Title III, EAP 0320

Final Exam

Directions: 
Read the passage and then answer the questions that follow.

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's...?

The world is full of strange phenomena.  How can we explain unidentified flying objects?  The question has been debated since the first recorded sightings of UFOs, especially since 1947, when an American pilot sighted the first "flying saucer."

            Kenneth Arnold was flying his private plane over the mountains of Washington State in an effort to claim a $5,000 reward for locating a military plane that had crashed. As he scouted the mountains for signs of wreckage, he noticed nine shiny objects flying in an odd formation.  At first, he thought they were geese, but they were flying much too fast.  Then he thought they were military planes, but he didn't see any tails.  Curious, he clocked the speed of the objects, using two mountains and his known air position as his guide.

            When he landed, he calculated that those UFOs had been flying over 1,200 miles (1,920 kilometers) per hour, which was more than twice the capability of any known U.S. military jet at that time.  He also said they were gleaming white, bright in the afternoon sun.  This inspired fear and trepidation in many people.  The media were in a frenzy, describing the objects Arnold had seen as "flying saucers," misusing a phrase Arnold had applied to their motion and not their shape.  He had said they were crescent, or moon-shaped, not formed like plates.  In the hysteria that followed, the facts were distorted and confused, and the UFOs were known as flying saucers.

            There was a public outcry, demanding an explanation for the mysterious objects.  Unlike some other people's sightings of various unexplained phenomena, Arnold's was not dismissed outright because he was an experienced pilot and a credible witness.  The U.S. government was not eager to tell the secrets of its military planes, especially since in 1947 it was engaged in the Cold War with the Soviet Union, but at that time there were no known planes with a tail-less, crescent formation.  Although there were planes in design at the time that were similar in shape to what Arnold described, none of them had yet been flown.

            A less exciting but modern explanation is that Arnold saw a formation of pelicans that day.  The American White Pelican is the largest bird in North America and one of the biggest in the world.  It can weigh up to 33 pounds (15 kilograms) and its wing span can extend to 10 feet (3 meters) or more.  Although they are sea birds, they migrate at high altitudes, which would explain their presence in the mountains of Washington, a coastal state.  These birds do not have tails, which would give them a crescent-like shape, and they are predominantly white, which would explain their reflective, bright appearance.  The only thing that is incongruous with what Arnold reported is their speed.  Many people today think that he miscalculated the distance from his plane to the flying objects.

            So mysterious phenomena can have everyday explanations, but some reports of UFOs are more difficult to rationalize.  Since Arnold brought the subject of flying saucers to the public, there have been many accounts of mysterious flying objects and tales of visits by aliens from outer space.  The idea of the existence of other life forms somewhere in the universe is a fascinating and controversial topic.  However, highly respected astronomers such as Carl Sagan believe that there are thousands of planets in our galaxy that could support life, maybe even an advanced civilization such as our own.  Perhaps what we see as UFOs are more than just tricks of our imagination.  Only time will tell.

Directions:

Answer T (True) or F (False)

 

1. When Kenneth Arnold first saw the UFOs, he thought they were geese.

 

2. After Arnold's report of the mysterious objects, the public demanded to know what was going on.

 

3. The reason many people believed Arnold was telling the truth was that he looked so sincere.

 

4. After Arnold's report of the sightings, the U.S. government refused to give detailed information about all of their military planes.

 

5. The amazing thing about the American White Pelican is that they can fly as quickly as Arnold said the mysterious objects were flying.

 

Directions: 

Choose the word that best completes the sentence. 
Look back at the reading for context clues for word meanings.

