from Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World

In the excerpt from Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World, what caused the men to become trapped?

• Icebergs cracked their boats into pieces.

• A large iceberg plowed through their camp.

• Their ship got stuck in a large piece of ice.

• Their ship was stolen after losing its course.

In the excerpt from Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World, how does Shackleton try to encourage his tired and frustrated men? Choose two options.

• He asks them how they are doing.

• He distracts them with other topics.

• He gives them each a diary to write in.

• He shows them where nearby islands are.

• He teaches them how to track their location.

According to the excerpt from Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World, why is it important that the crew land on the islands northwest of the Antarctic Peninsula?

• The crew does not have food supplies to be at sea for much longer.

• There are no other islands around for many miles in any other direction.

• The closer islands are surrounded by rocks, making it hard to reach them.

• The islands were the ship’s original destination before it went off course.

In the excerpt from Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World, why does Macklin kill the dogs?

• The crew needs to eat the dogs to survive.

• There is no room in the boats for the dogs.

• The dogs are no longer needed for navigation.

• The dogs taste better than anything else to eat.

What is the likeliest meaning of predictable as it is used in this sentence from Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World? Choose the meaning based on context clues in the excerpt.

Astronomers have long known that the celestial bodies—the sun, the moon, the plants, and the stars—follow regular and predictable paths through the heavens, and centuries of patient nighttime observation have produced detailed almanacs listing the daily positions of these bodies.

• hidden

• unusual

• expected

• uncertain

What is the likeliest meaning of turbulent as it is used in this sentence from Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World? Choose the meaning based on context clues in the sentence.

The mechanism of Harrison’s chronometer could withstand the turbulent motion of a ship at sea, defy changes of temperature, and resist the corrosion of salt water and air.

• slow

• rough

• gradual

• unmoving

The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A What is the likeliest meaning of spared as it is used in this excerpt from Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World? Base your answer on context.

The men watched [the iceberg] come closer and closer, breathing a sigh of relief when it veered away and passed them to the east. They were spared—for now.

• at risk

• worn out

• full of fear

• out of danger

Part A answer: spared = out of danger

Part B Which phrase from the excerpt is the context clue that most clearly supports the answer to Part A?

The men watched [the iceberg] come closer and closer, breathing a sigh of relief when it veered away and passed them to the east. They were spared—for now.

• men watched

• closer and closer

• sigh of relief

• to the east

The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A In the excerpt from Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World, which best explains why the crew on the ice can do little to control their fate?

• They are unable to repair the damage to their boats.

• They have lost the equipment to track their location.

• They are stuck without the ability to travel anywhere.

• They are too cold to prepare for the rest of the journey.

Part A answer: They are stuck without the ability to travel anywhere.

Part B Which sentence or sentences from the excerpt most clearly support the answer to Part A?

• For several days the pack closed in tight again, and they could no longer detect the movement of the ocean.

• “If the ice opens we could land in a day,” Hurley lamented in his diary. Yet the ice pack, with Patience Camp and its twenty-eight frustrated and helpless men, drifted past.

• As March continued, the weather turned to rain and then to snow, and the men crawled into their damp sleeping bags in complete, wretched misery.

• Then, during the early morning hours of March 28, their floe split in half. “Crack!” came a yell from Cheetham, on watch. “Lash up and stow!”