iReady Assessment 1 (The Bone Wars Text)

1. This question has two parts. Answer Part A, and then answer Part B.

Part A

The passage says that paleontology was a young science in the United States in the

mid-1800s. How knowledgeable about the field were paleontologists of the time?

• A. They were more informed than those in other nations.

• B. They were the greatest experts of the field at the time.

• C. They were not very knowledgeable about their field.

• D. They were just as knowledgeable as any other scientists.

Part B

Which detail from the passage BEST supports the answer to Part A?

• A. Another scientist soon pointed out that Cope had mistakenly stuck the beast’s skull

  on its tail.

• B. Cope was humiliated, and Marsh crowed about the blunder to anyone who

  would listen.

• C. Because they published their findings as quickly as possible, they made many

  mistakes.

• D. Unlike Cope’s mistake with Elasmosaurus, paleontologists didn’t discover and undo

  Marsh’s Brontosaurus blunder for nearly 100 years.

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.W.7.9A

Marsh and Cope had a stormy relationship. Which event was the MOST important

influence on this relationship?

• A. Marsh paid Cope’s team foreman to send new fossils to him.

• B. Marsh claimed he was the first to discover a mistake by Cope.

• C. Groups of their workers threw rocks at each other.

• D. Cope and Marsh attacked each other in the newspapers.

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.3

CCSS.W.7.1B

Which sentence BEST describes how the two paleontologists influenced each other?

• Cope and Marsh would do almost anything to become public celebrities.

• The competition between Cope and Marsh pushed each man to make amazing

  discoveries.

• Cope and Marsh’s mistakes destroyed their credibility as paleontologists.

• Cope and Marsh would have discovered even more dinosaur bones if they had

  worked together.

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CCSS.RI.7.3

Each man thought he was better in his field than the other. Which evidence from the text

BEST supports the inference that Cope also thought he was smarter than Marsh?

• Cope told the New York Herald about Marsh’s actions.

• B. Cope described a newly found extinct sea reptile he named Elasmosaurus.

• Cope wanted his brain size to be compared with Marsh’s after death.

• Cope published scientific articles viciously attacking Marsh’s ideas.

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.W.7.9A

CCSS.RL.7.1

A good summary includes only important details. Which detail is NOT important enough

to include in a summary of the passage?

• The rivalry between Cope and Marsh affected their fieldwork.

• Cope and Marsh brought to light some amazing discoveries.

• Each man’s rush to claim glory caused mistakes to be made.

• The men gained fame due to their letters in the New York Herald.

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.2

The last paragraph says that the Bone Wars have a mixed legacy. How does the author

develop this idea?

• by concentrating on the mistakes that Cope and Marsh made

• by presenting the pros and cons of Cope and Marsh’s rivalry

• by giving the causes and effects of Cope and Marsh’s rivalry

• by stating in sequence events detailing Cope and Marsh’s rivalry

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.2

Which of the following lists only the MAIN TOPICS of “The Bone Wars” in the

correct order?

• Cope and Marsh meet in 1864.

  Their feud begins in 1868.

  Cope publishes a mistake in 1869.

  The feud moves into fieldwork during the 1870s and 1880s.

  Cope dies in 1897, leaving Marsh the winner of the Bone Wars.

• Marsh begins the feud.

  The feud is fought through scientific articles.

  The fighting turns violent in fieldwork out West.

  Cope dies and wants his brain compared with Marsh’s.

  The Bone Wars both helps and hurts the reputation of paleontology.

• The feud turns Cope and Marsh into celebrities.

  Marsh secretly tries to hire Cope’s foreman.

  Cope publishes a mistake in a scientific journal.

  Cope and Marsh begin fighting the Bone Wars.

  Cope dies, so Marsh wins the Bone Wars.

• A feud begins between Cope and Marsh.

  Cope and Marsh compete in both articles and fieldwork.

  The fight leads to both mistakes and damaged specimens.

  The feud goes public and ends only with Cope’s death.

  The Bone Wars slowed scientific progress but provided valuable fossils.

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CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.7.5

The last paragraph of the passage states that “American paleontology got a bad

reputation from Cope and Marsh’s cutthroat behavior.” Explain why this was true. Use

details from the passage to support your answer. Write your answer on the lines

provided.

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.W.7.9A

CCSS.W.7.1B