Reading Comprehension Success in 20 Minutes a Day, 3rd Edition

Practice Passage 3
Now it’s your turn. In this exercise, you’ll take a para-
graph that is organized one way—by cause and effect—
and add another structure: order of importance.
Here’s what you should do: Reread the two para-
graphs about mandatory school uniforms. Decide
which author you agree with most. Then, look carefully
at the effects the author predicts. Which effect do you
think is most important? Which is least important?
Rank these effects in order of importance. Then, decide
whether you want to start with the most important
idea and end with the least important, or vice versa,
start with the least important idea and end with the
most important. Finally, put it all together in a para-
graph in the space provided.
Paragraph A
Mandatory school uniforms are a bad deci-
sion for our district. If students are required to wear
a uniform, it will greatly inhibit their ability to
express themselves. This is a problem because dress
is one of the major ways that young people express
themselves. A school uniform policy also directly
violates the freedom of expression that all Americans
are supposed to enjoy. Consequently, young people
will doubt that their basic rights are protected, which
will affect their larger outlook on civil liberties. Fur-
thermore, school uniforms will interfere with the
wearing of certain articles of religious clothing, and
this will create tensions among certain religious
groups that can lead to feelings of discrimination. In
addition, school uniforms will place an undue finan-
cial burden on many low-income families who may
not have the money to spend on new uniforms every
year, especially if they have several children. Finally,
school uniforms will negate one of the most
important concepts we can teach our children—
individuality. When push comes to shove, we’d all be
better off choosing individuality over uniformity.
Mandatory school uniforms are a step in the wrong
direction.
Paragraph B
Mandatory school uniforms will have a
tremendously positive impact on our district. If stu-
dents are required to wear a uniform, it will greatly
inhibit gang behavior since they will no longer be
able to wear gang colors. As a result, schools will
experience an overall decrease in school violence
and theft. Since violence is one of the major concerns
that parents, teachers, and students raise about our
district, this change will be welcomed with open
arms. In addition, school uniforms will instill a
much-needed sense of discipline in our student
body, and discipline is something that is, unfortu-
nately, in short supply in our school district. Also,
students dressed in uniforms will feel a strong sense
of community with their peers, which will lead to a
more harmonious school environment. Finally, if
students were wearing school uniforms, adminis-
trators and teachers would no longer have to be
clothing police, freeing them to focus on more
important issues than whether someone is wearing
a dress that is too short or a T-shirt with an inap-
propriate message. You can make our schools a bet-
ter place by supporting mandatory school uniforms.