Housel Debra J.-document-Based Questions For Reading Comprehension and Critical Thinking

Editor
Sara Connolly
Illustrator
Kevin McCarthy
Cover Artist
Brenda DiAntonis
Managing Editor
Ina Massler Levin, M.A.
Creative Director
Karen J. Goldfluss, M.S. Ed.
Art Production Manager

Kevin Barnes
Art Coordinator
Renée Christine Yates
Imaging
Rosa C. See
Publisher
Mary D. Smith, M.S. Ed.
Author
Debra J. Housel, M.S. Ed.
Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

6421 Industry Way
The classroom teacher may Westminster, CA 92683
reproduce copies of materials in
this book for classroom use only. www.teachercreated.com
Reproduction of any part for an ISBN: 978-1-4206-8374-5
entire school or school system is
strictly prohibited. No part of this © 2007 Teacher Created Resources, Inc.
publication may be transmitted, Reprinted, 2009
stored, or recorded in any form Made in U.S.A.
without written permission from
the publisher.
Table of Contents
Introduction The Klondike Gold Rush. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
About This Book. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 The Race to the South Pole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Applying Bloom’s Taxonomy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 A Risky Sea Journey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Practice Suggestions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Conquering Mount Everest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Standardized Test Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Around the World in 71 Days. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Standards and Benchmarks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Amazing Discoveries
True Survival Stories
Anesthesia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Determined to Go Home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Genes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Doomed Pioneers: The Donner Party. . . . . . . . . 13
Vitamins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Shipwrecked in Antarctica. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Antibiotics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Against All Odds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
The Dead Sea Scrolls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
“Houston, We’ve Had a Problem”. . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Qin’s Terracotta Army . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Head Downhill and Follow the Water . . . . . . . . . 25
Interesting Places
Adrift in the Pacific Ocean. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Egypt: One Nation on Two Continents. . . . . . . . 88
Incredible Disasters
Liberia, Named for Freedom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Chicago: Gone in a Puff of Smoke. . . . . . . . . . . 31
Mexico, Land of Corn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
The Great White Hurricane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
The Netherlands: Land of Windmills,
The Triangle Shirtwaist Tragedy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Bicycles, and Tulips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
The Flu Pandemic of 1918. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 North Korea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
The World’s Worst Tornado. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Nunavut, Land of the Inuit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
The Great Alaskan Earthquake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Answer Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Great Adventures
The Journey that Proved Earth was Round . . . . . 49
Wild Ride Down the Colorado River . . . . . . . . . 52
#8374 Document-Based Questions ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

Introduction
About This Book

The primary goal of any reading task is comprehension. Document-Based Questions for Reading
Comprehension and Critical Thinking uses high-interest grade-level nonfiction passages, related
documents, and critical thinking assessment practice to help you develop confident readers who can
demonstrate their skills on standardized tests. In addition, you will build the comprehension skills
necessary for a lifetime of learning.
There are five topic areas with six or seven lessons in each. Each lesson consists of three pages: a
passage, a related document, and an assessment practice page containing multiple choice, true/false—
explain, and short-answer document-based questions. This gives your students practice in all of the
question types used in standardized testing. The students respond to the document-based questions
based on the information gleaned from the passage plus its related document. Such questions improve
a student’s ability to apply prior knowledge, integrate information, and transfer knowledge to a new
situation.
Readability
These passages have a 4.0–4.9 reading level based on the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Formula. This
formula, built into Microsoft® Word™, determines readability by calculating the number of words,
syllables, and sentences. Average readability was determined for each of the five topic areas. The
topics are presented in order of increasing difficulty.
The documents are not leveled. Many of them are historical pieces and therefore replicated with the
exact wording. Some terminology may be challenging, but your students can handle difficult words
within the context given.
Preparing Students to Read Nonfiction Text

One of the best ways to prepare students to read expository text is to read a short selection aloud to
them daily. Reading expository text aloud is critical to developing your students’ ability to read it
themselves. Since making predictions is another way to make students tap into their prior knowledge,
read the beginning of a passage, then stop, and ask them to predict what might occur next. Do this at
several points throughout your reading of the text. By doing this, over time you will find that your
students’ ability to make accurate predictions increases.
Your questions will help students, especially struggling readers, focus on what’s important in a text.
Also, remember the significance of wait time. Research has shown that the amount of time an educator
waits for a student to answer after posing a question has a critical effect on learning. So after you ask
a student a question, silently count to five (ten if you have a student who really struggles to put his or
her thoughts into words) before giving any additional prompts or redirecting the question to another
student.
Talking about nonfiction concepts is also important. Remember, however, that discussion can never
replace reading aloud because people rarely speak using the vocabulary and complex sentence
structures of written language.
©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. #8374 Document-Based Questions

Introduction
Applying Bloom’s Taxonomy

The questions on the assessment practice pages in Document-Based Questions for Reading
Comprehension and Critical Thinking assess all levels of learning in Bloom’s Taxonomy. Benjamin
Bloom devised this six-level classification system for comprehension questions. The questions on each
assessment practice passage are always presented in this order. They progress from easiest to most
challenging.
• Level 1: Knowledge—Students recall information or can find requested information in an
article. They recognize dates, events, places, people, and main ideas.
• Level 2: Comprehension—Students understand information. This means that they can find
information that is stated in a different way than the question. It also means students can rephrase
or restate information in their own words.
• Level 3: Application—Students apply their knowledge to a specific situation. They may be
asked to do something new with the knowledge.
• Level 4: Analysis—Students break things into their component parts and examine those parts.
They notice patterns in information.
• Level 5: Synthesis—Students do something new with the information. They integrate
knowledge and create new ideas. They generalize, predict, plan, and draw conclusions.
• Level 6: Evaluation—Students make judgments and assess value. They form an opinion and
defend it. They can also understand another person’s viewpoint.
These skills are essential to keep in mind when teaching comprehension to assure that your students
practice the higher levels of thinking. Use this classification to form your own questions whenever
your students read or listen to material.
Assessment Practice Pages
Teach your students to read the passage and its related document before answering any of the questions
on the assessment practice page. Armed with this information, your students can more rapidly and
accurately answer each question.
Multiple Choice Questions
The first three questions are multiple choice. Based solely on the information given in the passage,
they cover the knowledge, comprehension, and application levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.
For these questions, demonstrate your own thought process by doing a “think aloud” to figure out an
answer. Tell your students your thoughts as they come to you. For example, suppose the question was:
“In Yellowstone National Park, grizzly bears (a) do tricks, (b) roam free, (c) stay in cages, or (d) get
caught in traps.”
Tell the students all your thoughts as they occur to you:
“Well, the grizzly bears living in Yellowstone National Park are wild bears. So of course they don’t do
tricks. And it didn’t mention that they stay in cages. They probably only do that in zoos or circuses.
So I’ll get rid of choices A and C. That leaves me with ‘roam free’ or ‘get caught in traps.’ Let me
look back at the passage and see what it says about traps.” (Refer back to article.)
Introduction
Applying Bloom’s Taxonomy (cont.)
Multiple Choice Questions (cont.)

“I don’t see anything about traps in the passage. And I did see that it says that in Yellowstone National
Park the bears are protected and their population is increasing. That means they’re safe from traps,
which are dangerous. So I’m going to select (b)—roam free.”
True/False—Explain Questions
The fourth question is true false—explain. It tests the analysis level of Bloom’s Taxonomy. This
question may require students to use information from both the passage and the document to generate
an answer. Just a one- or two-sentence response is required. To respond correctly, the student must
not only distinguish facts from falsehoods but also explain them. This requires logical reasoning
and analytical thinking. They cannot receive full credit without an adequate explanation. You must
demonstrate how to write a good explanation. For example, in response to the statement: “Thomas
Jefferson wrote the Gettysburg Address,” the students could write, “False. Abraham Lincoln wrote the
Gettysburg Address” OR “False. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence.” Either
answer is acceptable and worth full credit.
When the statement is clearly true, the student must state that and add information. For example, in
response to the statement: “Early pioneers in the Midwest had to cope with grasshopper plagues,” the
students should write, “True. The grasshoppers destroyed crops and even damaged buildings.”
Make sure that your students know that sometimes both “true” and “false” responses can be correct.
For example, in an article about rescuing Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto, it states how hard
it was to convince the parents to let the rescue organization take away their children. It also details the
methods used to get the kids past the guards (crawling through sewers, sedated babies in toolboxes). In
response to the question, “ During the rescue operation, the most difficult part was getting the parents
to release their kids to the rescuers,” some students may respond “True. Many parents did not want to
let their children go. They were not sure that the children were in danger and thought that they could
protect them.” But others may say, “False. The hardest part was getting the kids out of the Ghetto
without the Gestapo discovering what was going on.”
Either response is worth full credit because it is adequately defended. This promotes critical thinking
since the students must digest the information in order to take a stance.
Document-Based Questions
The remaining questions require the students to integrate the information provided in the passage
with the information shown in the document. You must guide your students in understanding and
responding to the document-based questions. Again, the best way to teach such skills is to demonstrate
how the formulation of an answer is achieved through a think aloud.

Introduction
Applying Bloom’s Taxonomy (cont.)
Short-Answer Questions
The fifth and sixth questions test the synthesis and evaluative levels of Bloom’s taxonomy. Synthesis
questions make your students draw conclusions based on information gleaned from both the passage
and its document. Their response requires only a few sentences. Show your students how to restate the
words from the question to formulate a cogent response. For example, in response to “Why were some
people against the building of the Hoover Dam?” the students could write, “Some people were against
the building of the Hoover Dam because it backed up a river, forming a huge lake. Historical Native
American sites were flooded and animals’ homes destroyed.”
The final short answer question will be evaluative—the highest level of Bloom’s taxonomy. This
means that it is an opinion statement with no right answer. Evaluative questions demand the highest
thinking and logical reasoning skills. The child must take a stance and defend it. Although there is
no correct response, it is critical that the students support their opinions using facts and logic. Show
them a format for the defense—by stating their opinion followed by the word “because” and a reason.
For example, have a student respond to this question “Do you think that whales should be kept in
aquariums and sea parks for people to enjoy?” The student may respond, “I do not think that whales
should be kept at sea parks because they are wild animals and don’t want to be there. They want to be
free in the ocean.” Do not award full credit unless the student adequately supports his or her opinion.
Sample defenses are given for the evaluative questions, but students may present other valid opinions
as well. Also, it would be most effective if you used the defenses written by the students themselves.
Thus, before passing back the practice papers, make note of two children who had opposing opinions.
Then, during the wrap-up discussion, call on each of these students to read his or her defense to the
class. If all the children had the same conclusion, give the opposing opinion from the answer key to
show them both sides of the issue. When it’s obvious that a topic has generated strong opinions in your
students, you can encourage your class to debate.

Introduction
Practice Suggestions
Read aloud the first passage in each of the five topic areas and do its related questions with the
whole class. Such group practice is essential. The more your students practice, the more competent
and confident they will become. Plan to have your class do every exercise in the Document-Based
Questions for Reading Comprehension and Critical Thinking. The activities are time-efficient so that
your students can practice each week. To yield the best results, practice must begin at the start of the
school year.
If you have some students who cannot read the articles independently, allow them to read with a
partner, then work through the comprehension questions alone. Eventually all students must practice
reading and answering the questions independently. Move to this stage as soon as possible. For the
most effective practice sessions, follow these steps:
1. Have students read the text silently and answer the questions.
2. Have students exchange papers to correct each other’s multiple choice section.
3. Collect all the papers to score the short answer questions.
4. Return the papers to their owners and discuss how the students determined their answers.
5. Refer to the exact wording in the passage.
6. Point out how students had to use their background knowledge to answer certain questions.
7. Discuss the document-based questions thoroughly. Do think-alouds to show how you integrated
information from the passage and the document to formulate your response.
8. Discuss how a child should defend his or her stance in an evaluative short-answer question.
Scoring the Assessment Practice Passages

To generate a numeric score, follow these guidelines:
Multiple Choice questions (3) 12 points each 36 points
True/False–Explain question (1) 16 points 16 points
Short-answer questions (2) 24 points 48 points
Total 100 points

Introduction
Standardized Test Success

A key objective of Document-Based Questions for Reading Comprehension and Critical Thinking
is to prepare your students to get the best possible scores on standardized tests. You may want to
practice environmental conditions throughout the year in order to get your students used to the testing
environment. For example, if your students’ desks are usually together, have students move them apart
whenever you practice so it won’t feel strange on the test day.
A student’s ability to do well on traditional standardized tests on comprehension requires these good
test-taking skills. Thus, every student in your class needs instruction in test-taking skills. Even fluent
readers and logical thinkers will perform better on standardized tests if you provide instruction in these
areas:
• Understanding the question: Teach students to break down the question to figure out what is
really being asked of them. This book will prepare them for the kinds of questions they will
encounter on standardized tests.
• Concentrating on what the text says: Show students how to restrict their response to just what is
asked. When you go over the practice passages, ask your students to show where they found the
correct response or inference in the text.
• Ruling out distracters in multiple choice answers: Teach students to look for the key words in a
question and look for those specific words to find the information in the text. They also need to
know that they may have to look for synonyms for the key words.
• Maintaining concentration: Use classroom time to practice this in advance. Reward students
for maintaining concentration. Explain to them the purpose of this practice and the reason why
concentration is so essential.
Students will need to use test-taking skills and strategies throughout their lives. The exercises in
Document-Based Questions for Reading Comprehension and Critical Thinking will guide your students
to become better readers and test-takers. After practicing the exercises in this book, you will be
pleased with your students’ comprehension performance, not only on standardized tests, but with any
expository text they encounter—within the classroom and beyond its walls.

Introduction
Standards and Benchmarks

Listed below are the McREL standards for Language Arts Level II (grades
3–5). All standards and benchmarks are used with permission from
McREL.
Kendall, J. S., & Marzano, R. J. (2004). Content knowledge: A compendium
of standards and benchmarks for K-12 education. Aurora, CO: Mid-
continent Research for Education and Learning. Online database:
http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks/
McREL Standards are in bold. Benchmarks are in regular print. All lessons meet the following
standards and benchmarks.
STANDARD 5 Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process.
Level II
Benchmark 3 Makes, confirms, and revises simple predictions about what will be found in a text
(e.g., uses prior knowledge and ideas presented in text, illustrations, titles, topic
sentences, key words, and foreshadowing clues)
Benchmark 7 Understands level-appropriate reading vocabulary (e.g., synonyms, antonyms,
homophones, multi-meaning words)
Benchmark 10 Understands the author’s purpose (e.g., to persuade, to inform) or point of view
STANDARD 7 Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of
informational texts.
Level II
Benchmark 1 Uses reading skills and strategies to understand a variety of informational texts (e.g.,
textbooks, biographical sketches, letters, diaries, directions, procedures, magazines)
Benchmark 5 Summarizes and paraphrases information in texts (e.g., includes the main idea and
significant supporting details of a reading selection)
Benchmark 6 Uses prior knowledge and experience to understand and respond to new information
STANDARD 1 Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process.
Level II
Benchmark 6 Uses strategies (e.g., adapts focus, point of view, organization, form) to write for a
variety of purposes (e.g., to inform, entertain, explain, describe, record ideas)
Benchmark 7 Writes expository compositions (e.g., identifies and stays on the topic; develops the
topic with simple facts, details, examples, and explanations; excludes extraneous
and inappropriate information; uses structures such as cause-and-effect, chronology,
similarities and differences; uses several sources of information; provides a
concluding statement)
Determined to Go Home
Shawnee Native Americans attacked what is now Blacksburg, Virginia, in July 1755. They killed the
men and took two women hostage. One was Mary Draper Ingles. She was pregnant and had two sons,
Thomas, age 4, and George, age 2. The Native Americans tied her to a horse with her sons behind her.
Then they set fire to the homes.
Mary’s husband, William, was in the fields. He saw the smoke and ran for home. But he had no
weapon and watched from the trees as the armed Native Americans led his family away. Then he
rushed to a neighboring settlement to form a rescue party. Most of the land west of the Allegheny
Mountains was unknown by white settlers. And the Native Americans had a big lead. The search party
lost their trail. After a month, the men gave up.
After three days with her captors, Mary gave birth to a baby girl. Then the group continued until they
reached what is now Ohio. Thomas and George were given to other tribes and left the area. Native
Americans often adopted young white children. Mary’s heart nearly broke.
The Shawnee had Mary make shirts. Later they sent her and an old Dutch woman down the Ohio
River to a natural salt spring. Each day the women boiled the water to make salt. Each evening they
gathered grapes and nuts. Then they returned to camp. They knew that if they ran and were caught,
they would be killed. Yet the women made plans to escape. They did not think the baby could survive
the 800-mile trip. So Mary would leave her behind and hope that she’d be adopted.
One night the women did not return. They decided to follow the river. Each had a blanket and a
tomahawk (Native American axe). The Native Americans did not look for them because they thought
that wild animals had killed them. Mary and her companion did not know this and kept looking over
their shoulders. It was fall, and the nights were cold. Food was not as plentiful as in summer. The
women ate nuts and grapes. When they came to a Native American cornfield, they stole every ear they
could carry.
Miles of walking wore out their moccasins and left them barefoot. They lost their blankets crossing
a swift stream. As cold winter winds blew, they huddled together and ate plant roots. Exhausted and
starved, they trudged along the river. The old woman lost her mind and tried to kill Mary to eat her!
Mary hid. Although unable to swim, she had to get to the other side of the river for safety. Luckily she
found a canoe. From then on, the women saw each other on opposite banks.
In December, after 42 days of walking, Mary saw a cabin. She shouted, then fainted. A man came out
and found her lying in the snow. She was naked. Her bones stuck out. Her red hair had turned white,
and most of her teeth had fallen out. Mary sent the man to look for the old woman. He found her and
took her to a fort. Then he went and got Mary’s husband.
No one knows what happened to Mary’s daughter. George fell ill and died soon after leaving his
mother. After 13 years of searching, Mary and William found Thomas.
#8374 Document-Based Questions 10 ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

Schroeder, Joan Vannorsdall. Blue Ridge Country. “An Extraordinary Woman, And Equal to Any Emergency.”
www.blueridgecountry.com/ingles/ingles.htm
©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 11 #8374 Document-Based Questions

1. Why did Mary Draper Ingles go on such a difficult journey?
a. She thought it was the only way to c. She wanted to see her sons
save her daughter’s life. back at the settlement.
b. She wanted to help the old Dutch d. She wanted to return to her husband.
woman escape.
2. How long did Mary Draper Ingles walk in order to reach home?
a. 5 weeks c. 7 weeks
b. 6 weeks d. 42 weeks
3. Mary Draper Ingles was kidnapped
a. before the American Revolution began. c. after the American Revolution ended.
b. during the American Revolution. d. during the 19th century.
4. Mary Draper Ingles was not the only captive of the Shawnee. True or False? Explain.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. During her return trip, why didn’t Mary follow the same path that the Native Americans had taken
in the West Virginia area?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. If you had been Mary Draper Ingles, would you have left your daughter and walked almost 800
miles home? Why or why not?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Doomed Pioneers:
The Donner Party
In the spring of 1846, about 800 people headed for
California. Among them were the Donner and Reed
families. These two families joined together to form their
own wagon train. They chose George and Jacob Donner
as their leaders. More people joined their group in
southern Wyoming. Soon they made a mistake that would
leave 90 people stuck in the Sierra Nevadas, a mountain
range in eastern California. Of these, only 47 survived
that harsh winter.
The trouble started when they left the main trail. They took a shortcut that turned out to be anything
but short. It delayed their progress and made them move too slowly. They knew they were in trouble
by October. Tension grew. Things started to fall apart when James Reed killed another man during a
quarrel. The group abandoned Reed in the desert without food or water. A friend secretly gave him a
horse and food. Reed made it to California and that winter led a search party looking for the wagon train.
The second week of October, panic set in. When one man could not keep up, they left him in the
desert, too. A week later a man was accidentally shot. They didn’t take time to bury him. By
November, deep snows stopped the group from moving. The cattle that had pulled the wagons soon
died. But their bodies were buried so far under the snow that the people could not reach them.
They built crude shelters of logs, rocks, and hides. They soon ran out of food and the deep snow
made hunting nearly impossible. They ate twigs, mice, and their shoes. In December the group tried a
daring plan. Fourteen of the strongest would snowshoe to the nearest settlement. It was a trip of 150
miles. They carried six days’ worth of food, but the trip took 33 days. Along the way half of them
died. It is believed that, to keep from starving, the remaining survivors had to resort to cannibalism.
Seven reached the settlement. They sent back food with the First Relief group. The rescuers arrived
on February 19. The people in camp were so weak that they thought the men were angels. Some had
lost all their hair and their eyesight. Twelve had died since the group had left. A second relief group
came to lead the people out of the mountains. Death continued to stalk them. One three-year-old girl
died just five miles from the settlement, and a young boy ate so much dried meat that he died.
Despite what the Donner Party faced, people scorned them because of their means of survival. But
since no one was murdered, no crime was committed. They did what they had to do to survive.

