Question
Cell Phone Alarm
A. Gautam
The most important thing to know
Is to watch out for the glow
Of the rectangle in their hands.
Oh yes, these are my commands:
5 Do not leave your kids alone
For hours on their cell phone!
Take them away if you can,
Or set some time limits, man!
They’ll stare until their eyes pop.
10 They’ll never quit; they’ll never stop.
They will be on an endless scroll--
NoExerciseNoWalkNoStroll.
And even when they walk to school,
Their eyes are glued to the bright tool.
15 When will they sleep or get some rest,
if they are always phone obsessed?
Look at their eyes droopy and red—
Their precious phones by the bed.
One day, they will bump into a pole.
20 One day, they’ll fall into a hole.
They’ll cry if their phone drops or breaks.
Stop them and their silly mistakes.
Do not leave your kids alone
For hours on their cell phone! Averting a Tragedy
A. Gautam
LILY, a seventh grader
CASH, a seventh grader
ANGELLE, Cash’s best friend
RAUL, Cash’s best friend
Scene I
[School night. Curtains open to Cash and Raul in Raul’s room. Raul is helping Cash with Algebra.]
CASH: [Checking his phone and gasping] Oh no. No. No. No. No.
RAUL: [Puts the books aside] What’s wrong?
CASH: Angelle sent me a text, and I think I sent it to Lily instead of Lyla. Lily’s going to spread it like wildfire. It’s all over. I can see the ashes of our friendship. Angelle will hate me now. Why was I so--
RAUL: [Gets up] What's the text?
CASH: A picture of her arm. She thinks there’s a weird discoloration, and she wanted Lyla to take a look.
RAUL: Lyla as in Doctor Lyla? You never told us she was your sister.
CASH: Why would I? Everyone in school would ask me to ask her about their skin. I can’t do that. Angelle is my best friend. I couldn’t say no to her. What’s going to happen now?
RAUL: Why do you even have Lily’s number?
CASH: Who doesn’t have her number? You need to know who’s spreading gossip. [Paces back and forth as curtains close]
Scene II
[Curtain opens to school gym.]
RAUL: It’s all good. I called Lily and went over to her house and did her Algebra homework for her. She let me delete the text and deleted the folder where the photo was saved.
CASH: I owe you, buddy.
RAUL: Please pay attention next time. It’s not just a toy, you know.
CASH: Not now. I’m already half dead with guilt. You are punching a fallen soldier.
RAUL: Why. [Throws arms in the air] Why do you have to talk like that? [Quickly gathers himself] Oh, here she comes. Hey, Angelle! [Smiles big]
ANGELLE: [Hugs Raul and points to Cash] Can I talk to you in private? [Watches Raul go to the balcony] Why are you shaking like a leaf about to fall off? Are you okay? [Feels his forehead]
CASH: I need to beg for your forgiveness. I accidentally did something terrible. Raul fixed it, though.
ANGELLE: Oh, the picture you sent to Lily? She told me about it. We’re cool.
CASH: [Turns pale as a ghost] What do you mean she told you?
ANGELLE: Lily’s not as bad as you think. I know it was an accident. She has deleted it. She told me about how bad you felt and how quickly you took action. She was so jealous that I have friends like you and Raul.
CASH: So, you aren’t mad at me?
ANGELLE: [Tries hard to seem serious and bursts out laughing] Well, you could help me memorize my lines for the play. I'm sure you know yours already.
CASH: Let me catch my breath first. [Pretends to gather strength, breathes deeply, and smiles] Okay, I'm ready. [Curtain closes.] What similarity between the passages builds on the same idea?
Responses
A Both passages mention the potential harm of using cell phones. Both passages mention the potential harm of using cell phones.
B Both passages show the negative health effects of cell phones. Both passages show the negative health effects of cell phones.
C Both passages share the role of friends in avoiding a disaster. Both passages share the role of friends in avoiding a disaster.
D Both passages feature parents helping a child in preventing a problem.
A. Gautam
The most important thing to know
Is to watch out for the glow
Of the rectangle in their hands.
Oh yes, these are my commands:
5 Do not leave your kids alone
For hours on their cell phone!
Take them away if you can,
Or set some time limits, man!
They’ll stare until their eyes pop.
