Packing for Mars

According to the author, how might money be raised to fund a manned mission to Mars?

• turning the Mars mission into a reality TV show

• inviting average citizens to donate to the mission

• by selling the technologies resulting from space exploration

• asking huge entertainment companies to make ads for NASA

In the selection, how do other party guests react when the author goes to an upstairs computer to watch a robotic spacecraft land on Mars?

• they prefer to watch the landing individually on their cellphones

• they grow interested in the landing and join her to watch it

• they are annoyed with the author for leaving the party

• they complain that space exploration is too expensive

In the selection, what main options does the author express to answer her own question, "Is Mars worth it?"

• Yes, traveling to Mars will help solve problems on Earth

• Yes, such adventures were the dream of the nation's founders

• Yes, traveling to Mars would be an inspiring human achievement

• Yes, the work required for the Mars project would be a source of jobs.

In paragraph 1, the author writes, “I could parrot the NASA Public Affairs Office and spit out a long list of products and technologies spawned by aerospace innovations over the decades."

What is the most likely meaning of parrot?

• join with

• praise loudly

• attempt to contact

• repeat without thinking

In paragraph 3, the author writes, "By the time Phoenix had plowed intact through the Martian atmosphere and was about to release its parachute for the descent, half the party was upstairs crowded around Chris' computer."

What is the most likely meaning of descent?

• act of going down

• act of rising up

• act of colliding

• act of joining

In paragraph 3, the author writes, "It was standing room with engineers and managers, people who'd spent years working on heat shields and parachute systems and thrusters, all of which, in this final hour, could fail in a hundred different ways, each of those failures having been planned for with backup hardware and contingency software"



What word has the same meaning as contingency?

• new

• complex

• expensive

• emergency

At the end of paragraph 1, the author uses a quote from Ben Franklin. What point is the author most likely trying to make with this quotation?

• Ben Franklin approved of mechanical inventions

• People do not always agree about the value of children

• something that seems impractical may have great potential

• hot-air balloons led directly to humanity's exploration of space

How do computer simulations of space travel compare to the reality of actually traveling in space?

• harder to design

• more expensive

• less convenient

• less rewarding

Which statement from the text best supports the answer to Question 8?

(Question #8 asks: How do computer simulations of space travel compare to the reality of actually traveling in space?)

• The more you read about Mars missions, the more you realize it's the ultimate reality TV. (paragraph 2)

• We live in a culture in which, more and more, people live through simulations.(paragraph 4)

• You can tour the Sea of Tranquility on Google Moon and visit the Taj Mahal via Street View. (paragraph 4)

• What's different? Sweat, risk, uncertainty, inconvenience. But also, awe. Pride. Something ineffably splendid and stirring. (paragraph 5)

At the end of paragraph 5, the author describes a Martian meteorite. How does the author most likely feel about her experience?

• frightened

• puzzled

• thrilled

• bored