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Jul 26, 2021 at 8am - Aug 20, 2021 at 11:59pm
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In the two passages below, the authors put forth different perspectives on an important topic. As you read the passages, be sure to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each perspective. Then, you will be asked to write an essay taking a stance on the same topic.
Write an essay that explains your position. The article presents arguments from both supporters and critics of speed limits who disagree about the practice’s impact on gas consumption and safety. In your response, analyze both positions presented in the article to determine which one is best supported. Use relevant and specific evidence from the article to support your response. After you finish your essay, make sure you take a few minutes to check your writing for proper punctuation, spelling, and grammar.
The United States is a nation on the move. To make sure we do not move too fast, highway speed limits have been a fact of life for many years. Speed limits in America go back to 1757 in Boston when it was illegal for horses to move faster than a walking pace on Sundays. Interstate highways, first built in the 1950s, were designed to handle speeds of at least 70 miles per hour. When the energy crisis came in 1973, the National Maximum Speed Law established a 55 mile per hour limit for the entire country. By the late 1980s, lower oil prices meant states could choose to have higher speed limits which they did.
Let’s Not Race by Speed Limits, Keep it Slow, Washington Post Editorial
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I am concerned about a trend I see sweeping across our country. It seems that speed limits are moving ever higher. In most of the central and western parts of the United States, speed limits range from 70 to 85 miles per hour. These higher speeds waste precious fuel and endanger the lives of motorists across our land. We need to keep speed limits below 60 miles per hour.
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Even though our country is now on pace to be the world’s leading energy producer by 2015, we still need to be concerned about saving fuel. The US Department of Commerce did a study that showed the difference between driving under and over 60 miles per hour. They found that driving under 60 would save Americans 2 billion dollars a year in fuel costs.
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In another important study done in 2007, the state of Florida examined consumer spending on gas during the 1990s. They found that consumers paid $220 million more dollars on gas as speed limits were increased on Florida roads during 1990 to 1999. This sharp increase was directly related to driving faster which lowers fuel economy.
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Much more important than saving fuel is saving lives. From 1973 to 1987 the National Maximum Speed Law lowered the speed limit to 55 for the entire country. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) did a study on how this change impacted highway deaths. What the NHTSA found was fewer people died in traffic related accidents because of the lower speed limits.
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Also, other important evidence shows that lower speed limits save lives. In 2006, the Pew Trust did a study on speed limits and traffic deaths. They found that deaths increased by 1200 people each year for every mile per hour the speed limit was raised. I call on our government to once again set a national speed limit of 55 miles per hour.
Speed Demon’s Blog Post
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Hey, I just got back from the most awesome ride I have ever had! Of course I was out in my mean machine. You know the car I’m talking about: my 2012 Chevy Camaro. Camaros are not made to just cruise. When I want to go full throttle, I can’t go as fast as I want. I always have to put up with these stupid speed limits on the freeway. Dude, I just love to boogity, boogity, boogity. For those of you living in a cave, boogity is NASCAR slang for going fast!
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I just read some stupid article from somebody about why speed limits are a good thing. It’s so lame, man! It says that speed limits save lives and gas. Cars back in the day were not built like they are today. I remember my first Camaro, a 1976. It could fly but it was a piece of junk. Everybody knows that cars today are so much better made. Those robots do a much better job making cars than those drunks on the assembly line did back in the 1970s. If you get hit or hit somebody, your better made car and air bags will save you!
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People talk about gas prices, but I don’t see that as an issue. Yeah, I remember when gas was above four bucks in 2008. That was five years ago. That’s ancient history. Gas prices are coming down, man. Just last week I paid just over three bucks a gallon. Gas hasn’t been that cheap in so long.
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So in my amazing opinion (the only one that matters) speed limits are just some big government attempt to keep us from having fun. My next post will be coming at you soon. Keep it real, dudes and dudettes!
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Rubric
541682
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A) generates text-based argument(s) and establishes a purpose that is connected to the prompt B) cites relevant and specific evidence from source text(s) to support argument (may include few irrelevant pieces of evidence or unsupported claims) C) analyzes the issue and/or evaluates the validity of the argumentation within the source texts (e.g., distinguishes between supported and unsupported claims, makes reasonable inferences about underlying premises or assumptions, identifies fallacious reasoning, evaluates the credibility of sources, etc.)
