day one

1. 1. April wants to add a supporting sentence to the third paragraph (sentences 11–18).

Which sentence should be added after sentence 13?

• Stevenson saw a way to improve skateboards.

• Stevenson, however, was not the only inventor who significantly improved the design of skateboards.

• Stevenson used his knowledge of shaping surfboards and applied it to shaping skateboards.

• Stevenson witnessed surfers riding skateboards.

The pronoun in sentence 18 is unclear.

Which word should replace they to create a more effective sentence?

• skateboarders

• kicktails

• inventors

• surfboards

Which sentence is extraneous and should be deleted from the fourth paragraph (sentences 19–24)?

• 19

• 20

• 21

• 22

April does not think a way is the best phrase to use in sentence 28.

Which phrase is the best replacement for a way in the sentence?

• an opening

• a break

• an opportunity

• a room

April would like to add the following detail to the sixth paragraph (sentences 30–34).

"It provided skateboarding with unprecedented coverage and led to the general public’s viewing of skateboarders as professional athletes."

Where should this sentence be placed?

• Before sentence 30

• After sentence 30

• After sentence 31

• After sentence 32

What is the best summary of the article?

• Every year Broadcom MASTERS awards the Lemelson Award for Invention to a middle school student. MASTERS, which stands for Math, Applied Science, Technology and Engineering for Rising Stars, is an event that recognizes middle school students for their scientific achievements. Nathan Deng won the award by creating an experiment that tests how well hot water and soap clean dishes. He wants other teams to conduct the same experiment.

• Nathan Deng was able to construct an experiment that determined why hot water and soap are used to clean dishes. He kept the experiment simple by only testing the surface tension of water. The surface tension of water is the effect that results when molecules bond to each other on the surface of the liquid. Nathan found that hot water and soap reduce surface tension.

• Nathan Deng’s use of simple experimentation to answer basic questions about dish washing won him the Lemelson Award for Invention. Curious about why hot water and soap were needed to clean dishes, Nathan set up an experiment to test surface tension. Nathan tested drops of water at different temperatures as well as the use of a soap ingredient to determine their effects on surface tension. He found that soap and hot water are most effective.

• Inspiration for science projects can come from everyday life. For this reason, anyone can complete a science project. Nathan Deng investigated the way soap and hot water affect the cleanliness of dishes. There are often tiny cracks in dishes that are difficult to reach when washing dishes. Surface tension keeps water out of these spaces. Nathan’s experiment showed that using soap and hot water would be effective.

What key idea about experimentation do the details in paragraph 7 support?

• Experimentation requires careful timing to ensure accuracy.

• Experimentation needs to be conducted in a scientific laboratory.

• Experimentation does not necessarily require expensive lab materials.

• Experimentation cannot be completed in multiple steps.