18/19 - Skywalking for Science: Aloft in Redwood Space

Read the sentence from the passage.

"When Dr. Stephen Sillett climbed his first giant redwood tree, back in 1987, he didn't know that a new world awaited him up there."

What evidence from the passage BEST supports this central idea?

• A. "At its top was a sunny glade alive with mosses, lichens, and even small trees."

• B. "Growing from a rotting stump in the middle of the crown were huckleberry bushes..."

• C. "The crown of an old redwood often has many trunks.."

• D. "Water molecules have a tendency to cling to one another, so as a water molecule rises it pulls the next molecule with it."

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

Read the third paragraph of the passage.

"Sillett started climbing trees when he was a student at Reed College, in Portland, Oregon, in the 1980s. Those experiences led him to become a botanist, a scientist who studies plants. Today he teaches botany and forestry at Humboldt State University in northern California and spends much of his time at the top of tall trees. Coast redwood tress (Sequoia sempervirens) are his specialty."

How does the paragraph MOST contribute to the development of ideas in the passage?

• A. by describing the places Sillett visits to study redwood trees

• B. by emphasizing Silett's research findings on redwood trees

• C. by explaining how Sillett became involved with redwood trees

• D. by focusing on Sillett's techniques for climbing redwood trees

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

Read the sentence from the passage.

"Coast redwoods have an advantage over many trees in that they are bathed in fog on summer mornings."

What does the figurative language in the sentence suggest?

• A. the fog cleans the redwood trees.

• B. the fog makes it cooler for researchers to climb the redwood trees

• C. the fog makes it difficult to clearly see the redwood trees

• D. the fog spreads over the redwood trees

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.7

CCSS.RI.6.7

CCSS.RI.7.7

CCSS.RL.5.7

CCSS.RL.6.7

Read the sentence from the passage.

"One thing that we already know is that redwood forests are champions at capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it."

How does the author use the word "champions" in the sentence?

• A. to reveal that more research is needed on redwood trees

• B. to indicate a way that redwood trees help the environment

• C. to suggest that redwood trees compete against other plants

• D. to emphasize one area in which people can protect redwood trees

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

How does the information in the text box titled "How to Climb a Giant" MOST contribute to the development of ideas in the passage?

• A. It supports the idea that redwood trees can live a long time.

• B. It suggests that much equipment is needed to climb redwood trees

• C. It supports the idea that climbing redwood trees requires complete attention

• D. It suggests that different animals can live within redwood trees

Tags

CCSS.RI.1.5

CCSS.RI.2.5

CCSS.RI.K.5

Which evidence from the passage BEST supports the author's claim that redwood trees have a "complex structure"?

• A. "At that time the tops of the ancient trees in old-growth redwood forests were unexplored."

• B. "The crown of an old redwood often has many trunks, each with its own set of branches."

• C. "They've installed sensors in several trees to collect data on light, temperature, humidity, wind, and sap flow."

• D. "The climbers hang in harnesses from ropes when they're in the trees to avoid putting their full weight on the branches they're exploring."

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.1

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RL.6.1

CCSS.RI.6.8

CCSS.RL.7.1

This question has two parts. Answer Part One and then answer Part Two.

Part One - Which claim does the author make in the passage?

• A. Redwood trees have few living plants within them.

• B. Redwood trees are known for their ability to stay alive.

• C. Redwood trees mostly grow in foreign countries.

• D. Redwood trees require a lot of water to survive.

Which evidence from the passage supports the answer in Part One? Choose TWO answers.

• A. "Scientists assumed they were biological deserts, containing only tree branches."

• B. "The oldest and largest ones survive in old-growth forests..."

• C. "If the top of the trunk dies and falls off, another trunk shoots up ..."

• D. "The trees are immune to most diseases."

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

This question has two parts. Answer Part One and then answer Part Two.

Part One - Which word BEST describes Sillett's approach to studying redwood trees?

• A. fearful

• B. critical

• C. cautious

• D. reluctant

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.1

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RL.6.1

CCSS.RI.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.1

Part Two - Which sentence from the passage BEST supports the answer in Part One? Choose ONE answer.

• A. "But when Sillett reached the crown of the 300-foot tree, he found a forest above the forest."

• B. "Sillett uses these numbers to construct 3-D diagrams of each tree."

• C. "Sillett has made an art of climbing the ancient redwoods, but he can't completely eliminate the danger."

• D. "These rope systems allow them to move all around the crown, even to the tips of the farthest branches."

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.7.2