Grade 7 - Unit 2 - ELA Model Curriculum Version A Name: Class: Date: 1
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1. Answer both questions 1 and 2 below. What is the main purpose of the passage? A. To argue a case B. To provide information C. To spark an emotion D. To disprove a myth 2. Which of the following lines from the passage best illustrates this purpose? A. G-forces, weightlessness, loops, and corkscrew turns. (line 1) B. Not at all. (line 2) C. Speed is what makes a roller coaster so exciting, says Alan Schilke, a roller coaster designer for Arrow Dynamics Inc. in Clearfield, Utah. (lines 5-6) D. Roller coasters might give you some of the same sensations as a jet or rocket, but they don't operate on high-powered engines. (lines 9-10) 3
3. Read the following excerpt and then answer question 3 below. G-forces, weightlessness, loops, and corkscrew turns. Those are experiences only for jet pilots and astronauts, right? Not at all. All you have to do to experience the thrill of negative G's or a tight barrel roll is hop on a roller coaster. Why does the author mention jet pilots and astronauts in the excerpt above? Write your answer in the space below. 4
4. Answer both questions 4 and 5 below. As it is used in line 5, the word inversions most nearly means A. rushing B. trading C. flipping D. substituting 5. Which phrase from the passage best reinforces how inversions is being used? A. hop on a roller coaster (lines 3-4) B. Speed is what makes a roller coaster so exciting (line 5) C. like the loops and rolls (line 7) D. Superman the Escape at Six Flags Magic Mountain (line 11-12) 5
6. Read the following excerpt and then answer both questions 6 and 7 below. How about those weird feelings of either being pressed down into your seat or floating up out of it? What you're feeling is the effect of G-forces. G-forces are measured in relation to gravity. When you're sitting still, gravity pulls you toward the earth with a force of 1 G. As you reach the bottom of a hill on a coaster and begin to move upward again, you're pushed down into your seat with a force of more than 1 G. You actually weigh more. This force also increases when the car accelerates, or builds up speed. When the coaster goes over the top of a hill and you seem to float off your seat, that's the opposite effect. You're experiencing negative G's where you weigh less than 1 G. It's called air time and it's the same feeling of weightlessness astronauts feel in space. All of these effects are carefully planned when a roller coaster is designed. Mr. Schilke explains that any roller coaster design is first tested on a computer that measures the forces acting on the cars and their occupants over every inch of the track. We keep the G-forces pushing you into the seat under 4 G's, he explains. We keep the lateral, or sideways, forces under 1 G. It's one of the many ways coasters are designed for safety. What might happen if the sideways G-forces were greater than 1 G? A. The likelihood of danger to the passenger would increase. B. The ride in the roller coaster would be less exciting. C. The roller coaster would gradually slow down during the ride. D. The people riding the roller coaster would be unable to see anything. 7. Underline the sentence from the excerpt that explains why roller coasters are NOT designed this way. 6
8. Answer both questions 8 and 9 below. Which best describes the organization of the passage? A. An analysis of roller coaster design followed by a critique of amusement parks B. A discussion of modern-day roller coasters followed by a history of roller coasters C. A portrait of a designer of roller coasters followed by a survey of roller coaster riders D. A warning about the dangers of roller coasters followed by a history of their safety records 9. Which line in the passage represents a shift in the discussion from one of the main sections of the passage to another? A. Line 16 B. Line 29 C. Line 38 D. Line 56 7
10. Answer both questions 10 and 11 below. According to the passage, French roller coaster designers changed the design of Russian roller coasters for reasons that were primarily A. environmental B. artistic C. economic D. medical 11. Which phrase from the passage best supports your answer? A. the sleds weren't powered, but relied on gravity to keep them moving (lines 42-43) B. the winters weren't cold enough to keep the ice frozen (lines 44-45) C. they're now called roller coasters (line 46) D. using an old mining railway (line 48) 8
12. Answer both questions 12 and 13 below. As it is used in line 61, the word gives most nearly means A. sags B. offers C. grants D. forces 13. Which word from the passage best reinforces how gives is being used? A. twisted (line 57) B. zip (line 59) C. wood (line 60) D. flexible (line 60) 9
14. Answer both questions 14 and 15 below. Select TWO questions that the author of the passage attempts to answer. Fill in the two answers on your bubble sheet that apply. A. What is the history of roller coasters? B. How often do roller coasters cause injuries? C. How do roller coasters work? D. Why have roller coasters been declining in popularity? 15. Select TWO sentences that help provide answers to these questions. Fill in the two answers on your bubble sheet that apply. A. Those are experiences only for jet pilots and astronauts, right? (lines 1-2) B. Speed comes from starting the coaster cars from a great height. (lines 10-11) C. Track builders and engineers take ride after ride to see for themselves if the coaster is a success. (lines 35-37) D. In the early 1900s, safety improved when inventor John Miller added undertrack wheels to the cars. (lines 48-49) 10
16. You are part of a team writing a report about roller coasters. Your job is to write one section explaining how roller coasters work. Using the information presented in the passage, summarize how roller coasters have been built in the United States, both in the past and today. Your response should: summarize key ideas and details without including information that is not essential include appropriate supporting details from the text present a coherent, organized explanation conclude in a logical way use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation 11