Question
Tonight’s party will be a ripper,” Danielle whispered into Emily’s ear as the two walked together through the crowded school hallway.
Emily almost dropped her e-book at the word “ripper.” Rippers were dangerous. They were illegal.
It was too late to ask Danielle any more questions—the reader in the doorway of their next classroom was already scanning them, recording their presence.
…
After school, Emily stopped by Veritables department store to buy Danielle a gift. As she passed the shelves and racks, readers scanned her chip, and the disembodied voices of the e-hawkers began vying for her attention.
“Emily, I’m sure juggling your schoolwork, soccer practice, and a social life is stressing you out. I’ve got something that can help you organize . . .”
Emily walked past them. She disliked algorithms telling her what she was supposed to like, but they annoyed her even more when their suggestions were right on target as if they could see right through her, straight into her heart.
She removed a pair of jeans from a shelf and headed for the lone gift purchase terminal by the exit. If she were buying the pants for herself, she could just walk out the door and let the chip reader in the store’s doorway scan her and the pants. The reader would send a message to update the government’s central database, Emily’s bank would deduct money from her debit account, and the garment’s manufacturer would update its records to show that Emily owned the pants. But these pants were not for her.
At the gift terminal, she stated, “Gift.” The terminal quickly responded, “Thanks, Emily. I’ve processed the pants as a gift purchase. Please remind the lucky recipient to register them at her earliest convenience.”
Later that night, Emily arrived at Danielle’s. The reader-greeter at Danielle’s house announced that Emily was carrying one pair of unregistered blue jeans, ruining any possibility of surprising Danielle with the gift.
Danielle greeted Emily and led her into the basement. Three other friends were standing around, talking. One of them, Thomas, held a pair of old scissors spotted with rust.
“Where’d you get those?” Emily asked.
“My grandmother had them in her knitting basket,” Thomas answered.
“She knits?”
“Yeah, she’s always been kind of a rebel.”
“They’re really chip-free?” Emily asked.
“That’s right. No one can track what you cut with them.”
“Let’s get started,” Danielle said eagerly, as she unwrapped the pants. She picked up a hand-held reader and passed it along the length of the pants. When it reached the waistband, a red light went on.
“The chip’s here,” Danielle announced, handing the pants to Thomas.
He took the pants and cut into the waistband with the scissors. Immediately, microscopic spinnerets in the garment sprang into action, weaving strong fibers to repair the cut.
“Well,” said Thomas, “we knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Now what?”
As they were thinking about what to do next, they heard the muffled sound of the reader-greeter upstairs. “The police have arrived. Everyone please remain calm.”
The friends all looked at Danielle, still holding the hand-held reader. “I thought it was offline. It shouldn’t have set off an alert.”
“Of course!” said Thomas. “The hand-held reader’s tagged, too. One of the other readers in the house must have scanned it when we used it.”
The door at the top of the stairs burst open. Police in riot control gear scrambled down the stairs. Emily now wished that she were transparent. She knew that if she could shed her chip-laced clothes, she could run through the streets undetected by the readers that stood sentinel, guarding every doorway and intersection in town. She imagined herself running, running past the eyes that never shut.
Read Less ▲
Two-Part Question
Part A
Multiple Choice Question
Based on the passage, which choice best describes how the scanners function?
A.
like computers that keep track of every item that is bought and sold
B.
like guards who watch all citizens day and night
C.
like parents who protect their children
D.
like teachers who help students navigate their lives
Part B
Multiple Choice Question
Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to Part A?
A.
It was too late to ask Danielle any more questions—the reader in the doorway of their next classroom was already scanning them, recording their presence.
B.
She disliked algorithms telling her what she was supposed to like, but they annoyed her even more when their suggestions were right on target as if they could see right through her, straight into her heart.
C.
The reader would send a message to update the government’s central database, Emily’s bank would deduct money from her debit account, and the garment’s manufacturer would update its records to show that Emily owned the pants.
D.
She knew that if she could shed her chip-laced clothes, she could run through the streets undetected by the readers that stood sentinel, guarding every doorway and intersection in town. She imagined herself running, running past the eyes that never shut.
Emily almost dropped her e-book at the word “ripper.” Rippers were dangerous. They were illegal.
It was too late to ask Danielle any more questions—the reader in the doorway of their next classroom was already scanning them, recording their presence.
…
After school, Emily stopped by Veritables department store to buy Danielle a gift. As she passed the shelves and racks, readers scanned her chip, and the disembodied voices of the e-hawkers began vying for her attention.