 

6. When the police discovered that the young child was missing, they ___ the area where people last saw him.
   1. frenzy
   2. clocked
   3. hysteria
   4. scouted

 

7. A car had an accident right before Sandra drove by.  Seeing the ____, car parts, and broken glass made Sandra sad because she knew it had been a terrible accident.
   1. gleaming
   2. wreckage
   3. incongruous
   4. frenzy

 

 

 

 

8. If you're writing a research paper, it's important that you get your information from a _____ source, as opposed to a publication that nobody has ever heard of or would not trust.
   1. credible
   2. incongruous
   3. gleaming
   4. trepidation

 

9. It's important not to be too confident when visiting a new city for the first time; have a bit of ____ makes you more cautious and may protect you.
   1. hysteria
   2. saucer
   3. frenzy
   4. trepidation

 

10. Though my grandmother always served her tea in a cup and ____, I usually serve it in a mug.
    1. clocked
    2. saucer
    3. scouted
    4. gleaming

 

Directions: 

The following statements are related to the reading passage above.  Decide whether each statement is a main idea statement or a supporting detail.  Choose A for Main Idea and B for Supporting Detail.

 

11. The world is full of strange phenomena.

A.  Main Idea

B.  Supporting Detail

 

12. An American pilot sighted the first "flying saucer."
    1. Main Idea
    2. Supporting Detail
        
13. Arnold said that the objects were gleaming white and crescent-shaped.

      A.  Main Idea

      B.  Supporting Detail
 

14. Arnold described what he saw.

      A.  Main Idea

      B.  Supporting Detail
 

15. The media misused the phrase Arnold used to describe the objects.

      A.  Main Idea

      B.  Supporting Detail
 

16. The media described the objects Arnold had seen as "flying saucers."

            A.  Main Idea

            B.  Supporting Detail

 

17. One explanation is that Arnold saw a formation of pelicans.

            A.  Main Idea

            B.  Supporting Detail

 

18. Pelicans migrate at high altitudes and also have a crescent-like shape.

            A.  Main Idea

            B.  Supporting Detail

 

19. The idea of life forms somewhere in the universe is a controversial subject.

       A.  Main Idea

       B.  Supporting Detail

 

20. Carl Sagan believed that there are thousands of planets that could support life.

             A.  Main Idea

             B.  Supporting Detail

 

Directions: 

Choose the best definition of the underlined word in each sentence based upon the context clues.

 

21.  The maid's coarsened (rough) hands clearly told of her long, hard life washing clothes and scrubbing floors for the inn.
    1. delicate
    2. strong
    3. broken
    4. careworn

 

22. Elizabeth is fun-loving and vivacious; in contrast, her twin sister, EVa, is very quiet and shy.
    1. artistic
    2. lively
    3. hard-working
    4. serious

 

23. Dr. Clark asked us to schedule her interviews on three consecutive  days, such as Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday; not Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
    1. in a row
    2. business
    3. alphabetically
    4. conservatively

 

24. The meaning of the message in the fortune cookie was obscure, not clear at all.
    1. not easily understood
    2. apparent
    3. threatening
    4. inspiring

 

25. Bob and Sue are steadfast members of their club; they attend all the meetings, keep their promises, and help with all the activities.
    1. harsh and demanding
    2. firm and loyal
    3. memorable
    4. generous and forgiving

 

26. Meg warned her neighbor to stop meddling, or interfering, in her affairs.
    1. assisting
    2. prying
    3. annoying
    4. gossiping

 

27. Many nationalities revere their elders, but some people seem to pay little attention to them.
    1. hospitalize
    2. respect
    3. sacrifice
    4. ignore

 

28. The winner of the beauty pageant was jubilant; the losers, on the other hand, tried to hide their disappointment.
    1. arrogant
    2. joyous
    3. deserving
    4. sorrowful

 

29. Angelo was a fastidious dresser-his clothes always clean and pressed, his shoes shined, and his hair neatly combed.
    1. casual attention
    2. stylish
    3. taking excessive care
    4. quick

 

30. His brother's biting criticism hindered-instead of helped-John's attempts to learn to swim.
    1. discouraged
    2. saddened
    3. fought
    4. encouraged