Natural disasters & paranormal belief

In the passage, the word "unsettling" is used in the phrase "survivors often report unexplained, unsettling encounters." Based on its usage in the passage, which of the following is the most accurate meaning of "unsettling"?

• Calming

• Disturbing or causing anxiety

• Pleasant or soothing

• Surprising in a positive way

Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about the relationship between grief and supernatural experiences?

• A) Ghost sightings are solely a result of physical exposure to toxic chemicals.

• B) Grieving individuals may experience hallucinations due to emotional trauma.

• C) The more traumatic an event, the less likely people are to believe in ghosts.

• D) People who report ghost sightings are typically not affected by grief.

According to the passage, what was one effect of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on the Spiritualists’ National Union?

• There was a decrease in membership applications.

• There was a 325 percent increase in membership applications.

• They started offering online sessions for members.

• They created a new organization specifically for COVID survivors.

What is the main idea of the passage?

• Ghost sightings are purely a result of psychological trauma and chemical exposure.

• Natural disasters trigger psychological responses that may lead to increased paranormal beliefs.

• Ghost stories have little to no impact on survivors of natural disasters.

What is the author’s primary intent in writing this article?

• To entertain readers with ghost stories from around the world.

• To explore how psychological trauma and disasters can lead to increased paranormal beliefs.

• To disprove the existence of ghosts.

• To provide a scientific explanation for ghost sightings.

The author uses the example of "the Spiritualists’ National Union" to illustrate which of the following?

• The impact of natural disasters on global organizations.

• A specific case of how grief can increase paranormal beliefs.

• A personal experience with ghost sightings.

• The effectiveness of online communities during disasters.

In the sentence "The psychological effects of these disasters aren’t confined to ground zero, following the 2011 tsunami, Gise remembers how her colleagues were called on to help the Japanese community in Hawaii," what is the best way to revise the punctuation?

• The sentence is correct as written.

• Replace the comma after "zero" with a semicolon.

• Add a comma after "Hawaii."

• Change the comma after "zero" to a period and start a new sentence.

Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct?

• In the aftermath of calamities like the recent Maui fires; survivors often reports unexplained, unsettling encounters.

• In the aftermath of calamities like the recent Maui fires, survivors often report unexplained, unsettling encounters.

• In the aftermath of calamities like the recent Maui fires: survivors often reported unexplained, unsettling encounters.

• In the aftermath of calamities like the recent Maui fires survivors often reporting unexplained, unsettling encounters.

Which of the following revisions makes the sentence grammatically correct? "Ghost stories can cause communities to stick together, which reinforces societal belief systems, ensure funeral rituals are adhered to, or pushing a community to work together to complete the work of the dead."

• Change "ensure" to "ensuring."

• Change "pushing" to "push."

• Change "which" to "that."

• The sentence is correct as written.

How does the section on "The enduring power of ghost stories" function in the passage?

• It presents an opposing argument to the one about psychological trauma.

• It elaborates on how ghost stories are used symbolically and practically across cultures.

• It provides a scientific explanation for why ghosts are seen.

• It critiques the belief in ghosts in modern societies.