SC Ready Reading Released Items - Part 2

Which sentence from the passage best supports the conclusion that engineers

include multiple features to assure that roller coasters are safe for riders?

• Wooden coasters can be more affordable to build, and some riders think they

  are more exciting, since their flexible material tends to sway as the coaster cars

  travel over it.

• According to Andy Boyd at the University of Houston, steel roller coasters can

  travel as fast as 125 miles per hour, while wooden coasters usually cannot travel

  faster than 80 miles per hour.

• A second set of wheels moves along the sides of these rails, while a third set of

  wheels moves underneath the rails, keeping the coaster connected to the track

  no matter whether the coaster car is right-side up or upside down.

• Roller-coaster engineers are perpetually searching for ways to make their rides

  all the more exciting and invigorating.

Which statement expresses two central ideas of “The Roller-Coaster Revolution” that

would best fit in a summary of the passage?

• The first roller coasters were designed and built in Europe, and their design is

  said to have originated from wooden slides covered with ice in the city of St.

  Petersburg.

• Roller coasters have served as a form of entertainment for centuries, and

  protecting riders is one of the main goals of roller-coaster design.

• Safety is an important consideration in the design of the tracks and seats of

  roller coasters, and some wooden and steel coasters are even able to turn

  riders upside down.

• Roller coasters can be found in amusement parks worldwide, and they mainly

  use energy generated by gravity to propel them around their tracks.

Which detail from the passage best reveals the author’s perspective on roller

coasters?

• Because steel is so durable and strong, however, steel roller coasters can be

  built taller and run faster than wooden ones.

• Roller coasters usually reach their fastest speeds at the bottom of this first hill,

  and the energy from the first drop is enough to propel the car through the rest of

  the twists and turns of the ride.

• As you might imagine, strong brakes are needed to slow the cars down as they

  reach the end of the ride.

• For as long as these engineers improve their technology, roller-coaster riders

  will seek out the thrill of the latest and greatest rides that are available.

In paragraph 9, how does the word duration impact meaning?

• by describing the types of cars

• by describing the length of time the ride lasts

• by describing the size of the tracks

• by describing the position of the riders

How does the author’s use of the subheading “The (Safe) Thrill of the Ride” impact

the passage?

• It emphasizes a key idea about roller coasters that the author develops.

• It reveals the author’s opinion that roller coasters are not as exciting as they

  may seem.

• It introduces an explanation of how modern roller coasters compare to the first

  coasters.

• It supports the author’s earlier claim that roller coasters have an interesting

  history

Which piece of evidence best supports the author’s claim in paragraph 4 that “. . . it

was in the United States that the modern-day coaster was born”?

• The Coney Island ride cost $1600 to build.

• A French roller coaster built in 1812 featured attached wheels and track wheels.

• A professor at the University of Houston states that steel coasters are capable

  of going 125 miles per hour

• People began riding downhill on a Pennsylvania coal train in 1827.

Which piece of evidence supports the author’s claim that “Careful, creative design is

needed, however, to make these coasters exciting yet safe as possible”?

• Back in the 1600s near the city of St. Petersburg in Russia, people used to build

  tall wooden slides and cover their surfaces with smooth ice.

• Historians disagree on whether the first official roller coaster was built in Russia

  in 1784 or in France in 1812.

• There are shoulder harnesses or bars that pull down securely across riders’

  torsos and legs, holding the riders securely in their seats.

• Believe it or not, most roller coaster cars have no engines!