Look! No Hands! RI.2.6 Achieve 3000

Select the best summary of the article.

• Driverless cars are unsafe and should not be allowed on the roads.

• Developments in technology have made driverless cars possible and there will be an increase in their use in the future.

• Driverless cars have many safety features.

What is the author's purpose for writing the article? Choose TWO

• To entertain the reader with a story about a driverless car

• To persuade the reader that driverless cars are dangerous

• To inform the reader about the developments in driverless cars

• To show why there will be an increased use of driverless cars in the future

Why does the author use the underlined word to describe the race up Pikes Peak mountain? What is its connotation and what effect does it have on the text?

The car lived up to its billing in the fall of 2010, when the self-driving car was tested at Colorado's Pikes Peak. The mountain, which rises to an altitude of 14,110 feet (4,300 meters) above sea level, is home of the world-famous International Hill Climb. The event has bedeviled professional drivers with its steep grades and treacherous switchbacks since 1916.

• It has a positive connotation and describes how the race is fun for the drivers.

• It has a negative connotation and describes how the event causes problems for the drivers.

• It is a neutral word and has no effect on the text.

Why does the author include these supporting details?

The car reached speeds of 130 mph during a test drive in Utah. At Pikes Peak, Shelley's capabilities were tested even further. The Audi climbed 4,721 feet (1,439 meters) up the mountain on twisting gravel roads as it covered the 12.4-mile (20-kilometer) race course and its 156 turns at high speeds. The feat had never before been attempted by a driverless vehicle.

• To point out similarities and differences between two races

• To provide a definition of the race

• To use statistics or data as evidence for the car's performance.

What does this sentence reveal about the author's point of view?

The car, named "Shelley," is the latest creation of Stanford University researchers who are developing automotive technology that could help make driving a lot safer and one day allow for the creation of mass-market vehicles that drive on their own.

• Driverless cars are safe and their use will increase in the future

• Driverless cars are interesting but they do not have practical uses

• Driverless cars should not be used because they could be dangerous

Select sentences from the text that reveal the author's point of view. Choose THREE

• But there's one thing that sets this Audi coupe apart: It doesn't need a driver.

• Shelley is not the first driverless vehicle, nor will it be the last.

• Commercial carmakers also aim to develop driverless technology. Researchers anticipate that cars like Shelley will one day be available on a wider scale to consumers

• Volkswagen AG, which is working with Stanford on the Shelley project, has set a goal of creating a line of driverless vehicles by 2028

What implicit assumption is made in this section of the text?

That same technology could one day be used to create smarter cars that help motorists avoid accidents when they're driving fast. For example, Shelley has been equipped with GPS technology and can be programmed to follow any route using a digital map. The research team has developed a computer program that lets the car make real-time adjustments. This allows the car to cope with the terrain and calculate how fast it can go without careening out of control.

• Everyone drives too fast

• The car will always make the correct calculations for a safe speed but people will not

• All cars have a GPS

How does the author use slanted text (presenting information to reflect a particular viewpoint) to further his purpose or point of view?

• The author only includes the advantages of driverless cars in the text

• The author includes advantages and disadvantages of driverless cars in the text

• The author only includes disadvantages of driverless cars in the text