Non-fiction: Fat and Fed Up
Fat and Fed Up
"Would you like fries with that?"
If that is a question you hear at every meal, you might want to rethink your
diet.
You might think about getting a lawyer, too.
In 2002, Caesar Barber decided to sue McDonald's, Wendy's, Kentucky Fried
Chicken, and Burger King. Barber was dangerously overweight. He was 56
and had suffered two heart attacks. He blamed the fast-food chains for his
health problems.
"I think all the food I ate from McDonald's and all the three other chainswith the calories, with the grease-was like a time bomb exploding in my
arteries," Barber said.
Many people saw the lawsuit as a bit of a joke. But the food industry isn't
laughing. Even though Barber's case was dismissed in court, more lawsuits
are coming.
In the United States, 64 percent of adults are overweight. More than 15
percent of children are too heavy. Being overweight can lead to serious
health problems, even death. Americans are becoming supersized. Some
people think the food industry is to blame.
Yes! It's the Food Industry's Fault
Everyone knows that smoking can cause illness and death. For that reason,
lawyers have sued the big tobacco companies. One of those lawyers was
John Banzhaf. Now he's going after the huge fast-food industry.
Banzhaf wants fast-food chains to warn people about the dangers of fatfilled fries and supersized sodas. He wants fast-food restaurants to offer
healthful menu choices. He wants schools to stop selling sodas. And he plans
to sue to make those changes happen.
"For a large number of people, a steady diet of fast food is almost as harmful
and as difficult to resist as heroin is to an addict," says Banzhaf.
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Used by permission.
Non-fiction: Fat and Fed Up
No! It's Your Own Fault for Eating Too Much Junk
"An expensive waste of time!" That's what a Burger King spokesman calls
lawsuits such as Barber's.
Florida Congressman Ric Keller wants to pass a law to put a stop to them.
Suing fast-food companies "would make the lawyers' bank accounts fatter,"
Keller says, but it "won't make anyone skinnier."
It is, Keller says, "a matter of personal responsibility." People have only
themselves to blame if a fast-food diet makes them fat.
As Keller says, "Nobody is forced to supersize their fast-food meals."
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®
© 2012 ReadWorks , Inc. All rights reserved.
Article: Copyright © 2003 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved.
Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation.
Used by permission.
Questions: Fat and Fed Up
Name:
__
Date: _______________________
1. According to the passage, what is the percentage of U.S. adults who are overweight?
A
B
C
D
16.9 percent
15 percent
64 percent
100 percent
2. Which of the following best describes the structure of this text?
A an argument about whether Kentucky Fried Chicken or McDonald’s tastes better
B an argument about whether to sue fast food companies
C a description of the menu at some fast food restaurants
D comparing the healthiness of different fast food
3. Based on the passage, it can be inferred that John Banzhaf’s lawsuit against tobacco
companies was
A
B
C
D
a failure
dismissed from the court
successful
supported by the tobacco companies
4. Read this sentence from the passage: “’For a large number of people, a steady diet of
fast food is almost as harmful and as difficult to resist as heroin is to an addict,’ says
Banzhaf.”
As used in the passage, harmful means
A
B
C
D
helpful
damaging
addicting
frightening
5. This passage is mostly about
A
B
C
D
people who are suing fast food companies
what fast food restaurants are healthiest
how to exercise to stay healthy
why people like to eat fast food
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© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions: Fat and Fed Up
6. Which of his health problems did Caesar Barber blame on fast food chains?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. Based on the passage, why could a ban on soda at school be important?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best completes
the sentence.
People are suing fast food companies for making people overweight, ____ other people
think that people should have the responsibility for their own diet.
A
B
C
D
but
because
so
after
9. Answer the questions based on the sentence below.
Caesar Barber sued fast food chains in 2002 because he thought they were responsible
for his health problems.
Who? Caesar Barber
(did) What? ______________________________________________________________________
When? ___________________________________________________________________________
Why? ____________________________________________________________________________
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© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions: Fat and Fed Up
10. Read the vocabulary word and definition below and complete questions 10a, 10b,
and 11.
Vocabulary Word: resist (re · sist): to oppose or work against something.
10a. Read the five sentences below and underline the word resist in each sentence.
It is important to resist eating too much fast food or you will become
overweight.
1.
2.
The smell of the fries was so delicious I could not resist eating them.
3.
