Unit 3 Formative A: Gemini The Twins

Read the passage and answer the question.

Look Up: When you look up on a dark night, the sky is flooded with star patterns that tell a story.

Ursa Major (The Great Bear) is identified by the square of the Big Dipper, which forms the bear's body, and a chain of stars, which forms its tail.

Ursa Minor (Lesser Bear) is identified by the square of the Little Dipper, which forms the bear's body, and a chain of stars, which forms its tail.

Orion (The Hunter) has some of the brightest stars. He is positioned in the sky to fight off a raging bull. Orion stands with his right arm holding a great club uplifted in the air, ready to strike. Over his left arm hangs a lion’s skin that he holds up as a shield in front of him to stop the raging bull.

Hydra (The Water Snake) is the largest constellation. It covers more than 3% of the sky.

Which of these is true?

• Some star groups are based on animals.

• People today cannot see star groups.

• Orion is the most beautiful star group.

• Star groups tell stories about modern times.

Read the passage and answer the question.

Leo (the Lion) is one of the easiest constellations to find. An easy way to spot Leo is to look for a backward question mark in the sky, which represents the head and front of the body. In the northern hemisphere, Leo can be located in the spring, and in the southern hemisphere, it can be located in the autumn.

Which of these questions does the paragraph NOT answer?

• When can we see Leo?

• What is an easy way to find Leo?

• What shape does Leo form in the sky?

• Where is the northern hemisphere?

Read the passage and answer the question:

Constellations are groups of stars with a purpose.  Why were star groups made up?  There are so many stars!  How could we remember them all?  We could put them in groups.  The groups break the sky into parts.  The stars in the sky are divided into 88 constellations.  They help us remember which stars are which.  How many stars can we see?  On a dark night, we see 1,000 to 1,500 stars.

The main idea of this paragraph is to ________.

• Inform the reader about the life cycle of stars.

• Narrate the story of a single star's life

• Explain why the idea of constellations began

• Relate the ancient myth of Castor and Pollux

Read the passage and answer the question.

The Ancient Stories of Gemini

Ancient people invented stories about the Gemini Twins.  The Egyptians called them twin plants.  The Hindus called them twin gods.  Arabs called them twin peacocks.  What is the ancient Greek story of Gemini?  The Greeks said they were the sons of the Greek god Zeus and the woman Leda.  They said that Zeus and Leda had twin sons.  Their names were Castor and Pollux.  They were devoted and loving brothers.  They looked alike.  But they were not alike.  Castor was mortal like his mother.  He became a horseman.  Pollux was immortal like his father.  He became a boxer.  Both became expert soldiers.  Castor was killed in battle.  Pollux could not bear to be without his twin.  Pollux asked his father, Zeus, for help.  He asked for Castor to come back to life.  Zeus let them be together side by side forever.  They are the Twins that shine brightly in the sky.  They are the two brilliant stars in Gemini.

In the ancient Greek story of Gemini, ________________________.

• The gods are hidden from humans

• Every human becomes a god

• Humans and gods interact

• All brothers are twins

Which word best completes the sentence? Poets told stories about the beautiful ________ of stars in the sky.

• Poets

• Points

• Patterns

• Experts

Read the following: They are the twins that shine brightly in the sky. They are two brilliant stars in Gemini. What does brilliant mean as used in the text?

• Exceptionally clever or talented

• Excellent or marvelous

• Very bright; giving off a lot of light

• A diamond of a certain cut

Choose the best preposition to complete the sentence. I'll left the book ________ the coffee table?

• For

• Without

• With

• On

What is the direct object in this sentence? My father cooked dinner.

• Dinner

• Father

• My

• Cooked

Ancient poets of different cultures made up stories about them. To which category does the word poet belong?

• Scientists

• Writers

• Soldiers

• Gods

What is the adverb in this sentence? The moon travels slowly across the sky.

• Travels

• Across

• The

• Slowly