A World Designed for Both Hands
Pick up a pair of scissors and cut a circle from paper. Was it easy to see the line you were cutting? The answer may depend partly on which hand you used—and how the scissors were made.
Most people prefer using their right hand for tasks that require careful movement, such as writing or cutting. A smaller number prefer their left hand. Some people use different hands for different tasks, and a few are comfortable using either hand for many activities. Hand preference does not determine how creative, intelligent, or capable someone is. But it can affect how comfortably a person uses everyday objects.
A closer look at scissors
Scissors offer a useful example because both the handles and the blades matter. On many right-handed scissors, the blades are arranged so a right-handed user can see the cutting line as the scissors move forward. When a left-handed person uses the same scissors, the upper blade may block that line.
Left-handed scissors have the blades arranged in the opposite way. This helps a left-handed user see where the blades are cutting. Handles can make a difference, too. Handles shaped to fit a right hand may feel awkward in a left hand. Scissors with comfortable-looking handles are not necessarily suitable for both hands, though; the blade arrangement still matters.
Writing and working
- preference:
- A liking for one choice over another.
- capable:
- Able to do something.
- arranged:
- Placed in a particular order or position.
- awkward:
- Uncomfortable or difficult to use.
- smudge:
- To spread or blur a mark by touching it.
- controls:
- Parts or settings used to operate something.
- versions:
- Different forms of the same kind of thing.
One passage, many ways to practice
Reading-skill questions, word work and writing prompts — all built from this text.
Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Context Clues
Use clues in the passage to work out what words mean. A separate printable Vocabulary worksheet is also available.
Summarize
Select, organize, and restate the most important information without adding opinion.
Purpose
Analyze what the author aims to do and how choices serve audience and purpose.
Structure
Analyze how sections and organizational choices build the text's ideas or effects.
Vocabulary
Practice words from the passage with a printable worksheet.
Writing Prompts
Use the passage as a springboard for short written responses, from personal reflection to evidence-based arguments.
Fix the Sentence
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What is the main idea of the passage, and which two examples support it?
- 2Why might right-handed scissors make cutting difficult for a left-handed person?
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About this explanatory article passage for Upper Elementary
“A World Designed for Both Hands” is a explanatory article reading passage about Design for left- and right-handed users, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 3 minutes to read (510 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.