Trash Vortex Chapter Questions (ch. 2-4)

“We were a nation of consumers now, a society increasingly democratized by our shared ability to enjoy the conveniences and comforts of modern life” (22).

What is the meaning of democratized as it is used in this sentence?

• made equal

• made angry

• made confused

• made powerful

Reread the paragraph on page 24 of Trash Vortex beginning “Yet humans have always found new forms . . .” and answer the question below.

What is the author’s point of view about how people treated plastic compared to other materials?

• Like with other materials, people grew bored with plastic.

• Unlike with other materials, people didn’t try to reuse plastic.

• Like with other materials, people didn’t think plastic would last long.

• Unlike with other materials, people combined plastic with different substances.

What is the purpose of the paragraph on page 24 of Trash Vortex beginning “Plastic trash started accumulating where trash always had”?

• to inform about the history of pollution of water

• to persuade the reader of the need to take action

• to engage the reader about recycling success stories

• to entertain with suspenseful stories about scientists

Reread the paragraph on pages 36–37 of Trash Vortex, beginning “Scientists in Plymouth, England, worked with a nature film director in 2015 . . .”

What is the author’s point of view about the video described in this paragraph?

• It is unusual and surprising.

• It is outdated and incorrect.

• It is fascinating and inspiring.

• It is confusing and unhelpful.

What word from the paragraph best helps convey the author’s point of view about the video?

• startling

• ingested

• equipped

• transparent

Reread the paragraph on page 38 of Trash Vortex beginning “Seafood, whether eaten raw or cooked, delivers . . .” and answer the question below.

What is the purpose of this paragraph in the text?

• to entertain the reader with stories and facts about seafood across the world

• to persuade the reader that he or she should no longer eat seafood from the ocean

• to engage the reader with a history about how humans first began fishing for seafood

• to inform about the importance of seafood and the dangers of its being contaminated

Reread the sentence below from page 40, and answer the question that follows.

“Hormones carry vital messages ranging from instructions telling the body how to grow and develop to messages that trigger emotions and feelings of hunger.”

What is the meaning of vital as it is used in this sentence?

• new

• difficult

• complex

• important

What is the author’s purpose in discussing Plastiki on page 44?

• to entertain the reader with jokes made about Plastiki

• to persuade the reader to build their own version of Plastiki

• to inform the reader of the similarities and differences between Plastiki and Charles Moore’s boat

• to hook the reader with an interesting story about Plastiki, which was built from 12,500 used water bottles

“The bottle craft traveled through the gyre not as trash, but as part of a headline-grabbing expedition with a message” (46).

How does this sentence develop the purpose you identified from the question before?

• by amusing readers with surprising facts

• by teaching that plastic is not the enemy

• by convincing readers of the problem with plastic

• by confirming the interest that people took in the story

What point of view does the author present on page 46?

• You can never catch up to the problem of trash in the ocean.

• Ocean currents will naturally take care of the plastic pollution.

• Vacuuming plastic pollution in the ocean won’t solve the problem.

• Using plastic water bottles as a meal for bacteria won’t solve the problem.