NewsELA 5/23/25

1. Read the section "Venus." Select the sentence from the section that shows why Venus has high temperatures.

• 1. Venus spins slowly in the opposite direction from most planets.

• 1. It has a thick atmosphere.

• 1. An atmosphere is a layer of gas that surrounds a planet.

• 1. Venus' atmosphere traps heat like a blanket, making it the hottest planet in our solar system.

1. Read the section "Neptune." Which sentence from this section supports the conclusion that Neptune was located before people could see it?

• Neptune is the eighth and most distant major planet orbiting our sun.

• It is dark, cold and whipped by supersonic winds.

• These gusts travel faster than the speed of sound.

• 1. Scientists found it after realizing that another planet was affecting Uranus' orbit.

1. Read the article's introduction [paragraphs 1-3] and the final section, “Neptune.” What is one connection between these two sections?

• They both describe what materials Neptune is made of.

• They both explain that Neptune is the farthest planet from the sun.

• They both compare Neptune to other ice giants in the solar system.

• 1. They both contrast the size of Neptune with the size of other planets.

1. How is the structure of the section “Mercury” similar to the structure of the section “Jupiter”?

• 1. They both compare a feature of each planet with that of Earth.

• They both explain how quickly each planet orbits the sun.

• They both compare the size of each planet with the size of Earth's moon.

• They both tell how far each planet is from the sun.

1. Read the section “Orbit And Spin.” Select the sentence that shows WHY Pluto has a longer year than Earth.

• A year is the amount of time it takes a planet to make one full revolution around the sun.

• 1. Earth takes just over 365 days to make a full trip, so that is the length of a year on Earth.

• That is because Pluto is farther from the sun and takes much longer to travel around it.

• A single day is equal to the time it takes a planet to make a full rotation.

1. Read the section titled “Physical Features.” Which sentence from the section shows WHY Pluto has such low temperatures?

• Some areas of Pluto’s surface are very bright, while others are dark.

• 1. The bright regions are probably a frozen gas called nitrogen.

• 1. Pluto is so far from the sun that it receives only a little sunlight.

• 1. Scientists believe that the average temperature on its surface is about minus 387 degrees Fahrenheit.

1. One main idea of the article is that Pluto is a dwarf planet. What is another MAIN idea of the article?

• Pluto has an orbit that brings it closer to the sun than Neptune.

• 1. Pluto is very different from the eight planets in the solar system.

• Pluto was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh using a telescope.

• 1. Pluto has dark spots and some bright spots with frozen nitrogen.

1. Read the sentences summarizing the main ideas of the article below.

2. Pluto was once a planet, but it is now considered a dwarf planet. It is small, cold and very far from the sun.

3. Which answer choice would complete the summary?

• 1. It orbits the sun at an average distance of about 3.6 billion miles.

• When Pluto was considered a planet, it was even smaller than Mercury.

• Pluto takes about 6.5 Earth days to do a complete spin on its axis.

• Since its discovery, scientists have been working to learn more about it.