Read the article in the school newspaper and answer the questions.
When the spring semester began, students at Eastern High School were met by a new science teacher. Her name is Elaine Burgess, and she has replaced Donald Young, who retired to spend time with his grandchildren.
Since Ms. Burgess has just started here, many students are curious about her background. She was kind enough to sit down for an interview with The Quill and Paper. According to Ms. Burgess, she received her master's degree from nearby Sanderson University only six months ago. Her M.A. is in chemistry, but she double majored in chemistry and biology as an undergraduate while simultaneously getting a minor in physics.
"I love all aspects of science," she said. "And I'm looking forward to teaching students the things I know." Ms. Burgess further declared that she prefers a hands-on approach to teaching science. So she expects to conduct numerous experiments in the hope of sparking students' interest in science.
Finally, Ms. Burgess added that she welcomes student participation in her classes. "Not only can students learn from their teachers, but I believe that teachers can also learn from their students. I hope that, by working together, we can all increase our knowledge of science."
Which headline best summarizes the article?
Based on the article, what is probably true about The Quill and Paper?
Which of the following statements does paragraph 2 support?
What does the author point out by writing about Ms. Burgess's "hope of sparking students' interest in science" in paragraph 3?
What can be inferred from the article about Ms. Burgess?
Read the notice and answer the questions.
Attention, all students.
Several local elementary schools are in serious need of tutors. Due to cut in their budgets, they can no longer hire tutors for their students for after-school classes. Therefore, they are looking to replace their paid tutors with volunteers. They have specifically requested tutors in math, science, and English. However, they would also like to have tutors for music, art, and penmanship classes.
If any of you are interested in tutoring young children, please talk to your home-room teacher. As a tutor, you would be expected to visit your school three times a week. You would start at 3:30 in the afternoon and teach for approximately one hour. A teacher here can provide transportation to your school and home if you require it.
To qualify as a tutor, you must have an average in the subject you wish to teach. You must also be of good character and be willing to work with young children. Anyone who serves as a tutor will be exempted from the school's volunteer program. Those who do not do any tutoring will be expected to volunteer at least fifty hours this semester.
In paragraph 1, the word "specifically" is closest in meaning to ______.
What does the author say about the local elementary schools?
In paragraph 2, the word "it" refers to _____.
According to the notice, all of the following are true about tutors EXCEPT _____.
What does the author imply about tutors?
In paragraph 3, the phrase "exempted from" is closest in meaning to _____.
Read the passage and answer the questions.
Jupiter is by far the largest planet in the solar system. It also has a force of gravity that is second in the solar system only to the sun in power. It should, therefore, come as no surprise that Jupiter has the most moons of all the planets. Jupiter has at least sixty-three moons and may have more waiting to be discovered. The majority of these moons are small in size, yet four are quite large. In fact, one is larger than the planet Mercury while the other three are bigger than Pluto. Together, these four moons are called Galilean moons. The reason is that they were discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610.
The largest of the Galilean moons are Ganymede while the other three are Io, Europa, and Callisto. These moons have some characteristics that make them enticing to astronomers. For instance, Io is one of the most volcanically active bodies in the solar system. Europa, on the other hand, is covered with a thick layer of ice, yet astronomers believe that liquid water lies beneath it. Ganymede and Callisto may also have liquid water deep beneath their surfaces.
What is the best title for the passage?
According to the passage, which is true about Jupiter's moons?
Why does the author mention Galileo Galilei?
What does the author imply about Ganymede?
In paragraph 2, the word "enticing" is closest in meaning to _____.
In paragraph 2, the word "it" refers to _____.
Which of the following statements does paragraph 2 support?
Read the passage and answer the questions.
A fossil is the preserved remains of an animal or plant that died long ago. In general, the fossil has transformed into stone and either has the shape or shows the outline of a dead animal or plant. Oftentimes, only the bones and teeth of animals are preserved. In the case of plants, most fossils are simply impressions of the leaves or stems that are set in stone. There are some instances in which paleontologists have unearthed fossils that include skin and bodily tissues, such as when animals are found encased in ice or tar, but these happen rarely. No matter what the condition of the fossils scientists find, they can be used to learn a great deal of information about life on Earth in the past.
Earth is around 4.5 billion years old, and humans have been on the planet for a mere fraction of that time. Thus, fossils enable scientists to understand what life was like on Earth prior to the existence of humans. Virtually everything that is known about dinosaurs, for instance, comes from studying their fossilized remains. Scientists have learned that there was a wide variety of species of dinosaurs. Some were carnivores while others were herbivores. They also ranged in size from extremely small to incredibly large.
In addition, fossils help scientists make timelines for the distant path. In the nineteenth century, scientists concluded that different levels of the Earth contained fossils from different eras. By examining the fossils from each level, scientists were able to see how life had evolved on the planet. Later, in the twentieth century, methods of accurately dating fossils were discovered. These permitted scientists to develop something called the geological time scale. It provides a detailed picture of life on Earth throughout different periods of time. For instance, dinosaurs first appeared around 250 million years ago and then vanished around sixty-five million years ago. Ever since then, mammals have dominated the planet. It is thanks to fossils that this kind of information is known.