Doomed Pioneers:
The Donner Party
In June 1918 a monument was erected in memory of the Donner Party in Donner Memorial State Park.
Here is what a plaque on the monument reads:

Donner Party
Near this spot stood near the Breen cabin of the party of emigrants who started for
California near Springfield, Illinois in April, 1846, under the leadership of Captain George
Donner. Delays occurred and when the party reached this locality on October 29 the
Truckee Pass emigrant road was concealed by snow. The height of the shaft of this
monument indicates the depth of the snow, which was twenty-two feet. After futile
attempts to cross the summit, the party was compelled to camp for the winter. The
Graves cabin was situated about three-quarters of a mile to the eastward. The Murphy
cabin was about 200 yards southwest of the monument, and the Donner tents were at
the head of Alder Creek. Ninety people were in the party and forty-two perished, most
of them from starvation and exposure.”
In commemoration of the pioneers who crossed the Plains to settle in California.
The Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco. “Donner Monument California State Historic Landmark 134.”
http://www.sonic.net/~laird/landmarks/counties/100-199/134.html
Doomed Pioneers:
The Donner Party
1. The Donner Party’s end destination was
a. Nevada. c. Wyoming.
b. California. d. Oregon.
2. Cannibalism means
a. killing other people for food. c. abandoning people in the desert.
b. eating one’s own pets. d. eating human flesh.
3. The group left James Reed in the desert because he

a. couldn’t keep up. c. had committed a murder.
b. died. d. criticized the group’s leaders.
4. The First Relief Group led the settlers out of their snowy encampment. True or False? Explain.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. According to the plaque, which families had cabins during that terrible winter of 1846–47?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. Were the people in the Donner party wrong to eat the dead members of the group? Why or
why not?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Shipwrecked in Antarctica
Ernest Shackleton was a British explorer who hoped to be the first to travel across Antarctica. In 1914,
Shackleton and his crew of 27 seemed ready for the adventure as they packed food, tents, and warm
clothes onto the ship Endurance. The men did not know how apt the ship’s name was. They would
face an incredible ordeal that would require endurance.
When the Endurance was just 100 miles from Antarctica’s shore, ice floes closed around it. The ship
could not move. It was stuck for 10 months. Then millions of tons of ice started to crush the ship.
The captain made the men get off and take all the supplies they could carry in three rowboats. The
men had to trek through freezing winds on the cold, barren ice pulling these boats. At night they slept
in sleeping bags on the ice. One night the ice cracked beneath a sleeping man. He fell into the icy
water, but Shackleton plucked him out. They had no extra clothes, so the man walked around for hours
until his clothing dried. If he had stopped moving, he would have frozen to death.
Sometimes large leopard seals chased the men. They followed the men’s shadows through the ice and
then burst through cracks in the ice with their jaws opened wide showing their huge, saw-like teeth.
The men shot and ate them. They caught fish, too.
After 497 days on ice and water, the captain and crew made it to Elephant Island. It was covered with
rocks and ice. Most of the men stayed there, but Shackleton and five men rowed away in a small
boat. They rowed for 800 miles through Earth’s most stormy seas. Exhausted, they landed on South
Georgia Island. This island had a whaling town. But they landed on the wrong side! The men had to
cross steep mountains that had never been crossed before. They had just a rope. On the way down,
Shackleton tied the men together, and they slid down 2,000 feet. Upon reaching town, he immediately
got a ship and headed back for his men. But the seas were so rough that it took him three months and
four attempts to get close to Elephant Island.
Meanwhile the men on Elephant Island had lost hope. They had waited for four months. Perhaps
the little rowboat had sunk. If so, no one would know where they were. Then they saw sails coming
toward them. They waved and cheered. Their leader had come for them at last! Every man had
survived.
January 8, 1922
Death Notice
Shackleton, Ernest. Age 47. Struck

down by a heart attack on January
5 near South Georgia Island on his
fourth trip to Antarctica. Survived
by his wife Emily and three children.
Knighted in 1909. Sir Shackleton
accompanied Robert Scott’s trip to
Antarctica (1901–1904). He then led
his own group (1908–1909). On a third
trip, his ship, Endurance, was lost, but
the crew survived. Author of Heart
of the Antarctic (1909) and South
(1919). Burial at Whaler’s Cemetery in
Grytviken, South Georgia.

1. Shackleton and five men set out in a rowboat to go to
a. South Georgia Island. c. Endurance.
b. Antarctica. d. Elephant Island.
2. Which was not a danger faced by the men on the expedition?

a. falling through the ice c. being eaten by a sea leopard
b. drinking too much alcohol d. freezing to death
3. Why were the men better off on Elephant Island than they had been on the ice floes?
a. It was much warmer on c. They were on land and therefore
Elephant Island. wouldn’t fall through the ice.
b. They could find more things to eat. d. They were more likely to be seen
by a passing ship.
4. Shackleton’s ordeal ended when he set foot on South Georgia Island. True or False? Explain.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. What really interested Ernest Shackleton? How do you know? Include details from his death
notice.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. Which part of this survival story is the most amazing? Why?

_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Against All Odds

Seventeen years before becoming U.S. president, John F.
Kennedy survived against all odds. During World War II
he was the captain of a Patrol Torpedo boat serving in the
Solomon Islands. These small boats launched torpedoes at
Japanese ships. Most PT boats went out only after dark.
Kennedy commanded PT 109. They were in dangerous
waters and cut the engine to reduce the chance of detection.
It was pitch black with a fog rising from the water.
Suddenly a Japanese destroyer slid through the darkness.
It sliced PT 109 in half! One half quickly sank, and two
of the crew died instantly. The other 11 men would face a
long ordeal. No rescue party would search for them. Another PT captain had seen the flames from the
collision. He believed that all hands were lost. Back at their base in Rendova, a funeral service was
held for the men.
One man was badly burned. Another had a hurt leg. Kennedy dove into the water and pulled each one
to safety on the half of the boat still afloat. Every man had a life vest, but the ship was sinking. By
morning they had to get to land. Kennedy chose an island about three miles away. He took the strap
of the burned man’s life vest between his teeth. Then he swam for five hours with him in tow. He still
reached the island before the rest of his men. Then he went back to help the injured man and a poor
swimmer.
Once all the men had hidden in bushes, Kennedy took to the water again. He wanted to go to a place
where PT boats often lurked. He had to walk across a sharp coral reef that slashed his feet. But that
night, no boats came. It took him the rest of the night to return to the others. He had had nothing
to drink and was getting weak. The next night another man made the same trip. But again no boats
came. Kennedy said that they must go to another island. Again he took the burned man in tow. It took
them three hours to reach the island. That night it rained, and they got water by sucking on leaves.
Moving resulted in some luck. They found a keg of water, Japanese hardtack*, and candy. The men
shared these things and felt a little stronger. Two natives paddled by in a canoe. These people had
been invaded by the Japanese and were on the Americans’ side. Kennedy signaled them. He scratched
“Rendova” on a coconut. The natives took it and paddled away.
The next day four natives came. The New Zealand Navy had sent them. They put Kennedy in the
bottom of their canoe and covered him with palm branches. They crossed the passage right in front of
Japanese troops. The men smuggled Kennedy to the New Zealand base. From there a PT boat rescued
him that night. He guided it to the island where his crew awaited. They had endured six awful days
and nights.
*a biscuit made of just flour and water

Against All Odds
Navy & Marine Corps Medal

To
Lieutenant, Junior Grade, John Fitzgerald Kennedy
United States Navy
for service as set forth in the following
Citation: “For heroism in the rescue of 3 men following the ramming and
sinking of his motor torpedo boat while attempting a torpedo attack on a
Japanese destroyer in the Solomon Islands area on the night of Aug 1-2, 1943.
Lt. Kennedy, Capt. of the boat, directed the rescue of the crew and personally
rescued 3 men, one of whom was seriously injured. During the following 6
days, he succeeded in getting his crew ashore, and after swimming many hours
attempting to secure aid and food, finally effected the rescue of the men. His
courage, endurance and excellent leadership contributed to the saving of
several lives and was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States
Naval Service.”
Department of the Navy, Naval Historical Center. “Lt. John F. Kennedy’s NMCM Citation.”
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq60-10.htm

Against All Odds

1. It’s clear that Kennedy was a strong swimmer since he
a. could swim for 100 miles. c. did not need a life jacket.
b. did more swimming than the other men. d. swam for miles towing another man.
2. Why did no one come to rescue the crew of PT 109?

a. No one knew that they had crashed. c. The crew did not want help.
b. Another PT captain reported that d. During a war, no one searches for
they were all dead. survivors at sea.
3. The natives took the coconut from Kennedy to

a. their own homes. c. a navy on the same side as the Americans.
b. the Japanese navy. d. Kennedy’s home base of Rendova.
4. Moving to the second island was a good idea. True or False? Explain.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. According to the Navy and Marine Corps Medal citation, when did Kennedy and his men suffer
through their ordeal in the Solomon Islands?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. Do you think that Kennedy’s heroism helped him to win the U.S. presidential election 17 years
later? Why or why not?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

“Houston, We’ve Had

a Problem”
Jim Lovell was 200,000 miles from Earth. But suddenly he and his two crew members, Fred Haise and
John Swigert had just one hour and 52 minutes of oxygen left. Lovell knew the only way they would
survive was to stay calm. It was April 1970, and he was in command of the Apollo 13 lunar mission.
Lovell had been on three prior missions. Each of those missions had gone off without a hitch. Apollo 13
had planned to land two men on the moon. But just 56 hours into the flight, an explosion rocked the
service module. It caused a huge drain of oxygen and electrical power. Swigert radioed NASA and
said, “Houston, we’ve had a problem.”
Lovell and his men left the main ship. They got into the lunar module (LM). This tiny craft was meant
to land on the moon. It was built to keep two men alive for two days. Now three men sat inside it.
They were four days away from home.
Getting into the LM kept them from suffocating. Now NASA engineers had to find a way to keep the
men breathing with a small supply of oxygen. At the same time, scientists went to work. They did
long math calculations. They figured out when the men should fire their rockets and what course they
should take.
Making the remaining oxygen last was of top importance. To do this, a filter had to be made. Luckily
NASA engineers had a detailed list of what was on board. They knew every item they had to work
with. A ground team designed and built the filter. They used just the things that the astronauts had.
Then they radioed instructions to the crew.
The cardboard from an instruction manual formed part of the filter. Special thermal underwear was
aboard with thin tubing woven into the fabric. Water would flow through these tubes to keep the men
cool as they worked on the moon. Now the underwear was unneeded. But its plastic tubing was used
in the filter. It took the three men one hour to make it. Lovell said later, “It wasn’t handsome, but it
worked.”
The men had to circle the moon. Just before reentering Earth’s atmosphere, the crew cast off the
service and lunar modules. They made a safe landing in the command module. They splashed down
in the Pacific Ocean. Some people think that bringing the Apollo 13 crew home safely was NASA’s
finest hour.


a Problem”
The Daily Star June 27, 1995 5B
Since You Want My Opinion
My money’s on Apollo 13 being the best film this year. Don’t be surprised to see multiple
Oscar nominations. I went in knowing the ending, and it still managed to keep me on the
edge of my seat. The film has the feel of science fiction suspense, but it’s actually a true
tale of amazing heroism and inventiveness.
Ron Howard expertly directs Apollo 13, a film documenting the near-fatal 13th mission
of the Apollo space program. Tom Hanks is outstanding in the role of Jim Lovell, the
commander of the mission. The rest of the cast gives great performances as well.
Many Americans already know Apollo 13’s saga. In April 1970, the Apollo 13 spacecraft
blasted off with a three-man crew. They were to be the third group to walk on the moon.
By then, a moon landing was so commonplace that the launch wasn’t broadcast on
television. But on the way, an oxygen tank exploded. The men had to forget their moon
landing. Worse, it was unlikely that they could get home. Their determined struggle to
return to Earth is one of the most heart-stopping, heroic stories of modern times.
The film details what happens after the explosion. It shows the tension on the ground
as Mission Control members race to design a makeshift filter and make painstakingly
accurate mathematical calculations. It details the distress of the men’s wives who must
deal with the fact that they may never return while the media constantly pesters them.
The real tension is felt in the scenes inside the spaceship. Howard’s use of special effects
gives you the feeling that you are there. The men shut down all nonessential systems to
save power. You shiver as they nearly freeze to death inside the unheated space module.
You swallow hard as they cobble a carbon dioxide filter to keep from suffocating. You’re
gripping the arms of your seat when you find they must make course corrections with a
malfunctioning computer.
Go see Apollo 13; you’ll be glad you did. I usually don’t like sitting through movies that
go over two hours. This one is 140 minutes, but I guarantee you’d need a heart of stone
to get restless.


a Problem”
1. The astronauts first knew that they had trouble when
a. the service module blew up. c. they started losing oxygen and electricity rapidly.
b. Houston contacted them and d. they began to suffocate.
told them that there was a problem.
2. The astronauts safely landed in the ocean in the
a. main ship. c. lunar module.
b. service module. d. command module.
3. How did the makeshift filter help the crew?
a. It gave them more electrical power. c. It kept the spacecraft from overheating.
b. It let them have enough oxygen d. It gave them something to do so that
to get home. they wouldn’t panic.
4. Teamwork saved the crew of the Apollo 13 mission. True or False? Explain.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. List three compliments that the movie reviewer includes to encourage readers to go see Apollo 13
. _______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. There are several books written about Apollo 13, two of them by Commander Jim Lovell. Which
would help you to better understand what the astronauts went through: watching the film Apollo 13
or reading one of these books? Why?_ _______________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Head Downhill and

Follow the Water
Juliane Koepcke, 17, sat next to her mother in a Lockheed Electra plane on the night of December 24,
1971. The German girl had just graduated from high school in Lima, Peru. The pair was on the way to
meet her father. But when lightning struck the plane, its right wing burst into flames.
Juliane has no memory of what happened next. She passed out. Still strapped into her seat, she awoke
three hours later. The plane had crashed into a mountainous region of the Amazon rain forest. Juliane
had a broken collarbone and a deep gash in her right arm. Even worse, she’d lost the sight in one eye.
She searched for others. But of the 92 people aboard, she was the sole survivor.
Juliane was in shock. The pain was overwhelming. Yet she remembered her father saying that if a
person was lost in the jungle, she should go downhill. That would lead to water, and water always
leads to people. She had on one sandal and a skirt. Still, she knew she had to follow his advice if she
were to survive. So she struggled along, breaking a path through the thick growth on the dark jungle
floor. Several times she heard planes pass overhead. But she had no way to signal to them.
At last she found a muddy stream and followed it. Hundreds of mosquito bites drained her blood.
Worms and leeches clung to her legs. Her feet were covered with blisters. Juliane did not know what
was safe to eat. So she ate nothing. Her only water came from drinking the rain that fell on leaves.
After ten days of walking, she came to a hunter’s hut. She stumbled into it and collapsed.
The next day a group of hunters arrived. They saw that the insect eggs buried in her skin had begun to
hatch. To kill them, they poured gasoline on her. Then the men put her into their canoe and paddled
for seven hours. They reached the town of Tournavista on January 2, 1972. From there a helicopter
carried her to a hospital. When she was released, a local pilot flew her to her father.
Later she led rescue workers to the plane wreckage. From the remains, it was estimated that she
survived a fall of two miles from the sky. High winds had slowed her fall so that she spiraled instead
of plummeting. Today Juliane is a biologist in Germany.

Head Downhill and

Follow the Water
Causes of Plane Crashes
Other Human Error Other Causes
4% 1%
Sabotage
5%
Weather
7% Pilot Error
37%
Mechanical Failure
13%
Unknown
33%
These percentages come from 2,147 commercial aviation accidents from 1950 through 2004.
In cases with several causes, the most important one was used. Military, private, and charter
aircraft were not included.
Notes:
*Pilot error includes accidents in which pilots made a mistake based on weather conditions
or mechanical problems.
*Other human error includes air traffic controller error, improper loading of aircraft, fuel
problems, poor maintenance, etc.
*Sabotage includes bombs, shoot-downs, and hijackings.
Plane Crash Info. “Accident Statistics.” http://www.planecrashinfo.com/cause.htm
Head Downhill and

Follow the Water
1. Why did Juliane walk downhill?
a. Her injured mother had begged c. Her father had once said that doing
her to find help. so would lead to water.
b. She was in a canoe and water d. She couldn’t go up the mountain.
always flows downhill.
2. Why did the hunters douse Juliane with gasoline?
a. as a snake repellant c. to keep her from dehydrating
b. to kill the insects living on her d. to kill her
3. Why did Juliane drink only rainwater?
a. She wasn’t sure if any other c. Drinking water from a stream
water was safe to drink. had made her very ill.
b. She never found any other water. d. She only had access to saltwater.
4. Juliane was saved by a group of hunters. True or False? Explain.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. Based on the pie graph, was the plane crash that Juliane survived caused by one of the two most
common reasons for fatal aviation accidents? Give the percentages for each.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. Look at the most common causes of fatal plane crashes. What could be done to reduce this type
of accident?_ ____________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Adrift in the Pacific Ocean

Richard Van Pham is a survivor. He came to the United States in 1976 after fleeing communist
Vietnam. But escaping a war-torn country did not turn out to be his biggest challenge. That came in
2002.
In May 2002, Van Pham, 62, set out from California on what was meant to be a three-hour sailing trip
to Catalina Island. It was a trip of just 22 miles. Instead, a sudden storm broke the mast, radio, and
motor of the Sea Breeze.
Van Pham was retired. He had no boss or coworkers to notice his absence. He also had no family to
report him missing. He lived on his sailboat in the Long Beach Harbor. No one knew that he was out
in the water. So for nearly four months his boat drifted.
But Van Pham did not perish. He was resourceful. He drank rain water that he collected in a bucket.
He ate sea turtles, fish, and sea birds. He found that he hated the taste of raw meat. So he used some
of the wood from his own boat to build a fire. He didn’t know how often he’d be lucky in trying
to catch game. So he tried to conserve as much food as possible. He figured out how to evaporate
seawater and used the salt to preserve the meat!
In September a plane flew over Van Pham’s boat. He waved frantically. The pilot tipped his wings
to show that he saw that the boat was in trouble. Two hours later a U.S. Navy frigate arrived at Van
Pham’s location. He was speechless with joy. His boat had drifted about 2,500 miles. He was found
275 miles off the coast of Costa Rica.


