Energy Screams - Comprehension Questions Answer Key

1. How does the passage define a roller coaster?

A. the application of kinetic energy to generate massive amounts of potential energy in order to create an exciting experience

B. an amusement park ride that does not rely on gravity

C. a thrilling ride that almost everyone enjoys

D. the application of potential energy to generate massive amounts of kinetic energy in order to create an exciting experience

2. What does the author describe in the passage?

A. a merry-go-round ride

B. potential and kinetic energy in a roller coaster ride

C. the rising popularity of amusement parks

D. famous roller coasters around the world

3. Read the following sections from the passage:

"At the top of the first and tallest hill, your potential energy is at its highest it will ever be

on this ride. As you begin to descend, your potential energy decreases until it's all gone

at the bottom of the hill."

"At the bottom of the first hill, your kinetic energy is at its highest point. You're going as

fast as you'll ever go on this roller coaster ride."

Based on this evidence, what conclusion can be made?

A. A roller coaster is fastest at the front of the train.

B. The shorter the hill the roller coaster climbs, the greater its kinetic energy.

C. Potential energy is converted to kinetic energy as the roller coaster goes down the hill.

D. No conclusion can be made from this evidence.

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Energy Screams - Comprehension Questions Answer Key

4. Why is it necessary for a roller coaster to go up a hill?

A. The potential energy of the roller coaster increases as the coaster goes up a hill and can be converted to kinetic energy. This kinetic energy allows the coaster to do different things.

B. The kinetic energy of the roller coaster increases as the coaster goes up a hill and can be converted to potential energy. This potential energy allows the coaster to do different things.

C. The kinetic energy and potential energy increase as the coaster goes up a hill. This increase in kinetic and potential energy allows the coaster to do different things.

D. The kinetic energy and potential energy decrease as the coaster goes up a hill. This decrease in kinetic and potential energy allows the coaster to do different things.

5. What is this passage mostly about?

A. a day at an amusement park

B. a boy who hates roller coasters

C. how to build a roller coaster

D. how roller coasters use potential and kinetic energy

6. In the first section of the passage, what does the author use to create a sense of

momentum and to mimic the motions of a roller coaster?

A. the author's internal monologue

B. short sentences and active verbs

C. different images of roller coasters

D. long, run-on sentences

7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.

All of the rides at an amusement park have a mix of potential and kinetic energy,

________ the energies are most noticeable on roller coasters due to their extreme

heights and speeds.

A. finally

B. thus

C. although

D. certainly

8. Where is the kinetic energy of a roller coaster at its highest? ReadWorks.org · © 2020 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.

Energy Screams - Comprehension Questions Answer Key

The kinetic energy of a roller coaster is at its highest at the bottom of the

first hill.

9. Why do roller coaster designers include a second hill on the ride? What would

happen to the ride if there were only one hill?

Roller coaster designers include a second hill to build up more potential

energy that can be converted to kinetic energy as the roller coaster goes

down the hill. If there were only one hill, the ride would have less energy

and would be shorter.

10. Explain how potential energy converts to kinetic energy in the loop-the-loop section

of the roller coaster. Make sure to note when the potential energy of the coaster is at its

lowest in the loop-the-loop and when the kinetic energy of the coaster is at its highest.

Potential energy builds as the coaster is going up the loop-the-loop and

converts to kinetic energy on the way down and out of the loop-the-loop.

The potential energy of the coaster is at its lowest and the kinetic energy is

at its highest as the coaster moves in the lowest point of the loop-the-

loop.

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Pot

enti

al a

nd K

inet

ic E

nerg

y T

here

are

two

kind

s of

ene

rgy,

pot

enti

al a

nd

kine

tic. Y

ou s

houl

d re

mem

ber

that

pot

enti

al e

nerg

y is

st

ored

ene

rgy.

Whe

n an

obj

ect s

tart

s to

mov

e its

po

tent

ial e

nerg

y ch

ange

s in

to k

inet

ic e

nerg

y. A

mov

ing

obje

ct p

osse

sses

ene

rgy

beca

use

of it

s m

otio

n. W

hen

obje

cts

spee

d up

and

slo

w d

own

they

eit

her

gain

or

lose

en

ergy

. The

y m

ay g

ain

pote

ntia

l ene

rgy

as th

ey s

low

do

wn

and

gain

kin

etic

ene

rgy

as th

ey s

peed

up.

