The Mystery of the Whistling Building

Residents of South Beach, Staten Island were complaining about what?

• the lack of nearby athletic centers

• Hurricane Sandy

• the long commute to Manhattan

• a loud whistling noise

One effect of the loud whistling noise was that South Beach residents could not sleep. What was the cause of the loud whistling noise?

• athletes running on an indoor running track

• wind blowing through parts of a building called “acoustic baffles”

• a UFO landing nearby

• wind blowing between skyscrapers in Manhattan

The whistling noise was disruptive to the people in South Beach, Staten Island. What evidence from the text supports this statement?

• People had difficulty sleeping, and the noise could be heard more than a mile away.

• At first no one knew where the whistling sound was coming from, and people were annoyed that they didn’t have an answer.

• The noise was not consistent and would sometimes change pitch.

• Residents had many different descriptions for what the noise sounded like.

Read the following sentences: “When they figured out what was wrong, the New York City government, which was responsible for building the athletic center, quickly apologized to the residents of South Beach, Staten Island, for the annoying noise. They had not expected that the building would produce a whistling sound, and promised the problem would be quickly fixed when the building was completed and the acoustic baffles were protected from the wind.”

How did the residents of South Beach likely feel about this “solution”?

• satisfied with the apology

• reassured that the government was doing all they could

• annoyed that nothing could be done sooner

• embarrassed that they had complained so much

What is this passage mostly about?

• the effect of Hurricane Sandy on New York

• the cause and effects of a whistling noise

• construction methods used to build skyscrapers

• problems faced by the Ocean Breeze Athletic Center

Read the following sentences: “Some of this wind blew through parts of the building called ‘acoustic baffles’—devices designed, ironically, to reduce sound produced inside the center. However, when the baffles were exposed to wind, they made a whistling sound.”

The author uses the word “ironically” to refer to the baffles. Why is it ironic that the acoustic baffles were causing the whistling sound?

• because the residents found the noise created by the baffles humorous

• because the baffles were made of iron and other metals

• because the baffles were fulfilling the purpose they were created for

• because the baffles were designed to reduce noise but were creating noise instead

Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.

The New York City government expected that construction would be finished by early December, _________their estimate proved incorrect after the city was hit by Hurricane Sandy.

• but

• so

• soon

• like