UNIT 5 WEEK 4 ASSESSMENT“Voyage to the Planets” & “A Planet No More”

“VOYAGE TO THE PLANETS”Passage 1

1. HOW DID THE AUTHOR ORGANIZE THIS ARTICLE?A. by explaining causes and effectsB. by telling events in sequential orderC.by describing a problem and its solutionD.by comparing and contrasting two

things

2. READ THIS EXCERPT FROM THE ARTICLE.

F. advancedG. culturedH. knowledgeableI. wise

These probes collect information using sophisticated scientific instruments. With their superior technology, they can send data and photos back to Earth.What does sophisticated mean in the excerpt

above?

3. HOW DOES THE AUTHOR HELP READERS UNDERSTAND THE MISSIONS OF VOYAGERS I AND II?A. by showing how the missions solved a

problemB. by describing the progress of the missions

over timeC. by explaining what caused the missions to

be successfulD. by comparing the Voyager I and II

missions to previous missions

4. IN PARAGRAPH 4, WHY DOES THE AUTHOR EXPLAIN THE SEQUENCE IN WHICH THE VOYAGER PROBES WERE LAUNCHED?F. to explain that Voyager II had a different flight pathG. to show that both Voyager probes traveled to JupiterH. to explain why Voyager I was launched after Voyager III. to show why Voyager I reached Jupiter before Voyager II

5. READ THIS EXCERPT FROM THE ARTICLE.

A. giant gas planetB. unexplored placeC. end of its journeyD. targeted location

In March of 1979, nineteen months after its launch, Voyager I reached the first destination, passing by the planet Jupiter.

What does destination mean in the excerpt above?

6. READ THIS EXCERPT FROM THE ARTICLE.

F. excitingG. motionlessH. rapidI. violent

Voyager I discovered turbulent volcanic activity on Io, which was causing great disturbances on its surface.

What does turbulent mean in the excerpt above?

7. READ THIS SENTENCE FROM THE ARTICLE.

A. architectB. inspectC. techniqueD. teenager

But scientists have developed technology that can take them to distant planets without leaving Earth.The origin of the word technology is the Greek

root techne, which means “skill.” Which of the following words is most likely to come from the same root as technology?

8. WHY DOES THE AUTHOR DESCRIBE THE SEQUENCE OF VOYAGER II’S JOURNEY AFTER IT PASSED SATURN?F. to show how the mission of Voyager II changedG. to show what scientists hope to learn about deep spaceH. to show how far away Uranus and Neptune are from EarthI. to show what Voyager II found out about

Uranus and Neptune

9. WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS A RESULT OF VOYAGER II’S JOURNEY BEYOND SATURN?A. the first photographs of Saturn’s ringsB. the discovery of volcanic activity on IoC. new information about Uranus’s dark

ringsD. new information about Jupiter’s Great

Red Spot

10. READ THIS EXCERPT FROM THE ARTICLE.

F. detailsG. discoveriesH. messagesI. photographs

Scientists expect to receive messages from the Voyager probes until 2020. After thirty years of travel, they will no longer be able to generate the electrical power needed to continue sending transmissions back to Earth.

What does transmissions mean in the excerpt above?

“A PLANET NO MORE”Passage 2

11. HOW DID THE AUTHOR ORGANIZE PARAGRAPH 2?A. by contrasting two eventsB. by telling events in sequenceC. by listing solutions to a problemD. by describing the effects of an event

12. WHY DOES THE AUTHOR EXPLAIN THE SEQUENCE IN WHICH URANUS, NEPTUNE, AND PLUTO WERE DISCOVERED?F. to show how far away from Earth these planets areG. to show why Uranus and Neptune were discovered firstH. to show how Pluto is different from Uranus and NeptuneI. to show why scientists thought Pluto was the ninth planet

13. READ THIS SENTENCE FROM THE ARTICLE.

A. asteroidB. astoundC. disasterD. plaster

In 2006, a group of scientists from the International Astronomical Union met to answer these questions.The origin of the word astronomical is the

Greek root astro which means “star.” Which word is the most likely to come from the same root as astronomical?

14. READ THIS EXCERPT FROM THE ARTICLE.

F. giganticallyG. mostlyH. originallyI. partially

But Pluto was very different from the gas giants, or huge planets made up primarily of gases. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are at least ten times the size of Earth and made of mostly gases, rather than rock.

What does primarily mean in the excerpt above?

15. IN THE FOURTH PARAGRAPH ON PAGE 282, HOW DOES THE AUTHOR EXPLAIN THE DISCOVERY OF NEW BODIES NEAR PLUTO?A. by describing the discoveries in sequenceB. by telling how the discoveries solved a

problemC. by describing the effect of the discoveries

on scientistsD. by telling what caused scientists to make

the discoveries

16. READ THIS EXCERPT FROM THE ARTICLE.

F. importanceG. popularityH. timeI. title

If not, how could Pluto – which Eris closely resembled – hold the title of planet? Scientists began to rethink Pluto’s status as a planet.

What does status mean in the excerpt above?

17. WHY DOES THE AUTHOR DESCRIBE THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE MEETING IN 2006?A. to show how many moons Pluto hasB. to show what planets and dwarf planets

areC. to show why scientists started to

question PlutoD. to show what scientists know about the

Kuiper Belt

18. READ THIS SENTENCE FROM THE ARTICLE.

F. groupG. objectH. styleI. system

Pluto and Eris would now belong to a new category, a type of body called dwarf planets.

What does category mean in the sentence above?

19. READ THIS SENTENCE FROM THE ARTICLE.

A. very fewB. new typeC. wide varietyD. large number

Whatever Pluto is, many more bodies remain to be discovered at the edge of the solar system. Since 2006, scientists have found a multitude of icy bodies in the Kuiper belt that might be dwarf planets.What does multitude mean in the excerpt

above?

20. WHY DOES THE AUTHOR EXPLAIN THE STEPS SCIENTISTS TOOK DURING THE 2006 MEETING?F. to show that some scientists still think Pluto is a planetG. to show that scientists are no longer looking for new bodiesH. to explain why a new system for naming planets was createdI. to describe more bodies like Pluto that were being discovered

U5W4 ESSAY QUESTIONCompare and contrast how the authors of “Voyage to the Planets” and “A Planet No More” present information about planets. How do the authors present information about the discovery of and scientific data about Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto? Include accurate, explicit text evidence from both articles that gives information about planets.