“Emily, I’m sure juggling your schoolwork, soccer practice, and a social life is stressing you out. I’ve got something that can help you organize . . .”
Emily walked past them. She disliked algorithms telling her what she was supposed to like, but they annoyed her even more when their suggestions were right on target as if they could see right through her, straight into her heart.
She removed a pair of jeans from a shelf and headed for the lone gift purchase terminal by the exit. If she were buying the pants for herself, she could just walk out the door and let the chip reader in the store’s doorway scan her and the pants. The reader would send a message to update the government’s central database, Emily’s bank would deduct money from her debit account, and the garment’s manufacturer would update its records to show that Emily owned the pants. But these pants were not for her.
At the gift terminal, she stated, “Gift.” The terminal quickly responded, “Thanks, Emily. I’ve processed the pants as a gift purchase. Please remind the lucky recipient to register them at her earliest convenience.”
Later that night, Emily arrived at Danielle’s. The reader-greeter at Danielle’s house announced that Emily was carrying one pair of unregistered blue jeans, ruining any possibility of surprising Danielle with the gift.
Danielle greeted Emily and led her into the basement. Three other friends were standing around, talking. One of them, Thomas, held a pair of old scissors spotted with rust.
“Where’d you get those?” Emily asked.
“My grandmother had them in her knitting basket,” Thomas answered.
“She knits?”
“Yeah, she’s always been kind of a rebel.”
“They’re really chip-free?” Emily asked.
“That’s right. No one can track what you cut with them.”
“Let’s get started,” Danielle said eagerly, as she unwrapped the pants. She picked up a hand-held reader and passed it along the length of the pants. When it reached the waistband, a red light went on.
“The chip’s here,” Danielle announced, handing the pants to Thomas.
He took the pants and cut into the waistband with the scissors. Immediately, microscopic spinnerets in the garment sprang into action, weaving strong fibers to repair the cut.
“Well,” said Thomas, “we knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Now what?”
As they were thinking about what to do next, they heard the muffled sound of the reader-greeter upstairs. “The police have arrived. Everyone please remain calm.”
The friends all looked at Danielle, still holding the hand-held reader. “I thought it was offline. It shouldn’t have set off an alert.”
“Of course!” said Thomas. “The hand-held reader’s tagged, too. One of the other readers in the house must have scanned it when we used it.”
The door at the top of the stairs burst open. Police in riot control gear scrambled down the stairs. Emily now wished that she were transparent. She knew that if she could shed her chip-laced clothes, she could run through the streets undetected by the readers that stood sentinel, guarding every doorway and intersection in town. She imagined herself running, running past the eyes that never shut.
Read Less ▲
Two-Part Question
Part A
Multiple Choice Question
Based on the passage, which choice best describes how the scanners function?
A.
like computers that keep track of every item that is bought and sold
B.
like guards who watch all citizens day and night
C.
like parents who protect their children
D.
like teachers who help students navigate their lives
Part B
Multiple Choice Question
Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to Part A?
A.
It was too late to ask Danielle any more questions—the reader in the doorway of their next classroom was already scanning them, recording their presence.
B.
She disliked algorithms telling her what she was supposed to like, but they annoyed her even more when their suggestions were right on target as if they could see right through her, straight into her heart.
C.
The reader would send a message to update the government’s central database, Emily’s bank would deduct money from her debit account, and the garment’s manufacturer would update its records to show that Emily owned the pants.
D.
She knew that if she could shed her chip-laced clothes, she could run through the streets undetected by the readers that stood sentinel, guarding every doorway and intersection in town. She imagined herself running, running past the eyes that never shut.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
Part A:
**B. like guards who watch all citizens day and night**
Part B:
**D. She knew that if she could shed her chip-laced clothes, she could run through the streets undetected by the readers that stood sentinel, guarding every doorway and intersection in town. She imagined herself running, running past the eyes that never shut.**
This evidence highlights the constant surveillance nature of the readers, functioning like guards monitoring the activities of citizens at all times.
**B. like guards who watch all citizens day and night**
Part B:
**D. She knew that if she could shed her chip-laced clothes, she could run through the streets undetected by the readers that stood sentinel, guarding every doorway and intersection in town. She imagined herself running, running past the eyes that never shut.**
This evidence highlights the constant surveillance nature of the readers, functioning like guards monitoring the activities of citizens at all times.