Can Writers Predict the Future (2015)

11 The author includes the information about President Kennedy’s idea and NASA to show that —

• A technological advancements are needed in order to change our world

• B something seemingly impossible can become a reality

• C governments typically support the development of new technology

• D great leaders have a remarkable ability to accomplish their goals

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12 What is the best summary of the selection?

• F Science fiction writers Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, and Ray Bradbury wrote about life in the future. Verne wrote about humankind’s first trip to the moon, and Wells described many technologies that exist today. Bradbury wrote about traveling to Mars.

• G President John F. Kennedy believed that it was important for people to travel into space. In 1969, the United States sent astronauts on a mission to the moon. Science fiction writers such as Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, and Ray Bradbury have described space travel and new technologies in their books.

• H In 1865 science fiction author Jules Verne wrote about an expedition to the moon. He described a crew of three men launching their spacecraft from Florida and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean when they returned to Earth. Some people compare his writing with the first trip humans made to the moon, which occurred in 1969.

• J In 1969, the United States sent three astronauts on a mission to the moon for the first time. More than 100 years earlier, Jules Verne had described an expedition that very closely resembled the 1969 mission. Verne and other well-known science fiction writers, such as H. G. Wells and Ray Bradbury, have displayed an unusual ability to predict the future in their writings.

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13 According to the selection, one reason that humans develop new types of technology is that they want to —

• A demonstrate that distant places are interesting to visit

• B discover new information

• C make accurate predictions about the future

• D engage in difficult tasks

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14 Based on the information the author includes about the three science fiction writers, the reader can conclude that the author believes that the writers were —

• F educators

• G realists

• H visionaries

• J scholars

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15 Why does the poet compare space travelers to the early settlers of America?

• A To highlight the difficulties that the early settlers encountered when venturing into new places

• B To imply that the obstacles the early settlers faced discouraged them from exploring new lands

• C To suggest that explorers will overcome the difficulties in space just as explorers in the past overcame their difficulties

• D To demonstrate that explorers will encounter the same challenges in space as explorers in the past did in other frontiers

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16 What does the final stanza of the poem suggest about the future?

• F Some people will travel to other planets, while others will choose not to.

• G People who travel to other planets will no longer communicate with people living on Earth.

• H Some people will regret their decision to remain on Earth.

• J People who travel to other planets will want their family members living on Earth to join them.

17 The progression from “wayfarers” to “spacefarers” demonstrates that people —

• A have made scientific discoveries while traveling to new places

• B have developed ways to explore new regions

• C select the mode of transportation that is most convenient

• D prefer some forms of transportation over others

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18 What do the descriptions of the future throughout the poem suggest about the speaker?

• F He believes that people will be intimidated by the challenge of space travel.

• G He feels confident that people will be able to travel easily through space.

• H He assumes that living on another planet will be different from living on Earth.

• J He accepts that space travel likely will be unavailable during his lifetime.

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19 How are the descriptions of space travel different in the selection and the poem?

• A The selection presents factual information about space travel, while the poem suggests what it will be like when people travel in space.

• B The selection lists destinations humans may travel to in space, while the poem gives details about how it feels to look at Earth from space.

• C The selection primarily focuses on significant achievements in space travel, while the poem tells about events that happened before space travel was possible.

• D The selection explains how space travel will improve life on Earth, while the poem focuses on the difficulties of space travel.

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20 With which statement would both the author of the selection and the poet most likely agree?

• F The uncertainties of space travel make it unlikely that many people will want to leave Earth.

• G It will be difficult to develop technology more advanced than it already is.

• H Space travel will one day be a commonplace occurrence for many people.

• J The creation of new technology is influenced by the technology described in science fiction books.

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