Scope "Searching for the Titanic"

Which line from the article helps explain

why the Titanic’s sinking was so

shocking?

• “The submarines that existed in 1912

  could not venture that far down.”

• “Six hundred thousand dollars’ worth of

  sonar and other borrowed equipment

  plunged into the sea.”

• “Built from the strongest steel, according

  to the most modern designs, the Titanic

  was said to be unsinkable.”

• “Ballard became more determined to find

  the wreck.”

It was difficult to find the wreck of the

Titanic because the ship had _______.

• frozen

• exploded

• drifted as it sank

• been painted

Early submersibles were dangerous and

could remain underwater for only a few

hours at a time. How did Robert Ballard

solve this problem?

• He joined millionaire Jack Grimm’s team

  in its quest to find the Titanic.

• He borrowed sonar equipment from the

  U.S. Navy.

• He read survivors’ stories about the night

  the Titanic sank.

• He designed a remote-controlled

  submersible.

Lauren Tarshis writes, “Ballard scoured

historical records until finally settling on

a 100-square-mile area to search.” In this

sentence, scour is used to mean

• to rub something hard in order to clean it.

• to search through or examine something

  closely in order to find something.

• to discover something surprising or

  unexpected.

• to permit someone or something to enter.

Tarshis writes, “The Titanic’s crew had

been warned that icebergs lurked in the

ship’s path.” The word lurked

• suggests that icebergs were abundant in

  the Atlantic Ocean at that time.

• tells readers that the ship was moving

  with great speed.

• implies that the icebergs were not easily

  visible and posed a great threat to the

  ship.

• indicates that the crew could have avoided

  the icebergs.

Which is a central idea of “Searching for

the Titanic”?

• Money is the key to success.

• Advances in technology can come with

  risks.

• The past is best forgotten.

• Hard work and determination can pay off.