Unit 8 Review - Solar Panels

What is the main idea of "Not So Fast, California!"?

• It would be a mistake for California to power its public buildings with solar electricity.

• California already produces more solar electricity than it can use.

• Generating too much electricity can overload power lines and cause blackouts.

• Solar power is popular with people but it is dangerous and harmful to the environment.

Which detail supports the main idea in "Not So Fast, California!" that it would be a mistake for California to power its public buildings with solar electricity?

• It would cost millions and millions of dollars to install solar panels on all public buildings.

• Relying more on solar power is not a popular option for meeting California's energy needs.

• Creating more solar energy would lead to people in California losing their jobs.

• California's neighbors already produce more than enough energy for themselves and for California.

Which statement is a fact?

• Californians will be happy to use more solar energy because they enjoy being leaders.

• A major study showed that 9 out of 10 people support using more solar energy.

• California should do what business leaders, scientists, and its people want it to do.

• Using more solar energy in California would not be that expensive.

Why did the author of "Solar Power for Public Buildings" write that piece?

• to simply teach readers how solar panels turn sunlight into electricity

• to convince readers to agree with her position that California should increase its use of solar energy

• to instruct readers about how California could increase its use of solar power

• to entertain readers with an interesting story about how many jobs could be created by using more solar energy

Which statement accurately relates the position of the writer of "Solar Power for Public Buildings"?

• Creating more solar electricity may not be popular with many Californians, but it is the smart thing to do.

• Shifting to solar power would solve the problem of California having to pay its neighbors to take its extra electricity.

• Creating more solar electricity may not prevent blackouts, but it will increase the state's use of fossil fuels.

• Shifting to solar power would be good for California's economy because it would create many jobs.

Read these lines from "Not So Fast, California!"

Excess solar electricity can overload power lines. Overloaded power lines lead to power blackouts. Blackouts are inconvenient for people and harmful to businesses.

How does the author relate the ideas in these lines?

• through causality

• through personal experience

• with parallelism

• with comparisons

Read these lines from "Not So Fast, California!"

For one thing, this is no small task. There are thousands and thousands of public buildings in California. Providing electricity to all of them through solar power will be expensive. How expensive? Even if every building could run on a small 10 kilowatt solar panel system—and most cannot—the move to solar power would cost between $22,000 and $29,000 per building (Matasci). Do the math. That adds up to millions of dollars in installation costs alone. And that is a very low estimate.

How does the writer support his position that providing electricity to all public buildings in California will be expensive?

• He states his opinion clearly and directly.

• He points out the flaws in the logic of those who do not share his views.

• He includes direct quotations from experts who agree with him on the issue.

• He provides facts and uses logic to back up his stance.

How do these paragraphs support the writer's position that creating more solar electricity would be a costly mistake?

• They describe a personal experience the writer had in order to show how this issue affects real people.

• They offer readers facts uncovered by experts during a long study of the situation.

• They show how greedy and selfish other states are so that readers side with California.

• They provide readers with a comparison that helps them understand the situation more clearly.

Read these lines from "Solar Power for Public Buildings."

Solar power is also popular with business leaders. Tesla’s Elon Musk is known for being forward-thinking. He recently described how “a little corner of Nevada or Utah” could soon “power the entire United States” (Harrington). Perhaps Musk and other business owners will take notice when California’s public buildings use solar energy. Perhaps they will be inspired. Perhaps they will start to use solar power for their companies’ electric needs, too.

Which answer choice is an effective paraphrase of these lines?

• Elon Musk believes in the power of solar energy. He is one of many business leaders to favor the use of solar power. Maybe California can inspire Musk and others. Maybe it can lure them to open more businesses in the state. Maybe this will get the general public to support solar energy.

• Business people also like the idea of using solar power. Innovative industry leaders like Elon Musk, who supports relying on solar energy, and others may choose to power their companies with solar electricity, as well.

• Elon Musk is "forward-thinking." He will definitely "take notice" if California's "public buildings use solar energy." He, and others, "will be inspired." Then "they will start to use solar power" for their own businesses.

• Business leaders are popular. They want to make a lot of money with solar energy, and they will do it in Nevada or in Utah if California does not make the right choice about how to power their public buildings.

Refer to "Not So Fast, California!" and "Solar Power for Public Buildings" to answer the question.

Based on both texts, which statement is true?

• Relying more on solar energy may create more jobs in California. However, those jobs will likely be very low-paying and temporary. As a result, the shift to solar will hurt the state's economy in the long term.

• Blackouts are inconvenient and they hurt businesses, so naturally people want to reduce the number of blackouts California has. However, they disagree about whether using more solar energy will really limit blackouts.

• Though using more solar power may lower California's overall energy costs, that money will be spent trying to limit the damage that the extra solar electricity will do to the environment.

• A major study on the use of solar energy was conducted over the course of 12 years, but the results did not show whether or not people truly favored relying more on solar power.