Year 9 - Argumentative Writing: Reading Comprehension

The School Uniform Question

a fundamental:
essential, basic
Individualism is a fundamental part of society in many countries. Most people believe in the
right to express their own opinion without fear of punishment. This value, however, is coming a public school: a
under fire in an unlikely place - the public school classroom. The issue is school uniforms. school run by the
Should public school students be allowed to make individual decisions about clothing, or state government
should all students be required to wear a uniform? School uniforms are the better choice for and paid for by taxes
three reasons.

First, wearing school uniforms would help make students' lives simpler. They would no longer
have to decide what to wear every morning, sometimes trying on outfit after outfit in an effort to
choose. Uniforms would not only save time but also would eliminate the stress often
associated with this chore.

Second, school uniforms influence students to act responsibly in groups and as individuals.
Uniforms give students the message that school is a special place for learning. In addition,
uniforms create a feeling of unity among students. For example, when students do something
as a group, such as attend meetings in the auditorium or eat lunch in the cafeteria, the fact that
they all wear the same uniform gives them a sense of community. Even more important, truancy: absence
statistics show the positive effects that school uniforms have on violence and truancy. without
According to a recent survey in a large school district in Florida, incidents of school violence permission
dropped by 50 percent, attendance and test scores improved, and student suspensions
declined approximately 30 percent after school uniforms were introduced.

Finally, school uniforms would help make all the students feel equal. Students' standards of
well-off: wealthy
living differ greatly from family to family, and some people are well-off while others are not.
People sometimes forget that school is a place to get an education, not to promote a "fashion to implement: to
show." Implementing mandatory school uniforms would make all the students look the same put into effect
regardless of their financial status. School uniforms would promote pride and help to raise the
self-esteem of students who cannot afford to wear expensive clothing.

Opponents of mandatory uniforms say that students who wear school uniforms cannot express
their individuality. This point has some merit on the surface. However, as stated previously,
school is a place to learn, not to flaunt wealth and fashion. Society must decide if individual
to flaunt: to show
expression through clothing is more valuable than improved educational performance. It is
off, display
important to remember that school uniforms should be worn only during school hours.
Students can express their individuality in the way that they dress outside of the classroom.

In conclusion, there are many well-documented benefits of implementing mandatory school

1. The topic of this essay is school uniforms. What is the hook in the first paragraph?

Ans. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What is the thesis statement?

Ans. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Paragraphs 2, 3, and 4 each give a reason for requiring school uniforms. These reasons can be found in
the topic sentence of each paragraph. What are the reasons?

Ans. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Paragraph 2:_________________________________________________________________________________________

Paragraph 3: _________________________________________________________________________________________

Paragraph 4: _________________________________________________________________________________________

4. In Paragraph 4, what supporting information does the writer give to show that uniforms make students
equal?

Ans. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Which paragraph presents a counterargument-an argument that is contrary to, or the opposite of, the
writer's opinion? What is the counterargument?

Ans. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

6. The writer gives a refutation of the counterargument by showing that it is invalid. What is the writer's
refutation?

Ans. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Write the sentence from the concluding paragraph that restates the thesis.

Ans. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

8. Reread the concluding paragraph. What is the writer's opinion about this issue?

Ans. _____________________________________________________________________________________________