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WorksheetsRobots on the Reef & Something Fishy STAAR Release
Total questions: 13
Worksheet time: 39mins
Robots on the Reef:
24 What is one reason scientists are excited about the idea of using Coralbots to restore reefs?
F Coralbots will imitate insects and birds.
G Programming Coralbots takes less time than training a diver.
H Coralbots are unlikely to cause more damage to a reef.
J Coralbots will be able to repair reefs more effectively than divers can.
Robots on the Reef:
25 Noel Sharkey’s comment in paragraph 5 helps the reader understand how Coralbots would —
A work in groups to perform a task
B be preprogrammed to follow a set of rules
C give researchers a new way to collect data about coral reefs
D be used to perform difficult tasks on land as well as in the water
Robots on the Reef:
26 The author organizes this selection mainly by —
F discussing the activities that cause damage to coral reefs
G explaining how damage to coral reefs has become more severe over time
H describing how Coralbots could solve some problems associated with restoring coral reefs
J comparing the methods that divers use to repair coral reefs to the methods used by Coralbots
Robots on the Reef:
27 Which sentence from the selection best explains why the health of coral reefs is of great concern to scientists?
A Coral reefs are home to one-fourth of all marine life on the planet and serve as a natural barrier against damage caused by storms, hurricanes, and typhoons.
B These reefs can be damaged by natural disasters such as hurricanes, or they can be affected by human-related activities such as large ships running their hulls along a reef or fishing equipment scraping the sea floor.
C Scientists at CMBB hope to program Coralbots to locate colonies of endangered coral and reconstruct them.
D Scientists and volunteer divers work to reassemble damaged coral, but their success has been minimal.
Something Fishy:
28 What is the author’s primary purpose for writing this selection?
F To highlight the importance of the fishing industry in cities along the Yangtze River
G To describe how Three Gorges Dam uses the flow of the Yangtze River to create energy for people in China
H To provide information about the different species of fish that populate the Yangtze River
J To explain how scientists monitor the impact of Three Gorges Dam and determine strategies for reversing its effects
Something Fishy:
29 Which sentence from the selection best supports the idea that careful adjustments to Three Gorges Dam can improve the quality of the Yangtze River?
A Ickes helped researchers embed transmitters into a small sample of fish in the Yangtze River basin.
B They hope to determine the right amount of water to release from the dam in order to support the natural breeding of the fish.
C The dam is located on the Yangtze River, one of the most important rivers in China, famed for its diverse wildlife.
D Other fish are important for maintaining the fishing industry, a major part of the economy for cities on the river.
Something Fishy:
30 The Latin word ob, meaning “in the way,” helps the reader understand that the word obstructs in paragraph 2 means —
F reverses
G defeats
H lengthens
J hinders
Something Fishy:
31 By using transmitters to track the fish in the Yangtze River, researchers most likely will be able to —
A monitor the number of fish living in the river basin
B estimate how many fish are needed to sustain the population
C determine how changes to the river disrupt the life cycle of the fish
D learn which types of fish are preferred by the fishing industry in the surrounding cities
Robots + Fishy:
32 How are the problems discussed in “Robots on the Reef” and “Something Fishy” different?
F In “Robots on the Reef,” scientists have a plan to solve the problem, while in “Something Fishy,” scientists still need to determine the solution to the problem.
G In “Robots on the Reef,” experts are seeking a permanent solution to a problem, while in “Something Fishy,” experts are looking only for a temporary solution to a problem.
H In “Robots on the Reef,” the problem mainly affects life in the water, while in “Something Fishy,” the problem mainly affects life on land.
J In “Robots on the Reef,” the problem was caused intentionally, while in “Something Fishy,” the problem was caused accidentally.
Robots + Fishy:
33 How are the Coralbots discussed in “Robots on the Reef” and the fish transmitters discussed in “Something Fishy” similar?
A Both are designed to independently complete a task.
B Both assist scientists in tracking the amount of ocean life in a specific area.
C Both are meant to be used by scientists to help restore an environment.
D Both are programmed to model the behavior of insects.
Robots + Fishy:
34 Read these sentences from the selections.
Robots: Following a simple set of rules, several robots would work as a team to seek out coral fragments that have broken off and cement the pieces to reefs.
Fishy: They hope the data will provide insight into the direct causes of the drop in the fish’s reproduction rates.
Both of these sentences describe —
F how a new technology is supposed to function in a specific environment
G the intended outcome of a project related to an environmental problem
H how an environmental problem is a direct effect of the misuse of technology
J the challenges scientists have encountered while trying to solve an environmental problem
Robots + Fishy:
35 One difference between the coral reefs and Three Gorges Dam is that only the dam —
A has been studied by scientists
B is used as an energy source
C affects the wildlife in the area
D is a significant part of an ecosystem
Robots + Fishy:
36 In both selections, the researchers involved in the projects —
F lack the necessary support to complete their work
G can use the data gathered to address problems around the world
H think the issues related to the affected ecosystems will be resolved quickly
J will continue monitoring the health of the affected ecosystems