Course of Richard Van Pham’s Unplanned Journey


1. Van Pham was stuck on his boat for nearly
a. two months. c. six months.
b. four months. d. a whole year.
2. Van Pham had moved to the United States from
a. Vietnam. c. Catalina Island.
b. Coast Rica. d. Taiwan.
3. Van Pham’s most vital survival skill was his ability to
a. evaporate seawater. c. build a fire.
b. let the plane know that he was in trouble. d. figure out how to get food and water.
4. The U.S. Coast Guard didn’t search for the Sea Breeze because they never heard his distress
signal. True or False? Explain.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. In what direction did Van Pham’s boat drift? Why do you think it went in this direction?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. If Van Pham’s boat had had an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB), rescuers
could have quickly located his boat. Between 1982 and 2002, EPIRBs helped to save 14,700
people. Should there be a law requiring all ocean-going boats to have an EPIRB? Why or
why not?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Chicago: Gone in
a Puff of Smoke
For humans, fire has always been both friend and foe. Fire cooks food and warms homes. But once
it’s out of control, it’s a frightening enemy. This happened to Chicago, Illinois, in October 1871. No
one knows for sure what started the fire. They do know that it started in O’Leary’s barn. Many people
think that a cow kicked over an oil lantern. Others say that a tramp lit a pipe inside the barn and
caught the hay on fire. But everyone agrees that the blaze from that barn destroyed the city.
At that time the city had 651 miles of wooden sidewalks. It also had 60,000 buildings. Nearly all of
them were wooden. Constant winds blowing off Lake Michigan gave Chicago its nickname of the
Windy City. Now the wind spread the flames rapidly. Even worse, it sent sparks flying across the
Chicago River. If that hadn’t happened, the river could have provided a natural firebreak.
The night the fire began, the city’s firemen were tired. They had fought 30 fires in the past week. A
lookout atop the courthouse saw smoke coming from the O’Leary’s barn. But in his excitement, he
gave the wrong location. The blaze was already out of control by the time the firemen got there.
A burning plank crashed through the wooden roof of the city’s waterworks. This knocked the water
pumps out of action. And it left the frustrated firemen nothing with which to fight the flames. Then
the fire reached the “inflammable” city hall. High heat made the limestone and marble building crack.
It didn’t burn. But it turned into a big pile of rubble.
Some people waded as far as possible into the lake and kept all but their heads underwater. They had
to keep dodging the flaming debris falling all around them. Makeshift hospitals and morgues were set
up in homes. But they had to keep moving to stay ahead of the relentless flames. After a while the
dead bodies were abandoned. It was more important to keep moving the injured. The blaze raged for
24 hours. It wiped out the downtown area and most of the North Side. It ended when rain fell.
The fire killed at least 300 people and left 90,000 homeless. At least $200 million in property was lost,
too. At that time insurance was a luxury. Most people lost all they owned and did not get an insurance
payment.
Like a phoenix, Chicago rose from its ashes to become one of the greatest cities in the world. In just
six months, half of the city had been rebuilt. The new buildings and homes were made of brick
and stone.

Chicago: Gone in
a Puff of Smoke
Chicago Relief And Aid Society
Chicago, October 24, 1871.
To all in the service of the Chicago Relief and Aid Society:

With donations pouring in . . . and with multitudes of sufferers . . . every tendency will be
towards a generous . . . distribution of supplies. But remember that there are from six
to eight months before us in which we will have to fight the hunger, cold, and nakedness
of our poor.
You will, therefore, see . . . that not a single dollar be expended for persons able to
provide for themselves. Every carpenter or mason can now earn from $3 to $4 per day,
every laborer $2, every half-grown boy $1, every woman capable of doing household
work from $2 to $3 dollars per week. Clerks, and persons unaccustomed to outdoor
labor, if they cannot find such employment as they have been accustomed to, must take
such as is offered or leave the city. Any man, single woman, or boy, able to work, and
unemployed at this time, is so from choice and not from necessity. You will, therefore,
. . . give no aid to any families who are capable of earning their own support (except to
supply some needed articles of clothing, bedding, or furniture which their earnings will
not enable them to procure1, and at the same time meet their ordinary expenses of food
and fuel).
Our aid must be . . . for the aged, infirm 2, widows and orphans, and to supply to families
those actual necessities of life, which . . . they are unable to procure by their labor.
Any failure on the part of any employee of the Society to conform to the instructions
above given will be regarded as sufficient cause for his instant dismissal.
O. C. GIBBS,
Gen’l Sup’t of Distribution of Supplies
Approved by the Executive Committee

WIRT DEXTER, Chairman
1
get
2
sick or disabled
The Great Chicago Fire and the Web of Memory. “Organizing the Relief.”
http://www.chicagohs.org/fire/rescue/organizing.html

Chicago: Gone in
a Puff of Smoke
1. Chicago’s nickname is
a. the Windy City. c. Phoenix.
b. O’Leary’s Barn. d. not given in the article or document.
2. The Great Chicago Fire finally ended when
a. the fire reached the shores of b. the fire couldn’t cross the
Lake Michigan. Chicago River.
c. the tired firemen got help d. rain soaked the city.
from neighboring towns’ firemen.
3. For a short time after the fire, the O’Learys hid. They went out only in disguise. Why?
a. They were embarrassed for not b. They had deliberately set the city on fire.
helping anyone to escape from the fire.
c. They thought that people might d. They were rich and thought that
attack them and blame them for the fire. everyone would beg them for money.
4. In the notice dated October 24, 1871, Mr. O.C. Gibbs urges relief workers to be generous in
distributing the relief funds. True or False? Explain.____________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. After reading the Chicago Relief and Aid Society notice, what conclusions can you draw about
the wages of men (carpenters, masons, and laborers) and boys compared to women?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. Does the Chicago Relief and Aid Society put too much of a burden on the poor to prove their
need for funds? Why or why not?_ __________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
The Great White Hurricane

Blizzards are snowstorms with high winds and cold temperatures. The blowing snow makes it hard
to see even a few feet ahead. The bitter cold can cause frostbite and death. These storms occur most
often after a spell of warm weather in the winter. For that reason March is one of the worst months for
blizzards.
The United States, Canada, and Russia have blizzards. In America, blizzards often hit the plains states.
In the 1800s, settlers built homes there. They had to go to the barn to care for their animals. To keep
from getting lost during a storm, they strung a rope between the cabin and the barn. Then they held
it as they walked back and forth. If they didn’t, they might not find their way back! If a person were
stuck out in the open, he or she would try to find shelter under a pile of hay. The settlers learned how
to live with blizzards. But people in East Coast cities were not as familiar with these storms. They did
not understand the danger.
The Great White Hurricane of 1888 followed the normal pattern for bad blizzards. The weather had
been too warm for March. Rain turned to snow. The temperature fell. The storm lasted 36 hours. At
other times there had been heavier snowfalls, higher winds, and colder temperatures. But the three
factors together created one of the worst blizzards in American history. Strong gusts blew the snow
into drifts as tall as four-story buildings! The blizzard slammed the East Coast of the United States
from Chesapeake Bay to Maine. It battered eastern Canada, too.
At least 400 people died in the storm. This includes the 100 sailors that died when 200 ships were
blown from the Atlantic Ocean onto the coast.
One of the hardest-hit places was New York City. It had snowdrifts 50 feet high. A locomotive
derailed when it ran into a huge drift. Many other trains got stuck. Buildings were buried. People had
to dig tunnels through the snow packed around their homes. Thousands were stranded. Some were
stuck in carriages on the street. Others were in their offices. Nearly 15,000 people were trapped on
elevated tracks in unheated cars. More than 200 people froze to death on the streets. One was a U.S.
senator. He tried to walk home from his office during the storm! People who ran out of fuel even
froze to death at home.
The streets were choked with snow. No one could get into or out of the city for a week. Food and
fuel grew scarce. Thousands of men worked for two weeks shoveling snow from the streets. The
communication and transportation problems worried city leaders. They decided that New York City
should run its telegraph, phone, and power lines under the streets. They also wanted an underground
subway.


Twelve-year-old Milton Daub lived in New York City in 1888. When he was an old man, he wrote
about his experience after the blizzard:
On the morning of March 12, 1888 . . .snow was piled up to the windows one story high. Our front
and back doors were blocked with snow. All our windows were covered.
My father said to my mother, “How are we fixed for food?”
She replied, “We have everything. All we need is some milk.”
I said, “I will make a pair of snow shoes. [Using] two wooden barrel hoops, some wire, some twine, a
piece of canvas, and my roller skates without the wheels . . . my father and myself had a pair of home
made snow shoes. Father nailed a box on top of my sledge, [the] sledge and snow shoes were placed
outside of the window.”
I bought 50 cents worth of condensed milk at Mike Ash’s grocery shore. Mr. Ash charged me the
regular price. I sold the milk at the same amount. Every delivery I made I received a fine reward. In
less than 20 minutes I had tips of $2 and my original 50 cents.
Milton went back to the store, bought a case of condensed milk and sold it. He kept doing this for
about three hours. When he got home, his worried parents were upset. But after he ate lunch, they
agreed to let him go back out. At 5 p.m. he returned home with $67.65 in tips. That amount of money
was worth about the same as $800 today!
Excerpts from a letter by Milton Daub, dated March 12, 1944; from the BV Blizzardmen of 1888 Collection in
the New York Historical Society.


1. Which nation is least likely to experience a blizzard?
a. Russia c. Canada
b. the United States d. Spain
2. Blizzards occur most often in

a. March. c. September.
b. May. d. November.
3. Why did more than 200 people die on the streets of New York City during the 1888 blizzard?
a. They ran out of food and b. They didn’t know that it was dangerous
starved to death. to be out in the storm.
c. They went out to look at the derailed d. They were used to blizzards and
locomotive and couldn’t find their way home. didn’t think this was a major one.
4. The Great White Hurricane of 1888 did not cause trouble for ships at sea. True or False?
Explain._ _______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. How and why did Milton Daub make so much money after the Blizzard of 1888?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. If an identical blizzard struck New York City today, would it cause as much trouble as it did in
1888? Why or why not?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

The Triangle Shirtwaist Tragedy

American factories were growing fast in the 1900s. But business
owners did not treat their workers well. They made them work for long
hours and low wages. Often the workers faced hot, dirty, and dangerous
conditions. Such workplaces were called sweatshops. Many women
and children worked in these awful places. They did not dare to argue.
If they didn’t work, they wouldn’t eat. Unlike today, there were no
social programs to help them.
Then, in February 1910, the workers of 13 sweatshops in New York

City went on strike. They wanted better conditions. One of the affected
firms was the Triangle Shirtwaist Company. But the strike failed. The
people were fired. New people were hired. At that time many new
immigrants entered America each day. They wanted to work. They
took any job offered to them.
Just a little over a year after the strike, the Triangle Shirtwaist Company was the scene of a terrible
tragedy. In those days, people worked six days a week. March 25, 1911, was a Saturday. It was
also payday. Near quitting time paychecks were handed to the workers on the tenth floor. Most were
teenage girls. Many were Italian and Jewish immigrants. They had taken the jobs of the fired strikers.
They sewed shirts for low pay.
Suddenly a fire broke out. It quickly swept through the tenth floor. The one escape route could not let
all the women pass. Very few got out. The only fire escape fell apart when the women stepped on to
it! Some waited at the windows for the firemen. But their ladders did not reach high enough. Water
from the hoses did not reach the top floors either. Many girls chose to leap to their deaths. They didn’t
want to burn alive. A total of 146 died. The second exit could have saved lives. But it was nailed shut
to keep workers from taking spools of thread.
News of the fire brought to light the poor conditions under which the girls had labored. People
demanded that the factory’s owners be brought to trial. Eight months after the fire, a jury had to decide
if the owners knew that the doors were locked at the time of the fire. The jurors decided they were
not guilty. This upset many people. The dead girls’ families brought lawsuits against the men. The
owners ended up paying $75 for each life lost.
But some good did come of this disaster. It brought about laws that required safer working conditions.
That’s why today’s workers are 30 times less likely to die on the job than the workers of 1911.


Nellie Bly, who worked for New York World, was the first female reporter. She went undercover to
find out the truth. Here are excerpts from the articles she wrote after working with the young women
in a box-making factory:
I did not find the work difficult to learn, but rather disagreeable. The room was not
ventilated*, and the paste and glue smells were very offensive. The piles of boxes made
conversation impossible with all the girls except a beginner who sat by my side. She
was very timid at first, but after I questioned her kindly she grew more communicative.
“Have you worked in the box factory long?” I asked.
“For 11 years, and I can’t say that it has ever given me a living. On an average
I make $5 a week. I pay out $3.50 for board, and my wash bill is 75 cents. Can
anyone expect a woman to dress on what remains?”
“What do you get paid for boxes?”
“I get 50 cents a hundred for one-pound candy boxes, and 40 cents a hundred
for half-pound boxes.”
“What work do you do on a box for that pay?”
“Everything. I get the pasteboard cut in squares the same as you did. I first
‘set up’ the lids, then I ‘mold in’ the bottoms. This forms a box. Next I do the
‘trimming,’ which is putting the gilt edge around the box lid. ‘Cover striping’
(covering the edge of the lid) is next, and then comes the ‘top label,’ which
finishes the lid. Then I paper the box, do the ‘bottom labeling,’ and then put in
two or four laces (lace paper) on the inside as ordered. Thus you see one box
passes through my hands eight times before it is finished. I have to work very
hard and without ceasing to be able to make two hundred boxes a day, which
earns me $1. It is not enough pay. You see I handle two hundred boxes sixteen
hundred times for $1. Cheap labor, isn’t it?”
One girl who worked on the floor below me said they were not allowed to tell what they
earned. However, she had been working here five years, and she did not average more
than $5 a week.
The factory itself was a totally unfit place for women. The rooms were small and there
was no ventilation. In case of fire there was practically no escape.
*causes air to enter and move about freely in a room or building

Bly, Nellie, 1887. “Experience in the Role of a New York Shop-girl Making Paper Boxes.”
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/bly/madhouse/madhouse.html


1. The fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory happened in
a. February 1910. c. March 1911.
b. March 1910. d. March 1914.
2. Why did the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory strike fail?
a. The owners set a fire that c. The strikers didn’t dare to leave their
burned down the factory. jobs for more than two days.
b. A fire killed most of the strikers. d. New immigrants took the jobs from which
the strikers had walked away.
3. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory’s second exit was locked because the owners
a. wanted to protect the workers c. thought that the workers were
from kidnappers. leaving work early.
b. believed that the workers d. thought that the workers might
might take home thread. steal bolts of fabric.
4. The fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory helped to bring about needed reforms. True or False?
Explain._ _______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. Name the two things that workers in the box-making factory had in common with the workers in
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory._________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. Should the owners of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory have been found guilty of manslaughter
(accidental murder)? Why or why not?_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

The Flu Pandemic of 1918

The influenza outbreak of 1918 was the worst epidemic in U.S. history. But not just the citizens of
the United States suffered. This flu killed millions of people worldwide. That’s why it is called a
pandemic.
It all started when troops at Fort Riley, Kansas, burned tons of horse manure on March 11. Within 24
hours, 100 soldiers had rushed to sick bay. Each one had a sore throat, a headache, and a high fever.
When the victims began coughing, the flu spread like wildfire. Within a week 500 men were ill. It
soon spread from one military base to another.
The railroads also helped the disease to spread across the nation rapidly. People who looked healthy
even spread it. They didn’t even know they were sick until they collapsed. Towns were quarantined.
This meant that no one could go in or out of a town in which there were no cases. But still the disease
spread. And 21- to 29-year-olds, those who are often the most healthy, were the most apt to die. A few
people did survive. But doctors did not know why.
It was unlike any flu ever seen before. People who woke up feeling fine could be dead by nightfall.
They had such high fevers that all their hair fell out. The flu caused pneumonia, which is a build up
of fluid in the lungs. The person’s skin turned blue and just before death, black. Some people were so
afraid of the symptoms that they killed their whole families and then themselves.
Public places where people could gather, such as schools, theaters, and churches, closed. People did
their jobs wearing masks. But the masks did little good since the germ was so small. It was like trying
to keep out dust with a chain link fence. In September 1918 alone, 12,000 died. The next month
the death toll was 195,000. People were dying so fast that survivors ran out of caskets. They started
burying people in mass graves. There was no time for individual funerals, either. The outlook for
survival was so grim that people had cadaver toe tags put on as they entered the hospital.
When American soldiers went overseas to fight in World War I, the flu went with them. Then it swept
across Europe. A total of 30 million died worldwide. What finally stopped this deadly disease? The
people who survived had developed immunity. The germ ran out of people to infect.


Major American Epidemics
(1832–2003)
Year Place Death Toll Cause
1793 Philadelphia, PA 4,000+ yellow fever
1832 New York City, NY 7,430 cholera

& New Orleans, LA
1848 New York City, NY 5,000+ cholera
1853 New Orleans, LA 7,790 yellow fever
1867 New Orleans, LA 3,093 yellow fever
1918 Nationwide 500,000 Influenza
1981–2003 Nationwide 524,060 AIDS


1. The 1918 flu
a. left survivors insane. c. was easy to survive.
b. was usually deadly. d. was impossible to survive.
2. Which was not a symptom of this flu?

a. vomiting c. coughing
b. sore throat d. high fever
3. You can tell that cadaver toe tags were used to

a. cure the flu. c. prevent the disease from spreading.
b. identify dead bodies. d. give medical instructions to nurses.
4. Some people committed suicide due to their fear of the flu. True or False? Explain.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. According to the chart, which two diseases kept happening during the 19th century (1800s) in
the United States? In terms of epidemics, which two cities were the most dangerous in which to
live? Why?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. Could another pandemic like the one of 1918 happen in America again? Why or why not?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

The World’s Worst Tornado

The world’s worst tornado happened in the United States. The Great Tri-State Tornado spun through
three states on March 18, 1925. It left a trail of wreckage 219 miles long. Over 11,000 homes were
lost. Even worse, the storm killed 695 people. It left about 2,000 hurt.
The Great Tri-State Tornado made two records that stand to this day. It had the longest contact with
the ground, and it lasted 3.5 hours. It raced through Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. Of those, just
Missouri is a “Tornado Alley” state. Tornado Alley lies in /the center of the United States. About 90
percent of all twisters form there. Why? Cold, dry air, and warm, moist air meet over the Midwest.
About 1,000 twisters occur each year, often in spring or summer. It’s a good thing that most are weak.
There is no way to stop tornadoes. If one forms, people must get out of its way!
How do tornadoes start? Supercells give birth to twisters. When strong winds blow in opposite
directions, a supercell thunderhead* forms. The air inside the thunderhead spins. If an updraft
knocks this spinning air on end, it may form a whirling funnel. The funnel drops to the base of the
thunderhead. If it touches the ground, it’s a tornado. Then it smashes anything in its path. It can pick
up houses and dump them a mile away. It can toss a train engine around like a cotton ball.
The Great Tri-State Tornado was deadly because people had little warning. Most people were inside
their homes. Low storm clouds made the sky too dark to see the funnel. And the storm moved fast—
about 70 miles per hour.
Now fewer people die from tornadoes. Doppler radar can detect a hook-shaped swirl within a cloud.
That may mean that a twister is forming. People are warned right away. Then they can take shelter. In
May 1999, an Oklahoma twister had wind speeds of 318 miles per hour. That’s the highest wind speed
ever recorded on Earth. At more than one mile in width, it was also the largest tornado ever recorded.
But since people had warning, just 46 died. That’s a fraction of the Tri-State Tornado’s death toll.
*towering clouds that have winds blowing up and down within them

Cold
Air
Wa
rm
Air


1. About how many tornadoes form in Tornado Alley each year?
a. 219 c. 1,000
b. 295 d. 11,000
2. When people have warning of a tornado,

a. the death toll goes down. c. they have time to get in their cars and drive away.
b. the death toll goes up. d. they can storm-proof their homes.
3. Which state is not in Tornado Alley?

a. Missouri c. Nebraska
b. Oklahoma d. Illinois
4. Every supercell thunderhead will cause a tornado. True or False? Explain.

