What Adolescents Miss When We Let Them

Question

Grow Up in Cyberspace
By Brent Staples 2004
3. Part A: Which of the following identifies the author's main claim in the text?

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3 points
Teenagers feel less accountable for their actions online because they are able to hide behind an anonymous identity.
The Internet encourages teenagers to adopt new identities, rather than develop and appreciate who they truly are.
The isolation that the Internet offers teenagers prevents them from developing the social skills necessary for a healthy and successful future.
Teenagers who socialize primarily online eventually become incapable of forging healthy and lasting relationships with people offline.
4. Part B: Which detail from the text best supports the answer to Part A?
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3 points
"teenagers nowadays are both more connected to the world at large than ever, and more cut off from the social encounters that have historically prepared young people for the move into adulthood."P4
"As Prog. Robert Kraut, a Carnegie Mellon researcher, told me recently, such people allowed low quality relationships developed in virtual reality to replace higher-quality relationships in the real world" P8
"Marcus did not feel the least bit guilty, and wasn't deterred, when real-world lawyers discovered his secret and accused him of being a fraud." P10
"Marcus is a child of the Net, where everyone has a pseudonym, telling a story makes it true, and adolescents create older, cooler, more socially powerful selves any time they wish." P11
5. Part A: How does the author's personal story shared in the introduction contribute to his argument?
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3 points
It shows why the author wishes he had access to the Internet when he was a teenager.
It emphasizes why the Internet is a dangerous resource for teenagers.
It shows the benefits of adults being involved in their children's lives.
It provides an example of an important face to face social interaction the author had.
6. Part B: Which detail from the text best supports the answer to Part A?
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3 points
"He made it his business to answer the telephone-and so always knew who was calling-and grumbled in the background when the conversation went on too long." P1
"He greeted me with a crushing handshake, then leaned in close in a transparent attempt to find out whether I was one of those bad boys who smoked." P2
"This was my first sustained encounter with an adult outside my family who needed to be convinced of my worth as a person." P3
"Faced with the same challenge today, however, I would probably pass on meeting the girl's father-and outflank him on the Internet." P3

Answer 1

3. Part A: The author's main claim in the text is:

Teenagers who socialize primarily online eventually become incapable of forging healthy and lasting relationships with people offline.

4. Part B: The detail from the text that best supports the answer to Part A is:

"As Prog. Robert Kraut, a Carnegie Mellon researcher, told me recently, such people allowed low quality relationships developed in virtual reality to replace higher-quality relationships in the real world" P8.

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5. Part A: The author's personal story shared in the introduction contributes to his argument by:

It emphasizes why the Internet is a dangerous resource for teenagers.

6. Part B: The detail from the text that best supports the answer to Part A is:

"Faced with the same challenge today, however, I would probably pass on meeting the girl's father—and outflank him on the Internet." P3.