Wednesday's Assignment

Public Information Texts: Introduction

Public information texts often provide information about rights, the law or government services. These texts are accessible on the Internet.

We usually use public information texts to find specific information, such as how to get an Ontario driver’s licence, how to apply for Canadian citizenship, or where the nearest employment insurance office is. Finding these texts requires Internet research skills and scanning skills. Internet research involves:

• Using appropriate search terms in the search bar

• Limiting an Internet search

• Reading search results

Scanning refers to looking through a text very quickly to find specific details. When looking for information online, we scan Internet search results and website homepages to see if there is a link to the information we need. When we find the text we are looking for, we use scanning skills to find the information within the text we need. We scan:

• the index of topics

• the headings and sub-headings

• the menu

1 Discuss the meanings of the words below. Then write the correct letter on each line to match the words with their meanings.

1. homepage                                     a. A button that allows you to move back to the web                                                                   page you previously viewed

2. search term                                   b. The main web page for a website

3. search box                                     d. One “page” of text or graphics viewed online

4. search results                                 e. A word or phrase used to search for information on                                                                 the Internet or  within a website

5. limit an Internet search                f. A collection of related web pages belonging to an                                                                     organization or person

6. website                                         g. A blank box on a website or a search engine that is                                                                 used to enter (or type) search terms into

7. scroll                                              h. A list of links to web pages (often thousands) that                                                               are found by a search engine as a result of a search

8. back                                               i. Choosing and using search terms in a way that                                                                          produces a shorter and more accurate list of search                                                                      results

9. web page                                          j. To move up and down a computer screen to view

                                                                  text that doesn't fit on the screen

Ontario’s Smoking Legislation

Many online public information texts are written in the form of questions and answers. These are commonly called frequently asked questions, or FAQs. The questions are usually in bold and look like headings with the answers underneath.

Texts written in FAQ format are easy to read and can help you locate information quickly. Readers can scan the questions looking for information of interest and skim the answers quickly. The answers are usually written in the first sentence under each question. The rest of the paragraph elaborates on the answer. This way, readers can often get the information they need by reading only the first sentence.

Pre-Reading

1 Skim the FAQ below about Ontario’s smoking laws. Read the questions, and only the first sentence in each answer. Then answer the questions.

Q: What are Ontario’s laws about smoking?

A: Ontario’s smoking legislation is called the Smoke-Free Ontario Act. Under this legislation,

the following activities are banned:

• Smoking in enclosed public places and enclosed work places

• Selling or supplying tobacco to minors (people under 19 years of age)

• Displaying or advertising the sale of tobacco products in stores (as of May 2008)

• Smoking in motor vehicles, moving or stationary, when there is a person under the age of 16 in that vehicle (as of January 2009). People who do not obey this particular ban can be fined up to $250.

Q: Why does the Ontario government have this law?

A: Ontario has strengthened its smoking laws because it wants to improve the health of Ontarians. It wants to help people quit smoking, prevent young people from starting to smoke, and protect Ontarians from the effects of second-hand smoke. Tobacco-related diseases cost the Ontario economy billions of dollars in health-care costs and productivity losses annually.

Q: What else does Ontario do to discourage smoking?

A: The Ontario government has raised its tax on tobacco products and funded a smoker’s telephone quitline.

Higher tax on tobacco makes it more expensive for people to buy cigarettes. A carton of cigarettes cost a consumer about $45. Of this amount, $24.70 is Ontario tobacco tax (2008 rates). The Ontario government hopes that raising the cost of smoking will discourage young people from starting to smoke.

Ontario’s smokers’ telephone helpline offers free telephone support to people who want help to quit smoking. Smokers can talk to a counsellor, have resources mailed to their home, or get referrals to services close to their home. Ontario quitline: 1-877-513-5333 or www.smokershelpline.ca

2 After skimming the text, answer the questions below.

1. What is the purpose of this text?

a) to convince people to quit smoking

b) to inform people about Ontario’s efforts to reduce smoking

c) to inform people about the health effects of second-hand smoke

2. List three things the Ontario government is doing to discourage smoking.

Reading

3 Read the text carefully to expand your vocabulary and learn the details. Each word or phrase below

can replace a synonymous word or phrase in the text. Find that word or phrase in the text and write it on the line.

1. law (par. 1)

2. covered (par. 1)

3. began (par. 1)

4. forbidden (par. 1)

5. people under 19 years of age (par. 1)

6. not moving (par. 1)

7. stop (par. 2)

8. goods (par. 3)

9. customer (par. 4)