Unit 4: Elements of Nonfiction (EDG)

Read the excerpt from "Thomas Edison: The Master of Improvement.”

Its glow was produced by electricity passing through a filament, or tiny piece of material. The inside of the glass bulb was a vacuum.

Based on context clues, what is the meaning of the word filament?

• a place where electricity is made

• a very small piece of material

• the inside of a lightbulb

• the vacuum inside a bulb

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Read the excerpt from “The Telephone: A Truer Tale.”

At about the same time that Antonio Meucci was filing patent caveats for his talking telegraph, Alexander Graham Bell was starting to work on his own telephone model. Bell was an expert in the field of elocution, or vocal speech. He was very skilled at teaching deaf students the challenging task of speaking aloud. Just like Meucci, he enjoyed experimenting. Bell also dreamed of a world full of useful telephones, just as Meucci did. However, he had something that Meucci did not. Bell had a wealthy father-in-law who was happy to invest in his dream.

Based on the details of this excerpt, a reader can infer that

• Meucci did not succeed because he was not as talented as Bell.

• Bell’s expertise in elocution helped him to develop the telephone.

• Bell succeeded because he had more financial resources than Meucci.

• Meucci’s caveats prevented Bell from filing a patent for the telephone.

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Read the excerpt from “Egyptian Tombs: A Grave Matter.”

From the twenty-fifth century BCE, pharaohs’ tombs were located inside grand pyramids. The pyramids served as giant grave markers; however, they also served as treasure markers for grave robbers. These wicked people would strip the tombs bare of all valuables. Then they would sell the stolen items for a large amount of money. Stealing from the dead was bad enough, but for the ancient Egyptians, the act also threatened the pharaoh’s afterlife.

Based on this excerpt, readers can infer that

• stolen goods from the tombs were difficult to sell.

• grave robbers were unconcerned about the pharaohs’ afterlife.

• grave robbers were severely punished for their crimes.

• none of the pharaohs would experience an eternal afterlife.

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Which detail best supports the argument that Alexander Graham Bell did not invent the first telephone?

• What’s more, the first words ever spoken over a wire could not possibly have been uttered by Alexander Graham Bell, because he was only two years old at the time.

• Bell was an expert in the field of elocution, or vocal speech. He was very skilled at teaching deaf students the challenging task of speaking aloud.

• Bell also dreamed of a world full of useful telephones, just as Meucci did.

• Bell had a wealthy father-in-law who was happy to invest in his dream.

Read the excerpt from "Egyptian Tombs: A Grave Matter.”

From the twenty-fifth century BCE, pharaohs’ tombs were located inside grand pyramids. The pyramids served as giant grave markers; however, they also served as treasure markers for grave robbers. These wicked people would strip the tombs bare of all valuables. Then they would sell the stolen items for a large amount of money. Stealing from the dead was bad enough, but for the ancient Egyptians, the act also threatened the pharaoh’s afterlife.

Based on the details in the excerpt, what conclusion can be drawn about the pharaohs of ancient Egypt?

• They went to great lengths to ensure that their tombs were prepared for the afterlife by placing valuables inside.

• They liked the pyramid shape, so they used it as a tomb.

• They thought that giant grave markers would protect them against grave robbers.

• They placed more emphasis on their current lives than on their afterlives.

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Read the excerpt from "The Telephone: A Truer Tale.”

The story of the telephone’s invention in 1876 is one of hard work, determination, and triumph. Many accounts make it sound like a fairy tale. After all, it has a terrific happy ending in which the hero, Alexander Graham Bell, uses his astonishing new device to transmit the words "Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you.” However, the true story of how the telephone came to be is not quite as happy as most imagine. In fact, it is not a tale of triumph at all, but one of tragedy. What’s more, the first words ever spoken over a wire could not possibly have been uttered by Alexander Graham Bell, because he was only two years old at the time.

Based on the excerpt, which statement best describes the author’s attitude toward Alexander Graham Bell?

• The author greatly dislikes Bell for taking credit for the invention of the telephone.

• The author feels pity for Bell because he is not the real inventor of the telephone.

• The author celebrates Bell even though he gives him only partial credit for the telephone.

• The author feels it is important to show that Bell was not the true inventor of the telephone.

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Which excerpt from "Egyptian Tombs: A Grave Matter” shows the author’s view of the grave robbers?

• These wicked people would strip the tombs bare of all valuables. Then they would sell the stolen items for a large amount of money.

• They took precautions. Many had their pyramids constructed with twisting pathways and decoy chambers.

• Other evidence showed that the main pathway to the tomb was filled in with rubble after the first robbery.

• They even removed his body. Of course, this final raid was done in the name of science.

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Which detail from “Thomas Edison: The Master of Improvement” explains why Swan’s lightbulb failed to be successful?

• “He developed and demonstrated the first small lightbulb in 1878.”

• “Its glow was produced by electricity passing through a filament, or tiny piece of material.”

• “The inside of the glass bulb was a vacuum. In other words, it was oxygen-free.”

• “[The] bulb did not glow for long, however. It produced light for only thirteen hours.”

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Read the excerpt from “The Telephone: A Truer Tale.”

The year was 1849, and Antonio Meucci, a man trained in engineering, was experimenting with electricity. He and a doctor were trying to determine if electric shock could be used to cure illnesses. One day, when he turned on the switches to treat a patient in another room, he heard the patient yelp. However, the voice had not come from the next room—it had come from the copper wire that ran between them!

Following that fateful day, Meucci left his medical experiments behind. Instead, he set a goal to develop that talking wire into a machine he called a “talking telegraph.” After six years of trials and tests, he was able to build a working model. Meucci found it to be a useful device almost immediately.

Based on the sequence of events in the excerpt, which sentence best states a cause-and-effect relationship?

• Because Antonio Meucci was a trained engineer, he was able to invent a “talking telegraph.”

• Because electricity was used to cure sickness, Antonio Meucci invented the “talking telegraph.”

• Because the device was so useful, Antonio Meucci invented the “talking telegraph.”

• Because he heard a patient’s yelp through a copper wire, Antonio Meucci invented the “talking telegraph.”

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Read the excerpt from "Egyptian Tombs: A Grave Matter.”

The pharaohs were aware of these crimes, so they took precautions. Many had their pyramids constructed with twisting pathways and decoy chambers. Only one secret passage led to the real tomb, and that was sealed off with huge granite blocks. Often guards were employed as well. Severe punishment awaited thieves who were caught, since the Egyptians considered grave robbery an outrageous crime.

None of the pharaohs’ precautions stopped the thieves, however. Eventually, they realized that they needed a new place for burial—a place that would protect their bodies and treasure for all of eternity. They found it in the Valley of the Kings, a barren area that was difficult to travel to. The pharaohs began putting underground tombs there in the sixteenth century BCE.

Based on the sequence of events in the excerpt, which sentence best states a cause-and-effect relationship?

• Because so many graves were robbed, grave-robbing was considered a terrible crime.

• Because none of the precautions they took were effective, the pharaohs found a new burial ground in the Valley of the Kings.

• Because the graves were so heavily protected, there were very few instances of grave robberies in ancient times.

• Because there was only one way to enter most burial chambers, grave robbers were often stopped.

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