Students must resist the temptation to copy someone else’s homework.
The man tried to resist arrest by running away from the police when they caught
him stealing.
4.
5.
Sally’s dog resists taking baths by hiding underneath the bed.
10b. Which activity do many young people find it hard to resist?
11. Which of the following should someone who is overweight resist eating: candy or
vegetables? Why?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
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© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Teacher Guide & Answers: Fat and Fed Up
Teacher Guide & Answers
Passage Reading Level: Lexile 890
Featured Text Structure: Argumentative – the writer presents evidence for both sides of an argument
Passage Summary: This passage presents two sides of an argument about people suing fast food
companies for making people overweight.
1. According to the passage, what is the percentage of U.S. adults who are overweight?
A
B
C
D
16.9 percent
15 percent
64 percent
100 percent
2. Which of the following best describes the structure of this text?
A
B
C
D
an argument about whether Kentucky Fried Chicken or McDonald’s tastes better
an argument about whether or not to sue fast food companies
a description of the menu at some fast food restaurants
comparing the healthiness of different fast food
3. Based on the passage, it can be inferred that John Banzhaf’s lawsuit against tobacco companies was
A
B
C
D
a failure
dismissed from the court
successful
supported by the tobacco companies
4. Read this sentence from the passage: “’For a large number of people, a steady diet of fast food is
almost as harmful and as difficult to resist as heroin is to an addict,’ says Banzhaf.”
As used in the passage, harmful means
A
B
C
D
helpful
damaging
addicting
frightening
5. This passage is mostly about
A
B
C
D
people who are suing fast food companies
what fast food restaurants are healthiest
how to exercise to stay healthy
why people like to eat fast food
6. Which of his health problems did Caesar Barber blame on fast food chains?
Suggested answer: Caesar Barber blamed fast food chains for his heart attacks and for being
overweight. [see paragraph 4]
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© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Teacher Guide & Answers: Fat and Fed Up
7. Based on the passage, why could a ban on soda at school be important?
Suggested answer: If schools stop selling soda, it would cut down on the amount of soda children are
drinking. This is important because it’s not only adults who are overweight. The passage states that 16.9
percent of children in the U.S. are too heavy.
8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best completes the sentence.
People are suing fast food companies for making people overweight, ____ other people think that people
should have the responsibility for their own diet.
A
B
C
D
but
because
so
after
9. Answer the following questions based on the sentence below.
Caesar Barber sued fast food chains in 2002 because he thought they were responsible for his health
problems.
Who? Caesar Barber
(did) What? sued fast food chains
When? in 2002
Why? because he thought they were responsible for his health problems
10. ReadWorks recommends that you teach this vocabulary word to the whole class out loud using the
four steps listed below.
Vocabulary Word: resist
Step 1: Introduce the word
a. Teacher writes the word on the board and divides it into syllables: (re·sist)
b. Teacher says: “This word is resist. What is the word?” [All students reply together out loud:
“resist.”]
Step 2: Provide a child-friendly definition
a. Teacher says: “Resist means to oppose or work against something.”
b. Teacher says: “In this passage, the author says that some people have difficulty resisting or saying
no to fast food, even though it is bad for their health.”
c. Teacher says: “What is the word?” [All students reply together out loud: “resist.”]
Step 3: Practice the word
Teacher provides examples and additional opportunities to repeat the word. Read the 1st sentence out loud
to your students. Begin reading it again and when you come to the vocabulary word prompt students to
say the vocabulary word out loud. Then, finish reading the sentence out loud to our students.
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Teacher Guide & Answers: Fat and Fed Up
10a.
1.
It is important to resist eating too much fast food or you will become overweight.
2.
The smell of the fries was so delicious I could not resist eating them.
3.
Students must resist the temptation to copy someone else’s homework.
4.
The man tried to resist arrest by running away from the police when they caught him stealing.
5.
Sally’s dog resists taking baths by hiding underneath the bed.
Step 4: Check for student understanding
This step can be completed as a whole class activity or as an independent practice.
10b. Which activity do many young people find it hard to resist?
11. Which of the following should someone who is overweight resist eating: candy or vegetables? Why?
Suggested answer: Someone who is overweight should resist eating candy because it can cause
someone to gain more weight than vegetables, and is also less healthy than vegetables.
Suggested Additional Vocabulary: expensive, addict, industry, expensive, responsibility
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© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.