Making Tracks on Mars

Making Tracks on Mars

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Model Selection: Nonfiction

Nonfiction writing is about real people, real events, real places, and ideas. Examples of nonfiction writing include letters, memoirs, journals, Web logs (or blogs), biographies, autobiographies, media accounts, essays, and articles.

Model Selection: Nonfiction

Nonfiction writers choose the method of organization that best fits their purpose. Methods of organization include chronological (presenting details in time order), comparison and contrast (showing how subjects are similar and different), cause and effect (showing relationships between events), and problem and solution (identifying aproblem, presenting a solution). The writer of a biography, for example, would most likely present his or her subject’s life chronologically, ordering events from earliest to most recent. The writer of a book about a war might use cause-and-effect organization, showing how events led to one another and affected one another.

Model Selection: Nonfiction

Nonfiction writers reveal their attitude toward their audience and their subject by using a particular tone. Their tone might be formal, informal, playful, or serious.

Open Ended

How do you know that the journal is organized chronologically?

Open Ended

What is the purpose of the journal’s subheads?

Open Ended

Would you describe the author’s tone as formal or informal?

Open Ended

What major historical event does Mishkin’s journal track?

Open Ended

What was Mishkin’s job at the time of the events he writes about?

Multiple Choice

Essays, articles, biographies, and journals are all examples of

• memoirs.

• nonfiction.

• web logs.

• persuasive writing.

Multiple Choice

When an author presents details in time order, this type of organization is called

• cause and effect.

• problem and solution.

• chronological.

• comparison and contrast.

Multiple Choice

Which statement is true of an author's tone?

• It is the writer's presentation of information.

• It is related to the theme in a work of nonfiction.

• It has to do with word choice, sound devices, and pace.

• It is the writer's attitude toward his or her audience and subject.

Multiple Choice

A writer's distinctive way of "speaking" in his or her writing is called

• tone.

• personality.

• pace.

• voice.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is an example of a persuasive essay?

• a newspaper editorial

• a media account

• a description of a new technology

• a discussion of a reality television show

Multiple Choice

Nonfiction that presents facts, discusses ideas, or explains a process is called

• narrative writing.

• reflective writing.

• expository writing.

• factual writing.

Multiple Choice

What information does the subhead of each entry in "Making Tracks on Mars" provide?

• It refers readers to additional information about the mission.

• It introduces new information about the mission.

• It clarifies difficult or unusual vocabulary.

• It identifies the focus of each entry.

Multiple Choice

In "Making Tracks on Mars," what is the main mission of the exploration rovers?

• to search for evidence of water in Mars's ancient past

• to search for evidence of prehistoric animals on Mars

• to confirm possible similarities between Mars and Earth

• to find out if Mars is capable of supporting human life

Multiple Choice

According to "Making Tracks on Mars," what country launched Beagle 2?

• Russia

• China

• Great Britain

• Australia

Multiple Choice

According to "Making Tracks on Mars," how long do signals take to get to Earth from the spacecraft carrying Spirit?

• ten minutes

• ten seconds

• two hours

• almost one day

Multiple Choice

In "Making Tracks on Mars," who or what controls the rovers Spirit and Opportunity?

• astronauts on board

• a remote device on a nearby planet

• engineers in a space station

• engineers on Earth

Multiple Choice

How would you describe the author's tone in "Making Tracks on Mars"?

• informal

• serious

• formal

• cold

Multiple Choice

Why does the author of "Making Tracks on Mars" sometimes use the pronouns "we" and "us" when he is writing about the rovers?

• He and the rovers are on the same spacecraft.

• There are hundreds of people involved in the mission.

• He and his team identify strongly with the rovers.

• He identifies more with Mars than with Earth.

Multiple Choice

In "Making Tracks on Mars," what is the author's main job at mission control?

• building new commands for the rover

• briefing visiting members of Congress

• sending daily commands to the rover

• making sure that the rover does not roll over

Multiple Choice

The January 15 and 22 entries of "Making Tracks on Mars" refer to sol. What is the most likely explanation for the inclusion of this word?

• The author is referring to the sun.

• The author is learning a new language.

• The author is tracking the rover's progress.

• The author is thinking in terms of Martian time.

Multiple Choice

According to "Making Tracks on Mars," "drive-off day" is dangerous for the rover because on that day the rover

• lands on Mars.

• drives into a prehistoric lake.

• reenters Earth's atmosphere.

• rolls off the lander platform.

Multiple Choice

In "Making Tracks on Mars," what event suggests that Spirit is having problems?

• Its wheels get caught in cracks on the surface of Mars.

• It misses preprogrammed communication times.

• Its camera flash does not adjust for nightfall.

• It does not reconnect with its lander.

Multiple Choice

What kind of organization does Mishkin use to present the information in "Making Tracks on Mars"?

• comparison and contrast

• chronological order

• cause and effect

• problem and solution