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The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution.
BERTRAND RUSSELL (18721970) BRITISH PHILOSOPHER AND HISTORIAN

In this lesson, youll learn that some authors tell you about problems and how to solve them.

SOME AUTHORS USE a problem-and-solution text structure to organize their

ideas. An author may state a problem, and then describe a solution. Example After the school re, there was a lot of damage. Our computer lab was a total loss. So we put on a fund-raising carnival the next Saturday. We used all the money to buy new computers! Problem: A re ruined the school computers. Solution: Raise money at a school carnival for new computers. Sometimes an author tells a solution, and then states the problem it solves. Example We had a great fund-raising carnival last Saturday. We raised a lot of money to buy new computers. We needed them after we had a re at the school. Our computer lab had been a total loss! Solution: Have a fund-raising carnival. Problem: Fire ruined school computers.

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Recognizing a problem-and-solution text structure helps readers better understand the relationships between events. Try this one. Example Itll be okay, our bus driver said as she closed the cell phone. Well have this at tire xed in no time. The school principal said a mechanic is on the way. Problem: a at tire on school bus. Solution: school is sending mechanic. You can use a problem-solution chart to record relationships like this. Problem fire damages computers flat tire Solution have a fund-raiser mechanic to fix tire

P R AC T I C E 1 : W I S D O M O F T H E AG E S
Read the selection, and then answer the questions that follow. [Jared seated, listening to music. Enter Cole] COLE: Hi! [No response . . . taps Jared on shoulder] Hi! You busy? JARED: [removes earphones] I was just listening to music, why? COLE: Its . . . I mean . . . theres like this dance at school . . . and all the guys are inviting girls. JARED [amazed]: This is a problem? COLE: I just dont know how to ask a girl to go with me! JARED: Got somebody in mind? COLE: Yes . . . uh, Sabrina. Shes, you know, nice! But what do I say? I dont want to sound like I, you know, LIKE her! And I thought . . . you know . . . since youre so cool with girls . . . JARED [interrupts, a bit amazed]: Me? Oh, yeah . . . well, cool enough, I guess! I mean, I dont get any complaints! COLE: I know . . . so I thought youd know what to do, since girls say youre cute and all. JARED [surprised]: They do? [with condence] I mean . . . of course they do! [pause] Has any particular girl said that? COLE: That good-looking girl with the long red hair said she thought you were all that!

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JARED [surprised and eager]: What girl? Whats her name? COLE [casually]: I cant remember . . . but anyway, lots of girls like you. Now tell me how to get just one girl to go to the party with me! JARED: Okay . . . well get back to that redhead later. Now, about your friend. [pause to think, proudly gets an idea] Just casually walk up to her and say, Hi, Sabrina! You look really great today. Talk about anything, homework or whatever, for a couple of minutes, then spring it on her! COLE: Spring what on her? JARED: Flash your brightest smile and say, Going to the dance with anyone, Sabrina? If she says yes, say, Good, Ill see you there! BUT, if she says no, say, Oh, yes you are . . . youre going with me! And smile! COLE: Thats good! Thanks, Jared. I knew youd know what to do! JARED: Now . . . back to that redhead. You dont remember her name? COLE: I never heard it. All I know is that shes Pat Elliots sister. JARED: Marci Elliot? I cant believe it! Shes the most popular girl in school! And she likes me? Wow! I think Ill ride my bike by her house right now! COLE: Wait! I thought you said not to let on that you really like a girl? JARED: When you get a little older, Cole, youll be a little wiser . . . like me! Then youll know when to let em know you like em . . . and when not to! [exits, saying, Marci Elliot, are you a lucky girl or what?] 1. What problem does Cole have in the play? a. He needs to learn how to do the mambo. b. He needs his brother to sign his report card. c. He needs to have a new suit for the school dance. d. He needs to ask a girl to the school dance. 2. Why does Cole think Jared can solve the problem? a. Jareds older and girls seem to like him. b. Cole knows Jared has a sister named Marci. c. Jared studied about girls in ancient Egypt. d. Cole thinks Jared likes Sabrinas mom. 3. What is Jareds main problem in the play? a. He has a crush on Sabrinas mom. b. He needs to nd out the name of the red-haired girl. c. His MP3 player broke. d. His favorite shoes dont t anymore.

