Question 1 Part A
The correct response is:
The rovers are long-lasting despite challenging conditions.
Question 2 Part B
The evidence from paragraph 3 that best supports the answer to Part A is:
"...surprised scientists by going steadily..."
Read the article "Driving on Mars." Then answer the questions.
Driving on Mars
by Charlene Brusso
For hundreds of years, humans have longed to explore Mars. And now we can—thanks to robots.
Who Goes There?
1 Scientists have still not found a way to send human beings safely to Mars, but three robot missions have already explored its dusty red surface. The first was the Viking mission, in 1976. Viking landed two probes on the surface, while two orbiters mapped the planet from space. The probes didn’t move around, but they took pictures, analyzed rocks and dust for signs of life, and measured Mars’s atmosphere and winds.
2 The next visitor was Sojourner, in 1997. Sojourner had better science instruments and could travel a third of a mile (500 meters) on six sturdy wheels. A small computer helped it avoid obstacles and navigate. But because batteries were heavy and expensive to launch, Sojourner was solar powered and ran only during Martian daylight.
3 The most recent visitors are the hard-working twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity, which landed in 2004. Each is a miniature mobile laboratory, solar powered, with small batteries so they can keep going at night. Originally expected to last for just 90 days, these two hardy rovers have surprised scientists by going steadily for many years. Spirit finally shut down in early 2010, but Opportunity has traveled more than 19 miles (30 kilometers) and is still exploring!
Take Me to Your Leader
4 So, how do you drive a roving robot on far-away Mars? Very carefully.
5 All of the Mars rovers are able to do some things on their own, but they also need directions from humans. It takes 20 minutes for a radio signal from Earth to reach Mars and 20 minutes more for a reply, so scientists tell the rover to do a long list of tasks before it reports back again for new instructions. Scientists must direct the robot carefully, so each task happens in the right order and doesn’t confuse the robot or get its equipment into awkward positions that are hard to fix.
6 As they drive around, the rovers occasionally stop and take a circle of photographs all around them. If scientists spot an interesting rock or crater, they send a command to the rover to drive to it.
7 When Earth sends a command to, say, "go to that rock," the rover's own computer plots the best way to get there. As it drives it constantly checks the path for hazards. If the way seems clear, it moves ahead; if not, it alters its route before setting off again.
8 If the robot does get stuck, onboard computers try to solve the problem, revving the motors on each wheel to try to move the rover out of trouble. If that doesn't work, the rover sends a radio message to Earth for help.
9 Once it reaches its target, the rover extends its robotic arm and gets to work. It uses a magnifying camera to examine samples and sends images back to Earth, where scientists decide what the rover should do. They might ask it to collect soil or use its drill to break off a piece of rock, then analyze the sample with its spectrometer to see what the rock is made of. Once they get the results, scientists can ask for more tests, or send the rover somewhere new.
10 Scientists direct the rover using a set of commands that the rover is programmed to understand. For example, the command "Collect Sample" tells the rover to do a series of simpler tasks: "Extend Arm," "Grasp," and "Deposit." And each of those tasks is made of still simpler tasks: for example, "Grasp" tells the robot to slowly close its "hand" around the sample, a bit at a time, until sensors report that the hand is gripping it with a particular force.
Curiosity for Mars
11 Scientists are now preparing a new rover named Curiosity to visit Mars in 2012. With more powerful instruments, scientists hope to learn still more about Mars’s history and whether the planet once supported life. Whatever they discover, there should be more than enough mysteries on Mars to satisfy Curiosity.
"Driving on Mars," by Charlene Brusso, from Ask Magazine, November 2011. Copyright © by Carus Publishing Company d/b/a Cricket Media.
Question
Select the sentence from paragraphs 7-9 that best provides sound reasoning to support the argument for the necessity of human communication with Mars rovers.
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Read the article "Driving on Mars." Then answer the questions.
Driving on Mars
by Charlene Brusso
For hundreds of years, humans have longed to explore Mars. And now we can—thanks to robots.
Who Goes There?
