Martian Metropolis

Read the sentence from paragraph 5. The Martian day (called a “sol”) is about 40 minutes longer than an Earth day; a Martian year is 668.6 sols. In which two ways does this sentence contribute to the central ideas of the selection?

• It hints at the author’s bias toward life on Mars.

• It helps build a picture of what life would be like on Mars.

• It reveals an important fact about life on Earth.

• It makes an important comparison between Earth and Mars.

• It shows how much better life would be on Mars.

In which version of the sentence is each word capitalized correctly?

• “The Mars Curiosity rover was sent by Nasa to the Red Planet on November 26, 2011,” said brown University Researcher Jay Dickson.

• “The Mars Curiosity Rover was sent by NASA to the red planet on November 26, 2011,” said Brown university researcher Jay Dickson.

• “The Mars Curiosity rover was sent by NASA to the Red Planet on November 26, 2011,” said Brown University Researcher Jay Dickson.

• “The Mars Curiosity Rover was sent by Nasa to the red planet on November 26, 2011,” said Brown university Researcher Jay Dickson.

The author uses a problem and solution structure in the section called “Living Off the Land.” Which two sentences state problems that colonists on Mars will need to solve?

• Sending stuff to Mars is very expensive. (paragraph 7)

• Martian citizens will be really good at recycling. (paragraph 7)

• Settlers will need to grow food. (paragraph 8)

• Fortunately, humans will take those organisms along with them! (paragraph 8)

• They could bring it from Earth or get it from water found on Mars. (paragraph 9)

Which two ideas are supported by the information in paragraphs 7–9?

• Plastic will be a popular material on Mars.

• People living on Mars will have to recycle.

• Homes on Mars will be made of wood and glass.

• Electricity on Mars will be generated mainly from gas.

• Martians will eat mainly the food they can grow.

Read the origin of the word geothermal. From the Greek geo- (“earth”) and thermē (“heat”). Using these clues, choose the best meaning of geothermal as it is used in paragraph 9 of the selection.

• Energy generated from human waste

• Warmth received from the heat of the sun

• Heat transported from one planet to another

• Power obtained from the internal heat of a planet

Read the sentences from paragraph 10. Select the two phrases that best indicate that the author uses a chronological structure in these sentences.

• At first, residents will probably live underground

• to protect themselves against cosmic radiation.

• They’ll work to develop radiation-blocking glass or plastic.

• Once that’s in place, settlers can live above ground in brick buildings with windows, or even under a dome or tent.

Read this sentence from paragraph 12. "The city will need farmers to grow crops, cooks, people to run the spaceport and sewage plant, trash collectors, doctors and nurses—the list goes on." Which structure does the author use to organize the information in this sentence?

• Cause and effect

• Chronological order

• Classification

• Compare and contrast

Which sentence from the selection organizes information by making a comparison?

• Colonists will probably make up new sports that take advantage of Mars’s low gravity. (paragraph 13)

• Earth and Mars are properly aligned for this trip for about 20 days every 26 months. (paragraph 14)

• Because Earth and Mars are so far apart, signals are delayed by up to 24 minutes. (paragraph 15)

• Communication will mostly resemble email. (paragraph 15)

Why are scientists choosing to colonize Mars rather than another planet? Support your answer with information from the selection.

Part A: With which idea would the author most likely agree?

• People who move to Mars are unlikely to see their families again.

• Rovers can study the planet Mars better than explorers can.

• Mars and Earth have landscapes that are almost exactly the same.

• Mars explorers will need protection from radiation.