"Some Clean Alternatives"

Part A

Read paragraph 5 from the passage.

Yet another source of energy for powering cars is solar energy. The ability to produce energy from the sun has been around for quite some time. Solar powered cars are powered by using panels attached to the vehicle. The problem with solar powered cars is that in order for a car to run on solar energy, the sun must be shining. Without sun, the car cannot be driven or recharged. Solar power can be stored for use when the sun is not shining. However, the amount of electricity is limited and the car will eventually need the sun to be recharged.

How does the author support the argument that solar power may not always be the better choice?

• by providing personal accounts shared by drivers of solar powered cars

• by explaining the advantages of using a solar powered car on a cloudy day

• by sharing the scientific details of converting solar power to electrical energy

• by describing the problems associated with solar power being used for automobiles

Part B

Read paragraph 5 from the passage.

Yet another source of energy for powering cars is solar energy. The ability to produce energy from the sun has been around for quite some time. Solar powered cars are powered by using panels attached to the vehicle. The problem with solar powered cars is that in order for a car to run on solar energy, the sun must be shining. Without sun, the car cannot be driven or recharged. Solar power can be stored for use when the sun is not shining. However, the amount of electricity is limited and the car will eventually need the sun to be recharged.

Trace the author’s argument throughout the paragraph by selecting the sentence that best supports your answer to Part A.

• Yet another source of energy for powering cars is solar energy.

• The ability to produce energy from the sun has been around for quite some time.

• Without sun, the car cannot be driven or recharged.

• Solar power can be stored for use when the sun is not shining.

Read paragraph 6 from the passage.

A strange, but easily available source of energy is something almost all of us have sitting in our kitchens: vegetable oil. Engines have been designed that are able to run on the same vegetable oil that you use to fry food. And, like electricity and solar power, it does not pollute the air. Vegetable oil can also be much cheaper than gasoline. When vegetable oil has been already used, like for frying food, it is very cheap. Instead of giving off the dirty smell of burning gasoline, vegetable oil will make your car smell like food is frying in it.

Select the sentence from the paragraph that supports the idea that vegetable oil is an environmentally safe alternative to gasoline.

• Engines have been designed that are able to run on the same vegetable oil that you use to fry food.

• And, like electricity and solar power, it does not pollute the air.

• When vegetable oil has been already used, like for frying food, it is very cheap.

• Instead of giving off the dirty smell of burning gasoline, vegetable oil will make your car smell like food is frying in it.

Select the sentence from the passage that best supports the author’s claim that electric vehicles have been around a long time.

• Today, alternative fuels are being used in cars in the United States and around the world. (Paragraph 2)

• Concern for the environment and the expensive cost of gasoline are fueling our interest in finding other energy sources. (Paragraph 2)

• In the early years of the automobile, there were more electric vehicles than gasoline powered cars. (Paragraph 3)

• Cities are in favor of electric vehicles because, unlike smog belching gas powered vehicles, they help keep the air clean. (Paragraph 4)

Select two claims that are best supported by information in the passage.

• Transportation in the future will require people to use more energy than they have used in the past.

• Cities that use electricity to power public vehicles will help contribute to cleaner air for its citizens.

• There is nothing that can be done about the pollution in large cities that comes from transportation.

• Developing cars that use alternative energy sources is necessary in working towards a less polluted environment.

• People will not purchase cars that run on alternative energy sources until they become less expensive than gasoline.

Select the statement that best captures the central idea of the passage.

• Power from the sun requires complicated panels attached to vehicles.

• Gasoline powered cars are the cheapest option when purchasing a car.

• There are many different ways to power environmental friendly automobiles.

• The government is working towards spreading the effort of creating cleaner cities.

How is the benefit of an electric car established in the passage?

• The electric car is said to cause no pollution.

• The designs of futuristic electric cars are described in detail.

• The cost of electricity is given per charge of an electric vehicle.

• The distance electric cars can travel is stated to be a hundred miles.

Read this sentence from the passage.

Cities are in favor of electric vehicles because, unlike smog belching gas powered vehicles, they help keep the air clean.

What is meant when gas powered vehicles are described as smog belching?

• They create a small amount of smoke.

• They produce a disgusting air pollution.

• They cause people to have upset stomachs.

• They make a rude sound out of the tail pipe.

What is the author’s purpose for writing the passage?

• to demonstrate his knowledge of alternative energy sources

• to capture a view of the cars and transportation of the future

• to imply electric cars lack enough evidence to be a solution for air pollution

• to establish an argument that alternative energy sources for cars are necessary

What are the fuel alternatives the author suggests in the passage?

• electricity

• solar Power

• vegetable Oil

• diesel