Lightning

The author claims that counting between when you see lightning and hear thunder…

• is a good way to calculate how far away lightning is.

• can tell you how quickly lightning is moving towards you.

• is only a legend and can’t help you calculate how far away lightning is.

• can help inform you on the strength of the storm.

Why do we sometimes see lightning and hear it thunder at different times?

• Our brains can’t process both at the same time.

• Light and sounds travel at different speeds.

• We are able to detect sound more easily than light.

• Atmospheric conditions can affect the travel of light and sound.

How can you protect yourself from lightning?

• Stay indoors if you see lightning and only trust the facts.

• Only seek shelter if you hear thunder that occurred within 1 mile.

• Stay inside if you can see lightning, even if you can’t hear thunder.

• Stay in the same place, as lightning is more likely to move around.

Which sentence describes the central idea of the text?

• The higher you’re able to count between when you see lightning and hear thunder, the safer it is to go outside to witness that event in nature.

• While light and sound usually travel at the same speed, the light from lightning strikes so fast that we struggle to process it and end up processing sound first.

• Counting how many seconds pass between when you see lightning and hear thunder can tell you how far away it is because sound and light travel at different speeds.

• The widely held beliefs that you can calculate the distance of lightning by counting and that lightning doesn’t strike twice are actually supported by science.

Which detail from the text best supports the main idea?

• “But does counting really get you a good estimate for how far away the lightning is? Is this one of those old wives’ tales, or is it actually based on science?” (Paragraph 2)

• “When observing an event on Earth, you see things almost the instant they happen — the speed of light is so fast you can’t even detect the travel time. The speed of sound is much slower, which gives us time to do our calculation.” (Paragraph 6)

• “The lightning you see is the discharge of electricity that travels between clouds or to the ground. The thunder you hear is the rapid expansion of the air in response to the lightning’s intense heat.” (Paragraph 4)

• “So if you can hear thunder, you’re close enough to be hit by lightning, and sheltering indoors or in an enclosed car is your safest bet.” (Paragraph 8)

What is the relationship between the speed of light and the speed of sound?

• The speed of light is faster than the speed of sound on Earth.

• Light travels faster than sounds in the eye of a storm.

• The speed of sound is faster than anything else on Earth.

• Light and sound usually travel at the same speed.

How does paragraph 9 contribute to our understanding about lightning?

• It shows how it’s dangerous to be on high ground during any type of storm.

• It stresses how most of the “facts” about lightning are actually legends.

• It shows how dangerous lightning can be and that we shouldn’t underestimate its power.

• It proves that no one is ever truly safe from lightning.

It might be ingrained from when you were a kid, and now it’s almost automatic.

What is the best meaning for ingrained?

• glued

• firmly fixed

• taught

• popular

If you’re really close to the lightning, you will see it and hear the thunder simultaneously.

What does simultaneously most likely mean?

• happening at different times

• happening at the same time

• happening right after one another

• happening now