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Worksheetsfrom "The Science that Stumped Einstein"
Total questions: 12
Worksheet time: 6mins
What is the author's purpose?
to inform readers of the abnormalities associated with different types of superconductors
to encourage scientists to continue trying to determine how and why superconductors work
to explain how developing an understanding of superconductivity could help society
to highlight the collaborative efforts of well-known scientists in the study of superconductivity
Read the claim in paragraph 1.
*In 1908, the physics world woke up to a puzzle whose layers have continued to stump the greatest scientists of the century ever since.*
Which two paragraphs does the author use to support the claim with relevant evidence?
paragraph 5
paragraph 8
paragraph 10
paragraph 11
paragraph 13
Based on the context of the phrase "to his astonishment" in paragraph 2, what inference can be made about Kamerlingh Onnes?
Onnes was not an accomplished scientist until 1908.
Onnes was attempting a different experiment wen he discovered superconductors.
Onnes was not expecting to be able to conduct electricity with cooled-down mercury.
Onnes was working with superconductors for years before he found the right temperature.
Based on its use in paragraph 4, what is the meaning of the word confounded?
shocked
interested
concerned
baffled
Read the sentence from paragraph 5.
*Neither did the great quantum physicist Richard Feynman, or any of the other luminaries: Niels Bohr, Lev Landau, Werner Heisenberg, Maria Goeppert Mayer.*
Based on the context, what is the meaning of luminaries?
experts in specific fields
important electrical devices
internationally famous leaders
substances that are bright
What impact does the word crankily in paragraph 5 have on the passage?
The word choice illustrates the anger scientists felt toward the physicist who was the first to discover superconductors.
The word choice emphasizes the frustration scientists felt with being unable to solve the mystery of superconductors.
The word choice suggests that scientists typically work in the evenings and have a difficult time waking up in the mornings.
The word choice describes the cold attitudes scientists typically exhibit when working with challenging concepts.
Which phrase from paragraph 9 is figurative language showing the accomplishment of the Swiss laboratory?
"...it had found a superconductor..."
"...that worked at much warmer temperatures..."
"...sounds positively frigid..."
"...was a thunderclap..."
Which sentence summarizes a central idea in the passage?
Continual study of superconductivity remains important because of the possible benefits to scientific advancement.
The use of superconductors may not be as complex an idea as originally thought by Einstein and others.
Superconductors are made from ordinary materials such as copper.
Superconductivity is the one scientific theory that Einstein could not solve.
Which quotation from the passage best supports the answer to Part A?
"You could start a current in a loop of superconducting wire and it would circle around, theoretically, forever." (paragraph 3)
"In their labs, scientists continued to discover more and more superconductors, but the new materials didn't seem to follow a pattern." (paragraph 6)
"That's why no one was prepared when, in 1986, a team from a Swiss laboratory announced it had found a superconductor that worked at much warmer temperatures- up to -280 degrees F." (paragraph 9)
"...imagine wires stretching across America without ever losing any electricity, or engines that are close to 100% efficient because they lose much less energy as heat." (paragraph 13)
Which quotation from the passage represents information that is irrelevant in support of the author's claim about the mystery of superconductors?
"You could start a current in a loop of superconducting wire and it would circle around, theoretically, forever." (paragraph 3)
"In their labs, scientists continued to discover more and more superconductors, but the new materials didn't seem to follow a pattern." (paragraph 6)
"That year, a trio of University of Illinois physicists published an explanation called BCS theory (for Bardeen, Cooper, and Schrieffer) that explained the odd behaviors." (paragraph 8)
"In the meantime, we've explained why the universe is expanding, documents what we're made up of down to the tiniest subatomic particles, and landed a robot on Mars..." (paragraph 10)
In paragraph 12, how does the author acknowledge and respond to a conflicting viewpoint?
by highlighting the uselessness of employing superconductors in everyday life applications
by explaining the drawbacks associated with using superconductors
by describing how cost-effective using superconductors would be in place of other more expensive energy options
by sharing how beneficial superconductors would be in the medical and automotive industries
What is the author attempting to emphasize in the passage by using the phrase "the possibilities strain the imaginations of a roomful of engineers" in paragraph 13?
The opportunities for using superconductors are limitless.
The thought of superconductivity exhausts scientists beyond their limits.
The complexities surrounding superconductors consume scientists' energies.
The idea of using superconductivity for energy advancement is merely a dream.
