DANGER! THIS MISSION TO MARS COULD BORE YOU TO DEATH!

According to "Danger! This Mission to Mars Could Bore You to Death!" why are astronauts living on the slopes of a volcano as part of the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation project?

• a. They are testing a variety of rockets and engines to determine which will perform best in space.

• b. They are researching the health risks of living at altitudes similar to those of a space station.

• c. They are building equipment in a hostile environment that is supposed to be like Mars.

• d. They are studying how people react to spending large amounts of time in space.

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What makes the trip to Mars especially challenging for astronauts, as explained in "Danger! This Mission to Mars Could Bore You to Death!"?

• a. Powering the spacecraft requires advanced technology.

• b. The trip takes more than eight months each way.

• c. Getting supplies to the astronauts is not easy.

• d. Deep space is too cold to be comfortable.

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What happens to the human brain when a person is bored for long periods of time, according to "Danger! This Mission to Mars Could Bore You to Death!"? Choose two options.

• a. It sleeps.

• b. It daydreams.

• c. It gains intelligence.

• d. It becomes depressed.

• e. It becomes unconscious.

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According to "Danger! This Mission to Mars Could Bore You to Death!" why might chronic boredom be dangerous on a space mission?

• a. Astronauts might decide to shorten the length of the mission.

• b. Astronauts might get frustrated and stop working with one another.

• c. Astronauts might take risks that jeopardize the safety of the entire crew.

• d. Astronauts might stop taking care of themselves and become unable to work.

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According to "Danger! This Mission to Mars Could Bore You to Death!" what is one way that astronauts can combat extreme boredom when living in an isolated environment?

• a. by eating and drinking more often

• b. by counting the days until they go home

• c. by occupying themselves with a lot of work

• d. by communicating continuously with people

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Based on its context, which meaning of prone does the author use in this sentence from "Danger! This Mission to Mars Could Bore You to Death!"?

More important, Danckert and Kring say, bored people are also prone to taking risks, subconsciously seeking out stimulation when their environment bores them.

• a. lying down

• b. suffering from

• c. likely to act a certain way

• d. having a front surface facing down

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What is the most likely meaning of chronic in this sentence from "Danger! This Mission to Mars Could Bore You to Death!"?

But no mission in NASA's history has raised the specter of chronic boredom to the degree that a Mars mission does, because none have involved such a long journey through nothingness.

• a. very bad

• b. out of the ordinary

• c. occurring again and again

• d. happening once in a while

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PART A. What is the meaning of stimulus in the following excerpt from "Danger! This Mission to Mars Could Bore You to Death!"? It suggests that what we call a restless mind is just that-a mind desperate for something to amuse it, searching frantically for stimulus.

• a. something that brings calm

• b. something that spurs interest

• c. something that provides healing

• d. something that answers questions

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Part B Which word from the text best supports the answer to Part A?

• desperate

• something

• amuse

• frantically

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According to the passage, why are astronauts given psychological evaluations?

• a. to see whether they can handle being away from their families

• b. to determine whether they can complete difficult physical tasks

• c. to decide whether they are willing to listen to the mission's lead officer

• d. to see whether they can mentally withstand the months-long trip to Mars

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