Question 1

Question

Question 2
Question 3
Question 4
Question 5
Question 6
Question 7
"NASA Planetary Defense Demo Collide with Asteroid"
by Justyna Surowiec
The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) – NASA’s first mission to demonstrate a planetary defense technique – will get one chance to hit its target, the small moonlet in the binary asteroid system Didymos. The asteroid poses no
threat to Earth and is an ideal test target: measuring the change in how the smaller asteroid orbits about the larger asteroid in a binary system is much easier than observing the change in a single asteroid's orbit around the Sun. Work is
ramping up at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, and other locations across the country, as the mission heads toward its summer 2021 launch – and attempts to pull off a feat so far seen only in science
fiction films.
Observing Didymos
To navigate the DART spacecraft to its intended target – a binary asteroid that consists of a small moon (Didymos B) orbiting a larger body (Didymos A) – scientists need to understand how the system behaves. Scientists have been
making efforts to observe Didymos from Earth since 2015, and now, an international campaign coordinated by Northern Arizona University’s Cristina Thomas, DART’s Observing Working Group Lead, is making critical observations using
powerful telescopes worldwide to understand the state of the asteroid system before DART reaches it. Current observations will help researchers to better understand the extent of the impact made when DART slams into its target –
Didymos B – in September 2022.
The most recent observation campaign took place on Cerro Paranal in northern Chile, where scientists viewed Didymos using the Very Large Telescope, which is run by the European Southern Observatory. The “VLT” comprises four
telescopes, each with 8.2-meter mirrors; two of them were used in the recent observations.
“The Didymos system is too small and too far to be seen as anything more than a point of light, but we can get the data we need by measuring the brightness of that point of light, which changes as Didymos A rotates and Didymos B
A)
Use the article “NASA’s First Planetary Defense Technology Demonstration to Collide with Asteroid in 2022” and the video to answer the question.
Behind the Spacecraft: NASA’s DART, The Double Asteroid Redirection Test
Compared to the article, which detail is emphasized in the video?
(1 point)
the amount of time DART took to become a reality
the contributions of research universities to DART
the size and distance of the Didymos system
the current threat of asteroids to Earth
"NASA Planetary Defense Demo Collide with Asteroid"
by Justyna Surowiec
The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) – NASA’s first mission to demonstrate a planetary defense technique – will get one chance to hit its target, the small moonlet in the binary asteroid system Didymos. The asteroid poses no
threat to Earth and is an ideal test target: measuring the change in how the smaller asteroid orbits about the larger asteroid in a binary system is much easier than observing the change in a single asteroid’s orbit around the Sun. Work is
ramping up at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, and other locations across the country, as the mission heads toward its summer 2021 launch – and attempts to pull off a feat so far seen only in science
fiction films.
NASA’s First Planetary Defense Technology Demonstration to Collide with Asteroid in 2022, NASA, May 6, 2019
A)
Use the passage from “NASA’s First Planetary Defense Technology Demonstration to Collide with Asteroid in 2022” and the video to answer the question.
Behind the Spacecraft: NASA’s DART, The Double Asteroid Redirection Test
Why might the video introduction be more engaging for audiences than the article?
(1 point)
It uses an educational tone to make an emotional appeal.
It explains the meaning of the DART acronym.
It downplays the immediate threat of asteroids.
It uses vibrant language and voice-overs.
"Organic Farming: Better for Environment?"
by Tamar Haspel
Robertson also said some tools that mitigate environmental harm aren’t available to organic farmers; one of them is genetically modified crops. Although reasonable people disagree about how the advantages and disadvantages of those
crops balance out, Robertson, along with many scientists and farmers, says that both major types of genetically modified crops - the kind that are resistant to the herbicide glyphosate and the kind that have a built-in organic insecticide -
can help cut pesticide use.
Also, it’s difficult for organic farmers to implement no-till. Without herbicides, the best weedkilling tool is tilling, and that can lead to erosion, nutrient runoff and the disruption of the microbial community that organic farmers work so hard to
foster.
The Washington Post © 2016 The Washington Post. All rights reserved. Used under license.
A)