_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. Tornado Alley states have a clash between cold and warm air. Look at the map. Where does the
cold air come from? Where does the warm air come from?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. When people are warned that there’s a tornado in the area, should they take the time to get family
photos or other valuables before seeking shelter? Why or why not?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

The Great Alaskan Earthquake

of 1964
The strongest earthquake ever to strike North America happened in Alaska on March 27, 1964. It
struck at 5:36 p.m. and measured 9.2 on the Richter scale. The earthquake caused a lot of damage to
the city of Anchorage. In some places the soil changed to a liquid form. This fluid state only lasted
for three minutes. But during that time a chunk of downtown slid into the sea! It also wrecked phone,
water, sewer, electrical, and gas lines.
Huge fissures opened in the ground. Some were 12 feet deep and 50 feet wide. Cars and people fell
into them. One newspaper editor ran out of his home. A fissure opened beneath him. He struggled to
climb up the soft, unstable dirt wall. As soon as he reached the surface, the crack slammed shut.
Whole buildings fell down. Concrete slabs broke free of the buildings. They crushed the cars and
trucks below. Anchorage’s downtown area was flattened. Nothing was left standing. Outside of town,
landslides buried buildings. Big oil tanks blew up. Several schools caved in. Fortunately no children
were inside.
For five minutes the ground shook. Huge waves rolled in from the sea. They pounded towns on the
coast. One wave was 220 feet tall! It swallowed a dock and the 12 men on it. Another wave picked
up a fishing boat and threw it onto a school’s roof one-half mile inland. These tsunami waves caused
90 percent of the deaths.
Near the epicenter, the sea floor rose more than 30 feet. Latouche Island in Prince William Sound
moved 60 feet west. The whole city of Houston, Texas, rose four inches. And it’s 3,300 miles away!
It was a good thing that Alaska didn’t have a big population. Although 131 people died, the death toll
would have been much worse in another state. Damage costing more than $400 million covered an
area of about 50,000 square miles. For days after the major quake, the people felt 100 small tremors a
day. Tiny aftershocks continued for a year.


of 1964
Seismographs are instruments that record the size of an earthquake’s shock waves. They tell scientists
the strength of a quake on the Richter magnitude scale.
Called Magnitude Effects Estimated

Less than Occurence
Worldwide
Micro 2.0 Not felt but recorded on seismographs. 2.9 million per year
Very minor 2.0-2.09 Generally not felt, but recorded. 365,000 per year
Some people may feel it; most do not
or think it’s just a truck passing by or
a jet flying overhead.
Minor 3.0-3.9 Shaking of indoor items 49,000 per year
accompanied by rattling noises.
Significant damage unlikely.
Light 4.0-4.9 Can cause major damage 6,200 per year
to poorly constructed buildings
over small regions. Possible slight
damage to well-designed buildings.
Moderate 5.0-5.9 Can be destructive in areas up 800 per year
to about 100 miles across.
Strong 6.0-6.9 Can cause serious damage 120 per year
over larger areas.
Major 7.0-7.9 Landslides, many buildings 18 per year
destroyed, and railroad rails bent.
Great 8.0-8.9 Can cause serious damage in 1 per year
areas several hundred miles across.
Rare great 9.0 Devastating in areas several thousand 1 per 20 years
miles across. Incredible damage
and loss of life. Nothing may be
left standing.
Adapted from U.S. Geological Survey documents.

“Richter Magnitude Scale.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richter_Scale


of 1964
1. Most of the deaths caused by the 1964 Alaskan earthquake were due to
a. schools and other buildings caving in. c. landslides burying buildings.
b. oil tanks blowing up. d. tsunami waves coming ashore.
2. A fissure is
a. an earthquake’s epicenter. c. a big crack in the ground.
b. the strongest shaking during an earthquake. d. another name for a tsunami.
3. The 1964 earthquake was so strong that
a. an island sunk under the waves. c. it cracked every road in the state of Alaska.
b. a city far away was pushed up. d. a new mountain range was formed.
4. According to the Richter scale, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 is called Strong. True or
False? Explain.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. According to the Richter scale, what is the name of the strongest kind of earthquake and was the
1964 Alaskan earthquake one of these? Use facts from the chart in your answer.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. Would you be afraid to live in an area that has earthquakes? Why or why not?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Great Adventures
The Journey that Proved

Earth Was Round
Five hundred years ago, sailing—even in familiar waters—was an adventure. There were no radios,
weather reports, or good maps. Sailors were on their own. Many died in shipwrecks. So little was
known about Earth and its seas that no one was sure that the world was round.
Then Ferdinand Magellan led a crew of 265 on a voyage. They were the first men to sail around the
world. They were also the first Europeans to cross the Pacific Ocean.
Magellan had sailed to the Spice Islands for King Manuel of Portugal. When the king turned on
Magellan, he went to the Spanish King Charles. Magellan wanted to try to reach the islands from
the other direction. King Charles paid for the voyage. That made King Manuel angry. He sent men
to interfere. They were three of the four captains. But Magellan did not know this when he set sail
in September 1519. He commanded the Trinidad. The other ships in his fleet were the San Antonio,
Concepcion, Victoria, and Santiago.
Along Africa’s coast, strong thunderstorms battered the fleet. Next, they drifted for three weeks. They
had to wait for the weather to change and wind to blow. In the meantime, the ships started to leak, and
the heat made water and wine barrels burst. Some of their food rotted. At last they headed southwest.
One captain planned a rebellion, or mutiny. He wanted to seize command. Magellan put him in
chains.
In November they reached Brazil’s shore. They rested there. On Christmas Day they started going
down the South American coast. On the way they explored each river and bay. They moved slowly
and ended up in a cold, barren place on April 1 (fall in that hemisphere). The three captains rose up
against Magellan. He killed two and left the third on the shore in chains.
The crew built huts and set up camp. For food, they caught black and white “geese” that didn’t fly
(penguins) and “legless sea wolves” (seal lions). The Santiago sailed south to scout ahead. It was
wrecked. Just two men made it back to camp. The fleet set out in August 1520. In October, they
found a bay. Magellan sent two ships to explore it. A violent two-day storm began. The ships took
shelter in a small inlet. They found that it was a long waterway. Although it had land on both sides,
the water was salty. They had discovered the Strait of Magellan at the tip of South America! They
came back and got the rest of the fleet. For the first time, people sailed from the Atlantic Ocean to the
Pacific Ocean. It took one month.
The weather was awful, and the captain of the San Antonio turned his ship around and fled. It took
the remaining ships from November 1520 until March 1521 to cross the Pacific Ocean and reach the
Philippines. Magellan was killed when he tried to force the natives there to become Christians. But
enough of his crew survived that two ships returned to Spain in September 1522. Only 18 men had
survived the trip. One had kept a log about this adventure that proved once and for all that the world
was round.
Great Adventures

Earth Was Round
Arctic Ocean
Southern Ocean

Great Adventures

Earth Was Round
1. Which of Ferdinand Magellan’s ships sank along the coast of South America?
a. the San Antonio c. the Santiago
b. the Victoria d. the Trinidad
2. The men ate “geese” in South America. What were these animals?
a. penguins c. ducks
b. puffins d. Canadian geese
3. We know so many details about Magellan’s trip around the world because
a. Magellan wrote a book describing b. reporters were aboard on one his
his adventure. ships and sent reports back to Europe.
c. one of his sailors kept a journal d. King Charles made Magellan a national hero
about the voyage. and had him tell the story over and over again.
4. Mutiny is when captains/sailors rise up against a commander to try to take control of a ship. True
or False? Explain.________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. Which two oceans did Magellan’s fleet not sail through? Why didn’t they go through these
oceans?_________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. Would you have like to have been a sailor on one of Magellan’s ships that went around the world?
Why or why not?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Great Adventures
Wild Ride Down the

Colorado River
The Colorado River carved out the Grand Canyon over millions of years. The rushing water carried
sand, pebbles, and even boulders. They ground away at the rock walls and formed a gorge one mile deep.
The Colorado River is one of the wildest on

Earth. It has many waterfalls and major rapids.
Rapids are class 1 to 6. In Class 5 rapids,
jutting rocks and huge waves are deadly. The
Colorado River has a lot of Class 5 rapids.
Most Class 6 cannot be run. Rapids increase in
speed where the river narrows. Boaters must
steer around rocks, sometimes against a strong
current. If a person falls out of the boat, he or
she might get dashed against rocks or drown.
A group of ten men, led by Major John Wesley

Powell, decided to face the risks and travel the length of this river. Powell had lost his lower right arm
in the Civil War. But he had already explored the Green River. The team set out in four wooden boats
on May 24, 1869. They started on the Green River, which merges with the Grand River to form the
Colorado.
The men took 10 months of food and supplies. They had no idea what lay ahead. Their trip would
take them 1,000 miles through uncharted wilderness and one of the deepest canyons on Earth. Each
night they pulled the boats onto shore and made camp. Powell was careful. He did not want to
endanger the men or supplies. When they heard the roar of upcoming rapids, he had the men get out
and portage—or carry—the heavy boats and supplies along the rocky shore. But sometimes the river
took charge. It swept the boats through raging rapids while the men hung on.
One month into the trip, the group had lost one boat and much of their supplies. One man said, “I’ve
had more excitement than a man deserves in a lifetime. I’m leaving.” He climbed out of the Grand
Canyon and walked to a settlement.
Later, at Separation Canyon, three men told Powell that they felt like they were about to die. They
begged him to stop the trip. When he refused, they left the camp. Their fears came true. They were
killed by Shivwit Native Americans who thought that they had killed a tribe member.
Three months after they had started, Powell and his men emerged at the mouth of the Virgin River.
During the journey, Powell kept a log about the plants, animals, and Native American tribes they saw.
He gave speeches to earn the money for a second trip down the Colorado in 1871. That time he made
a map.

Great Adventures
Wild Ride Down the

Colorado River
These are excerpts from Major John Wesley Powell’s journal about the trip:
August 13, 1869—We are now ready to start on our way down the Great Unknown.
. . .We have but a month’s rations remaining. The flour has been resifted through the
mosquito-net sieve; the spoiled bacon has been dried and the worst of it boiled. The few
pounds of dried apples have been spread in the sun and reshrunken to their normal bulk.
The sugar has all melted and gone on its way down the river. But we have a large sack of
coffee. The lightening of the boats has this advantage: They will ride the waves better and
we shall have but little to carry when we make a portage.
We are three quarters of a mile in the depths of the earth, and the great river shrinks into
insignificance as it dashes its angry waves against the walls and cliffs that rise to the world
above . . . We have an unknown distance yet to run, an unknown river to explore. What
falls there are, we know not; what rocks beset the channel, we know not; what walls ride
over the river, we know not. Ah, well! We may conjecture* many things.
*guess
Powell, John Wesley. The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons.
New York: Dover, 1895; reprint 1961.

Great Adventures
Wild Ride Down the

Colorado River
1. Which class of rapids is the least dangerous?
a. Class 1 c. Class 5
b. Class 3 d. Class 6
2. When John Wesley Powell told the men to portage, they had to
a. make camp for the night. c. be very careful in a particular set of rapids.
b. get out of the boat and d. carry their boats along the shore.
float feet-first down the river.
3. When did the men complete their trip down the Colorado River?
a. in June 1869 c. in September 1869
b. in August 1869 d. in May 1871
4. The team ended their journey with three boats. True or False? Explain.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. Why does Powell sound a little worried in his journal entry?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. Would you have liked to have gone on Powell’s first trip down the Colorado River? Why or
why not?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Great Adventures
The Klondike Gold Rush

Gold. For thousands of years, people have bought, fought, stolen, and killed for it. To many, gold
means wealth and a happy life. Whenever and wherever gold is found, people rush there. Each one
hopes to get rich.
In August 1896, George Washington Carmack
found gold in the Klondike, an area in the far
west of Canada. He and his two brothers-in-
law staked claims along the creek banks. They
told others about their find, and they staked
claims, too. The men mined all winter.
When the ice melted, ships brought in
supplies. They carried out the gold the men
had found. These ships sailed to Seattle,
Washington, and San Francisco, California.
This was the first that people outside the
Klondike had heard about the gold. A gold
rush had taken place in California almost 50
years before. This time “gold fever” hit the
whole West Coast.
Thousands rushed to the Klondike. Even Seattle’s mayor quit and went north. Ninety percent of the
people took ships to Skagway. Then they hiked into the wilderness on White Pass Trail or Chilkoot
Trail. Both trails ended at Lake Bennett. From there, people built rafts and sailed 500 miles down the
Yukon River to reach the gold fields.
White Pass Trail was 45 miles long. It had narrow ledges along cliffs, and in some places boulders
and logs blocked the path. About 3,000 horses died on this path. Miners called it Dead Horse Trail.
Chilkoot Pass was 12 miles shorter. But it was so steep that horses couldn’t do it. So miners carried
all their own supplies. They weighed one ton! Miners broke this down into 20 packs of 100 pounds
each. This means that they had to walk the same path 20 times to move all their gear. The Golden
Stairs were the worst. These 1,500 steps climbed 3,550 feet. Going up them once was the same as
climbing the Statue of Liberty’s stairs four times! Some took one look and then dumped most of their
supplies at its base. Others turned around. Those who wanted to keep going climbed the stairs. At the
top they stored their goods. Then they then slid to the bottom and started up again. It took each miner
one month to get his supplies over the peak.
When the miners reached their destination, they found that those living in the area had already taken
the best claims! In the end, the area yielded 339 tons of gold. The best year was 1900 when $22
million was hauled out. Of the 100,000 people who headed to the Klondike, just 40,000 made it all the
way there. Only 5,000 of those found any gold. About 300 became rich.

Great Adventures
Courtesy of the Library of Congress, “Portable pantry,” LC-USZ62-104305

Great Adventures

1. The year when the most gold was found in the Klondike was
a. 1896. c. 1900.
b. 1898. d. not given in the article.
2. What problem did boulders and logs cause on White Pass Trail?
a. They made it impossible for c. They made it hard for people to find
anyone to use the trail. their way, and many got lost in the wilderness.
b. They caused men and horses to d. They blocked the trail, forcing the horses to go
fall to their deaths. around the boulders or jump over the logs.
3. Chilkoot Pass was
a. 12 miles long. c. 45 miles long.
b. 33 miles long. d. 500 miles long.
4. Few of the people who set out for the Klondike became rich by finding gold. True or False? Use
facts from the passage to explain.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. Food was heavy. Why was it included in the portable pantry you see in the advertisement? Why
did Dr. Albert Forrest urge miners to visit him before heading north?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. If you had been a gold miner, which route would you have chosen: White Pass Trail or Chilkoot
Trail? Use facts from the passage to tell why.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Great Adventures
The Race to the South Pole

It was a race! Who would go down in history as the first man to reach the South Pole? Roald
Amundsen from Norway? Or Robert Scott from England? The two teams sailed from their homes in
summer 1910. By January 1911, both had landed in Antarctica. They set up base camps. Amundsen
kept his men busy building cairns. These piles of ice were guideposts. They would keep the men on
the shortest route to the Pole. Each cairn had a note inside. It told how to reach the next one.
The seasons in the Southern Hemisphere are the opposite of those in the Northern Hemisphere. While
one has winter, the other has summer. And in both the Arctic and Antarctic regions, the sun vanishes
for about six months at a time. On August 24, 1911, the long winter’s darkness ended. The sun
reappeared. But it was another two months before it was warm enough to head for the Pole. On
October 20, Amundsen and four of his men started out. Toward the end of November they were caught
in a blizzard. It lasted for four days. Yet they struggled on. At last they reached the most dangerous
part. It was a large glacier with a thin snow crust. If they broke through this crust, deep cracks hidden
below could swallow them. They managed to travel over it safely.
Amundsen was a master planner. In 1905, he had succeeded where many had failed before when he
had found the Northwest Passage through the Arctic Ocean. While he was there, he had learned from
the Inuit the secrets to survival in a very cold environment. He learned that two layers of fur, one with
the fur toward the body and the other with the fur facing away, keeps a person the warmest. (Fur was
lightweight, too, compared to the heavy woolen garments that Scott and his team wore.)
The Inuit taught Amundsen how to use a husky dog team and a sled to carry supplies. They showed
him how to make pemmican, a type of dried meat that can be eaten raw or cooked. He took all of this
knowledge with him when he went to Antarctica. He also took 97 dogs and enough food to last for
two years. His planning worked. He became the first person to reach the South Pole on December 14,
1911. He left a tent with a note inside for Scott. Then he and his men returned to base camp. After 39
days, they arrived in good shape.
Unfortunately Scott and his team were not well prepared. They tried to use ponies. When they died,
the men had to pull the sleds. This slowed them down. They reached the South Pole one month after
Amundsen. But Scott and his men died coming back. Their tragedy overshadowed Amundsen’s
accomplishment. He never received much glory for his achievement.

Great Adventures

A search party found Robert Scott’s body on November 12, 1912. They also found his journal:
Wednesday, March 21—Got within 11 miles of depot 1 Monday night; had to lay up all
yesterday in severe blizzard. Today forlorn hope, Wilson and Bowers going to depot for fuel.
Thursday, March 22 and 23—Blizzard bad as ever—Wilson and Bowers unable to start—
tomorrow last chance--no fuel and only one or two of food left—must be near the end. Have
decided it shall be natural--we shall march for the depot with or without our effects and die in
our tracks.
Thursday, March 29—Since the 21st we have had a continuous gale 2. We had fuel to make
two cups of tea apiece and bare food for two days on the 20th. Every day we have been ready
to start for our depot 11 miles away, but outside the door of the tent it remains a scene of
whirling drift. I do not think we can hope for any better things now. We shall stick it out to
the end, but we are getting weaker, of course, and the end cannot be far. It seems a pity, but I
do not think I can write more.
R. Scott
1
place where supplies are stored
2
storm with strong winds
Eyewitness to History. “Doomed Expedition to the South Pole, 1912.”
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/scott.htm

Great Adventures

1. From the day his team left camp, about how long did it take Roald Amundsen to reach the
South Pole?
a. one month c. three months
b. two months d. four months
2. Roald Amundsen was the first man to reach the South Pole because
a. he had lived in Antarctica all his life. c. the Inuit had taught him how
to survive the conditions.
b. he found the Northwest Passage. d. he used ponies to pull his sleds.
3. Think about the seasons in Antarctica. During July in Antarctica, it is
a. spring. c. fall.
b. summer. d. winter.
4. Robert Scott and his team failed to reach the South Pole. True or False? Explain.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. Read Robert Scott’s journal entries. What was the cause of the Scott team’s death? Use facts
from the journal.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. Scott and his men were found dead inside their tent. Should they have braved the blizzard and
tried to reach the depot before they began running out of food and fuel? Why or why not?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Great Adventures
A Risky Sea Journey

Easter Island lies in the Pacific Ocean. It is 4,300 miles west of
South America and 2,300 miles east of Tahiti—more or less in
the middle of nowhere. What makes this island so fascinating is
its huge statues. They are called moai. These 600 statues—some
as tall as three-story buildings—are carved in the shape of men.
Some weigh 90 tons! They stand on platforms all the over the
island. A few have fallen and lie in ruins.
Who made these magnificent statues? Why did they do it?
How were they built? No one knows. A Norwegian named
Thor Heyerdahl thought he knew. He said that people had left
South America on rafts and floated to Easter Island. He found
similarities in the cultures of the Incas and the ancient islanders.
Sweet potatoes grew in both places. Nearly identical spearheads
were found in both, too. But the “white chief” was the biggest
clue. The islanders told of the white chief Tiki. The Incas had a
white chief named Kon-Tiki. Another tribe tried to kill him. He Courtesy of the Library of Congress,
fled from Peru on a raft in the Pacific Ocean. Could he be the “Thor Heyerdahl,” LC-USZ62-122921
same man? People said that no one could survive such a trip.
Heyerdahl wanted to prove his theory. So he went on a risky adventure in 1947. He built a balsa
wood raft. Made of nine logs, the Kon-Tiki used no nails. Instead, hemp rope held it together, just like
an ancient raft. They loaded supplies on the raft, including fruit and 1,650 gallons of drinking water.
Then he and five others risked their lives. They drifted 4,300 miles across the Pacific Ocean on this
tiny raft! They sailed from Peru and landed on a deserted island near Tahiti. No ship or plane escorted
them. They were on their own.
Their difficult journey took 101 days. As the logs absorbed water, the raft settled lower into the sea.
The hot sun scorched the crew. The men’s skin developed salt burns. Flying fish hit them. Sharks
attacked the flimsy raft. And a storm that nearly capsized the raft washed some of the men overboard.
They had a great struggle to get back on. They all survived, proving that people could survive a raft
trip. Still, they hadn’t proven that the islanders came from Peru.
Some people argued that Heyerdahl hadn’t proven a thing. His raft had sails. The Incas had paddles.
He had had his raft towed 50 miles into the sea before setting sail to avoid the currents that would have
kept him near Peru. The Incas would have had to fight these currents.
Others say Heyerdahl has the story backwards. The Polynesians were good sailors. They went to
far-off islands like Hawaii and New Zealand. Maybe the spearheads and sweet potatoes came from
Polynesians who sailed to South American and back home again.

Great Adventures
The Moai on Easter Island

sign our guestbook other resources webmaster contact us
Mysterious Easter Island—Who Settled Easter Island?

