ReadWorks 9/11

What happened on September 11, 2001?

• The National September 11 Memorial and Flight 93 National Memorial opened.
• Lawmakers created the Department of Homeland Security.
• U.S. forces invaded the nation of Afghanistan, searching for Osama bin Laden.
• Terrorists hijacked airplanes and attacked the United States.

What does this passage describe?

• This passage describes the reasons that Ashley Gilligan's father was at the WorldTrade Center on September 11, 2001.
• This passage describes what being inside the World Trade Center was like before September 11, 2001.
• This passage describes the events of September 11, 2001 and some of their effects.
• This passage describes the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and the effects of that invasion.

The passengers and crew on United Airlines Flight 93 were brave. What evidence from the passage supports this statement?

• About 50,000 people worked at the World Trade Center.
• Michael Bloomberg called the September 11 Memorial "a powerful symbol of our grief."
• Members of the terrorist group Al Qaeda hijacked a plane and flew it into the Pentagon.
• The passengers and crew on Flight 93 banded together to fight the terrorists.

The author writes that there is now stricter security at airports. What is the most likely reason for the stricter security?

• The Department of Homeland Security is in charge of airports.
• More international flights are taken today than on September 11.
• The terrorists used airports to gain access to planes.
• Americans are scared in public now.

What is this passage mostly about?

• the heroism of United Airlines Flight 93 passengers
• the increasing violence in the news
• the tragic events of September 11 and the effects of the tragedy
• the events that led up to the September 11 attacks

Read the sentence:
"Panic soon gripped the country as word of a third attack spread." 

What words would best replace gripped and spread as used in this sentence?

• worried; took over
• confused; increased
• took over; was shared
• held on to; swelled

Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.
"U.S. forces invaded the nation of Afghanistan, searching for Osama bin Laden ________he was the leader
of the network that organized the attacks."

• therefore
• although
• in contrast
• because

Why was the Department of Homeland Security created?

• To protect the US and prevent national emergencies
• To prepare the US for hurricanes and other natural disasters
• To respond to 911 calls and arrest criminals
• To protect the country from climate change

How does Ashley Gilligan believe that the United States has changed since September 11?

• People are both more united and more aware of our vulnerability
• People are more afraid of airplanes and skyscrapers
• People are more intolerant of those from other countries
• People are more patriotic