Part A What is the meaning of infrastructure as it is used in this excerpt from “Seven Steps to Surviving a Disaster”?
Sometimes avoiding catastrophe is as simple as ensuring that drains aren’t clogged (one of the most common causes of urban flooding) and that infrastructure is well maintained so roads and bridges don’t crumble with the first heavy rain.
basic systems that keep society functioning
basic systems that provide proper plumbing
strategies used in disaster prevention efforts
Part B Which word group from the excerpt best supports the answer to Part A?
is as simple as ensuring
most common causes of urban flooding
so roads and bridges don’t crumble
According to the author of “Seven Steps to Surviving a Disaster,” why were there far fewer deaths in an earthquake in Chile than in a weaker earthquake in Haiti?
Chile had laws that required buildings to be more earthquake-safe.
A large international search-and-rescue team helped people in Chile.
The earthquake in Chile occurred in a deserted area.
In “Seven Steps to Surviving a Disaster,” which step helped northern Vietnam reduce the loss of life and property during Typhoon Wukong?
planting mangrove forests
building homes on high platforms
building high dikes
According to the author of “Seven Steps to Surviving a Disaster,” how can a disaster help a country to prepare for a safer future?
After a disaster, residents are more likely to take steps leaders suggest.
Disasters get attention and assistance from the international community.
Studying the disaster can help decision-makers see what they did wrong.
In “Seven Steps to Surviving a Disaster,” which of the following are among the steps listed by the author? Choose two options.
identifying risks
creating an international disaster response agency
training the military in disaster response
finding political champions
planting urban forests
Part A What is the meaning of magnitude as it is used in this excerpt from “Seven Steps to Surviving a Disaster”?
The 2010 earthquake in Haiti, with a magnitude of 7.0, killed more than 220,000 people. Just a month later, the much stronger earthquake in Chile, magnitude 8.8, caused only about 500
deaths.
a number identifying location
a measurement of power
a measurement of fatalities
Which word group from the excerpt best supports the answer to Part A?
The 2010 earthquake in Haiti
Just a month later
the much stronger earthquake in Chile
Part A What is the central, or main, idea of “Seven Steps to Surviving a Disaster”?
People should take certain recommended steps to help equip their homes to withstand natural disasters.
Leaders should take certain recommended steps to help their countries better survive natural disasters.
Families should take certain recommended steps to help them better cope with natural disasters.
Part B Which quotation from “Seven Steps to Surviving a Disaster” most clearly supports the answer to Part A?
Typhoon Haiyan, which killed more than 6,000 people in the Philippines last fall, reminded us how much suffering and damage nature can cause.
Even as climate change increases the risk of natural disaster, cities can be made increasingly safe, as long as public policy makers carefully prepare.
Open-source tools such as the World Bank’s Open Data for Resilience Initiative make it easy for countries to collect and share information on risk.
Part A According to “Seven Steps to Surviving a Disaster,” which step is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce the worst effects of disasters?
early-warning systems
rebuilding unsafe buildings
replacing aging bridges
Part B Which excerpt from “Seven Steps to Surviving a Disaster” best supports the answer to Part A?
Open-source tools such as the World Bank’s Open Data for Resilience Initiative make it easy for countries to collect and share information on risk, and allow people with a variety of expertise to participate in the challenge of building resilience.
Just $1 invested in early-warning systems can save as much as $35 indamages—and protect untold numbers of lives. When Cyclone Phailin hit India in the fall of 2013, a new early-warning system and a network of cyclone shelters kept 900,000 people out of harm’s way.
Countries can learn from Peru, where the head of disaster risk management reports directly to the prime minister and works closely with the ministry of finance, or from New York City, where former Mayor Michael Bloomberg . . . personally fought for investments in preparing for climate change.