According to archeologist Thor Heyerdahl, Easter
Island was settled in stages by two different races.
One group came from Polynesia. The other came
from Peru in South America. Tools, statues, and
legends in both places are alike. However, other
archeologists attacked Heyerdahl’s ideas. They
accused him of tampering with evidence to make it
fit his theory.
The Rapa Nui are the natives living on Easter

Island. Modern archeologists say that these people
are pure Polynesian. Hundreds of years ago a
group of them left another island and sailed east.
They found Easter Island. They had no contact
with any other races. That is the of ficial stand of
the archaeological community. But new evidence
has raised questions.
Around 1563 the ship San Lesmems sank near the island of Tahiti. The sailors on this
ship were Basques. They lived in parts of Spain and France. Legends say that the
survivors made it to shore. The islanders nursed them to health. The Basque men
married the women. They had children. Around 1600 either they or their offspring set
sail from Tahiti. But no one ever heard from them again.
Tahiti lies 2,000 miles west of Easter Island. The theory states that they landed on
Easter Island. They gave up the idea of returning to Europe and stayed there. Recent
DNA testing of pure-blooded Rapa Nuis has shown the presence of Basque genes.
This seems to disprove the Polynesian-only theory. And it supports the observations
made by Jacob Roggeveen, the Dutch “discoverer” of Easter Island. In 1722 he
reported a population with both light-skinned and dark-skinned members. Some had
red hair and sun-burnt flesh.
Choose a link:
Why did they make the statutes? How were the statues made? How were the statues moved?

Great Adventures
A Risky Sea Journey

1. Thor Heyerdahl named his raft after the
a. natives on Easter Island. c. Easter Island natives’ legendary chief.
b. island on which his raft landed. d. chief from the Incas’ legends.
2. One danger Heyerdahl and his men didn’t face on the raft trip was
a. a lack of food. c. shark attacks.
b. sunburn. d. storms.
3. How many of the men survived the sea journey on the raft?
a. 3 c. 5
b. 4 d. 6
4. Jacob Roggeveen believed Thor Heyerdahl’s theory of how Easter Island was settled. True or
False? Explain.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. What do most archaeologists think of Thor Heyerdahl and his raft trip?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. Which of the three theories on the web page best explains how Easter Island was settled?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Great Adventures
Conquering Mount Everest

During the 1800s, people started to dream of
climbing Mount Everest. It’s the tallest peak on
Earth. Towering five-and-a-half miles above sea
level, this mountain has such thin air that without
an oxygen tank, each breath hurts. Hurricane-
force winds batter the peak. Bone-chilling cold
threatens limbs and noses with frostbite. The “Top
of the World” has a nasty environment.
The mountain formed millions of years ago when
Earth’s plate carrying India slid under Earth’s plate
carrying Asia. The land pushed up and made the
Himalayan Mountain range. These mountains
separate Tibet from Nepal. The plates are still
moving. So the mountain gets ¼ inch taller each
year. Few people know that fact.
In 1953, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and
Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa (mountain guide) from Nepal, started up the mountain. They had spiked
boots that dug into the snow. They used ladders to cross deep, wide cracks in the snow. Along the
way, the men set up nine camps. They rested in each one for several days to acclimatize. This means
that their bodies doubled their amounts of red blood cells. Then their blood carried more oxygen. Still,
they used oxygen tanks above 26,000 feet to keep from getting altitude sickness. This sickness causes
the lungs to slowly fill with fluid. It can kill. A lack of oxygen causes another problem, too. Climbers
feel confused. They may make mistakes that cost them their lives.
One of the worst parts of the climb was the Lhotse Face. It is a 4,000-foot tall wall of ice. If one
of them had lost his footing, he would have slid for about a mile and then plunged into a bottomless
crack! It took the men two days to climb this part safely. At the top they set up the last camp. From
there they had to start at dawn in order to reach the peak and return by nightfall.
Around noon on May 29, 1953, Hillary and Norgay were the first men to stand on the summit. They
took pictures and buried small items in the snow. But they could only stay for 15 minutes. They had
to begin the six-hour return trip.
Since then Mount Everest has been scaled many times. But not all who have tried succeeded. Over
175 climbers have died, more than 50 in avalanches alone. One of the worst disasters occurred in
1996. A blizzard killed eight experienced climbers. Stone markers are erected for those who died
trying to conquer Mount Everest.

1865 Earth’s tallest peak is named Mount Everest in honor of a British Surveyor General.
1921 First British attempt to climb the mountain.
1922 Seven Sherpas die in an avalanche.
1924 British men George Mallory and Andrew Irvine vanish on their way to the summit.
1953 New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay are the first men to reach
the summit.
1975 Japanese climber Junko Tabei is the first woman to reach the summit.
©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 65

1996 Fifteen climbers die on the mountain--the most in one year.
1999 George Mallory’s body is found near the peak.
2000 One hundred forty-two climbers reach the summit—the most in one year.
2003 Ming Kipa, 15, a Sherpa girl, is the youngest person ever to reach the summit, while
Japanese climber Yuichiro Miura, 70, is the oldest person to do so.
2006 Appa Sherpa sets a world record when he summits for the 16th time
Great Adventures
#8374 Document-Based Questions

Great Adventures

1. Altitude sickness causes
a. lungs to fill with fluid. c. frostbitten hands and feet.
b. a high fever. d. vomiting.
2. A Sherpa is a
a. title given to anyone who c. medicine to cure altitude sickness.
successfully climbs Mount Everest.
b. Tibetan mountain guide. d. particularly difficult part of the climb on
Mount Everest.
3. Not many people realize that
a. Mount Everest is the tallest peak. c. Mount Everest is getting slightly taller
each year.
b. the Lhotse Face is the tallest d. Mount Everest is getting slightly
peak on Earth. shorter each year.
4. Thirty two years passed between the first attempt to climb Mount Everest and Edmund Hillary’s
and Tenzing Norgay’s successful summit. True or False? Use facts from the time line to explain.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. Use facts from the time line to answer these questions. How many years did it take before
George Mallory’s body was found on Mount Everest? In which year did Mount Everest have the
youngest and oldest climbers set records?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. Would you like to try climbing Mount Everest? Why or why not?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Great Adventures
Around the World in 71 Days

On February 17, 2005, a British woman set a world record. She sailed around the globe in the fastest
time ever. Ellen MacArthur went 27,000 miles in 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes, and 33 seconds. She
beat the prior record by more than 32 hours.
MacArthur was alone on her boat. Sailing solo took real skill. Based on changes in wind speed and
direction, she had to steer the boat and trim the sails. A full crew usually does such tasks. She had to
pay attention to navigational charts and weather conditions in order to use the weather to her advantage.
And she had to be able to fix anything on board. To do all that, MacArthur had to stay awake. So each
day she slept for just four hours in 30-minute naps. She had freeze-dried meals to which she was could
add boiling water. But she only got water to boil twice on her single-burner stove. So she ate most of
the meals dry. She drank desalinated seawater.
When MacArthur set sail on November 28, 2004, she knew that a dangerous journey lay ahead. She
faced the swells of 30-foot-high waves. She had to dodge huge icebergs. And in the stormy Southern
Ocean, gale force winds almost flipped her boat. Fortunately she had had her 70-foot-long vessel, the
B & Q, designed with such challenges in mind.
She dealt with other problems, too. When the B & Q was close to the equator, it was hot and humid.
At other points of the trip, MacArthur shivered from the cold. Sometimes strong winds made things fly
around the cabin. Several times wild waves caused her to fall and hit her head.
The generator broke down. Fumes leaked into her cabin. While trying to fix it, she burnt her arm.
Twice the mast was damaged. Both times she had to climb it to do repairs. Strong winds whipped her
and the rigging around. She came down feeling beaten and badly bruised. Then, on her 63rd day, she
nearly ran into a large whale.
The 28-year-old sailor crossed the finish line tired but happy. For her courage and skill, the queen
gave her the female form of knighthood. Now she is Dame Ellen MacArthur.

Great Adventures

You know that the ocean’s water is salty. But did you know that drinking salt water can kill a person?
The human body cannot stand too much salt. The body’s cells give off water in an attempt to dilute the
saltiness of the sea water. As the cells lose water, the body dehydrates (gets too dry).
But sea water can be made safe to drink. It can be changed into fresh water through a desalination
pump. It takes 1,000 pumps by hand to get one cup of fresh water!
Desalination Pump

Great Adventures

1. While racing around the world, Ellen MacArthur slept every day for
a. 30 minutes. c. 4 hours.
b. 1 hour. d. 8 hours.
2. What happened on the B & Q twice during the race?

a. Its mast was damaged. c. Its generator broke down.
b. It nearly ran into a whale. d. MacArthur fell overboard and had to
struggle to get back on board.
3. MacArthur beat the prior record for solo sailing around the world by
a. less than an hour. c. more than a day.
b. less than a day. d. almost a week.
4. Ellen MacArthur set out to go around the world in her sailboat in February 2005. True or False?
Explain.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. Look at the diagram of the desalination pump. What part of it traps the salt particles?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. For safety’s sake, should a desalination pump be required on every ocean-going ship and boat?
Why or why not?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Amazing Discoveries
Anesthesia
Have you ever had an operation? If so, you know that you were put to sleep. When you woke up, it
was over. Anesthesia let you to sleep through the doctor’s cutting, probing, and sewing.
Before anesthesia was discovered, most people who needed operations died. The pain of the doctor
cutting the person open while he or she was awake often caused a heart attack. Most people walked
around with a mouthful of tooth decay. They only went to a dentist if they could no longer stand the
pain. The dentist had to yank the tooth out of the person’s jaw. The person was in agony.
Doctors tried to dull their patients’ pain by pouring whiskey down their throats. Sometimes this
worked. The drunken patient would fall asleep. But more often than not, the whiskey didn’t help
much. Then the patient was tied down.
A substance called ether was the first anesthetic. But people didn’t use it that way. They bought it for
“ether parties.” At them, the guests sniffed the ether. Then they stumbled around doing silly things.
Sometimes a person got hurt. A bone was broken or a bad gash bled. But the person seemed to feel
no pain. Dr. Crawford Long went to such a party and saw how the people acted. He wondered if ether
could end the pain of his patients.
Long asked a man if he would let him remove a tumor from the back of his neck. The man refused.
Then on March 30, 1842, he agreed after Long suggested using ether. The man sat in a chair. He
breathed a towel soaked in ether. Then Long cut away the tumor while the man slept. Both the patient
and the doctor were thrilled.
Long used ether on his own patients. But he did not tell others. When a doctor makes a discovery, he
or she is supposed to write about it in a medical journal. In this way, knowledge is shared. Long was
busy, and he didn’t like writing. At last he published a paper about the miracle drug in December 1849.
In the meantime thousands of patients had endured surgery without it.
During the years between Long’s discovery and his article, another doctor and two dentists had
discovered anesthesia, too. When the U.S. Congress offered a $100,000 prize for the discoverer, all
four men claimed it. Dr. Crawford Long had used anesthesia first. In 1845, Dr. Horace Wells had tried
to show other doctors. But they had accused him of trickery! Dr. William Morton had successfully
revealed it to the world in 1846. But he had gotten the idea from Dr. Charles Jackson. Since it was
impossible to determine who should get the prize, nobody did. To this day, no one gets the credit for
one of the most important discoveries ever made.

Amazing Discoveries
Anesthesia
• Regional anesthesia numbs
one area of your body. The
anesthesiologist makes an injection
near a cluster of nerves to numb
the area of your body that needs
surgery. You may remain awake
or be put to sleep. Either way, you
will feel no pain. Two of the most
frequently used are spinals and
epidurals. Both of these require
Patient’s Right to Know shots made with great accuracy
Understanding Anesthesia in your spine. You will feel some
discomfort during such an injection.
At General Hospital, we know
that the more you know, the more • Local anesthesia involves numbing
secure you will feel and the faster a very specific location of your body.
you will heal. We want you to feel It will not put you to sleep. A drug
comfortable about any anesthesia is usually injected into the tissue to
you may need. There are three numb just the spot requiring minor
kinds: surgery, for example, in your gums
(for teeth) or in the hand (to stitch up
• General anesthesia will put you to a bad cut on a finger). Sometimes
sleep. You will feel no pain during the local anesthesia is applied
the surgery. You may breathe topically, as when eye drops are
vapors through a mask. Or an IV used to numb an eye so a foreign
may put the drugs into your vein. object can be removed from it.
During anesthesia, you will be If you have any concerns about
constantly monitored and controlled the anesthesia to be used during
by an anesthesiologist. This doctor your surgery, talk with your doctor.
uses high-tech equipment to track Your doctor knows all about your
all your major body functions. condition and anesthesia choices.
He or she will be able to advise you
as to the benefits and risks of each
type.

Amazing Discoveries
Anesthesia
1. The first man to use anesthesia was
a. Dr. William Morton. c. Dr. Horace Wells.
b. Dr. Charles Jackson. d. Dr. Crawford Long.
2. Another word for surgery is

a. patient. c. operation.
b. anesthesia. d. tumor.
3. Ether is a type of
a. general anesthesia. c. local anesthesia.
b. regional anesthesia. d. illegal anesthesia.
4. Dr. Charles Jackson received the $100,000 prize for discovering anesthesia. True or False?
Explain.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. According to the General Hospital patient brochure, how many types of anesthesia are used
today? Which one never puts the patient to sleep?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. Should the $100,000 prize for the discovery of anesthesia have been divided equally among the
four doctors? Why or why not?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Amazing Discoveries
Genes
One of the most important discoveries of the 20th century
really occurred in the 19th century. It took many years for
scientists to acknowledge the information. Here’s how it
happened. In 1822, Gregor Mendel was born on a farm in
Austria. His father encouraged his interest in plants. He saw
that his son was smart. He wanted him to have an education.
So he sent Mendel to high school. At that time few people
went to high school. Those that did lived there and had to pay.
Since his father could not pay the full tuition, Mendel received
no food. The other students fed him their scraps. He always
felt hungry.
When Mendel grew up, he became a monk. He tended the

gardens where he and the other monks lived. For eight years
he did experiments with pea plants. He had a theory. He
thought that parent plants passed traits to their offspring.
He wanted to prove this. Over time he discovered that plants have genes. Genes carry codes for
features from one generation to the next. Around 1860, Mendel found recessive and dominant genes.
Dominant genes showed up often in offspring. Recessive genes did not show up often and only if both
parents carried the gene.
How did he figure all this out? He bred a tall pea plant with a short pea plant. In the first generation
each of the four pea plants was tall. This meant that tall was the dominant gene. But all four tall pea
plants carried the recessive short gene. In the next generation of four pea plants one was short. The
recessive short genes it got from both of the parent plants made it short.
Excited, Mendel published an article in 1866. No one paid any attention to it! He died 16 years before
his great discovery was recognized in 1900. Today he is called the Father of Genetics.
We now know that both plants and animals have genes. They play a role in how we look, how we act,
and whether or not we are apt to get certain diseases. Each human cell has between 20,000 and 30,000
genes.
Gene mapping has let people match certain traits with specific genes. This let scientists find ways to
change genes in plant and animal cells. They have created crops that resist fungus. Fruit is bigger and
less apt to get worms. They’ve made bigger chickens that have more white meat. A modern dairy cow
gives ten times the milk that one did in 1900 due to selective breeding and gene alteration.

Amazing Discoveries
Genes
Dear Editor:
Most people do not know that corporations have changed our crops. Genes from bacteria,
viruses, and foreign plants have been added to corn, soybeans, squash, tomatoes, and
potatoes. More than 60 percent of the packaged foods in U.S. stores have at least one
gene-altered ingredient. They’re hard to avoid. About 50 percent of all canola plants,
40 percent of all soybeans, and 20 percent of all corn grown in the U.S. and Canada have
had their genes altered. Both nations’ governments let these grains be mixed with normal
grains and sold without labeling. Yet there has not been even one health safety test.
To make insect-resistant corn, the companies added a gene from BT, an insect-killing
bacteria. Now every cell of the plant has BT toxin in it. And BT kills good insects like
Monarch butterflies and ladybugs!
If that doesn’t shock you, think about this: Genes put into a plant can cause it to make
new proteins. No studies have been done to see whether these new proteins cause problems
in humans. There has been a big rise in soybean allergy. Could it be because of a new
protein?
The companies claim that gene-altered crops have bigger harvests. But independent trials
disagree. They showed that gene-altered crops and unaltered ones had nearly the same
yields.
Join the fight to stop gene-altered food. How? Ask your supermarket to ban products
that have gene-altered ingredients. Buy only products with certified organic ingredients. If
we won’t buy gene-altered produce, the corporations will pay attention.
Spread the word. Tell your friends and family. Also contact your federal representatives.
Tell them that you won’t buy gene-altered products. Inform them of the dangers and
demand that the altering stop at least long enough for testing to be done.
Noah Grinder, Ph.D.

Amazing Discoveries
Genes
1. Gregor Mendel was the
a. first botanist (person who studies plants). c. only monk who ever grew plants.
b. Father of Genetics. d. smartest student in his high school.
2. Mendel discovered that a recessive gene shows up

a. in one plant and then never again. c. frequently in plants.
b. in every generation of plants. d. only if both parent plants carry it.
3. Mendel died in
a. 1822. c. 1884.
b. 1866. d. 1900.
4. Scientists are able to alter (change) genes in both plants and animals. True or False? Explain.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. Give two reasons why Noah Grinder is against gene-altered foods.

_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. Should the government ban (stop) gene-altered food? Why or why not?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Amazing Discoveries
Vitamins
Vitamins are an essential part of living things’ diets. But it was not until 1912 that one was even
identified, and it happened by accident.
The Dutch were fighting the natives in the East Indies. Both groups wanted to control the islands and
their natural resources. The Dutch were losing, but not through deaths on the battlefield. Their soldiers
were dying of beriberi. First this disease turned the troops into weak, thin cripples. Then it killed
them. There was no cure.
Doctor Christiaan Eijkman was given the job of finding the cause of beriberi. He worked for years
without success. He did experiments on chickens. One day his helper told him that they were almost
out of the cheap rice used for chicken food. Eijkman approved feeding them polished* white rice.
This was the “better” rice meant only for humans. About one month later, he saw that the once healthy,
plump chickens were listless and thin. They could barely drag themselves around their pen. Shocked,
he realized that the chickens seemed to have beriberi. But why? Once again he felt frustrated. Would
he ever find the answer?
Meanwhile the general in charge of the camp was angry that the human rice had been fed to chickens.
He demanded that they eat only the cheap rice. To everyone’s surprise, the chickens improved within
two weeks of eating the unprocessed rice.
At last Eijkman had what he needed: Beriberi “patients” that had recovered! And he knew that it had
something to do with the rice they had eaten. He analyzed the rice and discovered that the unprocessed
rice had a substance the polished rice lacked. It was thiamin. He called it a vitamin. For his work,
Eijkman received the Nobel Prize for medicine.
Now we know that beriberi is caused by a lack of vitamin B1 (thiamin). This illness was once common
in Asia. There the main food is white rice. White rice loses this vitamin during milling. Now thiamin
is added back into the rice. This way people stay healthy.
*having the outer brown layers (husk) removed

Amazing Discoveries
Vitamins
This is the back label on a bottle of multivitamins:
Premium Multivitamins
Suggested Use: Take one tablet daily with a meal. Keep bottle tightly closed. Store in a cool, dry place.
Amount per Tablet % Recommended Amount Per Tablet % Recommended

Daily Value Daily Value
Vitamins mineral
Vitamin A 3000IU 60% Calcium 100 mg 10%
Vitamin C 120 mg 200% Iron 9 mg 50%
Vitamin D 400 IU 100% Phosphorous 77 mg 8%
Vitamin E 50 IU 167% Iodine 150 mcg 100%
Vitamin K 25 mcg 31% Magnesium 100 mg 100%
Thiamin 1.5 mg 100% Zinc 15 mg 100%
Riboflavin 1.7 mg 100% Selenium 25 mcg 36%
Niacin 20 mg 100% Copper 2 mg 100%
Vitamin B6 2 mg 100% Manganese 2 mg 100%
Folic Acid 400 mcg 100% Chromium 120 mcg 100%
Vitamin B12 6 mcg 100% Molybdenum 25 mcg 33%
Biotin 30 mcg 10% Chloride 36 mg 1%
Panothenic Acid 10 mg 100% Potassium 40 mg 1%
Boron 150 mcg *
Nickel 5 mcg *
Silicon 2 mg *
Tin 10 mcg *
Vanadum 10 mcg *
Lutein 250 mcg *
*Recommended Daily Value (DV) has not been established.

