Quiz 3.3

Read this information from paragraph 2:

...day turning into night, the temperature dropping, the wind stirring, crickets chirping too

early.

The author provides these pertinent examples to help readers understand

• That the last total solar eclipse was memorable for the author.

• That it is safer to watch a total solar eclipse indirectly than in person.

• The "multisensory strangeness" experienced during a total solar eclipse.

• The extreme popularity of the last total solar eclipse in the United States.

How does the timeline support the idea that solar eclipses are special occasions?

• It illustrates that different solar eclipses can have remarkable qualities, such as playing a role in history or aiding a discovery.

• It includes only the solar eclipses that are "notable," or remarkable, to explain past total solar eclipses.

• It emphasizes the geographic, more than the scientific or historic, significance of total solar eclipses by explaining where a global eclipse has occurred or will occur.

• It makes clear the fact that solar eclipses are like hurricanes in that they are givennames.

Why does the author use different organizing patterns for the two main sections of the article?

• The cause-and-effect pattern in the first section helps readers understand how our knowledge of solar eclipses developed, and the compare-and-contrast pattern in the second section emphasizes safe and unsafe ways to watch solar eclipses.

• The problem-and-solution pattern in the first section emphasizes that we can easily predict solar eclipses today, and the chronological pattern in the second section outlines a procedure for following safety instructions for watching solar eclipses.

• The compare-and-contrast pattern in the first section shows how little we knew about solar eclipses, and the cause-and-effect pattern in the second section emphasizes the potential consequences of not taking safety precautions when witnessing a solar eclipse.

• The chronological pattern in the first section helps readers understand how our ability to predict solar eclipses developed, and the problem-and-solution pattern in the second section emphasizes the potential dangers in and safety precautions for witnessing a solar eclipse.

Read this dictionary entry for the word corona and the sentence containing it in paragraph 7:

Word: corona. Definition, noun: the hot, outermost layer of the suns atmosphere that isseen as a faint halo around the edge of the sun during a total solar eclipse.

Which of the following explains why the sun’s corona becomes visible when the sun appears to be covered by the moon?

• The moon covers the disk of the sun, but it doesn't block the sun'soutside halo.

• The corona is hotter than the moon, so it sends out heat waves from behind it.

• The corona is magnified by the light of the moon, so it flares out from behind.

• The moon reflects the heat of the corona outward when it is blocking the sun.

In "American History," why do the little house and its residents have such a fascination for Elena even before Eugene moves to the neighborhood?

• She believes that one day her family will move into a house just like it.

• She feels that she has become part of the life she witnesses unfolding in the house.

• She is a curious person who likes knowing about all the various people on her block.

• She worries about the elderly people who live there and wants to help them.

In “American History,” why is Elena so happy on the day of President Kennedy’s death?

• Eugene tells her that he likes her a lot.

• Her family buys a house in Clifton.

• She is going to study at Eugene's house.

• She receives an A on an exam.

In “American History,” what happens when Elena goes to Eugene’s house?

• Eugene welcomes her warmly, but his mother is less welcoming.

• Eugene's mother turns her away, telling her that she will not be allowed to study with Eugene.

• Eugene is so upset about President Kennedy's death that he cannot come to the door.

• Eugene's mother is shocked that Elena would visit on the day of President Kennedy's death.

The 1960s, when “American History” is set, was a time of great social change and reform. Which of the following issues of the time is most relevant to Elena’s experiences in the story?

• Strong ethnic divisions in urban areas.

• The struggle for equal rights for women.

• Discrimination against African Americans.

• American involvement in wars overseas.

What is the difference between a narrative text (fiction or nonfiction) and an informational text?

• Narratives explore history, while informational texts do not.

• Narratives are structured by time, where informational text are not.

• Narratives require citations, while informational texts do not.

• Narratives have counterarguments, while informational texts do not.

Answer explanation

The main difference is in structure. Narratives are stories, whether they are fictional or not. This means that time is an important part in how the events unfold in the story. These events are a part of rising up to a main conflict, then falling action to a resolution (or a plot). Informational essays, as you've written them in this course, have a very different structure. You would lay out a thesis in an introduction, use body paragraphs to support that thesis, and then give a conclusion. For these reasons, you could say that a narrative's main purpose is to entertain, because it uses story to keep the reader engaged. Even though a reader might also learning something (they are informed) by reading a nonfiction narrative, the structure is meant for entertaining. For an informational text, the purpose is strictly to inform, and that's why it's important for essays to have a logical flow from one idea to the next.

What is the difference between an argumentative text and an informational text?

• Informational texts sometimes use graphs and charts, while these are not necessary for an argumentative text.

• Informational texts use outside sources, while argumentative texts rely on the personal experience and persuasion of the writer.

• Argumentative texts include counterclaims and rebuttals, while informational texts do not.

• Argumentative texts use a logical flow of ideas for structure, while informational textuse time as a structure.

Answer explanation

Informational and argumentative texts have a lot in common. They both rely on a logical progression of some kind to give structure to the writing. Both will often use outside resources to support ideas. Visual elements and other media can be a part of this support as well. Both are even trying to persuade the reader to some extent--they want to convince the reader the thesis is sound. However, an argumentative essay's primary purpose is to persuade, and a big part of that is addressing counterarguments or counterclaims. These have to be worked into the logical structure of the essay. An informational essay will not have a counterclaims, since it's not taking a strong stand that it would have to defend against counterclaims the way an argumentative text would. An informational essay's primary purpose is to inform, not to argue or persuade.