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4. How does Cole solve Jareds problem? a. He calls Sabrina to get the red-haired girls name. b. He sees the red-haired girls picture in the school yearbook. c. He spots the girl on TV giving the weather. d. He remembers that her last name is Elliot.

P R AC T I C E 2 : T H E M AC H I N E AG E
Read the selection, and then answer the questions that follow. (1) For centuries, people made by hand most of the things they needed or wanted. They built houses, bridges, other structures, clothing, and furniture from materials that nature provided. People made tools and home furnishings in their homes or small workshops. They might make an extra or two to sell. But there was a problem: Only one item could be made at a time. Then in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, the Industrial Revolution changed things forever. Goods were made by mass production. Mass production is the making of many items at one time. Rich people built large factories. Inside, workers ran machines that turned out many copies of the same product at the same time. Back when just one person made an object, he or she had to gather the parts, prepare them, and put them together. Sometimes, that meant using a different tool for each task. The production process was slow. But mass production solved that problem. Now each worker did just one task. And each task required just one tool. The whole process took less time. Factory owners made more items and sold them at lower prices. But mass production also created a problem. Some workers were bored, doing the same job repeatedly, day after day. A few became so bored they didnt pay attention to what they were doing. They didnt feel responsible for the quality of the item because they had so little to do with the nished product. People began to complain that the quality of some items was not as good as before. Thats when robots came to the rescue. Robots are good for doing boring, repeating motions. The rst industrial robot was used in 1954. It was an electronically controlled arm that lifted heavy things all day. Today robots still load and unload heavy items. But they also weld metal parts together, mix dangerous chemicals, spray paint, pack nished products, and even do guard duty! Mechanical work-

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ers increase production because they work day and night, without lunch or vacation breaks! Robots do the work faster than humans do. But factories still need humans to program the computers that control the mechanical mates! 5. According to the rst paragraph, why was there a problem when people made their own things by hand? a. There were no natural materials for building homes. b. Only one item could be made at a time. c. No one knew how to make a table. d. Only one person knew how to make a bridge. 6. How did the Industrial Revolution solve that problem? a. More natural wood resources were discovered. b. People discovered gold on the moon. c. People went back to making one thing at a time. d. Factories used machines for mass production. 7. Back when just one person made an object, it sometimes meant using a. a different tool for each task. b. the same tool for every task. c. the same material with another worker. d. a different color every time. 8. Which problem did mass production most likely cause? a. Some cities had many factories. b. Some workers were bored doing one thing over and over. c. Many workers ate lunch. d. Many factory owners had big ofces. 9. Which problem did some bored workers cause? a. The quality of products fell. b. The number of products fell. c. The quality of products increased. d. The cost of products increased.

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10. How did robots solve a problem? Give at least three examples from the article. _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________

P R AC T I C E 3 : A T E E N PAT R I OT
Read the selection, and then answer the questions that follow. (1) The Ludingtons lived in New York, an American colony ghting for independence from England. One rainy April night in 1777, a boy rode up shouting, Danburys burning! Hed come from nearby Danbury, Connecticut. The British have attacked the city! he cried. General George Washington must send troops! Mr. Ludington led the local Minutemenlive-at-home soldiers who were ready to ght at a minutes notice. He knew they could reach Danbury long before Washingtons troops. But someone had to rally his men to gather for battle. He sent his 16-year-old daughter Sybil to tell them. All night the tired, frightened girl rode. She covered 40 miles (64 km), shouting from house to house, Danburys burning! Gather at Ludingtons! She stopped only to hide when she spotted any British soldiers. She knew they would have captured her as a traitor! The next morning, the mud-splashed girl returned home. And 400 Minutemen marched against the British. When George Washington heard of Sybils ride, he came to personally thank the brave young patriot.

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11. Which is the main problem in the story? a. General Washington needed the Minutemen to nd him a horse. b. Mr. Ludington needed to get a doctor to help Sybil. c. Someone had to rally the Minutemen to meet at Ludingtons. d. Sybil needed to nd a date for the spring dance.

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12. What was the solution to the main problem? a. Sybil asked her older brother to take a message to their dad. b. Sybil rode to tell the Minutemen to gather at her house. c. Mr. Ludington sent a text message to each of the Minutemen. d. General Washington gave a speech to rally the troops. 13. How did Sybil solve the problem if she ran into any British soldiers? a. She fought them off with a sword. b. She fed them poisoned apples. c. Her horse knocked them down. d. She hid by the side of the road.