Amazing Discoveries
Vitamins
1. For years Dr. Christiaan Eijkman conducted experiments in order to find
a. a way to make a more nutritious chicken. c. the cure for beriberi.
b. vitamin B1. d. a way to improve the nutritional
quality of polished rice.
2. Beriberi was caused by a diet that lacked
a. several important vitamins. c. chicken.
b. rice. d. vitamin B1.
3. What probably happened after Dr. Eijkman published his findings on thiamin?
a. No one believed him. c. The general in charge of the camp fired him.
b. Researchers began looking for d. People stopped eating rice.
vitamins in other foods, too.
4. Chickens coming down with beriberi led to a big medical breakthrough. True or False? Explain.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. Read the multivitamin label. Is panothenic acid a vitamin or a mineral? How many different
vitamins and how many different minerals are in one of these tablets?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. Do you think that it is important for you to take a multivitamin each day? Why or why not?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Amazing Discoveries
Antibiotics
Perhaps the most important medical discovery ever happened by chance. In September 1928, a
mold spore flew into the open window of a London hospital. It landed in a culture dish of bacteria.
Alexander Fleming was growing the bacteria for study. But he was out of town. When he came back,
he saw the fuzzy green mold. It had spread all over the dish. And it looked like it had dissolved the
bacteria!
In World War I soldiers dying from infected wounds had upset Fleming. He wanted to find a way to
kill bacteria. And he had just found it! He had discovered penicillin. However, many years passed
before it was used to fight disease. To find out if it was toxic, Fleming tested it on white mice and
rabbits first. When they did well, he decided to try it on a person. He asked his helper, Stuart Cardiac.
The man agreed to take the risk. He ate some of the mold. He had no bad side effects.
Penicillin works because germs are alive. It is an antibiotic. This word means “against life.” But it’s
only against germ life. How does it work? Penicillin breaks open the germ cell wall. This lets the cell
matter flow out. It kills the cell.
Two other researchers, Dr. Ernst Chain and Professor Howard Florey, were excited by Fleming’s
research. They refined the drug for use in humans. Then World War II broke out. Once again
thousands of troops were dying from infected wounds. But Great Britain did not act. So Chain and
Florey went to America. The doctors there were impressed with penicillin’s power. They made it
for use with the military. As a result, by the end of the war 95 percent of Allied troops with infected
wounds got better.
The miracle drug was just for the troops. People outside of the armed forces could not have it. In
1943, a two-year-old girl lay dying. She had blood poisoning. The doctors told her father there was
nothing they could do. Her father went to a New York City newspaper editor. He begged the man to
get the medicine. The editor called the U.S. Surgeon General. He got the doctor to approve giving
the drug to a civilian. So the girl’s doctor drove hundreds of miles with a police escort. He picked up
the penicillin. When he came back, he thought he was too late. She looked like she had only about
an hour and a half left to live. He gave her the dose. To his shock, she immediately improved! She
made a full recovery.
The newspaper told her story. When people read it, they wanted the drug available to anyone who
needed it. The next year 500,000 people were treated with this lifesaver. Now penicillin is routinely
used. It cures strep throat, pneumonia, and other sicknesses.

Amazing Discoveries
Antibiotics
No Antibiotics Please uncertain — as many symptoms for viral
and bacterial infections are similar —
CDC advises parents about colds, flu doctors are more likely to yield to patient
and antibiotics demands for antibiotics. The problem
is, taking antibiotics when they are not
The Centers for Disease Control and
needed can do more harm than good.
Prevention (CDC) has news for parents
this cold and flu season: Antibiotics Widespread misuse of antibiotics is
don’t work for a cold or the flu. causing an increase in drug-resistant
Antibiotics kill bacteria, not viruses. And bacteria. This means that current
colds, flu, and most sore throats are antibiotics no longer kill these germs.
caused by viruses. Antibiotics don’t Over the last ten years, almost every
touch viruses — never have, never will. type of bacteria has become stronger
It’s a well-known medical fact. But tell and less responsive to antibiotic
that to parents seeking relief for a child’s treatment when it really is needed.
cold. Recent research shows that These antibiotic-resistant bacteria can
most Americans have either missed the quickly spread to family members,
message about correct antibiotic use or school mates and co-workers —
they simply don’t believe it. threatening the community with a new
strain of infectious disease that is more
According to recent public opinion
difficult to cure.
research, there is a perception that
“antibiotics cure everything.” Americans According to the CDC, antibiotic
believe in the power of antibiotics so resistance is one of the world’s most
much that many patients go to the pressing public health problems.
doctor expecting to get a prescription. Americans of all ages can lower this risk
And they do. Why? Physicians often are by talking to their doctors and using
too pressured for time to give lengthy antibiotics correctly during this cold and
explanations of why antibiotics won’t flu season.
work. And, when the diagnosis is
Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work Press Kit.”
http://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/community/files/complete_abr_vpk.hm

Amazing Discoveries
Antibiotics
1. Alexander Fleming was doing research in order to find
a. a cure for infected wounds. c. the bacteria that caused infected wounds.
b. penicillin. d. a fungus that could be used as a medicine.
2. Which nation was the first to recognize the importance of penicillin?

a. China c. Great Britain
b. Scotland d. the United States
3. Penicillin can fight

a. only viruses. c. viruses or bacteria.
b. only bacteria. d. viruses, bacteria, and fungi.
4. After the military let penicillin be used by one civilian, it was soon available to other civilians.
True or False? Explain.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. According to the newspaper article, what is the danger of using antibiotics when they are not
needed?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. Should doctors always do tests to make sure that antibiotics are needed before giving them to
people? Why or why not?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Amazing Discoveries
The Dead Sea Scrolls

In 1799, a soldier tore down an old wall in Egypt. There he found the Rosetta Stone. It had the same
words written in three languages. People knew how to read Greek, one of the languages. It let them
figure out how to read ancient hieroglyphics. It was the most exciting discovery of old writing for
almost 150 years.
Then in 1947, a boy was tending his goats in Qumran, Israel, on the shore of the Dead Sea. One
goat went missing. He looked for it. He saw a cave and threw a rock inside. He hoped to scare the
goat into coming out. Instead he heard pottery breaking. He made a mental note of the location and
decided to come back. He had no idea that he was about to make an amazing find.
The boy returned a few days later. In the cave he found seven pottery jars. Each one held a rolled-
up scroll wrapped in linen. The scrolls looked ancient. He decided to sell them to an antique dealer
in Bethlehem. The dealer sold three to an archaeologist. American collectors bought the other four.
Eight years later all of these scrolls were returned to Israel. Scholars from around the world had heard
about them. They wanted to study them.
People searched the other caves in the area. They found ten that held 800 more parchment pieces, old
cloth, and wood. The documents were found miles apart. They have been carbon dated to different
centuries. This means that the scrolls do not come from one source. Scholars have spent years piecing
them together and decoding them.
The Dead Sea Scrolls are written in Hebrew and Aramaic. These were the two languages spoken in
the region 2,000 years ago. Some of the scrolls had parts of the Old Testament. These texts are 1,000
years older than any known Bible. Other scrolls contain prayers, hymns, and essays. A few are stories,
letters, and legal papers. Each one gives information about Jewish life, beliefs, and politics from
200 B.C.E. to 68 C.E.
The scholars handled the Scrolls with great care. Due to their age, they fell apart easily. Most were
written on leather or papyrus. One was written on copper. It was too brittle to unroll. It took experts
five years to agree on how to open it. At last they used a small saw. They cut it into 23 strips. Each
one was a curved half-cylinder. It gave the location of a vast treasure of gold and silver. But experts
do not know all of the words that tell where it’s buried. People have searched many spots with no luck.
Maybe they’re looking in the wrong places. Or maybe someone found the treasure long ago.
Who wrote these scrolls? Why were they hidden? No one knows. Scholars think that Jews called
Essenes spent a lot of time copying religious texts. These people feared a Roman attack. They put
the scrolls in jars and hid them. They wanted to keep their history and knowledge safe. Perhaps
the Romans killed or enslaved them. If so, no one was left to retrieve the texts. Others say that the
Essenes just collected documents. The caves were their library. Perhaps those who hid the scrolls
would be glad to know that now they are being shared with the world.

Dead Sea Scrolls Rosetta Stone
©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

• found by a shepherd • found by a
boy in Israel in 1947 soldier in
Egypt in 1799
• stored in caves
• discovered by accident • written on a stone
embedded in a fort wall
• documents are written
on leather, papyrus,
83
and copper • the same message is
• found in dry climate
of the Middle East written three different
• oldest known Biblical ways
manuscripts
• shows ancient writing • allowed scholars to

• some words on the finally read Egyptian
documents have not yet hieroglyphics
been decoded
• dates back to 200 B.C.E.
• now housed in the
• now housed in the British Museum in

Shrine of the Book England
Museum in Jerusalem
Amazing Discoveries

Amazing Discoveries

1. Who probably wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls?
a. Romans c. Egyptians
b. Aramaics d. Essenes
2. A boy found the Dead Sea Scrolls when he was looking for
a. his sister during a game of hide and seek. c. a missing goat.
b. things to sell to American collectors. d. hidden treasure.
3. The Dead Sea Scroll written on copper tells about

a. ancient Jewish politics. c. Jewish beliefs.
b. a hidden treasure. d. how Roman soldiers attacked a village.
4. The Rosetta Stone was found after the Dead Sea Scrolls. True or False? Explain.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. Look at the Venn diagram. Name the four things that the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Rosetta Stone
have in common.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. Which was the more important discovery: the Dead Sea Scrolls or the Rosetta Stone? Why?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Amazing Discoveries
Qin’s Terracotta Army

In 1974, some farmers dug a well near Xi’an, a city in northern China. As they worked, they
uncovered something surprising. Buried in the ground were several lifelike pottery heads! The men
took the heads home. They told others. Soon archaeologists came to study them. They started digging
in the same place. They hoped to unearth more heads. What they found amazed the world.
They uncovered a huge pit. It had a brick floor and a roof of thick pine logs. Inside stood rows of
hundreds of life-size warriors. They were made of terracotta, a baked clay. But they looked so real
that they seemed to be an army frozen in time. And humans weren’t the only statues. There were
chariots and horses, too.
Each soldier in the Terracotta Army can be told apart from all the others! Their heads were made
from one of 12 molds. But eyes, noses, and hair were carved by hand to give each one a unique look.
Armor and arm and leg positions added variety as well. Each figure was painted and had a bronze
sword, crossbow, or spear. In most cases the paint is gone. And many of the wooden weapons have
rotted. But it is still an amazing army. It guards Emperor Qin’s tomb. Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi
lived from 259 to 210 BCE He was the first Chinese emperor. He came to power at the age of 13. He
immediately had 720,000 slaves start making his tomb. At the same time, he told craftsmen to make a
terracotta army to serve him in the afterlife. It took the workers 37 years to fulfill his wishes.
In 1976 archaeologists found three more pits. One was empty. The other two held nearly 8,000
statues! To protect them, the people built a museum over these pits. It is now one of the world’s most
popular tourist sites. The discovery of his amazing army has given Qin the immortality he had hoped
for.
People have not yet begun to uncover Qin’s tomb. It is actually bigger than the Great Pyramid in
Egypt! It looks like a hill covered in grass and bushes. But hidden below is a whole city with clay
people. A Chinese writer wrote about the tomb. He said that Qin’s underground palace was the same
as the one in which he had lived. Filled with gold and silver, it has ceilings twinkling with gems and
pearls.

Amazing Discoveries

Amazing Discoveries

1. Qin Shi Huangdi was the
a. last Chinese emperor. c. name of the place where the
emperor’s terracotta army was found.
b. first Chinese emperor. d. name of the emperor’s palace.
2. Terracotta is a type of
a. wood. c. clay.
b. metal. d. glass.
3. You can tell that the emperor

a. believed that there was an afterlife. c. enjoyed riding horses.
b. thought that his tomb was too big. d. wasn’t proud of his terracotta army.
4. Each soldier in the terracotta army looks identical to all the others. True or False? Explain.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. Look at the photo of the terracotta army. In some cases it looks as if the soldier is holding
something. Yet nothing is there. Why?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. Would you like to travel to China to see the terracotta army for yourself? Why or why not?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Interesting Places
Egypt: One Nation on

Two Continents
Egypt is in the northeast corner of Africa. Most of it
lies in Africa. But its Sinai Peninsula is in Asia. The
Suez Canal runs between these two continents. It
joins the Mediterranean and Red Seas. The French
completed the Canal in 1869. It shortened the distance
between Europe and India by 6,000 miles.
Egypt has the second-biggest population in Africa.
Cairo, its capital city, is the largest city in Africa.
More than 9 million people live there. Most Egyptians
think of themselves as Arabs. They speak Arabic.
Educated people know English, too. But just half of
the adults can read and write.
About 96 percent of the land is desert. Yet one of the
first civilizations began here. Why? The Nile River is
the longest on Earth. It runs through the nation. Rich
farmland lies along its banks. Most of the people live
along its banks, too.
Rounded towers filled with holes stand scattered across the land. Made of mud and clay, they are
birdhouses. Pigeons nest in them. Egyptians eat these birds. And their droppings make great fertilizer.
That’s important in a country in which most people work in farming. They grow cotton, oranges, rice,
and sugar cane. The Nile provides the water for these crops. Enough is raised to sell to other nations.
Egypt is famous for its pyramids. Ancient Egyptians believed in life after death. They felt that a
person needed a human body forever. So they preserved the bodies of dead rulers. They made them
into mummies. Some mummies have been found in good condition after thousands of years. From
2700 to 1700 B.C.E. the mummies were put inside pyramids. A total of 35 big pyramids were built for
kings. Forty smaller ones were made for queens. The biggest is the Great Pyramid. It has about two
million stone blocks. Each one of them had to be placed carefully. And each one weighed two tons!
How did they do it without modern equipment? No one knows.

Interesting Places

Two Continents
The Egyptians buried their kings and queens inside pyramids. No one knows why
they chose this odd shape. Some people think that the sides represent the sun’s rays.
The three biggest pyramids were built along the Nile River near Cairo. It is now the
capital city of Egypt.
These pyramids were built between 2600 and 2500 B.C.E. The largest one is called
the Great Pyramid at Giza. It was built for King Khufu. To make it, 100,000 workers
worked for 20 years. Then the king was laid inside it along with many treasures.
When it was done, the Great Pyramid stood 481 feet tall. For more than 4,300 years it
was the tallest building on Earth. But now it no longer comes to a point at the top. It
has lost about 30 feet due to weathering.
Even though each pyramid was designed to stop thieves, just one tomb has been
found untouched. The robbers who broke into the Great Pyramid took the treasures
and the mummy. It has never been found.

Interesting Places

Two Continents
1. Egypt lies on which two continents?
a. Africa and Asia c. Asia and Europe
b. Africa and Europe d. Asia and Australia
2. The largest city in Egypt is
a. Nile. c. Sinai.
b. Arabic. d. Cairo.
3. Which of these people would likely be made into a mummy after death?
a. the king’s brother c. the queen
b. the king’s most trusted advisor d. the queen’s favorite servant
4. The largest pyramid in Egypt is the Great Pyramid at Giza. True or False? Explain.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. What happened to King Khufu’s mummy?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. Should Egyptian leaders be concerned that only half of the nation’s adult population can read and
write? Why or why not?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Interesting Places
Liberia, Named for Freedom

Liberia is a mix of Western and African cultures.
Its name comes from the Latin word liber, which
means “free.” The American Colonization
Society wanted slaves returned to Africa. So
the group bought land on Africa’s west coast.
They called it Liberia. In 1822 the first settlers
arrived by ship. These freed slaves and freeborn
African Americans came from the United States.
The U.S. Navy started to patrol the waters off
the coast of Africa in 1815. Their goal was to
stop slave ships. When a ship was found to be
carrying slaves, it was seized. The captives and
crews of these ships were put ashore in Monrovia,
the capital city of Liberia.
The territory grew as more people came. In
1847, Liberia broke its ties with the American
Colonization Society. For a long time it was one
of the most stable nations in Africa. But a civil war erupted in the 1990s. More than 200,000 people
died. Even more fled. The fighting ruined the nation’s cities. It wrecked electric power and water
systems. Before the war, Monrovia had nice homes, offices, and stores. Now the people live in small
wooden huts with tin roofs. The war ended in 1997. But more strife occurred in 2003. The nation is
struggling to recover.
The official language is English. But that’s not the only language people speak. English is used
in government and business. Schools teach it. But each ethnic group has its own language. The
government runs some schools. Religious groups run others. A law states that children must go to
school for 12 years. But not all children do. There are too few schools and teachers. And parents are
more apt to send their sons than their daughters. As a result, just a little over half of the adults can read
and write.
Liberia has natural resources that many African nations lack. It has water, minerals, and forests. Best
of all, its climate is good for growing crops. But the civil war hurt the nation’s economy. A lot of
businesses left. They did not return. Now many people who want a job cannot get one. There are few
places to work. So people just grow and make things for their own needs. They do not make things to
trade with other nations.
But Liberia does export some crops. The main one is rubber. It also grows cacao beans and coffee
beans. Cacao beans are used to make chocolate. Both wet and dry rice grow in Liberia. So every rural
home grows rice to eat. Cassava, an edible root, thrives there, too. Most people grow it, too. This root
does not have many nutrients. But it can be left in the ground until it is needed. That’s important in a
place where there are lots of bugs and no refrigeration.
Interesting Places

This is a student’s school report.
U.S. Anti-Slave Trade Actions

by Jose Ortiz
Congress passed laws in 1794 and 1807 to try to stop new slaves from coming
into the United States. By 1815 the U.S. Navy had ships along the western coast
of Africa. When a ship was found carrying slaves, the crew was set free with the
captives. They were all put ashore at Monrovia, Liberia. The ship was taken to
America and sold. Its captain and officers stood trial in a U.S. Federal Court.
Sailors hated working on these ships. The climate was hot and humid. They got
tropical diseases. Many of the men were upset by the cruelty they saw on the slave
ships. And when they did catch a slave ship, they had to nurse the captives back to
health. This was a hard task.
To get sailors to serve on these ships, the U.S. Navy gave prize money for each
captured vessel and $25 for every rescued slave. The money went to the ship’s
captain. He split it among the crew.

Interesting Places

1. Liberia’s civil war ended in
a. 1815. c. 1847.
b. 1822. d. 1997.
2. One of the crops that Liberia sells to other nations is
a. cassava. c. wet and dry rice.
b. cacao beans. d. wild herbs.
3. Many of the people living in Liberia are descendants of
a. Egyptians. c. freed slaves.
b. African royalty. d. the Japanese.
4. Most U.S. sailors liked to work on the anti-slave trade ships. True or False? Explain.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. When the U.S. Navy found a slave ship, what happened to the slave ship’s captain and officers?
What happened to the ship’s crew? What happened to the ship?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. Should the Liberian government insist that the people give up their ethnic languages and speak
only English? Why or why not?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Interesting Places
Mexico, Land of Corn

Corn was first cultivated in Mexico around 7000
B.C. This means that people grew corn and
harvested it. Planting crops changed the world. No
longer did people have to wander around looking for
food. They started towns. Farming let people make
civilizations. The Aztecs and Maya were two tribes
that built big cities. Both had calendars, counting
systems, and writing.
Planting crops spread to area islands. Christopher

Columbus found corn on one of them. He brought
it back to Europe. Back then, Europe had famines
(lack of food). During those times people starved.
Planting corn helped to end this problem. Now corn
is grown around the world. Based on number of
acres, it is the second largest crop on Earth. Mexico
has one of the biggest harvests.
In 1325, the Aztecs built the city of Tenochtitlan in

Mexico. It had step pyramids and straight streets.
Canals let people move things from one city to
another. It was a busy place. Then the Spanish
came. In 1519 they fought the Aztecs. The city ended up in rubble. Nearby Native American
tribes disliked the strong Aztecs. So they helped the Spanish to win the war by 1521. But after the
Spanish won, they enslaved their allies! The Spanish also brought diseases. Sickness killed half of
all Mexicans within 30 years. Europeans had lived with smallpox for hundreds of years. They had
immunity. But the Native Americans had never been exposed before.
Spain ruled Mexico for over 300 years. The Mexicans revolted in 1862. They regained power. They
celebrate each Cinco de Mayo (May 5). They are free. But most of them are poor. Each year millions
of them cross the Rio Grande. They come to the United States. They take jobs as farm workers and
servants.
Now Mexico City stands on the ruins of Tenochtitlan. This city has more people than many nations.
Nearly 25 percent of all Mexicans live there.

