Question

read this excerpt from a passage.

\every tuesday and thursday, high school junior kayla morrison goes to a local café-not to eat, but to work. for the last four months, shes been working at the café those two afternoons a week and every saturday morning. kayla is one of the many american high school students who work. in fact, around eighty percent of all high school students will have had some kind of job by the time they graduate. but is working during the school year a good thing? or should students wait until they graduate to find employment? lets find out.\

which of the following subjects will be compared in the rest of the passage?

high school juniors and high school freshmen
working during the school week and working only on the weekend
eating at a café and working at a café
working during high school and not working during high school

Explanation:

Analyze the introductory hook

Using the Reading Comprehension knowledge point
The excerpt begins with an anecdote about Kayla Morrison, a high school junior who works at a local café. It establishes that she is part of a larger statistic: "around eighty percent of all high school students will have had some kind of job by the time they graduate." This sets the broad topic as high school students holding jobs.

Identify the central questions

Using the Textual Prediction knowledge point
The author transitions from the anecdote to the core focus of the passage by asking two direct, contrasting questions:

1. "But is working during the school year a good thing?"
2. "Or should students wait until they graduate to find employment?"

These questions set up the main debate that the rest of the passage will explore.

Determine the subjects of comparison

Using the Comparative Analysis knowledge point
The two questions directly contrast two paths for high school students:

• Path A: Working during the school year (employment during high school).
• Path B: Waiting until graduation to find employment (not working during high school).

Therefore, the rest of the passage will compare the effects, benefits, and drawbacks of working during high school versus not working during high school.

Evaluate the given options

• high school juniors and high school freshmen: Incorrect. The text mentions Kayla is a junior, but does not set up a comparison between different grade levels.
• working during the school week and working only on the weekend: Incorrect. While Kayla's schedule is mentioned, the guiding questions focus on working during the school year versus waiting until graduation.
• eating at a café and working at a café: Incorrect. This is a minor detail from the opening hook ("not to eat, but to work") used to grab attention, not the central subject of the passage.
• working during high school and not working during high school: Correct. This directly matches the contrast set up by the author's guiding questions.

Answer:

• (A) high school juniors and high school freshmen
• (B) working during the school week and working only on the weekend
• (C) eating at a café and working at a café
• (D) working during high school and not working during high school (Correct answer)