Final Exam Reading New California Soda-Tax Bill Under Consideration

Questions for Better Understanding

Part One: The Basics

1. What is the title of the article? 2. What is the authors name? 3. What are the stated purposes of this tax as expressed in paragraphs 6 and 7? 4. In paragraphs 9 and 10, who is against this tax, and what are their reasons?

Part One: The Basics

5. What did the study in paragraph 11 find? Did this evidence change your mind about the tax? 6. What percentage of Californians support this tax, according to the article? 7. According to the last paragraph, what happened to a similar tax proposal in New York?

Part Two: Thinking Critically

8. Do you think a tax like this should apply to other unhealthy foods? Or should they be focused mostly on soda? Or not be applied to foods/drinks at all? 9. Should taxes be used to influence peoples behavior? 10. Should people make their own health decisions even if those decisions are unhealthy? Or is it the governments place to try to influence peoples behavior through taxes and laws?

Part Three: Supporting Your Viewpoint

11. Would this proposed tax and taxes like it affect your life? Would these taxes affect the lives of people you know? Explain. 12. Think of the people you know who drink soda. Why do you think they drink it? What are some of the things that affect their decisions? 13. How does money/prices affect your choices when deciding what foods/drinks to buy?

What do you think you will be asked in your final exam prompt?
Come up with at least two possible questions you think you will be asked to respond to with a paragraph.