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CCSS ELA Grade 8 Informational Text Level 2

This passage was written by a student in favor of a state bottle law. As you read the passage, think about the arguments that the student is making. Then answer questions 1 through 6. Why Every State Needs a Bottle Law As you commute to school or elsewhere, gaze out your vehicles window and observe the roadside. Your eyes are probably assaulted by litter, and much of it is plastic bottles. Therefore, every state needs a bottle law. Lets put a ten-cent deposit on each plastic beverage bottle. Lets encourage consumers to bring the empties back and receive a refund. This reward will motivate people to recycle. Paying people for their empties discourages them from creating unseemly litter. Some roadside litter comes from things falling off vehicles and cannot be avoided. Much of it is from thoughtless people throwing empties out their windows. Many people fail to take pride in their homes, communities, and nation. The first plastic bottle laws in the Unites States were promoted by Thomas Lawson, the governor of Oregon, in 1971. Oregon often leads the nation in environmental issues. Of course, not everyone supports this concept as heartily as the leaders and voters in 11 states that have such regulations in place in 2012. The opposition is lead mainly by the food and beverage industry. Opponents claim such laws are outdated, unnecessary, and inefficient. They argue Oregons decision was made in days when recycling was introduced, and today curbside pickup of recyclable materials has rendered them obsolete. They point out that implementing deposit laws requires a huge system to keep track of bottles collected and payments distributed, as well as creating a need to ship materials, sort them, and repurpose them. Basically, the industry does not want to assume any extra expense not one cent that increases their costs. Their eyes seem so firmly fixed on profit that they will endanger the environment to boost revenues. This focus on profits reflects a blindness to the common welfare. The fossil-fuel industry also puts profits ahead of the environment. In support of these laws, environmental groups have amassed an impressive collection of facts. They regard the strategy as an effective incentive to promote recycling, reduce litter, and solve other problems. They observe over 70% of recycled plastic comes from just those states with bottle laws. Moreover, each state with a law reduces its litter by up to 47%. There are even more compelling reasons to reject the oppositions arguments. First, not every community has curbside recycling. The argument that bottle laws are obsolete is flawed. Second, plastic bottles can cause far more problems than other types of litter. Invasive species of plants and animals once traveled between states and nations mainly attached to boats. Now unwanted organisms are more likely to arrive in plastic bottles washing up on river shores and ocean beaches. Fragile ocean ecosystems are endangered by the accumulation of huge amounts of plastic debris. Rivers and oceans are becoming sewers of pollution. The reasons stated here should be sufficient to compel every state to pass a bottle law. Some states get it. A few are expanding the laws to cover glass bottles and other materials. We should follow their lead.

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CCSS ELA Grade 8 Informational Text Level 2

Complete question 6 in the space below. Use extra paper if you need to. 6 Evaluate the arguments the writer makes to support bottle laws. Explain whether or not the reasoning is sound. Be sure to use information from the passage in your response.

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