Question

Hurricane Katrina: Understanding Natural Disasters

In the sentence “Hurricane Katrina battered the offshore energy infrastructure…” the word “battered” most nearly means

(1 point)
Responses

A. lightly touched
A. lightly touched

B. carefully protected
B. carefully protected

C. struck with great force
C. struck with great force

D. slowly surrounded
D. slowly surrounded
Question 2
The passage states that the storm surge “overwhelmed” levees along the Mississippi River. What does “overwhelmed” most likely mean?
(1 point)
Responses

A. Strengthened and repaired
A. Strengthened and repaired

B. Covered or overcame completely
B. Covered or overcame completely

C. Carefully measured
C. Carefully measured

D. Slowly avoided
D. Slowly avoided
Question 3
Based on context clues in paragraph 5, the word "dire" most closely means:
(1 point)
Responses

A. unexpected
A. unexpected

B. temporary
B. temporary

C. extremely serious
C. extremely serious

D. manageable
D. manageable
Question 4
In the phrase “vast geographic distribution of the damage,” the word “vast” most nearly means(1 point)
Responses

A. Limited to one city
A. Limited to one city

B. Small but noticeable
B. Small but noticeable

C. Spread over a very large area
C. Spread over a very large area

D. Difficult to understand
D. Difficult to understand

Answer 1

Question 1: C — struck with great force.
(“Battered” implies heavy damage, not a light touch or protection.)

Question 2: B — covered or overcame completely.
(“Overwhelmed” here means the storm surge overcame/engulfed the levees.)

Question 3: C — extremely serious.
(“Dire” indicates very serious or urgent circumstances.)

Question 4: C — spread over a very large area.
(“Vast” describes something extensive in geographic scope.)