The Mysterious Dark Day

Part A: What are TWO main ideas expressed in the article?

• People in the coloinies were afraid on the Dark Day because they didn't know what caused it.

• People in the colonies believed that every time the sky went dark it was a sign of bad luck.

• People from the colonies were more amazed by the wildfires' effects on the sky than afraid of the darkness.

• The exact cause of the Dark Day determined by modern scientists was similar to the suspicions of scientists from the colonies.

• Modern scientists were able to determine that the Dark Day was caused by smoke, something scientists in the colonies never suspected.

Part B: Which TWO details from the text best support the answers to Part A?

• "People in New England stared at the sky, amazed as the sun disappeared and a think darkness gradually fell" (Paragraph 2)

• "People panicked. Many rushed to churches. A lady in Boston sent her son to their minister to ask what was happening." (paragraph 7)

• "The American Revolution still dragged on after four years, and the British were winning. Just one week before the Dark Day, the British had taken Charleston, South Carolina" (Paragraph 10)

• "People had now way of knowing that the forests in Canada were burning so fiercely, but Professor Williams and Viator definitely had the right idea." (Paragraph 20)

• "Some believed the moon eclipse had caused it. Others said no- that kind of eclipse doesn't cause days to go dark." (Paragraph 13)

How do paragraphs 3-5 contribute to the development of ideas in the text?

• They emphasize how unbothered nature was by the Dark Day.

• They show how plants and animals were affected by the Dark Day.

• They stress why people thought the world was ending on the Dark Day.

• They show that animals also thought the world was ending on the Dark Day.

Which statement best describes the ideas of scientists in 1780 and the findings scientists announced in 2008?

• Modern scientists know more about how fire affects the sky than past scientists.

• The ideas of scientists in 1780 were close to the findings of the 2008 research.

• In 1780, few people trusted the ideas of scientists, and now many people do.

• Scientists in 1780 agreed that a planet caused the darkness, and modern scientists proved them wrong.