ACT-READING-P5

Questions 1–3 ask about Passage A.
The last paragraph of Passage A (lines 37–49) marks a shift in the passage from:

•  a description of events leading up to a sudden action by the narrator to a reflection on the intentions and meanings behind that action.
• an overview of a family dilemma to an explanation of how the narrator solved that dilemma.
• an example of the narrator’s typical response to family events to an analysis of the narrator’s personality.
• a chronology of a historical event to a summary of the narrator’s circumstances at the time.

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In Passage A, the narrator’s descriptions of Armstrong suggest that she sees him as ultimately:

• self-confident and triumphant.
• isolated and alone.
• awe-inspiring and heroic.
• stiff and ceremonial.

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The narrator of Passage A most nearly suggests that her family is angry and annoyed with her for clanking her fork on her plate because the noise:

• demonstrates that the narrator has not been watching the broadcast.
• disrupts the family’s observance of a momentous event.
• causes the family to worry about the outcome of Armstrong’s endeavor.
• drowns out the sound from the television.

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Questions 4–6 ask about Passage B.
The narrator’s statement “I am looking at the MOON, I told myself, I am looking at the MOON” (lines 60–62) is most nearly meant to:

• reflect the excitement of the astronauts as they prepare to land.
• illustrate the narrator’s disappointment with the moon’s barren appearance.
• express the narrator’s irritation at having to wait for Apollo to land.
• convey the narrator’s awe at the event that is being broadcast.

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Passage B indicates that compared to the narrator’s expectation about how the first person walking on the moon would be televised, the broadcast itself was:

• similar; the narrator had expected the television companies to prolong the event with preliminary material.
• similar; the narrator had expected Armstrong would be chosen to walk on the moon’s surface.
• dissimilar; the narrator had expected there would be cities on the moon before a moon walk would be televised.
•  dissimilar; the narrator had expected to see Armstrong’s moon walk shortly after the lunar vehicle landed.

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CCSS.RI. 9-10.7

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Based on the passage, the information about Luna City and Mars provided in lines 80–84 is most likely meant to represent the:

• types of advances in space exploration the narrator anticipated would happen next.
•  plotlines the narrator planned to develop in his science fiction stories.
• official plans for space development revealed during the broadcast.
• far-fetched fantasies that first inspired the narrator to become a science fiction writer.

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Questions 7–9 ask about both passages.
Which of the following statements provides the most accurate comparison of the tone of each passage?

• Passage A is fondly nostalgic, while Passage B is impersonal and scientific.
• Passage A is optimistic and exuberant, while Passage B is sarcastic and cynical.
• Both passages begin by conveying some sense of the narrator’s wonder but conclude with a note of disenchantment.
• Both passages begin by conveying the narrator’s doubt but conclude with some sense of lasting pride.

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Compared to the narrator of Passage A, the narrator of Passage B provides more information about:

• Armstrong’s actions after setting foot on the moon’s surface.
• Armstrong’s qualifications for a moon voyage.
•  the prior accomplishments of the space program.
• the order of events throughout the moon landing broadcast.

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It can reasonably be inferred that after seeing the first man walk on the moon, compared to the narrator of Passage B, the narrator of Passage A felt:

• more impressed by the fact that the event was broadcast on television.
• more optimistic about future space exploration.
• less able to appreciate the celebration surrounding the man on the moon.
• less disappointed by the delay in the broadcast.

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