Reading Natural Disasters

At the beginning of the passage, it says that VDAP members debated whether the alert should be moved to level three. What does the word debated mean? In Eruption

• A demanded
• B persuaded
• C protested
• D discussed

Which statement best describes volcanoes?

• A Volcanoes are difficult to predict because they don’t erupt in a straight, orderly progression.
• B Volcanoes are easy to monitor because every one follows the same order of events.
• C Volcanoes usually occur in remote places, so they rarely affect humans.
• D Volcanoes always cause typhoons before they erupt.

Why did Andy watch the lights of the airstrip in Eruption?

• A The lights could measure the height of the smoke plumes.
• B If the lights went out, he knew that he needed to run to safety.
• C He knew that the lights controlled the military television and radio.
• D The lights would indicate if there was a traffic jam during the evacuation.

Why did the instruments flatline in Eruption?

• A The volcano was about to erupt.
• B The seismograph needles were banging.
• C The eruption had destroyed the monitoring stations.
• D The wind and rain of the typhoon had moved over the island.

How is the passage Eruption organized?

• A It lists the steps the military told the scientists to take.
• B It tells the events the scientists faced in the order that they occurred.
• C It explains the problems the scientists experienced and how they solved them.
• D It compares and contrasts how the scientists reacted with how the military reacted.

According to the video, what made the 1964 Alaska earthquake special at the time it happened?

• A It was the first earthquake to ever happen in Alaska.
• B It happened at the same time a powerful storm hit Alaska.
• C It was the most powerful earthquake recorded in North America’s history.
• D It was a powerful earthquake, but there wasn’t much damage caused by it.

Near the beginning of the video the Alaskan Earthquake, three people share their stories of the earthquake. What do the stories have in common?

• A They all tell about a loud noise.
• B They all take place down at the docks.
• C They all explain the science behind earthquakes.
• D They all describe the fires caused by the earthquake.

In the Alaskan Earthquake, why was Valdez so badly harmed by the earthquake?

• A because it caused the Pacific plate to bump into another plate
• B because it had been weakened by an earthquake that happened earlier
• C because it had been built quickly, using materials too weak to last in earthquakes
• D because it was sitting on the Pacific plate, which was diving beneath another plate

How does the computer animation in the middle of the video help explain the events of the earthquake?

• A It shows how the waves washed over Valdez.
• B It shows how many buildings fell from the earthquake.
• C It shows how boats were able to avoid getting damaged.
• D It shows how the docks were affected by the earthquake.

In The alaskan Earthquake: What happened to Valdez after the earthquake?

• A It became the state capital of Alaska.
• B It was rebuilt to look exactly as it had before.
• C It was rebuilt in a safer place a few miles away.
• D It became the home of many scientists from Alaska