Text Evidence Assessment 2

Today, the United Postal Service delivers mail by truck and by plane but it was not always delivered this way. In the past, mail was carried by stagecoaches and steamships. It was also carried on horses. For example, the Pony Express carried mail across the country to the gold fields of Sacramento, California in the 1860's. Around this same time, trains started to carry mail, especially with the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad.

Name a reason the Pony Express delivered mail in the 1860's.

• For the Transcontinental Railroad

• To the gold fields of Sacramento, California

• They carried the mail on horses

Brazil is the largest country in South America and the fifth largest nation in the world. Its borders touch every South American country except Chile and Ecuador. The Brazilian landscape is most well-known for its dense forests, including the Amazon, the world's largest rainforest, which is in the north. Brazil also has dry grasslands (called pampas), rugged hills, pine forests, wetlands, plateaus, and a long coastal plain.

For what reason is the Amazon famous according to this text?

• It's the largest country in South America

• It's borders touch every South American country

• It has dense forests, including the Amazon, the world's largest rainforest

A cloud is made up of a large collection of very tiny droplets of water or ice crystals. These droplets are so tiny and light that they can float in the air. Clouds are formed when warm air heats water and changes it into water vapor. As this water evaporates, it rises. Eventually some of the water vapor condenses around tiny pieces of dust that are floating in the air. When billions of these droplets come together, they become a cloud.

What are two types of droplets that can make up clouds?

• Clouds and rain

• Water and ice crystals

• Dust and heat

The heaviest land animals in North America are the bison, which are often called buffaloes. Bison are about five to six feet tall at their shoulders and can weigh over a ton. Despite their size, bison can run very quickly, up to 40 miles per hour (faster than some racehorses). Bison once covered the Great Plains and much of North America, and were important to the Plains Indians, who used the animal for meat, clothing, homes, tools and more.

Why is it surprising that bison can run quickly?

• They are heavy and weigh over a ton

• They are used for meat, clothing, homes, tools and more

• They are faster than some racehorses

Hail is formed when small water droplets are lifted up into the sky by a thunderstorm's updraft (air moving up). These water droplets are lifted so high that they freeze into ice and become hail. Once the hail becomes heavy, it starts to fall. If the smaller hailstones get caught in an updraft again, water covers them and they get lifted back into the sky. There the water freezes and the hail gets bigger. This process repeats itself until the hail is too heavy to go back up.

Which type of wind is needed for hail to form?

• An updraft

• No wind is needed

• A downdraft

A skeletal system is important for a number of

reasons. Bones provide protection. Your skull for example protects your very important brain. Your ribs protect most of your internal organs like your heart and lungs. Your skeletal system also provides support. Without bones, you would be a blob of water-filled tissues. Bones provide a framework for your whole body. Finally, bones work with muscles to help you move.

Name three reasons why the skeletal system is important.

• Protects your skull, heart, and lungs

• Prevents you from being a blob of water-filled tissue

• Provide protection, support, and they help you move

Volcanoes are a dangerous force of nature. When a

volcano erupts, magma from deep inside the Earth's crust, travels to the opening of the volcano and comes out as hot lava. This extremely hot liquid rock will burn everything in its path. Volcanoes that are known to erupt are called "active". There are active volcanoes throughout the world including Indonesia, Russia, New Zealand, Italy, Iceland, Guatemala, and even the United States.

What is one reason that volcanoes are so dangerous?

• They are "active"

• Lava burns everything in it's path

• There are volcanoes all throughout the world

Koalas are marsupials, which means they have pouches. A koala mother usually gives birth to one baby, called a joey, which is the size of a jelly bean. The joey is born blind, naked, and earless. As soon as it's born, this tiny creature makes its way to its mother's pouch, where it feeds and grows until it is old enough to leave the pouch, at about seven months. The joey eats leaves at this age but returns to the pouch to nurse until it turns one.

How do you know that a newborn koala is tiny?

• It lives in it's mother's pouch

• They are marsupials

• The text says it's the size of a jelly bean

It's important to be prepared before an earthquake strikes. First, find a sturdy piece of furniture to get under so nothing can fall on you. Practice DROP, COVER AND HOLD ON! This means to drop under something sturdy, hold on, and protect your eyes by pressing your face against your arm. If you live in an earthquake area, you should prepare a first aid kit for your home. By preparing before a disaster strikes, you have a much greater chance of staying safe.

What reason did the text give for preparing ahead of time?

• You have a much greater chance of staying safe

• So nothing can fall on you

• You should have a first aid kit

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and is called the Red Planet due to its iron rich soil. For several years, two Mars Exploration Rovers have been studying Mars closely. The rovers discovered that Mars has evidence of volcanoes, plate tectonics, and liquid water. It even has polar ice caps, with water in the north and solid carbon dioxide in the south. But Mars is very different from Earth. It has only 40% of our gravity and an atmosphere made of carbon dioxide.

How do we have so much information about Mars?

• Mars has volcanoes, plate tectonics, and liquid water

• An astronaut went to Mars and studied it

• Two Mars Exploration Rovers have been studying Mars