10 They’ll never quit; they’ll never stop.
They will be on an endless scroll--
NoExerciseNoWalkNoStroll.
And even when they walk to school,
Their eyes are glued to the bright tool.
15 When will they sleep or get some rest,
if they are always phone obsessed?
Look at their eyes droopy and red—
Their precious phones by the bed.
One day, they will bump into a pole.
20 One day, they’ll fall into a hole.
They’ll cry if their phone drops or breaks.
Stop them and their silly mistakes.
Do not leave your kids alone
For hours on their cell phone! Averting a Tragedy
A. Gautam
LILY, a seventh grader
CASH, a seventh grader
ANGELLE, Cash’s best friend
RAUL, Cash’s best friend
Scene I
[School night. Curtains open to Cash and Raul in Raul’s room. Raul is helping Cash with Algebra.]
CASH: [Checking his phone and gasping] Oh no. No. No. No. No.
RAUL: [Puts the books aside] What’s wrong?
CASH: Angelle sent me a text, and I think I sent it to Lily instead of Lyla. Lily’s going to spread it like wildfire. It’s all over. I can see the ashes of our friendship. Angelle will hate me now. Why was I so--
RAUL: [Gets up] What's the text?
CASH: A picture of her arm. She thinks there’s a weird discoloration, and she wanted Lyla to take a look.
RAUL: Lyla as in Doctor Lyla? You never told us she was your sister.
CASH: Why would I? Everyone in school would ask me to ask her about their skin. I can’t do that. Angelle is my best friend. I couldn’t say no to her. What’s going to happen now?
RAUL: Why do you even have Lily’s number?
CASH: Who doesn’t have her number? You need to know who’s spreading gossip. [Paces back and forth as curtains close]
Scene II
[Curtain opens to school gym.]
RAUL: It’s all good. I called Lily and went over to her house and did her Algebra homework for her. She let me delete the text and deleted the folder where the photo was saved.
CASH: I owe you, buddy.
RAUL: Please pay attention next time. It’s not just a toy, you know.
CASH: Not now. I’m already half dead with guilt. You are punching a fallen soldier.
RAUL: Why. [Throws arms in the air] Why do you have to talk like that? [Quickly gathers himself] Oh, here she comes. Hey, Angelle! [Smiles big]
ANGELLE: [Hugs Raul and points to Cash] Can I talk to you in private? [Watches Raul go to the balcony] Why are you shaking like a leaf about to fall off? Are you okay? [Feels his forehead]
CASH: I need to beg for your forgiveness. I accidentally did something terrible. Raul fixed it, though.
ANGELLE: Oh, the picture you sent to Lily? She told me about it. We’re cool.
CASH: [Turns pale as a ghost] What do you mean she told you?
ANGELLE: Lily’s not as bad as you think. I know it was an accident. She has deleted it. She told me about how bad you felt and how quickly you took action. She was so jealous that I have friends like you and Raul.
CASH: So, you aren’t mad at me?
ANGELLE: [Tries hard to seem serious and bursts out laughing] Well, you could help me memorize my lines for the play. I'm sure you know yours already.
CASH: Let me catch my breath first. [Pretends to gather strength, breathes deeply, and smiles] Okay, I'm ready. [Curtain closes.] What similarity between the passages builds on the same idea?
Responses
A Both passages mention the potential harm of using cell phones. Both passages mention the potential harm of using cell phones.
B Both passages show the negative health effects of cell phones. Both passages show the negative health effects of cell phones.
C Both passages share the role of friends in avoiding a disaster. Both passages share the role of friends in avoiding a disaster.
D Both passages feature parents helping a child in preventing a problem.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The best answer is **A**: "Both passages mention the potential harm of using cell phones."
Both passages highlight concerns about cell phone use and its potential negative consequences, whether it be in terms of health effects or the risk of spreading gossip and misunderstanding. While choices B, C, and D address other themes present in the texts, A most directly connects both passages through their shared focus on the dangers associated with excessive or improper cell phone use.
Both passages highlight concerns about cell phone use and its potential negative consequences, whether it be in terms of health effects or the risk of spreading gossip and misunderstanding. While choices B, C, and D address other themes present in the texts, A most directly connects both passages through their shared focus on the dangers associated with excessive or improper cell phone use.