'Runnin Water on Mars' IELTS/TOEFL Reading

The word “merge” in the passage is closest in meaning to ...

• expand

• separate

• straighten out

• combine

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CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

What does the discussion in paragraph 1 of runoff channels in the southern highlands suggest about Mars?

• The atmosphere of Mars was once thinner than it is today.

• The river systems of Mars were once more extensive than Earth’s.

• Large amounts of rain once fell on parts of Mars

• The rivers of Mars began to dry up about 4 billion years ago.

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CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

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CCSS.RI.8.2

The word “relics” in the passage is closest in meaning to

• remains

• sites

• requirements

• sources

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CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

According to paragraph 2, all of the following are true of the outflow channels on Mars except:

• To emphasize the great size of the volume of water that seems to have flowed through Mars’ outflow channels

• To indicate data used by scientists to estimate how long ago Mars’ outflow channels were formed

• To argue that flash floods on Mars may have been powerful enough to cause tear-shaped “islands” to form

• To argue that the force of flood waters on Mars was powerful enough to shape the northern volcanic plains

The word “miniature” in the passage is closest in meaning to

• temporary

• small

• multiple

• familiar

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CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

According to paragraph 2, all of the following are true of the outflow channels on Mars except:

• They formed at around the same time that volcanic activity was occurring on the northern plains

• They are found only on certain parts of the Martian surface

• They sometimes empty onto what appear to have once been the wet sands of tidal beaches

• They are thought to have carried water northward from the equatorial regions

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CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

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All of the following questions about geological features on Mars are answered in paragraph 3 except:

• What are some regions of Mars that may have once been covered with an ocean?

• Where do mission scientists believe that the river forming the delta emptied?

• Approximately how many craters on Mars do mission scientists believe may once have been lakes filled with water?

• During what period of Mars’ history do some scientists think it may have had large bodies of water?

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CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

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CCSS.RL.8.2

According to paragraph 3, images of Mars’ surface have been interpreted as support for the idea that

• the polar regions of Mars were once more extensive than they are now

• a large part of the northern lowlands may once have been under water

• deltas were once a common feature of the Martian landscape

• the shape of the Hellas Basin has changed considerably over time

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CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

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What can be inferred from paragraph 3 about liquid water on Mars?

• If ancient oceans ever existed on Mars’ surface, it is likely that the water in them has evaporated by now

• If there is any liquid water at all on Mars’ surface today, its quantity is much smaller than the amount that likely existed there in the past

• Small-scale gullies on Mars provide convincing evidence that liquid water existed on Mars in the recent past

• The small amount of water vapor in the Martian atmosphere suggests that there has never been liquid water on Mars

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CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

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According to paragraph 4, what do the 2003 global Surveyor data suggest about Mars?

• Ancient oceans on Mars contained only small amounts of carbon

• The climate of Mars may not have been suitable for the formation of large bodies of water

• Liquid water may have existed on some parts of Mars’ surface for long periods of time

• The ancient oceans that formed on Mars dried up during periods of cold, dry weather

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CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

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CCSS.RI.8.2