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Flashcards: Authorial Purpose in Social Science Passages
Adapted from "Address to the Court" by Eugene Debs (1918)
Your Honor, I have stated in this court that I am opposed to the form of our present government; that I am opposed to the social system in which we live; that I believed in the change of both—but by perfectly peaceable and orderly means.
Let me call your attention to the fact this morning that in this system five percent of our people own and control two-thirds of our wealth; sixty-five percent of the people, embracing the working class who produce all wealth, have but five percent to show for it.
Standing here this morning, I recall my boyhood. At fourteen I went to work in a railroad shop; at sixteen I was firing a freight engine on a railroad. I remember all the hardships and privations of that earlier day, and from that time until now my heart has been with the working class. I could have been in Congress long ago. I have preferred to go to prison. The choice has been deliberately made. I could not have done otherwise. I have no regret.
In the struggle, the unceasing struggle, between the toilers and producers and their exploiters, I have tried, as best I might, to serve those among whom I was born, with whom I expect to share my lot until the end of my days. I am thinking this morning of the men in the mills and factories; I am thinking of the men in the mines and on the railroads; I am thinking of the women who, for a paltry wage, are compelled to work out their lives; of the little children, who in this system, are robbed of their childhood, and in their early, tender years are seized in the remorseless grasp of Mammon, and forced into the industrial dungeons, there to feed the machines while they themselves are being starved body and soul. I see them dwarfed, diseased, stunted, their little lives broken, and their hopes blasted, because in this high noon of our twentieth-century civilization money is still so much more important than human life. Gold is god and rules in the affairs of men.
What is the primary purpose of this passage?
To downplay the importance of a Communist revolution
To outline the ways in which American society has proven successful
To explain the historical development of the American class system
To disparage and condemn the American economic system
To minimize the suffering of the American people
All HSPT Reading Resources
If your child is in the eighth grade and planning to attend an independent or magnet high school, then he may be required to take the nationally recognized High School Placement Test. Private schools across the country require incoming students to take the test in order to determine acceptance into the school, proper course placement, scholarship qualification, or some combination of all three. The HSPT is composed of five main sections, including quantitative, verbal, language, mathematics, and reading. If your child is not a strong reader, they may feel some anxiety when it comes to the reading section of the HSPT. Sufficient test preparation can help to reduce your child’s anxiety and improve their overall test performance. Varsity Tutors’ Learning Tools are free online HSPT study resources that are easy to use and offer self-study support. Online HSPT Reading Flashcards are one of these exceptional Learning Tools. The Flashcards tool offers a concept-specific tiered structure that allows your child to quickly assess his strengths and weaknesses, providing quality High School Placement Test review.
The reading section of the HSPT consists of over 60 questions to be answered within only 25 minutes. The purpose of the reading section is to assess your child’s ability to understand details and meanings presented in different reading passages. The HSPT Reading Flashcards are designed to help strengthen these skills in two main categories: Comprehension and Vocabulary. The tiered structure includes concept-specific subtopics within these categories, helping your child focus on the topics in which they need the most improvement. For example, within the Comprehension category, your student could study a broad selection of content using the Passage Reasoning Flashcards, or they can select a more specific HSPT Reading review using the Passage Reasoning in Contemporary Life flashcards.
Once your child selects a concept to practice, an HSPT Reading sample question is presented in a multiple-choice format which simulates the actual exam. Once your child selects an answer, the flashcard flips and the correct answer is revealed, followed by a detailed explanation of the answer. The explanation also includes links to relevant concepts and definitions. The multiple-choice answers are randomly assigned with each use of the flashcard, securing a valid learning experience and denying the possibility of automatically memorizing the answers based on their order.
In addition to the Flashcards, Varsity Tutors’ Learning Tools for the HSPT Reading section include Learn by Concept, a Question of the Day, and Practice Tests. The Question of the Day exercise is a fun and interactive way to ensure your child fits some study time into each day. Learn by Concept and the Practice Tests are organized in a similar way as the online Flashcards, with a tiered concept-specific structure that allows your child to focus on the concepts they need to review most. The HSPT Reading Full-Length Practice Tests allow a realistic testing experience with timed and scored assessments, allowing your child to get a true measurement of their progress. Each of these valuable Learning Tools is free and accessible anytime your child has a moment to study.
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