RST Tornado! Article 1

Part A In paragraph 8 of the passage from Tornado!, what does the phrase suction effect mean?

• A. force that avoids

• B. force that adds

• C. force that draws in

• D. force that balances

Part B Which detail from paragraph 8 of the passage from Tornado! best supports the answer to Part A?

• A. “speed and power”

• B. “creates a vacuum”

• C. “tornado passes over”

• D. “strikes any structure”

Part A 

In the passage from Tornado!, how do paragraphs 1–3 mainly contribute to  an understanding of the topic? 

• A. by introducing the unusual power of a tornado

• B. by explaining what it feels like to experience a tornado

• C. by providing a warning about areas that frequently have tornadoes

• D. by describing how different states have been affected by tornadoes

Part B 

Which detail from the passage from Tornado! best supports the answer to  Part A?

• A. “Tornadoes blasting over barnyards have stripped chickens of their  feathers.” (paragraph 1)

• B. “One woman sought to hide from a tornado in a closet. . . .” (paragraph 2)

• C. “A tornado is a powerful column of winds spiraling violently around a  center of atmospheric low pressure.” (paragraph 7)

• D. “A Kansas farmer named Will Keller looked directly up into a tornado  from his storm cellar near Greensburg. . . .” (paragraph 13)

3. Part A 

In the passage from Tornado!, what is the author’s purpose in paragraph 3?

• A. to suggest that witnesses of tornadoes often exaggerate

• B. to show how unpredictable tornadoes can be 

• C. to explain how tornadoes have changed over time 

• D. to describe the general appearance of most tornadoes 

Part B 

Which detail from the passage from Tornado! best supports the answer to  Part A?

• A. “The name ‘tornado’ originally derived from the Latin word tonare, to  thunder.” (paragraph 6)

• B. “In shape it looks like a huge black funnel hanging from a storm cloud.”  (paragraph 7)

• C. “Some hailstones are the size of tennis balls.” (paragraph 9)

• D. “Not every funnel cloud becomes a dangerous tornado. Some never  touch down to earth. No one knows why.” (paragraph 10)