What is the passage mostly about?
In paragraph 1, the phrase "encased in" is closest in meaning to _____.
In paragraph 1, the word "they" refers to _____.
Which of the following is true regarding fossils of plants?
The author mentions all of the following about dinosaurs EXCEPT _____.
What does the geological time scale do?
Based on the passage, what is probably true about dinosaurs?
In paragraph 3, the word "dominated" is closest in meaning to _____.
Read the passage then choose the best answer to each question.
An engine is a machine that creates mechanical motion from energy. In order to do this, an engine frequently requires some type of fuel to burn. Nowadays, many engines are used to power cars and other forms of transportation. These vehicles most commonly have an internal combustion engine and rely upon gasoline for power. However, there are several types of engines that can use alternative energy sources. Many people are trying to switch to them because gasoline, which is a fossil fuel, creates pollution and is also a nonrenewable resource. Alternative energy sources, meanwhile, create less pollution and are often renewable sources of energy.
These days, engines that are able to burn biofuels are somewhat common. Biofuels are fuels that are made from biological material, such as corn, soybeans, and sugarcane. These biofuels burn cleanly, so they produce much less pollution than fossil fuels. In some countries, such as Brazil: cars with biofuel engines are standard. In fact, most of the cars in Brazil have engines that can operate on either gasoline or biofuel.
The second type of alternative engine is the electric engine. Cars with electric engines have been common for decades. Most are being used in hybrid cars at the moment. These are vehicles that have both a gasoline-powered engine and an electric one. In many cases, the gasoline-powered engine is used to operate the car at high speeds on expressways. The electric engine is utilized for city driving. One benefit of hybrid cars is that as the gasoline-powered engine runs, it simultaneously recharges the electric engine.
The third type of alternative engine is the hydrogen engine. It utilizes hydrogen fuel cells, which convert hydrogen into electricity that can power the car. These days, there are many cars and buses that rely upon hydrogen engines. However, there are some problems associated with this type of engine. The hydrogen used in the engine must be processed from other materials, and it is also difficult to store. As a result, vehicles that run on hydrogen are expensive.
What would be the best title for the passage?
In paragraph 1, the word "switch" is closest in meaning to _____.
Based on paragraph 1, what is probably true about alternative energy sources?
The author uses corn, soybeans, and sugarcane as examples of _____.
What does the author say about biofuels in Brazil?
When do many hybrid cars use their electric engines?
In paragraph 3, the word "recharges" is closest in meaning to ____.
In the passage, all of the following statements about hydrogen engines are mentioned EXCEPT ____.
Read the passage and answer the questions.
For hundreds of years, Rome was arguably the greatest civilization in the world. It started as a small town on the Tiber River in the Italian Peninsula. Then, first as a republic and later as an empire, it grew so that it controlled a huge amount of land in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Then, in the fifth century A.D., the Roman Empire collapsed. Rome would never again be a great power in the world.
There were many reasons that the Roman Empire fell. For instance, there were breakdowns in its political, economic, and social organization. In addition, the empire itself had been split into two halves - an eastern and a western empire. This was done with the intention of strengthening Rome, but in reality, the move actually weakened it. The final major reason for the fall of Rome was a series of invasions of its land by Germanic tribes. In 476, they sacked Rome and overthrew the last Roman emperor in the west.
For many years before its fall, Rome had been in turmoil. Emperors reigned for short periods of time before they were deposed and replaced by someone else. The empire was in a seemingly constant state of civil war, which disrupted Roman society. The Romans began to depend upon foreigners to man the armies that they kept on the borders of the empire. These foreigners had little or no allegiance to the empire, so Rome's defenses were weakened. Rome's economy also went into decline. Most of the free people in the empire were either rich elites or lowly farmers. There was no strong middle class in the empire. Corruption at all levels of the government caused additional economic problems.
In an effort to solve many of these problems, Emperor Diocletian split the Roman Empire into two halves in the late fourth century. The Eastern Roman Empire, which later became known as the Byzantine Empire, started to flourish. Its emperor ruled from the city Constantinople, which was built by Emperor Constantine I. As for the Western Roman Empire, which was ruled from Rome, it declined further. During the fifth century, barbarian invaders conquered much of its territory. Its borderlands were overrun. Finally, the last emperor, Romulus Augustus, was overthrown by Germanic invaders led by Odoacer. He then assumed the title of king of Rome.
Which title best summarizes the main idea of the passage?
In paragraph 2, the word "intention" is closest in meaning to _____.
Which of the following statements does paragraph 2 support?
What does the author point out by writing that Rome "had been in turmoil" in paragraph 3?
Which of the following is true regarding Rome's armies?
What did Diocletian do to the Roman Empire?
Why does the author talk about the Eastern Roman Empire?
In paragraph 4, the word "He" refers to _____.