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.

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CCSS.RI.5.2

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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)

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CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

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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.

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CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

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CCSS.RL.4.2

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.

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CCSS.RI.5.7

CCSS.RI.6.7

CCSS.RL.4.7

CCSS.RL.5.7

CCSS.RL.6.9