Thi

s is

ca

lled

a co

ntin

uous

tran

sfor

mat

ion

of e

nerg

y.

Did

you

kno

w th

at r

olle

r co

aste

rs u

se p

oten

tial a

nd

kine

tic e

nerg

y? W

hen

the

roll

er c

oast

er c

ars

are

take

n up

to

the

top

of th

e hi

ll th

eir

heig

ht c

hang

es. T

his

actio

n gi

ves

them

mor

e po

tent

ial e

nerg

y th

an a

t the

bot

tom

of

the

hill

beca

use

the

cars

are

loca

ted

fart

her

abov

e th

e

dow

n th

e hi

ll it

s po

tent

ial e

nerg

y is

cha

nged

or

tran

sfor

med

into

kin

etic

ene

rgy.

As

the

rolle

r co

aste

r go

es u

p an

d do

wn

hills

it is

con

stan

tly g

aini

ng m

ore

pote

ntia

l ene

rgy

and

tran

sfor

min

g it

to k

inet

ic e

nerg

y.

Thi

s is

an

exam

ple

of a

con

tinuo

us tr

ansf

orm

atio

n of

en

ergy

.

On

the

draw

ing

show

eac

h pl

ace

whe

re th

e po

tent

ial

ener

gy is

hig

hest

and

eac

h pl

ace

whe

re th

e ki

neti

c en

ergy

is

hig

hest

.

Que

stio

ns:

1.

How

doe

s th

e ro

ller

coa

ster

gai

n po

tent

ial e

nerg

y?

A

s t

he

rolle

r c

oas

ter

go

es u

p a

nd

do

wn

hill

s it

is

co

nst

antl

y g

ain

ing

po

ten

tia

l en

erg

y.

2. W

hat h

appe

ns to

pot

enti

al e

nerg

y w

hen

the

obje

ct

star

ts m

ovin

g? W

hen

th

e r

oll

er c

oa

ster

sta

rts

mo

vin

g i

ts p

ote

nti

al e

ner

gy

is c

ha

ng

ed

or

tran

sfo

rmed

in

to k

ine

tic

en

erg

y.

3.

Wha

t hap

pens

to th

e ki

netic

ene

rgy

whe

n th

e ro

ller

co

aste

r sto

ps?

Th

e k

inet

ic e

ner

gy

cha

ng

es i

nto

p

ote

nti

al

ener

gy.

P

P

K

K

K

Exp

lain

wha

t is

happ

enin

g in

term

s of

pot

enti

al a

nd

kine

tic e

nerg

y at

eac

h lo

cati

on in

the

pict

ure

belo

w.

(a) T

he

roll

er c

oa

ster

ha

s t

he

mo

st p

ote

nti

al

en

erg

y an

d l

ittl

e to

no

kin

etic

en

erg

y.

(b)

Th

e p

ote

nti

al e

ne

rgy

of

the

ro

ller

coas

ter

dec

reas

es a

s th

e ki

ne

tic

en

erg

y in

cre

ase

s.

(c) I

nc

reas

ed k

inet

ic e

ne

rgy

as

the

ro

ller

coas

ter

has

ju

st p

asse

d t

he

low

est

par

t.

(d) T

he

po

ten

tial

en

erg

y o

f th

e r

olle

r co

ast

er

incr

ease

s.

Cir

cle

the

lett

er o

f th

e ro

ller

coas

ter

that

wil

l mak

e it

to th

e en

d of

the

trac

k.

B

C

D

Con

clus

ion:

(to

p, s

tore

d, m

ovin

g, b

otto

m)

Pot

enti

al e

nerg

y is

s

tore

d

ener

gy a

nd a

m

ovi

ng

obje

ct h

as k

inet

ic e

nerg

y. A

rol

ler

coas

ter

has

the

high

est

pote

ntia

l ene

rgy

at th

e

to

p

of th

e hi

ll. A

rol

ler

coas

ter

has

the

high

est k

inet

ic e

nerg

y at

the

bo

tto

m o

f th

e hi

ll.

C