council
4. Teachers at the three secondary schools
[3 pts | A2+] When will people hear the result?
1. On 1 March
2. On 14 March
3. On 20 March
4. The notice does not say
[3 pts | A2+] In paragraph 2, why do some people support the homework café?
1. It is the cheapest idea
2. Many students have no quiet place to study at home
3. It will reduce traffic near schools
4. The skatepark is unsafe
[3 pts | A2+] What is the main purpose of the notice?
1. To tell a funny story
2. To explain how students can take part in a decision
3. To criticise the city
4. To sell bicycles
[4 pts | B1] Why would the homework café need new funding after about two and a half years?
1. Because the tutors will ask for higher pay
2. Because it costs ₪60,000 a year and the budget is ₪150,000
3. Because the library will close
4. Because fewer students will use it
[4 pts | B1] What is the critics' main objection to the bike lanes (paragraph 3)?
1. They are too cheap
2. They would help only students who live within cycling distance
3. Parents do not want them
4. They would increase traffic
[4 pts | B1] What advantage of the skatepark is connected to its price?
1. It would leave money for a smaller second project
2. It is used by everyone
3. It is open until 9 pm
4. It needs volunteer tutors
[4 pts | B1] In paragraph 3, the word 'independent' is closest in meaning to:
1. able to manage on their own
2. friendly
3. fast
4. responsible for others
[4 pts | B1] Which word in paragraph 4 introduces the opposing view?
1. Its supporters
2. Opponents
3. cheapest
4. Perhaps
[5 pts | B2] What does the writer suggest in paragraph 5?
1. The council should choose the bike lanes
2. Voting is a waste of time
3. How the decision is made matters as much as which project wins
4. Students should not trust the council
[5 pts | B2] What is the writer's attitude toward the three proposals?
1. Strongly in favour of the café
2. Balanced: each idea is presented with support and objections
3. Negative about all three
4. Uninterested
[5 pts | B2] The phrase 'a willingness to accept trade-offs' (paragraph 5) means being ready to:
1. trade items with other people
2. accept that choosing one benefit can mean giving up another
3. refuse every compromise
4. change one's vote every year
[5 pts | B2] Which sentence is an opinion rather than a fact?
1. The skatepark is the cheapest proposal at ₪90,000.
2. The café would offer free Wi-Fi and volunteer tutors.
3. Teenagers need places to meet that are not shops or screens.
4. Voting takes place between 1 and 14 March.
[5 pts | B2] Why does the writer end with three questions in paragraph 5?
1. To test the reader's memory
2. To show that different criteria could lead to different decisions
3. To ask the council for more money
4. To introduce a new proposal

תשובות לתרגול

₪150,000
1. Correct answer: ₪150,000.
2. The notice says the city has given the council ₪150,000 to spend on one project. ₪60,000 and ₪90,000 are the prices of single proposals in the article.
Students aged 13 to 18 who live in Riverside
1. Correct answer: Students aged 13 to 18 who live in Riverside.
2. The notice states: every student aged 13 to 18 who lives in Riverside may vote once.
On 20 March
1. Correct answer: On 20 March.
2. Voting is from 1 to 14 March; the result will be announced at an open meeting on 20 March.
Many students have no quiet place to study at home
1. Correct answer: Many students have no quiet place to study at home.
2. Paragraph 2 opens with the café supporters' reason: many students have no quiet place to study at home. The other answers belong to other proposals.
To explain how students can take part in a decision
1. Correct answer: To explain how students can take part in a decision.
2. A notice gives practical information: what the choice is, how to vote and when the result will be known. Recognising text type and purpose is orientation reading.
Because it costs ₪60,000 a year and the budget is ₪150,000
1. Correct answer: Because it costs ₪60,000 a year and the budget is ₪150,000.
2. 150,000 ÷ 60,000 = 2.5, so the budget covers two and a half years of running costs. The article says the city would then need new funding.
They would help only students who live within cycling distance
1. Correct answer: They would help only students who live within cycling distance.
2. The paragraph ends with the critics' reply: the lanes would help only students living within cycling distance. 'Critics reply' signals the counter-argument.
It would leave money for a smaller second project
1. Correct answer: It would leave money for a smaller second project.
2. At ₪90,000 it is the cheapest proposal, which would leave ₪60,000 for a smaller second project.
able to manage on their own
1. Correct answer: able to manage on their own.
2. The context contrasts children who are driven to school with students who cycle safely by themselves, so 'independent' means able to do things without help from adults.
Opponents
1. Correct answer: Opponents.
2. 'Opponents worry that…' presents the view against the skatepark. Recognising signal words for opposing views is key to reading for argument.
How the decision is made matters as much as which project wins
1. Correct answer: How the decision is made matters as much as which project wins.
2. The writer moves from 'which idea is best' to 'what kind of evidence should decide', and says the process itself teaches something valuable. The writer does not choose a project.
Balanced: each idea is presented with support and objections
1. Correct answer: Balanced: each idea is presented with support and objections.
2. Paragraphs 2-4 each give a supporting argument and a limitation (funding, reach, size of group). This even-handed structure shows a balanced attitude.
accept that choosing one benefit can mean giving up another
1. Correct answer: accept that choosing one benefit can mean giving up another.
2. A trade-off is giving up something to gain something else. The article shows that each proposal has a cost or a limit, so choosing one means losing advantages of the others.
Teenagers need places to meet that are not shops or screens.
1. Correct answer: Teenagers need places to meet that are not shops or screens..
2. 'Need' expresses a judgement made by the skatepark's supporters; it cannot be checked like a price or a date. The other three can be verified from the texts.
To show that different criteria could lead to different decisions
1. Correct answer: To show that different criteria could lead to different decisions.
2. Each question names a different criterion: votes, long-term benefit, the needs of students with fewest alternatives. Rhetorical questions invite the reader to weigh these criteria.

How to work

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How to work

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