The Mysterious Marfa Lights

Which sentence from the selection is an assertion made by the author?

• It has a large parking lot that fills up with cars almost every night and a patio that overlooks a wide, open plain and the Chinati Mountains in the distance.

• When people mistake the headlights for the Marfa Lights, it's because they have never seen the real Marfa Lights.

• Professor Jack Pettigrew, of the University of Queensland, has proven that this could happen with research he conducted in 2003.

• Those kinds of gases are known to exist.

The author's purpose for including Paragraph 2 in the selection is most likely to-

• state the various explanations people have offered for the lights

• explain the reasons people travel to Marfa to see the lights

• show why there are so many different explanations

• describe what people have reported seeing

In Paragraph 2, the author suggests that no single explanation has been accepted because-

• the phenomenon rarely occurs; it is difficult to study

• only one of the scientific explanations can be tested

• the phenomenon occurs in other places

• the lights are not always the same color

Which sentence from the article best explains why the Marfa lights remain a mystery?

• "They appear only 10 to 20 times each year, in all seasons and any kind of weather"

• "Sightings occur between dusk and dawn, lasting from a few seconds to several hours."

• "The Marfa lights seem to occur more frequently during the second half of the lunar cycle, between the full moon and the next new moon."

• "With so many conflicting theories about the lights, people complain that there will never be a definitive answer about their origin."

Which detail from the article illustrates that not all of the Marfa lights are caused by headlights from a nearby highway?

• The balls of light remain motionless and pulse on and off, switching from faint to bright

• Robert Ellison saw the Marfa lights in 1883 while driving cattle, before cars were invented.

• The lights are the size of soccer balls in bright colors of red, orange, green, blue, white or yellow.

• There are too many conflicting theories, so there will never be a definitive answer about the origin

Which statement explains why there are few eyewitness reports?

• Those who saw the lights and reported them were ignored

• Kyle Miller was ill when he reported that he saw the lights

• People who report strange phenomena are usually not believed

• The Humphreys probably saw the lights again but said nothing

Paragraph 10 states, "the local population has few complaints about the mysterious lights." Explain why you think this is true. Use one quote from the article to support your explanation.

Which quotation from the article best explains why the Marfa lights remain a mystery?

• "They appear only 10 to 20 times each year, in all seasons and any kind of weather." (lines 4 and 5)

• "Sightings occur between dusk and dawn, lasting from a few seconds to several hours." (lines 5 and 6)

• "The Marfa lights seem to occur more frequently during the second half of the lunar cycle, between the full moom and the next new moon." (lines 7 and 8)

• "With so many conflicting theories about the lights, people complain that there will be a definitive answer about their origin." (lines 47 and 48)

Based on lines 24 and 25, which statement best explains why there are few eyewitness reports?

• Those who saw the lights and reported them were ignored.

• Kyle Miller was ill when he reported that he saw the lights.

• People who report strange phenomena are usually not believed.

• The Humphreys probably saw the lights again but said nothing.

What is the primary theme explored in the article about 'The Mysterious Marfa Lights'?

• The scientific explanations for the lights

• The cultural impact of the lights on Marfa

• The mystery and various theories surrounding the lights

• The economic benefits of tourism due to the lights