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01: Space & Outliers

Last updated 5 months ago
23 questions
RC 00 "Comets"
COMETS
Imagine looking into the sky and seeing a large fire-like object sailing quickly overhead. As it approaches the sun, it becomes brighter and grows a tail. Once it reaches the closest point to the sun, it dims, and the tail disappears. You may soon realize that this bright thing in the sky is a comet. Comets are celestial bodies that travel around the sun in orbits, or elliptical paths, around the sun. When a comet’s orbit is small, it can be seen every few years with a telescope. Often these comets are hard to see with the naked eye because they are not very bright. Bright comets have larger orbits, which are sometimes completed over the course of thousands of years. These bright comets have distinct tails and can be seen from Earth for a few weeks at a time.
The bright ball of the comet is called the nucleus. It is made mostly of rock, dust, water ice, and frozen gases.
The tail forms as the comet nears the sun. This happens because the ice in the nucleus turns to vapor from the heat. At this time, some of the dust particles are also released.
People have been watching comets for centuries. Aristotle, a famous ancient Greek philosopher, gave the comet its name. He saw similarities between the comet and its tail and the long hair on a person’s head. His word for comet, or “kom,” literally means “hair of the head.” While this was the first word anyone used to discuss a comet academically, the word changed slightly with the passage of time and influences from other languages. Now referred to as comets, these masses of gas, ice, and dust continue to captivate astronomers and other scientists and provide significant clues about the history of our solar system.
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Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

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As used in the passage, the word celestial most nearly means

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Which of the following statements best describes the reason for the last paragraph?

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According to the passage, how is the comet's tail formed?

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Which of the following best states the author's purpose?

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According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

01 "Do Aliens Exist?"
Do Aliens Exist?
Do aliens exist? Could we truly be the only inhabitants of the universe? This debate has endured since ancient times. Many people believe they have seen unidentified flying objects (UFOs) or claim abduction by aliens. Those who believe there is life on other planets often argue that the government tries to hide or cover up the existence of UFOs.
A number of astronauts landed missions on the moon in the years 1969 through 1972. According to unconfirmed reports, several of these astronauts saw UFOs while in flight and after landing. They also claim that the astronauts saw flashing lights, domed buildings, and tracks on the moon’s surface. These reports allege that alien crafts followed the astronauts’ ships and that the domed buildings were part of an alien base on the moon. Other accounts state that the strange beings issued one or more warnings and do not want us, for any reason, to be on the moon. Maybe this explains why there have been no lunar landings in more than thirty years.
Furthermore, additional reports claim that NASA has not revealed all the evidence gathered from the lunar landings, nor has the organization released all the photographs and film taken during the lunar landings. Others contend that the lunar landings were a fraud, that they were photographed and filmed in Hollywood movie studios. If this is true, perhaps the government did it to hide evidence of alien life forms. Regardless, many speculate that the government, specifically the CIA, has proof of extraterrestrial life but is keeping it secret.
Why would anyone keep such proof secret? Would evidence of extraterrestrial life be so harmful?
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The author of the passage would most likely agree with which of the following statements?

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According to the passage, why is so little known about whether the astronauts truly saw UFOs?

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The tone of this passage would best be described as

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Which reason best describes why the author does not provide any quotations to support the points of the passage?

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As used in the passage, the word unconfirmed most nearly means

02 "The Nose"
The Nose
Although it is often overlooked, the nose is an amazing organ that serves two important functions: breathing and smelling. The outside of the nose, or the external nose, is the visible part on the face. The external nose has two openings, allied nostrils, which are separated by the septum. The lower section of the septum is made of cartilage; the upper is made of bone. The internal nose is hollow and is located above the mouth. The septum bone divides the inner nose into two sides. The internal nose extends from the nostrils to a part of the throat, called the pharynx.
The nose filters dust and foreign particles from the air that you breathe. Lined with tiny hairs, called cilia, the nostrils function partly to trap large particles in the air. The nostrils are also lined with a mucous membrane. This membrane produces sticky fluid, called mucus, to trap the smaller particles. Mucus and dust particles make up the substance you see after blowing your nose. The mucous membrane contains many blood vessels, called capillaries. The blood that passes through these capillaries keeps the mucous membrane the same temperature as the rest of the body. When air passes through the nose, the membrane warms and moistens the air.
In the upper portion of the inner nose are olfactory cells. These “smelling” cells are connected by nerves to your brain; together, they work to give you the sense of smell. When you inhale, molecules come into contact with the olfactory cells. Finally, the nerves carry the messages to the brain where the odor is interpreted. Overall, while it may seem fairly simple, the nose actually plays a very important, complex role.
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Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

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Which of the following best states the author's purpose?

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What is the purpose of the second paragraph?

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Which statement about the external nose is true?

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As used in the passage, the word odor most nearly means

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What does the mucous membrane do (what is its ultimate purpose)?

03 "Plants"
Plants
While it is not uncommon to see an insect eating a plant, sometimes the reverse is true, quite possibly more often than you think. There are several types of insect-eating plants that live in the United States. These plants often inhabit the wet soils of marshes and bogs. These soils lack nitrogen, which is an essential nutrient for plant growth. These plants derive nitrogen from insects after trapping and digesting them.
The most popular insect-eating plant is perhaps the Venus flytrap. The leaves of the flytrap are clam-shaped with spikes around the edges. When an insect lands on the flytrap, the leaves snap shut, and the spikes trap the insect inside. Although it is called a flytrap, the plant mostly eats crawling insects because it is more difficult for them to escape. The largest insect-eating plant is the pitcher plant. This plant gets its name from the leaves, shaped like pitchers, which collect rainwater. The rim of the pitcher has stiff, downward pointing hairs. When insects enter the “pitcher,” the hairs trap the insects, which are now unable to escape. The insects then fall into the bottom of the pitcher, drown, and are digested. The sundew plant consumes insects with its acid. The leaves of the plant use sticky tentacles to trap an insect for a meal. The bladderwort traps insects similarly to the Venus flytrap. The bladderwort is a water plant that has many small bladders, which have trapdoors and sensitive bristles. When an insect touches a bristle, the trapdoor pulls water and the insect inside the bladder before digesting it. Although these plants have an unorthodox method of gathering nutrients, they are truly fascinating specimens.
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Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

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Which of the following best states the author's purpose?

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As used in the passage, the word derive most nearly means

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According to the passage, why do these plants eat insects?

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What is the difference between the bladderwort and the Venus flytrap?

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Which statement is true?