Module 3 Week 2 Assessment Part 1

Which sentence from paragraph 2 of the article is an example of a comparison that the author uses to help readers understand how quickly soil is carried by the wind?

• A black blizzard is the same experience multiplied many times over.

• Like water flowing in a river, fast air currents pick up and transport loose, dry soil.

• Saltation and creep come together to move massive amounts of material.

• In September 2009, a giant dust storm moved five million tons of red outback soil through Sydney, Australia!

What is the effect of using the words gritty, dark, and smothering to describe the dust storm in paragraph 1? Use details from the article to support your answer.

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Which sentence from the article best states the central idea?

• During the storm, visibility was nearly zero.

• Dust storms can severely affect whatever or whoever gets in their way

• Unchecked desertification will produce an increase in dust storms.

• The worst dust storm ever to hit the United States was caused by drought paired with land mismanagement.

Read the sentence from paragraph 3.

The grinding blast damages crops, livestock, buildings, and vehicles.

How does the author’s use of the phrase “the grinding blast” affect readers’ understanding of black blizzards?

• It helps readers imagine how harmful a dust storm can be.

• It helps readers understand that dust storms appear in dry areas.

• It helps readers imagine the limited visibility during a dust storm.

• It helps readers understand why people get sick after a dust storm.

Read the sentences from paragraph 3.

Dust storms stir up bacteria, molds, and fungi, which can cause “valley fever,” an infection that often follows dust storms in Phoenix. Virologists believe valley fever is caused by a soil fungus.

Think about the suffix -logist. What is the meaning of virologists above?

• biologists who study fungi

• doctors who try to find cures for diseases

• scientists who study tiny particles that cause diseases

• people who become sick after breathing in too much dust

Which detail supports the idea that dust storms are difficult to predict?

• A giant dust storm carried several tons of soil through part of Australia.

• Droughts happen when there are long periods of time during which there is very little rainfall.

• A large part of Earth’s population is harmed when droughts cause farmable land to become unusable.

• Standard weather equipment cannot “see” dust storms because dust particles are generally too small to detect.

Read the sentence from paragraph 5.

Lengthy droughts coupled with the recent steady rise in global temperatures are worsening the quality of Earth’s drylands.

Which meaning of the word coupled is used above?

• fastened

• combined

• paired one person with another

• brought together for energy exchange