Nonfiction Test Prep Activity

Part A:  What is the central idea of the text? .

• A. Studying how humans perform in a high stress, extreme environment is risky and dangerous work

• B. Although working underwater may seem frightening, most participants felt comfortable and often forgot where they were.

• C. NASA is interested in studying underwater plant and animal life in addition to studying how humans perform underwater.

• D. Wearing safety gear in addition to dive equipment put heavy strain on the test subjects; bodies.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Part B: Which quotation supports the answer in Part A?

• A. “At night, I also used a remotely operated vehicle as part of my National Geographic Open Explorer project to monitor the seafloor to find sponge spawning events, collect plankton samples and detect biofluorescent marine organisms that emit light around the habitat.” (paragraph 8)

• B. “By the end of the day we quickly fell asleep. We did not even notice that we were underwater." (paragraph 9)

• C. “The heavy (32 pounds) helmet put a lot of pressure on our neck and back muscles in addition to the 50-60 pounds of dive gear plus 20 pounds of extra weight to simulate the conditions that would be experienced on the Moon.” (paragraph 11)

• D. “They slowly reduced the pressure inside the habitat, which created the risk of water entering the habitat; and we were breathing pure oxygen for an hour, which increased the chance of getting seizures from central nervous system oxygen toxicity.” (paragraph 14)

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.3

CCSS.RI.8.3

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.3

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

Reread paragraph 1.

Which phrase from the text provides context to help the reader determine the meaning of the word "inhospitable"?

• A. "...tight quarters of a Moon base." (paragraph 2)

• B. "...high-stress, extreme environment..." (paragraph 3)

• C. "...a heavy workload." (paragraph 3)

• D. "...undersea research station..." (paragraph 4)

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

How does the author's word choice in paragraphs 1-3 impact the tone of the text?

• A. It creates a concerned tone.

• B. It creates an informative tone.

• C. It creates a thoughtful tone.

• D. It creates a witty tone.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

What is the meaning of the word "grappled" as it is used in paragraph 6?

• A. argued

• B. complained

• C. investigated

• D. struggled

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

Read the two excerpts from the text. 

Which statement describes the connection between the two excerpts?

• A. The second excerpt provides details to explain the first excerpt.

• B. The first excerpt describes the problem that the second excerpt seeks to solve.

• C. The excerpts contrast the known data about human bodies with the data the mission sets out to collect.

• D. The excerpts emphasize the complete lack of information about conditions in space and what to expect when traveling.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.7

CCSS.RI.8.7

CCSS.RL.7.7

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.8.7

What is the meaning of the word "malfunctioning" as it is used in paragraph 12?

• A. broken

• B. expensive

• C. heavy

• D. important

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4