Interesting Places

Did you know that
• Mexican mines supply 20 percent of the world’s silver?
• Each year Mexican streets are lined with paper máche skeletons wreathed in
flowers on the Day of the Dead?
• The ingredient that makes gum chewy comes from the Mexican wild
sapodilla tree?
• 200 huge stone heads dot the Mexican landscape?
Want to Know More?

Watch
Mexico, Land of Mountains and Mayas
Thursday, November 9
9 p.m.
The Knowledge Channel
Learning for Life
Interesting Places

1. Something that both the Maya and the Aztecs did not have was
a. immunity to smallpox. c. a form of writing.
b. a counting system. d. a calendar.
2. The city that first stood where Mexico City is now was named
a. Rio Grande. c. Cinco de Mayo.
b. Tenochtitlan. d. Maya.
3. Who controlled Mexico for over three centuries?

a. the Canadians c. the English
b. the Americans d. the Spanish
4. Mexico City is not a large city. True or False? Explain.

_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. According to the ad, on what station and when could you watch a show about the nation of
Mexico?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. Would you like to watch the television show about Mexico? Why or why not?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Interesting Places
The Netherlands: Land of

Windmills, Bicycles, and Tulips
Often called Holland, the Netherlands is a small
nation in northern Europe. It shares borders with
Belgium and Germany. People from the Netherlands
are called the Dutch. So is their language.
More than 40 percent of the nation has been

reclaimed from the North Sea. Dikes are built
around an area. The water within the enclosed area
is pumped out. In the past, windmills provided the
energy for the pumps. Now electric motors do the
job. A network of canals guides the water back into
the ocean. But most of this land lies below sea level.
So water seeps back in. As a result, pumping is
done each day. To get rid of salt, they plant coarse
grass and let it grow for several years. At last the
land is ready for farming. Reclaimed land grows
great crops.
At some points in history, the Dutch have used their dikes for defense. They opened the gates on
purpose and flooded their nation. It helped to stop invaders from entering the country. Many other
nations have tried to gain control of its seaports.
Holland is flat. But all roads have gentle bends. This keeps drivers from dozing at the wheel. The
flatness is one of the reasons the Netherlands is called the land of the bicycle. Many people use bikes
instead of cars. There are three times more bicycles than cars in the Netherlands.
The Netherlands, capital city is Amsterdam. Diamond cutters have worked there since the 1500s.
Diamonds are mined elsewhere and shipped to the city. There, workers finish 80 percent of the world’s
industrial diamonds. Cutting tools and drills need these hard gems. Workers cut and polish diamonds
for jewelry, too.
The Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries on Earth. This means that a lot of
people live within every square mile. The nation is important to international trade. More than one-
third of all goods loaded or unloaded in the European Union* passes through its ports. Rotterdam is
the busiest one. It has the biggest man-made harbor and port complex in the world.
*25 nations in Europe that have agreed to cooperate in economics and politics

Interesting Places

Tour Amsterdam
There’s so much to see and do in Tour a working diamond factory and
Amsterdam! Here are just a few watch master diamond cutters cut
highlights that await you: and polish these valuable gems.
Climb the stairs to the top of a
working 250-year-old windmill on
the river Amstel.
See the Anne Frank House. It is just

as it was when she, her family, the
van Pel family, and Fritz Pfeffer hid
from the Nazis.
Tour the royal palace. Built in the
1600s, this beautiful building now
serves as Amsterdam’s city hall. Her Visit the Van Gogh Museum, home
Majesty the Queen still uses parts of of the largest collection of paintings
it for official functions. The palace by world-famous Dutch painter
houses a large collection of Empire- Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890)
style furnishings and chandeliers.

Interesting Places

1. Another name for the Netherlands is
a. Amsterdam. c. Holland.
b. Dutch. d. Rotterdam.
2. The amount of land that has not been reclaimed from the North Sea is about
a. 30 percent. c. 50 percent.
b. 40 percent. d. 60 percent.
3. Why do so many of the Dutch people ride bicycles?
a. It is an easy way to get c. Bicycles were invented in the Netherlands.
around because there aren’t any hills.
b. Few of them can afford cars. d. Because so much of the land has been
reclaimed from the sea, there are few
roads that are wide enough for cars.
4. The people of the Netherlands have occasionally used its dikes for defense. True or False?
Explain.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. Name the five tourist attractions listed in the travel brochure and state which one you’d most like
to see and why.___________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. If you lived in the Netherlands would you rather use a bicycle or a car? Tell why.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Interesting Places
North Korea
North Korea is an Asian nation. It is
bordered on two sides by water. The Sea
of Japan lies to the east. The Yellow Sea
lies to the west. There are many hills. The
weather can be cold. Very little land can
have crops. Yet the people of North Korea
cannot leave their country. If they have
relatives in South Korea, they cannot see
them. The border is closed. They cannot
cross it.
Korea was once one nation. Then the

Japanese seized control of the country. But
they were defeated in World War II. They
were forced to leave. Then there was a
new problem. The Soviet Union wanted
Korea to have a communist government.
The United States wanted Korea to be a
democracy. An agreement was made. The
38th parallel* would divide Korea until
it could be reunited. Why was this made
the border? It’s where the Japanese troops
surrendered.
The United Nations decided there should be an election. But only the people in the south voted. The
Soviet Union refused to let in the United Nations workers that came to oversee the election. Instead
the Soviet Union formed North Korea. It made a communist general the nation’s leader.
Then North Korea attacked South Korea in 1950. Both the United States and the United Nations sent
soldiers. They wanted to help South Korea. They wanted it to stay a free nation. China entered the
fight on the side of the communists. Neither side was winning. So a cease-fire agreement was signed
in 1953. But a peace treaty was never made. However, the war did keep South Korea from falling to
the Communists.
*line of latitude

The Korean War

June 1950 North Korean Communist troops invade South Korea
United Nations demands they halt
U.S. air and naval forces sent to stop invasion
July 1950 U.S. ground troops arrive in Korea
©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

September 1950 U.S. troops stop the Communist advance
Allied* forces occupy Seoul, South Korea’s capital
October 1950 Allied forces occupy Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital

Communist China enters the war on the side of North Korea
November 1950 Allied forces retreat from strong Chinese attacks
101
January 1951 Communist forces occupy Seoul
March 1951 Allied forces recapture Seoul
July 1951 Truce talks start, but fighting continues

North Korea
October 1952 Truce talks end without solving any issues
March 1953 Communist and Allied forces exchange ill and injured prisoners
April 1953 Truce talks begin again
June 1953 A cease-fire agreement is signed and fighting ends
*Allied forces include United Nations, U.S., and South Korean troops
Interesting Places

Interesting Places
North Korea
1. What body of water lies to the west of North Korea?
a. the Atlantic Ocean c. the Yellow Sea
b. the Sea of Japan d. the Indian Ocean
2. Which one wanted the nation of Korea to be communist?
a. the Soviet Union c. the Japanese
b. the United States d. the United Nations
3. What happens if a woman has friends living on the opposite side of the 38th parallel?
a. She is considered a criminal. c. She can just walk across the border
to visit them without needing a pass.
b. She can get a pass to go d. She cannot cross the border to visit them.
across the border to visit them.
4. During the Korean War, “allied forces” referred to Soviet and Chinese troops. True or False?
Explain.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. How much time passed between the invasion of South Korea and the cease-fire agreement which
ended the fighting? When did the two sides exchange prisoners? How long was Seoul under
Communist control? Use facts from the time line in your answer.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. Since the Korean War, North Korea and the United States have not been on friendly terms. Now
North Korea is testing nuclear missiles. Should American leaders be concerned? Why or why
not?____________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Interesting Places
Nunavut, Land of the Inuit

Nunavut* covers one-fifth of Canada. It became a
new territory in 1999. This was done so that the Inuit
(Native Americans) who live there could have a self-
governing homeland. It also gave them more say in
the Canadian government. The capital of Nunavut is
Iqaluit. It’s the biggest town. About 3,600 people live
there. They speak Inuktitut, French, and English.
Most of this land lies within the Arctic Circle. The

area has long, cold winters and short, cool summers.
It’s called the “Land of the Midnight Sun.” It is so
close to the top of Earth that in June, there’s a month
with no darkness. The sun shines even at midnight!
Then, in December there is little or no sunlight. The
darkness lasts for the whole month.
Tundra covers Nunavut. This means that much of the

ground has permafrost. Each year just the top layer
thaws. Permafrost keeps water from draining. This
creates ponds and bogs. Willow shrubs, short grass,
and mosses cover much of the land. These plants can
do photosynthesis at low temperatures with long spells
of daylight.
The northern part of Nunavut gets so little rain or snow that it is a polar desert! But the land has
natural resources. These include diamonds, gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, nickel, and zinc. The harsh
temperatures, permafrost, and lack of roads make it hard to mine these minerals. So most are untapped.
Some companies are looking for oil.
The total population is 30,000. Most live near the coast of Hudson Bay and the Labrador Sea. The
people’s way of life is slowly changing. Instead of being roaming seal hunters, many are taking jobs.
Tourism is growing. Nunavut has the second biggest national park in Canada. It has mountains,
glaciers, lakes, and lots of wildlife. Visitors hike, boat, and fish.
Children go to school through grade 12. The number of people who can read and write is rising.
More people are completing high school. And the Nunavut Arctic College has five campuses. Thanks
to computers, the people stay in touch with the outside world. Each town has phones, radio, and
television. But no railroads serve the area. Based on the season, snowmobiles or planes move people
and goods between towns. Food that comes from other places costs a lot. Milk is $7 a gallon, and an
apple is $2!
*pronounced NOO nuh voot
Interesting Places

Nunavut Numbers
Number Meaning Neat Fact
1 Road It has no name and is 13 miles long.
1:100 People per square kilometer of land There’s just one person in every
100 square kilometers!
30:1 Ratio of caribou to humans There are 30 caribou for every person
104 Symbols in the Inuit alphabet Their written language is less than
200 years old.
-30°C (-25°F) Average temperature in January Brr!
5°C (41°F) Average temperature in July Just 9° F above freezing!
3 Canadian national parks Only the Inuit can hunt within

these parks.
Knight’s Canadian Info Collection. “Nunavut and the Inuktitut Language.”

http://members.shaw.ca/kcic1/nunavut.html

Interesting Places

1. The capital of Nunavut is
a. Inuit. c. Canada.
b. Iqaluit. d. Inuktitut.
2. During which month of the year is the sun rarely seen in the sky over Nunavut?
a. March c. September
b. June d. December
3. What is something that Nunavut lacks?

a. highways c. natural resources
b. wildlife d. modern communications (phones, TVs)
4. In order to attend college, the people must leave Nunavut. True or False? Explain.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. How many national parks are in Nunavut and who can hunt within them?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. Would you prefer to visit Nunavut in January or July? Tell why.

_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Answer Key
page 12 two books about it (Heart of the Antarctic and South).
1. d 2. b 3. a He also died on his fourth trip to the continent.
4. True. Her sons were taken captive, too. OR True. 6. The most amazing part of this survival story is that not
Another woman was taken from her settlement at the one single man died in spite of the many dangers they
same time. OR True. A fellow captive was an old Dutch faced (starvation, cold, leopard seals, etc). OR The
woman. most amazing part of this survival story is that Shackleton
and his men made it across the stormiest sea on Earth in
5. During her return trip, Mary didn’t follow the same path
a rowboat. OR The most amazing part of this survival
that the Native Americans had taken in the West Virginia
story is that Shackleton and his men landed on the wrong
area because she and the old Dutch woman had decided
side of the island and had to cross mountains that had
to follow the river. They had been successful by doing so
never been crossed before in order to reach civilization.
for most of the way, so they continued along the river.
OR The most amazing part of this survival story is that
6. Yes, I would have left my daughter and walked almost Shackleton would not give up even though it took him
800 miles to get home because I think that the baby four attempts to reach his men on Elephant Island.
would’ve been well-cared for (Native Americans often
adopted children and raised them as their own) and I page 21
would have wanted to return to my spouse and looked 1. d 2. b 3. c
for my other children. OR No, I would not have left 4. True. They found water and some food there. OR True.
my daughter. I would have stayed where I was and It was there that they saw the natives who helped them.
hoped that my husband would find and rescue me, or I 5. Kennedy and his men suffered through their ordeal during
would have learned to adapt and live the life of a Native the first week of August 1943. (August 1–2, 1943 is
American. Going so far on foot was very risky and the given in the citation as the date of the collision, and the
women almost died. fact that the ordeal lasted six days is given in the article.)
page 15 6. Yes, Kennedy’s heroism helped him to win the U.S.
presidential election 17 years later. People heard about
1. b 2. d 3. c
what he did and recognized that he was a strong leader.
4. False. The Second Relief Group led the settlers out. OR He had shown that he made good decisions in a desperate
False. The First Relief Group brought food but did not situation. OR No, Kennedy’s heroism did not help him
lead the people out. to win the U.S. presidential election 17 years later. People
5. The plaque states that the Breens, Graveses, and Murphys generally read the news or listen to the debates about the
had cabins for shelter during the winter of 1846-47. issues before the election and make their choice based on
6. I think that the people of the Donner party were wrong to the candidate’s responses. Something that a person did
eat the dead members. I think it would have been better 17 years before does not really enter into the decision.
to die than do that. It’s just plain wrong to eat another And we don’t even know that the public knew Kennedy’s
person. Also, they were shunned by society for the rest of amazing survival story.
their lives because no one ever forgot what they’d done.
page 24
OR I do not think that the people of the Donner party
1. c 2. d 3. b
were wrong to eat the dead members. It would’ve been
wrong if they’d actually killed others in order to eat them. 4. True. The NASA teams worked out calculations and
But the people were already dead and the others would created a necessary filter. The crew worked together to
be, too, if they hadn’t eaten them. It was not a matter of build the filter. OR False. Brilliance and innovation
choice; it was a matter of survival. If the dead people had saved the astronauts. It was NASA workers’ ability to
known that they’d be eaten, they might have been glad to figure out when to fire the rockets and how to make a
save the lives of the other people in their group. filter from the parts available that saved the crew.
5. Three compliments that the movie reviewer includes to
page 18 encourage readers to see Apollo 13 are:
1. a 2. b 3. c “My money’s on Apollo 13 being the best film this year.”
4. False. Shackleton still had to cross a steep mountain “Don’t be surprised to see multiple Oscar nominations.”
range to reach the town. OR False. Shackleton still
“I went in knowing the ending, and it still managed to
had to make four attempts to reach his men on Elephant
keep me on the edge of my seat.”
Island.
“Ron Howard expertly directs Apollo 13.”
5. Ernest Shackleton was interested in Antarctica. He wrote
“Tom Hanks is outstanding in the role of Jim Lovell.”
Answer Key (cont.)
“The rest of the cast gives great performances as well.” to improve safety at sea. Also, it would speed up the
“Howard’s use of special effects gives you the feeling that Coast Guard’s search. OR No, there shouldn’t be a law
you are there.” requiring all ocean-going boats to have an EPIRB because
“Go see Apollo 13; you’ll be glad you did.” it would be too difficult and costly to enforce the law.
“I guarantee you’d need a heart of stone to get restless.” Who would check to be sure that every ocean-going boat
(Accept any three—if a student includes irrelevant had a working EPIRB? Boaters should be made aware of
information, put a line through it on the paper and then EPIRB, and if they choose to go to sea without one, it’s
talk about how irrelevant details detract from the message their right to risk their lives.
during your class discussion.) page 33
6. I think that seeing the film would help me to better 1. a 2. d 3. c
understand what the astronauts went through because the 4. False. Mr. Gibbs urges the relief workers not to be
reviewer says it makes you feel like you’re there suffering generous and to make sure that the people asking for
with them; I am a visual learner and prefer the movie to funds are really in need. He does not want money given
the book; it would help me to see the whole picture (in to anyone who is able to provide for himself or herself.
the spaceship and on the ground), etc. OR I think that He wants the money reserved for the aged, infirm,
reading the book would help me to better understand widows, and orphans.
what the what the astronauts went through because it 5. From the wages listed in the notice, it is clear that men
was written by someone who actually lived through it; I and even boys are paid much more than women. It states
always prefer the book to the movie; it’s easier for me to that carpenters and masons earn $3–$4 a day, laborers $2
imagine myself as part of the situation if I’m reading it; a day, and boys $1 a day. But women earn $2–$3 for a
etc. week of work.
page 27 6. Yes, the Chicago Relief and Aid Society puts too much of
1. c 2. b 3. a a burden on the poor to prove their need for funds because
4. True. The hunters took her to a town where she was it may be difficult for them to prove that something is a
transported to a hospital. OR False. Juliane saved necessity. Not just the old, sick, widows, and orphans
herself by following the water to reach the hunters’ shack. needed help. Most people did not have any insurance
5. No, according to the pie graph the top two causes of and lost everything. OR No, the Chicago Relief and Aid
fatal aviation crashes are pilot error (37%) and unknown Society does not put too much of a burden on the poor to
(33%). Her crash was caused when lightning hit the prove their need for funds because the money has to last
plane, so it was caused by weather (7%). a long time. People who can earn their own keep must
do so. If the poor have special circumstances (someone
6. The most common cause is pilot error. To reduce this
looks like they can work but they can’t due to asthma),
type of accident, pilots should have lots of training and
they need to explain them to the relief workers giving out
plenty of opportunities to handle all potential emergency
the funds.
situations on the ground. Perhaps computer simulators
could be used to give pilots more extensive training, etc. page 36
(Accept reasonable ideas that would make pilots better 1. d 2. a 3. b
able to deal with emergencies in the air.) 4. False. The blizzard was so bad that 200 ships were blown
page 30 from the Atlantic Ocean into the East Coast. One hundred
1. b 2. a 3. d sailors died in these wrecks.
4. True. Van Pham’s radio did not work, so the Coast Guard 5. Milton wore homemade snowshoes to walk on top of the
never had received a call for help. OR False. The Coast snowdrifts. He brought people milk, which is something
Guard didn’t conduct a search because nobody knew that that most people use daily. They were snowed in and
Van Pham was missing. couldn’t get to the store themselves. They were so
grateful that they gave him tips for delivering the milk,
5. Van Pham’s boat drifted in a south/southeast direction. It
and that’s how he got so much money.
drifted that way due to the ocean currents and probably
wind, too. 6. Yes, an identical blizzard would cause as much trouble
in New York City today as it did in 1888. There are
6. Yes, there should be a law requiring all ocean-going
many homeless people in the city who would freeze to
boats to have an EPIRB so that no one ends up in the
death, and there would be plenty of people who wouldn’t
same situation as Van Pham did. Most people would not
realize the danger of going outdoors. The streets would
have been able to survive, so this would be a good way
Answer Key (cont.)
be choked with snow, making it hard, if not impossible, page 45

