Unit 1

Which sentence best explains why the last step in making a rocket is to wait?

• The cork has to fit tightly into the bottle top.

• It takes time for gas to build up in the bottle.

• It is safer to take the bottle outside to launch.

• You must wrap the baking soda in a paper towel.

Read this sentence from paragraph 3: 'Robert Goddard once called himself a 'one-dream-man.' Which two sentences from the text explain why Goddard said this?

• His dream was to send a rocket into space.

• Throughout his career, Goddard worked mostly alone.

• It began on October 19, 1899, when he was 17 years old.

• Most of his experiments took place on his aunt’s Massachusetts farm.

• As he looked up, he had a vision of traveling into space.

Circle the boxed words or phrases that best complete the sentence: To launch the homemade rocket, vinegar and _______ mix to form _______ that pushes the rocket out of the bottle.

• vinegar and baking soda

• carbon dioxide gas

Which sentence below best tells the main idea of the article?

• Robert Goddard helped build the rocket that took the astronaut Neil Armstrong to the moon.

• Robert Goddard was a scientist whose work led to the Saturn 5 rockets, which were 30 stories tall.

• Robert Goddard did most of his rocket research in his spare time on his aunt's farm in Massachusetts.

• Robert Goddard worked alone for many years to develop the rockets that led to space travel and exploration.

Which statement best explains why Robert Goddard worked “almost totally alone”?

• Other scientists did not take rockets seriously.

• Goddard did not like working with other scientists.

• The farm was too far away from other people.

• Goddard wanted to keep his research a secret.

Which sentence from the text best supports the answer to Part A?

• “Throughout his career, Goddard worked mostly alone.”

• “Most of his experiments took place on his aunt’s Massachusetts farm.”

• “Rocket research was not considered a proper subject for a serious scientist.”

• “Robert Goddard once called himself a ‘one-dream-man.’”

Why are the streamers important in the instruction "Up, Up, and Away!" for attaching streamers to the top of the cork?

• They bring liquid into the bottle.

• They help people follow the flight of the cork.

• They make the cork fit tightly into the bottle top.

• They react with the baking soda and vinegar to make gas.

Which sentence from the text best supports the answer to why the streamers are important for attaching to the top of the cork?

• "The streamers will help you trace its flight."

• "As the liquid soaks through the paper towel, the vinegar will react with the baking soda and produce carbon dioxide gas."

• "Make your rocket by attaching streamers to the top of the cork with the thumbtack."

• "Make sure the cork will fit tightly into the bottle."

In paragraph 2, what is the meaning of the word "earthlings"?

• animals

• people

• objects

• rockets

Which sentence best summarizes the first paragraph of the article?

• Seeing a rocket is awesome because it is 363 feet tall and weighs more than six million pounds.

• With rocket engines, the Saturn 5 rocket sent a 100,000-pound spacecraft to make a lunar landing.

• The Saturn 5 rocket, which was tall and heavy, sent a spacecraft and astronauts to the moon.

• Thanks to Robert Goddard, the Saturn 5 rocket was able to take human beings into space.