The Sinking of the Titanic

How does paragraph 1 provide insight into the author's point of view about the sinking of the Titanic?

• by detailing the relationships that were broken after the Titanic went down

• by expressing that the sinking of the Titanic was an unbelievable and indescribable tragedy

• by highlighting that the sinking of the Titanic took place before modern photography was available

• by describing the ridiculous circumstances of the sinking of the Titanic that could have been avoided

Part A

Read the sentence from paragraph 2.

How trivial, in such an hour, seem the ordinary affairs of civilized mankind.

What does the word trivial mean in this sentence?

• depressing

• insignificant

• interesting

• shameful

Which quotation from paragraph 2 best supports the answer to Part A?

• "...by an awful remembrance..."

• "...made to see..."

• "...transactions in their true perspective..."

• "...as small as they really are..."

How does the structure of paragraphs 4-6 develop a central idea of the passage?

• Description demonstrates the features in place to make the Titanic safe.

• Statement of a problem suggests why the Titanic was condemned to sink.

• Comparison and contrast explains how the Titanic was different from other ships.

• Definition explains the technical aspects that made the Titanic safe.

Look at the painting from 1912. What idea from the passage is best reinforced by the painting?

• The British Board of Trade was forced to create new regulations for the Titanic.

• The Titanic was designed with a variety of safety features.

• The Titanic did not have enough lifeboats to save all the passengers.

• The passengers aboard the Titanic mourned their losses for many years.

Select three quotations from the passage that support the author's claim in paragraph 4 that the Titanic "represented all that science and art knew how to contribute to the comfort and enjoyment of voyagers."

• "She had 15 watertight steel compartments that were supposed to render her unsinkable." (paragraph 5)

• "There was a collision bulkhead to safeguard the ship against the invasion of water into the ship should the bow be torn away." (paragraph 6)

• "And yet the Titanic went down, and carried to their doom hundreds of passengers and men who intimately knew the sea and had faced every peril that the navigator meets." (paragraph 7)

• "...there were three electric elevators, squash courts and Turkish baths, a hospital with an operating room, private decks and Renaissance-style cabins?" (paragraph 9)

• "Yet the ship was built to carry 2,435 passengers and 860 in the crew-- a total of 3,295 persons." (paragraph 12)

In paragraph 18, what is the impact of the figurative language "mortal wound" on the tone of the passage?

• It highlights the apologetic tone.

• It furthers the bitter tone.

• It supports the cautionary tone.

• It emphasizes the bleak tone.

How does the author make a distinction between the idea that the Titanic was luxurious and the idea that it was also not safe?

• by explaining in detail the regulations the Titanic's owners ignored in contrast to the rules for required lifeboats in present day

• by contrasting the elite patrons of the ship with the actual women and children who survived the disaster

• by listing the amounts of money spent on the Titanic's decor as contrasted to the Titanic's lifeboats

• by contrasting repeatedly the expensive features of the ship with the reality of the deaths of so many passengers aboard