Question

Reread paragraphs 18–19 of “Remarks at the UNESCO Education for All Week Luncheon” and paragraphs 5–7 of “The Rights of the Colonists: The Report of the Committee of Correspondence to the Boston Town Meeting.” Then answer the multiple-choice questions that follow.

From “Remarks at the UNESCO Education for All Week Luncheon” by Laura Bush
18 Teaching people to read and write is about more than just improving literacy skills. Another Pakistani educator, Fakhira Najib, said to me, "The students aren't just learning reading and writing. They're curious now." These are just some of the examples of the difference a commitment to education and literacy is making worldwide. These strides come at such an important time, as we witness a tide of freedom spreading across the globe. This is not a coincidence. Literacy and freedom are inseparable.

19 Literacy is the foundation of personal freedom. Being able to read, and choosing what we read, is how we shape our beliefs, our minds, and our characters. Reading brings self-reliance and independence. For many women and their children, literacy can even mean the difference between life and death. A mother who can read can understand the label on a food container. She knows how to follow the instructions on a bottle of medicine. She's more likely to make wise decisions about her life that will keep her and her children healthy.

From “The Rights of the Colonists: The Report of the Committee of Correspondence to the Boston Town Meeting” by Samuel Adams
5 All positive and civil laws should conform, as far as possible, to the law of natural reason and equity.

6 As neither reason requires nor religion permits the contrary, every man living in or out of a state of civil society has a right peaceably and quietly to worship God according to the dictates of his conscience.

7 "Just and true liberty, equal and impartial liberty," in matters spiritual and temporal, is a thing that all men are clearly entitled to by the eternal and immutable laws of God and nature, as well as by the law of nations and all well-grounded municipal laws, which must have their foundation in the former.

What common topic does each text address in the above passages?


A. The common topic in the passages is literacy.

B. The common topic in the passages is freedom.

C. The common topic in the passages is laws of nature.

D. The common topic in the passages is society and civil rights.
Which sentence best describes how the authors’ perspectives on this topic differ?


A. Bush’s perspective is that literacy leads to the ability to earn a living, but Adams’s perspective is that literacy is the responsibility of government.

B. For Bush, literacy helps people make good decisions, while for Adams, a government that allows freedom helps citizens make good decisions.

C. Bush’s perspective on freedom is that it goes hand in hand with literacy, while Adams’s perspective is that freedom and literacy are not related.

D. For Bush, freedom is tied to literacy, while for Adams, freedom is granted through the laws of nature and God, which should be at the base of a government.
BEST: FL-ELA.7.R.3.3

Answer 1

1st question: B. The common topic is freedom.

2nd question: D. For Bush, freedom is tied to literacy, while for Adams, freedom is grounded in the laws of nature and God and should underlie government.