Grade 8 - Text Structure
Quiz by Abigail Padilla
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- Q1At very high altitudes, the air holds less oxygen. Recent research has revealed how people living 13,000 feet above sea level in the mountains of Tibet have adapted to their oxygen-poor environment. The Tibetan population, as a consequence of living at high altitudes for thousands of years, has developed several characteristics that allow them to survive and thrive in this type of environment. These characteristics enable Tibetans to tolerate hypoxia, or low oxygen levels. For example, compared to lowland peoples, Tibetans have greater lung capacity, the ability to generate a higher maximum heart rate when exercising, and a higher density of capillaries in their muscles. Scientists have identified many other adaptive traits as well. Some of these adaptations are linked with specific genes, thus allowing the traits to be passed from one generation to the next.sequentialcompare and contrastproblem and solutioncause and effect30s
- Q2Nuclear fission and nuclear fusion are both processes by which the atoms of matter are altered to create energy, but they are opposite processes. In fission, one atom splits into two, whereas fusion combines lighter atoms into a larger one. Although both processes release energy, fission is more the more controllable reaction. It is used in nuclear power plants to produce electricity, usually with Uranium-235. Fusion, on the other hand, is the process that powers the sun. Fusion releases an enormous amount of energy, several times that of fission. Fusion is used not for power plants but for thermonuclear weapons. In what text structure is this passage written?spatialproblem and solutioncompare and contrastsequential300s
- Q3A biological toilet, or composting toilet, isn't hooked up to sewer lines. The unit has a seat and a lid, but not a toilet bowl filled with water. How does it function. First, the waste is deposited into the unit in the normal way. After that, natural processes take over: ninety percent of the waste is water, which evaporates into the air. The toilet usually has fans and ventilation to assist in this process. The solid part of the waste then remains in a chamber, where it decomposes. Specialized bacteria digest the waste, given the right combination of oxygen, moisture, and heat. When the decomposition process is complete, the compost from the toilet can be removed and used in gardens and around trees.cause and effectspatialproblem and solutionsequential300s
- Q4A group of students in a summer program in India recently put their minds together to propose a new and improved design for prosthetics for patients who have lost their hands. The difficulty is that many prosthetics, or artificial, hands are hard to fit and move, as well as tiring to use. With robotics, the students in the program succeeded in creating a soft, flexible prosthetic hand that utilizes a hinged aluminum mechanism and is easier to operate. This innovation has the potential to improve thousands of lives around the world.cause and effectproblem and solutionsequentialcompare and contrast300s
- Q5Eutrophication, part of the natural aging process for bodies of water such as ponds or lakes, occurs due to a buildup of nitrates and phosphates over time. These compounds, often found in fertilizer, are plant nutrients that stimulate the growth of plants and algae in the water. As the amount of plant matter in the pond increases, more plants start to die off. Bacteria that decompose the dead plants also consume the oxygen in the water, so fish and other water animals soon die for lack of oxygen. The pond eventually becomes choked with plant matter and grows shallower. Ultimately, as shrubs grow where water once was, the pond dies.cause and effectspatialcompare and contrastproblem and solution300s
- Q6The two main types of clouds that form low in the atmosphere, that is, below 6,500 feet, are cumulus and stratus. Stratus clouds develop horizontally, where cumulus clouds are formed vertically. Stratus clouds are flat, uniformly gray in appearance, and tend to fill the sky with layers of gloom. White, fluffy cumulus clouds, on the other hand, often float in a bright blue sky and have been called "fair weather clouds." Unlike stratus clouds, cumulus clouds are individual structures. They're flat on the bottom and more puffy toward the top. Given the right conditions in the atmosphere, cumulus clouds may also turn dark with rain, signaling the coming of a thunderstorm.sequentialproblem and solutiondescriptioncompare and contrast300s
- Q7Congress passed the Clean Water Act of 1972 to address the serious environmental crisis of water pollution. In New York's Hudson River, levels of toxic bacteria were 170 times the level considered safe. Oil floating on the Cuyahoga River near Cleveland, Ohio, burst into flames in 1969. Factories were dumping pollutants into waterways, untreated sewage flowed directly into rivers, and untold numbers of fish were dying. The Clean Water Act restricted discharges of pollution into the nation's water quality regulations. It also provided money for sewage treatment plants. Although the work to clean up the nation's lakes and streams is ongoing, water quality today is much better than it was in the 1960s.cause and effectcompare and contrastproblem and solutionsequential300s
- Q8Among American Robins, the female does most of the nest-building. She starts by selecting a good site. Usually, this is a place protected from rain, wind, and sun, often on tree branches hidden by leaves. Then, using grasses and small twigs, she forms a cup-shaped nest. After forming this cup, the robin adds mud to reinforce it and cement it to its location on the tree branch or other base. Finally, she lines the nest with soft grasses and hairs. All this usually takes about five six days, and it results in a fine home, about six to eight inches across and three to six inches high.compare and contrastproblem and solutionchronologicalsequential300s
- Q9The flying beetle known as the firefly or lightening bug is named for its most noticeable feature: its nighttime bioluminescence, or glow. The firefly's light-producing organ contains calcium, the pigment luciferin, the light-producing enzyme luciferase, and the chemical adenosine triphosphate (ATP). When oxygen is added to this mix, it creates light, and the insect glows. Scientists don't fully understand how the firefly makes its blink light, but one theory is that the firefly turns the lights on and off by controlling the input of oxygen into the light-producing organ.cause and effectspatialcompare and contrastchronological300s
- Q10A blacksmith makes objects such as tools, decorative items, horseshoes,and weapons from iron or steel. Before working with the metal, the blacksmith will first heat it. To do this, he or she first places it in a fire or furnace, often holding it with tongs until it turns red hot. Then the metal is ready to work, and the blacksmith can hammer it flat, bend it, or twist it. As soon as the object is shaped just right, the blacksmith plunges it into a container of water. This quenches the metal, solidifying it quickly and hardening it.chronologicalcause and effectsequentialcompare and contrast300s