1 Scientists have still not found a way to send human beings safely to Mars, but three robot missions have already explored its dusty red surface. The first was the Viking mission, in 1976. Viking landed two probes on the surface, while two orbiters mapped the planet from space. The probes didn’t move around, but they took pictures, analyzed rocks and dust for signs of life, and measured Mars’s atmosphere and winds.
2 The next visitor was Sojourner, in 1997. Sojourner had better science instruments and could travel a third of a mile (500 meters) on six sturdy wheels. A small computer helped it avoid obstacles and navigate. But because batteries were heavy and expensive to launch, Sojourner was solar powered and ran only during Martian daylight.
3 The most recent visitors are the hard-working twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity, which landed in 2004. Each is a miniature mobile laboratory, solar powered, with small batteries so they can keep going at night. Originally expected to last for just 90 days, these two hardy rovers have surprised scientists by going steadily for many years. Spirit finally shut down in early 2010, but Opportunity has traveled more than 19 miles (30 kilometers) and is still exploring!
Take Me to Your Leader
4 So, how do you drive a roving robot on far-away Mars? Very carefully.
5 All of the Mars rovers are able to do some things on their own, but they also need directions from humans. It takes 20 minutes for a radio signal from Earth to reach Mars and 20 minutes more for a reply, so scientists tell the rover to do a long list of tasks before it reports back again for new instructions. Scientists must direct the robot carefully, so each task happens in the right order and doesn’t confuse the robot or get its equipment into awkward positions that are hard to fix.
6 As they drive around, the rovers occasionally stop and take a circle of photographs all around them. If scientists spot an interesting rock or crater, they send a command to the rover to drive to it.
7 When Earth sends a command to, say, "go to that rock," the rover's own computer plots the best way to get there. As it drives it constantly checks the path for hazards. If the way seems clear, it moves ahead; if not, it alters its route before setting off again.
8 If the robot does get stuck, onboard computers try to solve the problem, revving the motors on each wheel to try to move the rover out of trouble. If that doesn't work, the rover sends a radio message to Earth for help.
9 Once it reaches its target, the rover extends its robotic arm and gets to work. It uses a magnifying camera to examine samples and sends images back to Earth, where scientists decide what the rover should do. They might ask it to collect soil or use its drill to break off a piece of rock, then analyze the sample with its spectrometer to see what the rock is made of. Once they get the results, scientists can ask for more tests, or send the rover somewhere new.
10 Scientists direct the rover using a set of commands that the rover is programmed to understand. For example, the command "Collect Sample" tells the rover to do a series of simpler tasks: "Extend Arm," "Grasp," and "Deposit." And each of those tasks is made of still simpler tasks: for example, "Grasp" tells the robot to slowly close its "hand" around the sample, a bit at a time, until sensors report that the hand is gripping it with a particular force.
Curiosity for Mars
11 Scientists are now preparing a new rover named Curiosity to visit Mars in 2012. With more powerful instruments, scientists hope to learn still more about Mars’s history and whether the planet once supported life. Whatever they discover, there should be more than enough mysteries on Mars to satisfy Curiosity.
"Driving on Mars," by Charlene Brusso, from Ask Magazine, November 2011. Copyright © by Carus Publishing Company d/b/a Cricket Media.
Question 1
Part A
What does the phrase hardy rovers mean as it is used in paragraph 3?
Responses
The rovers are long-lasting despite challenging conditions.
The rovers are long-lasting despite challenging conditions.
The rovers are technologically advanced with scientific instruments.
The rovers are technologically advanced with scientific instruments.
The rovers are fragile and stop working after executing difficult commands.
The rovers are fragile and stop working after executing difficult commands.
The rovers are convenient to use with radio-signalled commands.
The rovers are convenient to use with radio-signalled commands.
Question 2
Part B
Select the evidence from paragraph 3 that best supports the answer to Part A.
Responses
"...hard-working twin rovers..."
"...hard-working twin rovers..."
"...miniature mobile laboratory..."
"...miniature mobile laboratory..."
"...surprised scientists by going steadily..."
"...surprised scientists by going steadily..."
"...shut down in early 2010..."
1 answer
1 answer