A) generates an argument and demonstrates some connection to the prompt. B) cites some evidence from source text(s) to support argument (may include a mix of relevant and irrelevant citations or a mix of textual and non-textual references) C)partially analyzes the issue and/or evaluates the validity of the argumentation within the source texts; may be simplistic, limited, or inaccurate
A) may attempt to create an argument OR lacks purpose or connection to the prompt OR does neither. B) cites minimal or no evidence from source text(s) (sections of text may be copied from source). C) minimally analyzes the issue and/or evaluates the validity of the argumentation within the source texts; may completely lack analysis or demonstrate minimal or no understanding of the given argument(s)
blank_2
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A) contains ideas that are well developed and generally logical; most ideas are elaborated upon B) contains a sensible progression of ideas with clear connections between details and main points C) establishes an organizational structure that conveys the message and purpose of the response; applies transitional devices appropriately D) establishes and maintains a formal style and appropriate tone that demonstrate awareness of the audience and purpose of the task E) chooses specific words to express ideas clearly
A) contains ideas that are inconsistently developed and/or may reflect simplistic or vague reasoning; some ideas are elaborated upon. B) demonstrates some evidence of a progression of ideas, but details may be disjointed or lacking connection to main ideas. C) establishes an organization structure that may inconsistently group ideas or is partially effective at conveying the message of the task; uses transitional devices inconsistently. D) may inconsistently maintain a formal style and appropriate tone to demonstrate an awareness of the audience and purpose of the task. E) may occasionally misuse words and/or choose words that express ideas in vague terms
A) contains ideas that are insufficiently or illogically developed, with minimal or no elaboration on main ideas. B) contains an unclear or no progression of ideas; details may be absent or irrelevant to the main ideas. C) establishes an ineffective or no discernable organizational structure; does not apply transitional devices, or does so inappropriately. D) uses an informal style and/or inappropriate tone that demonstrates limited or no awareness of audience and purpose. E) may frequently misuse words, overuse slang or express ideas in a vague or repetitious manner
_3253
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A) demonstrates largely correct sentence structure and a general fluency that enhances clarity with specific regard to the following skills: 1) varied sentence structure within a paragraph or paragraphs 2) correct subordination, coordination and parallelism 3) avoidance of wordiness and awkward sentence structures 4) usage of transitional words, conjunctive adverbs and other words that support logic and clarity 5) avoidance of run-on sentences, fused sentences, or sentence fragments. B) demonstrates competent application of conventions with specific regard to the following skills: 1) frequently confused words and homonyms, including contractions 2) subject-verb agreement 3) pronoun usage, including pronoun antecedent agreement, unclear pronoun references, and pronoun case 4) placement of modifiers and correct word order 5) capitalization (e.g., proper nouns, titles, and beginnings of sentences) 6) use of apostrophes with possessive nouns 7) use of punctuation (e.g., commas in a series or in appositives and other non-essential elements, end marks, and appropriate punctuation for clause separation). C) may contain some errors in mechanics and conventions, but they do not interfere with comprehension; overall, standard usage is at a level appropriate for on-demand draft writing.
A) demonstrates inconsistent sentence structure; may contain some repetitive, choppy, rambling, or awkward sentences that may detract from clarity; demonstrates inconsistent control over skills 1-5 as listed in the first bullet under Trait 3, Score Point 2 above. B) demonstrates inconsistent control of basic conventions with specific regard to skills 1 – 7 as listed in the second bullet under Trait 3, Score Point 2 above. C) may contain frequent errors in mechanics and conventions that occasionally interfere with comprehension; standard usage is at a minimally acceptable level of appropriateness for on demand draft writing.
A) demonstrates consistently flawed sentence structure such that meaning may be obscured; demonstrates minimal control over skills 1-5 as listed in the first bullet under Trait 3, Score Point 2 above. B) demonstrates minimal control of basic conventions with specific regard to skills 1 – 7 as listed in the second bullet under Trait 3, Score Point 2 above. C) contains severe and frequent errors in mechanics and conventions that interfere with comprehension; overall, standard usage is at an unacceptable level for on-demand draft writing. OR D) response is insufficient to demonstrate level of mastery over conventions and usage
_1690
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