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Comprehension Exercise12th GradeLevel 3 · Challenge

Free 12th Grade Unseen Text Practice 3: Nonfiction / Speech

A senior unseen nonfiction practice set built around an original speech in which a 12th grade student urges a town council not to close the town library. Questions worth one to four marks target voice, structure, irony, evidence and tone, and a six-mark extended response asks students to evaluate how effectively the speaker combines logical, ethical and emotional appeals. Every question has a model answer, and the extended response has a marking rubric.

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Grade
12th Grade
Subject
English
Topic
Reading Comprehension
Difficulty
Level 3 · Challenge
Estimated time
40 minutes
Curriculum
Texas grade levels (TEKS)
Questions
10
Answers
Included, with working
Format
PDF (A4), print or complete online

Students will practice

  • identifying purpose, audience and position in a persuasive nonfiction text
  • analyzing rhetorical techniques (anecdote, irony, anaphora, rhetorical question) and their effects
  • explaining how structure and tone shape a speech's impact
  • evaluating the effectiveness of logical, ethical and emotional appeals

Curriculum: Texas grade levels (TEKS). We show specific outcome codes only where they have been verified against the official curriculum document.

What's next?

Completed: Unseen Text Practice 3: Nonfiction / Speech

  1. 1Where the Dark Went — Reflective Essay Reading Comprehension
  2. 2Inventory — Unseen Short Story Comprehension
  3. 3Vocabulary for Describing Tone: Beyond Happy and Sad
  4. 4Metalanguage for Structure and Form: Juxtaposition, Motif, Foreshadowing and More

How to use this comprehension exercise

  1. Print the PDF or complete it on screen. Write the student's name and date at the top.
  2. Read the instructions for each part together before starting. Encourage working to be shown.
  3. Mark with the answer sheet. Use the model answers and success criteria as a guide rather than a single right answer.
  4. Record the score, celebrate what went well, then follow the "What's next" suggestion.

Common questions

Who is this comprehension exercise for?

12th Grade students (typically ages 17–18) working on reading comprehension. It is pitched at level 3 · challenge.

Are the answers included?

Yes. The PDF includes a full answer sheet with model answers and success criteria where there is more than one good answer. You can also view the answers online.

How long does it take?

About 40 minutes for 10 questions. Short, regular sessions work best: two or three a week beats one long one.

Do I need to sign up to download?

No. Click Download Free PDF and it opens immediately. It is free for personal, classroom and homeschool use.

What should we do next?

Try Where the Dark Went — Reflective Essay Reading Comprehension.

Preview

Success TutoringWorksheets12th Grade · English · Reading Comprehension

Unseen Text Practice 3: Nonfiction / Speech

Name

Date

Score /

Total: 26 marks. Suggested time: 40 minutes, including reading.

Questions

Write in full sentences and quote the speech. Marks are shown for each question.

1.The primary purpose of the speech is to:[1 mark]
  1. Ainform the council about library opening hours
  2. Bpersuade the council to keep the library open and fund the roof repair
  3. Centertain the audience with stories about the town
  4. Dexplain how the library's computers work
2.How does the opening ("I will try to use them well, which is more than I can say for the first fourteen years of my life") establish the speaker's voice and her relationship with the audience?[2 marks] (answer space)
3.Explain the effect of the repeated "you have seen ... you have seen ... you have seen" in the second paragraph.[2 marks] (answer space)
4.Analyze how the speaker uses evidence and specific detail in the paragraph beginning "Every weekday afternoon" to build credibility and appeal.[3 marks]
5.What is the effect of the short paragraph "That is what the library is. It is not a building full of books. It is the last free room."?[2 marks] (answer space)
6.How does the speaker undermine the council's report?[3 marks]
7.Identify the technique in "grow into what?" and explain its effect.[2 marks] (answer space)
8.How does the anecdote about "the second machine from the left, the one with the sticky E" work as persuasion, and why does the speaker say "I am not special"?[4 marks]
9.The tone of the speech as a whole is best described as:[1 mark]
  1. Abitter and accusatory throughout
  2. Bcandid and controlled, moving between humor, concession and urgency
  3. Cformal and detached
  4. Dnostalgic and sentimental
10.Evaluate how effectively the speaker combines logical, ethical and emotional appeals to persuade the council. In your answer, refer closely to the speech.[6 marks]
Free worksheets at worksheets.successtutoring.com · © Success Tutoring · Free for personal and classroom use

Preview — the PDF contains the full resource and answer sheet.

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    Where the Dark Went — Reflective Essay Reading Comprehension

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    Time
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About this resource

Created by
Success Tutoring
Last reviewed
1 October 2026
How it was made
Written by our team

Free to print and share for personal, classroom and homeschool use. Please don't resell. Spotted an error? Let us know.