Use the passage to answer the question.
In these paragraphs, what is being contrasted?
(1 point)
the major types of genetically modified crops
traditional herbicides and insecticides
organic and nonorganic environmental practices
the views of farmers and scientists
"Researcher Seeks Farming Solutions"
by Isabella Isaacs-Thomas
To feed the world and then some, farms and pastures take up a lot of space — 40 percent of all land globally is used for agriculture — and inevitably take a significant toll on the environment.
Agricultural practices generated 10 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions in the United States in 2019. Excess nitrogen and phosphorus — standard soil nutrients found in manure or chemical fertilizers — can leak from croplands into
nearby waterways and eat up the oxygen in aquatic ecosystems, sometimes killing the creatures that call them home, and even making humans sick.
Meanwhile, as the costs of fertilizer, equipment and land itself rise, “farmers have to farm more and more acres” to make ends meet, said landscape ecologist Lisa Schulte Moore. As it becomes increasingly difficult for farm operations to
be profitable enough to sustain people’s livelihoods, there are fewer and fewer active farms, according to the USDA’s Census of Agriculture, conducted every five years.
© NewsHour Productions LLC. All Rights Reserved.
A)
Use the passage to answer the question.
Based on the structure of this passage, which would most likely follow this section of text?
(1 point)
a solution to the problem of unsustainable agricultural practices
a comparison between aquatic and soil-based ecosystems
a comparison between conventional and organic farming techniques
a solution to the problem of world hunger
A) What is an anecdote? (1 point)
a reference to a familiar person or thing
a personal story shared for effect
the stating of two opposite ideas using the same grammatical structure
the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of sentences or clauses
A)
Example: A reference to the verse on the Statue of Liberty resonates with Americans because of its familiarity.
How does this rhetorical technique support the author’s point of view about immigration?
(1 point)
by using juxtaposition to contrast literature with a statue
by using a metaphor to compare art with personal liberties
by using understatement to downplay the importance of national symbols
by using an allusion to an iconic figure known to most audience members
"Daniel Dae Kim statement to the U.S. House Committee"
by Daniel Dae Kim
I was speaking to a pollster during the recent elections and I asked him why, when I see polling results do I see a breakdown of results by gender – men and women, by age – old and young, and also by race – African American and
Latinx, but rarely do I see a polling category for Asian Americans. After I asked why, he looked me dead in the eye and said “Because Asian Americans are considered ‘statistically insignificant.’” Those words rang in my ears. Statistically
insignificant. Now all of you listening to me here, by virtue of your own elections, are more familiar with the intricacies of polling than I am, so undoubtedly, you already know what this means – statistically insignificant literally means that we
don’t matter.
Daniel Dae Kim written statement to the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, March 18, 2021
A)
Use the passage to answer the question.
Which point of view about the pollster does the speaker express through the phrase “dead in the eye”?
(1 point)
The pollster was lacking empathy.
The pollster was acting nefariously.
The pollster was untrustworthy.
The pollster was unqualified

Answer 1

Question 1: In the article “NASA’s First Planetary Defense Technology Demonstration to Collide with Asteroid in 2022” and the video "Behind the Spacecraft: NASA’s DART," the detail emphasized in the video is:

• the contributions of research universities to DART.

Question 2: Regarding why the video introduction might be more engaging for audiences than the article, the correct option is:

• It uses vibrant language and voice-overs.

Question 3: In the passage about organic farming, what is being contrasted is:

• organic and nonorganic environmental practices.

Question 4: Based on the structure of the passage "Researcher Seeks Farming Solutions," what would most likely follow this section of text is:

• a solution to the problem of unsustainable agricultural practices.

Question 5: An anecdote is defined as:

• a personal story shared for effect.

Question 6: In the context of the rhetorical technique used in the example about the Statue of Liberty's verse, it supports the author’s point of view about immigration by:

• by using an allusion to an iconic figure known to most audience members.

Question 7: In Daniel Dae Kim's statement, the point of view about the pollster expressed through the phrase “dead in the eye” is:

• The pollster was lacking empathy.