A student is absent on a lab day. According to the syllabus, what must that student do?
Read a Short Informational Passage · ELPAC Grades 9–10 reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
A brief factual text — a notice, a label, a set of instructions — followed by questions.
Read this part of the course syllabus. Then answer the question.
Biology 1 Syllabus: Grading and Late Work
Your grade in this course comes from four categories: laboratory work, forty percent; unit exams, thirty percent; homework, twenty percent; and the final project, ten percent. Laboratory work cannot be made up after the fact, because the equipment is returned to the district at the end of each unit. If you are absent on a lab day, see me within two school days to arrange an alternative assignment. Homework turned in late receives half credit for up to one week and no credit after that. A unit exam may be retaken once, but the retake score replaces the original score whether it is higher or lower. Extra credit is not offered in this course.
The question
Choose the best answer.
A student is absent on a lab day. According to the syllabus, what must that student do?
- Turn the lab in within one week for half credit.
- Retake the lab once, with the new score replacing the original.
- Complete an extra credit assignment in place of the lab.
- See the teacher within two school days to arrange an alternative assignment.Correct answer
Why “See the teacher within two school days to arrange an alternative assignment.” is correct
A syllabus sets out several policies that look similar, and this item tests whether a student can match the right one to the right situation. Labs cannot be made up because the equipment leaves the school, so the policy is a deadline for arranging a substitute rather than a late-work rule. Have the student find the sentence that begins with 'If you are absent'.
Why the other answers are wrong
- Turn the lab in within one week for half credit. — Half credit for one week is the homework policy, and the syllabus says lab work cannot be made up at all.
- Retake the lab once, with the new score replacing the original. — Retakes with a replacement score apply to unit exams, not to laboratory work.
- Complete an extra credit assignment in place of the lab. — The syllabus states plainly that extra credit is not offered in the course.
Practice more of this
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