for fire trucks, police cars, and ambulances to respond to 1. c 2. a 3. d
emergencies. OR No, an identical blizzard would not 4. False. A supercell thunderhead can cause a tornado
cause as much trouble in New York City today as it did in to form, but not always. First, an updraft must form
1888. Now weather forecasters would tell people ahead a spinning funnel inside the cloud. Only if the funnel
of time that a bad storm is coming and advise them to stay touches the ground does it turn into a tornado.
indoors. Fewer people would lose power and freeze to 5. The cold air comes from Canada (or the North Pole),
death in their homes now that the wires run beneath the and the warm air comes from the Gulf of Mexico (or the
streets. People could still get home on the subway, which equator).
would not be affected by the snow-blocked streets. 6. Yes, people should take the time to get family photos
to take with them to the shelter because they cannot be
page 39
replaced. Most things in a home can be replaced but
1. c 2. d 3. b
not the photos. OR No, people should not take the time
4. True. People were so upset that new laws were passed to get family photos or other valuables before seeking
that required safer working conditions. People are in shelter. With a tornado, there is little time to spare, and
much less danger at work today than they were in 1911. saving people and animals is more important than saving
5. The box-making factory was similar to the Triangle photos or other valuables.
Shirtwaist Factory because the workers earned very poor
page 48
pay ($5 a week for six days of work) and in case of fire
1. d 2. c 3. b
there was practically no escape.
4. False. An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 is called
6. Yes, the owners of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory should major. It can wreck railroad rails, cause landslides, and
have been found guilty of manslaughter because they destroy buildings. Worldwide there are about 18 of these
deliberately locked the second exit. They were more each year. OR False. An earthquake with a magnitude of
concerned with spools of thread than with the safety of 6.0 to 6.9 is called strong. It can cause destruction about
their workers. Also, they should have known that the fire 100 miles across. About 120 of these occur worldwide
escape was rotten. OR No, the owners of the Triangle each year.
Shirtwaist Factory should not have been found guilty of 5. The strongest kind of earthquake on the Richter scale is
manslaughter because they did not set the fire and it was called Rare great and measures 9.0 or more. The 1964
not their fault that the firemen’s hoses and ladders did not Alaskan earthquake is one of these because it measured
reach the upper floors. The jury found them innocent of 9.2 on the Richter scale.
knowing that the doors were kept locked. 6. Yes, I would be afraid to live in an area with earthquakes
page 42 because they can be deadly; I can’t imagine how scary
1. b 2. a 3. b it must be to have buildings falling down and cracks
opening in the ground; there’s not really a “safe place” to
4. True. These people were more terrified of the high fever,
go like in other natural disasters; I hate how there is no
pneumonia, and turning blue and black than they were of
warning; etc. OR No, I would not be afraid to live in an
death.
area with earthquakes because bad ones happen so rarely;
5. According to the chart, the two diseases that kept I already do live in an earthquake area and don’t give
occurring were yellow fever and cholera. The worst cities it much thought; I have lived through earthquakes and
to live in were New York City and New Orleans because they’re not that bad; I feel safe because modern buildings
they had the most outbreaks of these diseases. have been built to stand up to earthquakes; etc. (Accept
6. Yes, another pandemic like the one of 1918 could happen any reasonable responses.)
in America again because new strains of the flu and new
diseases are appearing each year. If one was really bad,
page 51
it might kill a lot of people before the doctors knew how 1. c 2. a 3. c
to stop it. OR No, another pandemic like the one of 1918 4. True. Several times Magellan’s captains tried to start a
couldn’t happen in America again because now we have mutiny against him. Magellan punished these captains.
medicines to fight diseases. If people started getting sick He had them killed or put in chains.
and dying, the doctors could get control of the situation 5. Magellan’s fleet did not sail through the Arctic Ocean or
rapidly. the Southern Ocean. They were both out of the way and
not part of the most direct route around the world. Also,
both of those oceans are so cold that they often have
Answer Key (cont.)
icebergs in them. (Only the first two sentence concepts which so many horses died and which had narrow ledges;
are necessary.) etc.
6. Yes, I would have liked to have been a sailor on one of page 60
Magellan’s ships that went around the world because I 1. b 2. c 3. d
love adventure; I would enjoy sailing; it would have been
4. False. Robert Scott reached the South Pole one month
exciting to discover the Strait of Magellan; etc. OR No,
after Roald Amundsen did. OR False. Robert Scott
I would not have liked to have been a sailor on one of
reached the South Pole in January 1912. OR False.
Magellan’s ships that went around the world because
Robert Scott reached the South Pole but failed to return
so few of the men who set out survived the journey;
safely. His whole team died.
the sailors had to face hardships like storms at sea and
5. From Robert Scott’s journal entries, it appears that he and
mutiny; the sailors were away from their loved ones for
his men died from lack of food/starvation. He wrote on
two years; etc. (Allow reasonable responses.)
March 29 that they had barely had any food since March
page 54 22.
1. a 2. d 3. b 6. Yes, if the men had tried to hike the 11 miles to the
4. True. They started out with four boats, but one month depot, they would have had a better chance of surviving.
into the trip, they had lost one of the boats. Amundsen and his team survived a four-day blizzard.
5. Powell sounds a little worried in his journal entry As it was, they kept waiting for the storm to break until
because they have just a month’s supply of food left they ran out of fuel and food and were too weak to move.
and an unknown distance to cover. He also talks about OR No, if the men had tried to hike the 11 miles to the
the potential dangers up ahead, such as waterfalls and depot, they would most probably have died anyway. They
boulders in the channel. would’ve gotten too cold from the wind chill and with
6. Yes, I would have liked to have gone on Powell’s first all the snow in the air they might not have been able to
trip down the Colorado River because I love adventure; find their way to the depot. Also, how could they know
I’ve gone white-water rafting before and it’s fun; I think that the gale and swirling snow would not let up for many
it would be cool to do something no one else had ever days? They kept hoping that if they waited just a little
done; etc. OR No, I would not have liked to have gone longer that the storm would break.
on Powell’s first trip down the Colorado River because I page 63
don’t like boats/swimming/rapids; it was very dangerous 1. d 2. a 3. d
to run the rapids; it would have been safer to go on his
4. False. Roggeveen lived nearly 200 years before
second trip because by then he already knew a lot about
Heyerdahl stated his theory. And Roggeveen did not say
the river, etc. (Accept any reasonable responses.)
how he thought Easter Island was populated. He just
page 57 reported what the people looked like.
1. c 2. d 3. b 5. Other archaeologists say that Heyerdahl tampered with
4. True. Of the 100,000 people who headed for the evidence to make it fit his theory. They also discounted
Klondike, only 40,000 made it there, and just 300 of those his raft trip across the ocean because he was towed 50
became rich from finding gold. miles out to sea to avoid the currents that would have
5. Food was included in the portable pantry because the trapped Tiki’s raft near the South American shore.
miners had to bring their own food. There was no real 6. I believe that that the Rapa Nui came from other
place to get food and other supplies in the wilderness. Polynesian islands. They look like other Polynesians,
So everything a miner needed had to be carried from and there is no real evidence that people from Peru ever
civilization. Dr. Forrest was a dentist. He was trying to visited Easter Island. OR I believe that Easter Island was
get patients to take care of their teeth before going into the settled by people from Polynesia and people from Peru
wilderness where there were no dentists to help them. due to the similarities between the two groups, including
6. I would have chosen White Pass Trail because with one spearheads, sweet potatoes, and the story of Kon-Tiki.
ton of supplies to carry, I would have wanted the help of OR I believe that Easter Island was settled by the adult
a horse; I think it was easier to go the extra miles rather children of Basque sailors and Polynesian women because
than climbing the Golden Stairs over and over; etc. OR I the Rapa Nui have Basque genes. There’s no other way
would have chosen Chilkoot Trail because then I wouldn’t that they could have those genes. Also, this theory is
need to buy a horse; it was 12 miles shorter than White supported by Roggeveen’s reports of dark- and light-
Pass Trail; I think it was safer than the other trail on skinned people.

Answer Key (cont.)
page 66 anesthesia on patients. OR No, the prize money for the

1. a 2. b 3. c discovery of anesthesia should not have been divided
4. True. The first climbing attempt occurred in 1921. equally among the four doctors because the prize was
Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit meant to reward one person. There was no obvious
in 1953, which is 32 years later. “discoverer” of anesthesia.
5. George Mallory tried to reach the peak in 1924. His body page 75
was found 75 years later in 1999. In 2003 the youngest 1. b 2. d 3. c
climber (15-year-old girl) and the oldest climber (70-year- 4. True. Scientists can change genes in both plants and
old man) set records by reaching the summit of Mount animals. By doing so, they have made fruits grow larger
Everest. and crops resist fungus. They have also created bigger
6. Yes, I would like to try climbing Mount Everest because it chickens and cows that give more milk.
sounds challenging and exciting; I like to push myself to 5. Noah Grinder is against gene-altered foods because there
achieve great things; I think it would be thrilling to stand have been no safety tests done to make sure the food is
on the tallest peak in the world; etc. OR No, I would not safe for people or animals; the BT toxin added to corn
like to try climbing Mount Everest because I am afraid can kill good insects such as the Monarch butterfly and
of heights; a lot of people have died trying to climb the ladybug; new proteins are forming in the gene-altered
mountain; it sounds too dangerous; I hate the cold, etc. plants that may cause allergies. (Accept any two of these
(Allow reasonable responses.) three reasons given in the letter)
page 69 6. Yes, the government should ban gene-altered food because
1. c 2. a 3. c there are too many unanswered questions. The lack of
4. False. Ellen MacArthur completed going around the safety tests is scary. What if the gene-altered food is
world in her sailboat in February 2005. OR False. Ellen bad for us? What if we kill off all the butterflies and
MacArthur set out to go around the world in her sailboat ladybugs with the gene-altered corn? Until there are
in November 2004. answers to these questions based on scientific research,
5. There is a mesh filter inside the desalination pump that gene altering should stop. OR No, the government
traps the salt particles. Only the water can flow through should not ban gene-altered food because it has allowed
this filter. fruits and crops to be bigger and better and made farm
6. Yes, a desalination pump should be required on every animals like chickens and cows better at producing food.
ocean-going ship and boat. That way if something goes There are people starving in the world. We need all the
wrong and the people get stuck at sea, they won’t run out improvements we can get to feed more people!
of water to drink. OR No, a desalination pump should page 78
not be required on every ocean-going ship and boat. 1. c 2. d 3. b
Large ships can carry all the fresh water they need. And 4. True. Dr. Eijkman was making no real progress until the
if a boat sunk, the person probably wouldn’t have time to chickens got the disease. OR False. When the chickens
save the desalination pump anyway. recovered from beriberi, it led to the discovery of thiamin.
page 72 5. Panothenic acid is a vitamin. One of these multivitamin
1. d 2. c 3. a tablets has 13 vitamins and 19 minerals in it.
4. False. No one received the prize money for discovering 6. Yes, I think it’s important to take a multivitamin to keep
anesthesia because it was impossible for the U.S. from getting ill by giving my body what it needs to stay
Congress to figure out to whom the money should go. healthy. Just look how important the vitamin thiamin was
Four doctors had used anesthesia at different times so it for the soldiers! OR No, I don’t think that it’s important
was unclear who really “discovered” it. to take a multivitamin every day. I eat right, so I get all
5. According to the General Hospital patient brochure, there the vitamins and minerals I need from my food. If all I
are three types of anesthesia used today. There is general, ate was junk food, then I’d need a multivitamin.
regional, and local anesthesia. With local anesthesia, only page 81
a part of the body is numbed, so the person never falls
1. a 2. d 3. b
asleep.
4. True. During the year after the first civilian used
6. Yes, the prize money for the discovery of anesthesia
penicillin, half a million others were treated with it.
should have been divided equally among the four doctors
5. The newspaper article states that giving antibiotics
because each played a part in discovering how to use
when they are not needed is causing an increase in drug-
Answer Key (cont.)
resistant bacteria. This means that antibiotics no longer page 90

kill the germs. Germs that don’t respond to drugs can 1. a 2. d 3. c
spread and endanger many people.
4. True. The Great Pyramid at Giza was the tallest building
6. Yes, due to the dangers of giving antibiotics when they
on Earth for more than 4,300 years.
aren’t needed, doctors should always do tests to be sure
that antibiotics are needed. Creating drug-resistant germs 5. After his death King Khufu’s mummy was placed inside
can be deadly. OR No, doctors should not always do the Great Pyramid at Giza. Then robbers broke into the
tests to be sure that antibiotics are needed. The doctor Great Pyramid and took his mummy. They also took all
needs to rely on his or her experience and knowledge of the treasures buried with him. No one knows where
rather than order tests. Such testing would take up a lot Khufu’s mummy is or if it even still exists.
of time and money. Perhaps the doctor could tell the 6. Yes, Egyptian leaders should be concerned that only
patient, “If it’s not better in X days, then I will write you a half of the nation’s adult population can read and write
prescription.” That’s because the doctor would know that because the more educated the people are in a nation, the
a virus would be over in that many days. more wealthy the nation is. Nations with people who
page 84 can read and write have stronger economies and better
industries than those with illiterate citizens. OR No,
1. d 2. c 3. b
Egyptian leaders should not be concerned that only half of
4. False. The Rosetta Stone was found in 1799 in Egypt and the nation’s adult population can read and write because
the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1947 in Israel. it is easier to control people who are not educated. The
5. Both the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Rosetta Stone show leaders can tell them things and since they can’t read for
ancient writing and were found by accident in the hot, dry themselves, they will just accept what they’re told. OR
climate of the Middle East. They also both date back to No, Egyptian leaders should not be concerned that only
200 B.C. half of the nation’s adult population can read and write
6. I think the Dead Sea Scrolls were the more important because that is a higher percentage than most African
discovery because they are the oldest known Biblical nations.
manuscripts, and the Bible is more important than
Egyptian hieroglyphics. OR I think the Rosetta Stone page 93
was the more important discovery because it enabled 1. d 2. b 3. c
scholars to finally read Egyptian hieroglyphics. This let
them learn more about Ancient Egypt. 4. False. The U.S. had to offer prize money to encourage
sailors to work on these ships. The men hated the tropical
page 87 diseases and the cruelty they saw on the slave ships.
1. b 2. c 3. a
5. The captain and officers stood trial in a U.S. Federal
4. False. In fact, each soldier can be told apart from the Court. The crew was put ashore at Monrovia, Liberia.
others. Just 12 different molds were used to form the The ship was sold in America.
heads. But eyes, noses, and hair were carved by hand to
make each one unique. The statues’ positions, arms, legs, 6. Yes, the Liberian government should insist that the people
and armor add variety, too. give up their ethnic languages and speak only English
5. In some cases the soldiers were holding wooden weapons. because it would unify the nation. Having a common
They rotted over time. Now all that is left is the soldiers’ language would enable all citizens to communicate with
hands positioned as if they are holding something. each other instead of emphasizing their differences.
That is especially important now when the nation is still
6. Yes, I would like to travel to China to see the terracotta
trying to recover from a civil war. OR No, the Liberian
army for myself because I like to travel and see new
government should not insist that the people give up
things. It sounds amazing, and I bet it would be
their ethnic languages and speak only English because
unforgettable. OR No, I would not like to travel to
that would anger the people. People want to speak the
China to see the terracotta army for myself because I
language they feel most comfortable with. Many people
don’t really care about seeing it. In my opinion, looking
know and speak multiple languages and it doesn’t cause
at photos is just as good and doesn’t take all the time,
any harm. The Liberian government has bigger problems
money, and travel. I don’t like to fly, which is what
that it should address.
I’d have to do to get to China, etc. (Allow reasonable
responses.)

Answer Key (cont.)
page 96 would use a car during the winter months when the roads
1. a 2. b 3. d would be slippery and it would be cold riding a bike.
4. False. Mexico City is has more people living in it than During the summer months, I would use a bike to save
some nations do! Almost 25 percent/one out of every four money and get exercise.
Mexicans live there. page 102
5. The ad states that there will be a special show called 1. c 2. a 3. d
“Mexico, Land of Mountains and Mayas” on the 4. False. Allied forces included the United Nations,
Knowledge Channel. It will air on Thursday, November 9 American, and South Korean troops.
at 9 p.m.
5. Three years passed between June 1950 when North
6. Yes, I would like to watch the television show about Korean troops invaded South Korea, and the cease-
Mexico because it looks interesting; I’d like to find out fire was signed in June 1953. In March 1953, the
more about the Day of the Dead/wild sapodilla tree/huge Communists and Allies exchanged their ill and injured
stone heads, silver mines; I’d like to know more about prisoners. Seoul was under Communist control for two
the nation because it is our neighbor; etc. OR No, I months from January 1951 to March 1951.
would not like to watch the television show about Mexico
6. Yes, American leaders should be concerned about North
because it doesn’t look interesting; I already know a
Korea testing nuclear missiles because they may want
lot about Mexico and probably wouldn’t learn anything
to launch an attack against the United States. Nuclear
new from the show; I don’t like watching that kind of
weapons can cause massive damage and many deaths.
program. I don’t like watching TV; etc. (Allow
OR No, American leaders should not be concerned about
reasonable responses.)
North Korea testing nuclear missiles because they are
page 99 across the ocean and probably not in a good position
1. c 2. d 3. a to attack the United States. And if they shot a nuclear
4. True. When enemies have threatened to invade the nation, missile at America, the United States would shoot one
the Dutch have opened the dikes and flooded their country back at them, so they wouldn’t gain anything. North
on purpose. They did this to prevent others from taking Korea may just want nuclear weapons so that other
over. nations view it as a power to be reckoned with.
5. The five tourists attractions listed in the travel brochure page 105
are the Anne Frank House, the Van Gogh Museum, a 1. b 2. d 3. a
working diamond factory, an old working windmill, and 4. False. Nunavut Arctic College has five campuses where
the royal palace. I would most like to see the Anne Frank the people can go to college.
House because I have heard about her and would like to
5. There are three national parks in Nunavut. One is the
see the place where she hid and wrote her famous diary.
second biggest national park in Canada. Although lots of
I would most like to see the Van Gogh Museum because
tourists visit these national parks, only the Inuit can hunt
I love paintings. I would most like to go to a working
in them.
diamond factory because diamonds are so sparkly and
valuable. It would be interesting to see how they were 6. I would prefer to visit Nunavut in January because I enjoy
cut. I would most like to see an old working windmill winter sports like cross-country skiing, snowboarding,
because I’ve always wanted to know how one worked. I snowmobiling, and ice skating. It would be cold enough
would most like to see the royal palace because it sounds so that I could do all these things. OR I would prefer
beautiful and elegant and I like old buildings. (Allow to visit Nunavut in July because the low temperatures in
reasonable responses.) January are too extreme for me. I don’t like the cold!
Also, I think it would be easier to get around and see the
6. If I lived in the Netherlands, I would rather use a bicycle
territory in the summer time when it stays light for so
because it would be better for the environment and cost
many hours each day.
a lot less money. Cars put pollution into the air and gas
costs a lot of money. So using a bicycle would make
good sense. OR If I lived in the Netherlands, I would
rather use a car because I don’t like riding a bike; a car
gets you places much faster; it is easier to carry packages
(like bags of groceries) in a car; you can take your whole
family in a car; etc. OR If I lived in the Netherlands, I

Housel Debra J.-document-Based Questions For Reading Comprehension and Critical Thinking

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Originaltitel

Copyright

Verfügbare Formate

Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

Freigabeoptionen

Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Housel Debra J.-document-Based Questions For Reading Comprehension and Critical Thinking

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Editor

Art Production Manager

Debra J. Housel, M.S. Ed.

Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

The Flu Pandemic of 1918. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 North Korea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

The World’s Worst Tornado. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Nunavut, Land of the Inuit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

The Great Alaskan Earthquake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

#8374 Document-Based Questions  ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

About This Book

Preparing Students to Read Nonfiction Text

©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.  #8374 Document-Based Questions

Applying Bloom’s Taxonomy

Applying Bloom’s Taxonomy (cont.)

Multiple Choice Questions (cont.)

©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.  #8374 Document-Based Questions

Applying Bloom’s Taxonomy (cont.)

#8374 Document-Based Questions  ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

Scoring the Assessment Practice Passages

©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.  #8374 Document-Based Questions

Standardized Test Success

#8374 Document-Based Questions  ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

Standards and Benchmarks

#8374 Document-Based Questions 10 ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 11 #8374 Document-Based Questions

#8374 Document-Based Questions 12 ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 13 #8374 Document-Based Questions

Here is what a plaque on the monument reads:

3. The group left James Reed in the desert because he

©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 15 #8374 Document-Based Questions

Shackleton, Ernest. Age 47. Struck

©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 17 #8374 Document-Based Questions

2. Which was not a danger faced by the men on the expedition?

6. Which part of this survival story is the most amazing? Why?

#8374 Document-Based Questions 18 ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

Against All Odds

©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 19 #8374 Document-Based Questions

Against All Odds

Navy & Marine Corps Medal

#8374 Document-Based Questions 20 ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

Against All Odds

2. Why did no one come to rescue the crew of PT 109?

3. The natives took the coconut from Kennedy to

©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 21 #8374 Document-Based Questions

“Houston, We’ve Had

#8374 Document-Based Questions 22 ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

“Houston, We’ve Had

©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 23 #8374 Document-Based Questions

“Houston, We’ve Had

#8374 Document-Based Questions 24 ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

Head Downhill and

©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 25 #8374 Document-Based Questions

Head Downhill and

Head Downhill and

©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 27 #8374 Document-Based Questions

Adrift in the Pacific Ocean

#8374 Document-Based Questions 28 ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

Adrift in the Pacific Ocean

©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 29 #8374 Document-Based Questions

Adrift in the Pacific Ocean

#8374 Document-Based Questions 30 ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 31 #8374 Document-Based Questions

To all in the service of the Chicago Relief and Aid Society:

Approved by the Executive Committee

#8374 Document-Based Questions ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. #8374 Document-Based Questions

©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. #8374 Document-Based Questions

#8374 Document-Based Questions ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. #8374 Document-Based Questions

#8374 Document-Based Questions ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.