Nonfiction Articles for May 14, 2013

Directions: Read and complete the nonfiction article by writing the letter and the correct answer on your own paper.

6th Grade Nonfiction Article

READTHEORY • Reading Comprehension 1 Level 9

       In the early 1920's, settlers came to Alaska looking for gold. They traveled by boat to the coastal towns of Seward and Knik, and from there by land into the gold fields. The trail they used to travel inland is known today as the Iditarod Trail, one of the National Historic Trails designated by the Congress of theUnited States. The Iditarod Trail quickly became a major thoroughfare in Alaska, as the mail and supplies were carried across this trail. People also used it to get from place to place, including the priests, ministers, and judges who had to travel between villages. In the winter, the settlers’ only means of travel down this trail was via dog sled.

       Once the gold rush ended, many gold-seekers went back to where they had come from, and suddenly there was much less travel on the Iditarod Trail. The introduction of the airplane in the late 1920’s meant dog teams were no longer the standard mode of transportation, and of course with the airplane carrying the mail and supplies, there was less need for land travel in general. The final blow to the use of the dog teams was the appearance of snowmobiles.

       By the mid 1960's, most Alaskans didn’t even know the Iditarod Trail existed, or that dog teams had played a crucial role in Alaska’s early settlements. Dorothy G. Page, a recognized how few people knew about the former use of sled dogs as working animals and about the Iditarod Trail’s role in Alaska’s colorful history. To raise awareness about this aspect of Alaskan history, she came up with the idea to have a dog sled race over the Iditarod Trail. She presented her idea to an enthusiastic musher, as dog sled drivers are known, named Joe Redington, Sr. Soon the Pages and the Redingtons were working together to promote the idea of the Iditarod race.

       Many people worked to make the first Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race a reality in 1967. The Aurora Dog Mushers Club, along with men from the Adult Camp in Sutton, helped clear years of overgrowth from the first nine miles of the Iditarod Trail. To raise interest in the race, a $25,000 purse was offered, with Joe Redington donating one acre of his land to help raise the funds. The short race, approximately 27 miles long, was put on a second time in 1969.

       After these first two successful races, the goal was to lengthen the race a little further to the ghost town of Iditarod by 1973. However in 1972, the U.S. Army reopened the trail as a winter exercise, and so in 1973, the decision was made to take the race all the way to the city of Nome—over 1,000 miles. There were many who believed it could not be done and that it was crazy to send a bunch of mushers out into the vast, uninhabited Alaskan wilderness. But the race went! 22 mushers finished that year, and to date over 400 people have completed it.

Questions

1) The primary purpose of this passage is to

A. recount the history of the Iditarod trail and the race that memorializes it

B. describe the obstacles involved in founding the Iditarod race

C. outline the circumstances that led to the establishment of the Iditarod Trail

D. reestablish the important place of the Iditarod Trail in Alaska’s history

2) Based on information in the passage, it can be inferred that all of the following contributed to the

disuse of the Iditarod Trail except

A. more modern forms of transportation

B. depleted gold mines

C. highway routes to ghost towns

D. reduced demand for land travel

3) As used in paragraph 2, which is the best definition for mode?

A. formula

B. way

C. preference

D. option

4) According to the passage, the initial Iditarod race

A. was funded through the sale of musher entrance fees

B. was founded by an advocate for Alaskan history

C. ended at the ghost town of Iditarod

D. boasted a total of 400 entrants

5) As used in paragraph 3, the phrase “self-made historian” implies that Dorothy G. Page

A. was employed by the state to keep its dog sled history alive

B. was determined to honor the glories of the gold rush in spite of her questionable credentials

C. had pursued the study of Alaska’s history out of her own interest

D. had personally educated others about Alaska’s history

6)In 1925, when a diphtheria outbreak threatened the lives of people in the remote town of Nome, the

government used the Iditarod Trail to transport medicine nearly 700 miles to the town. If the author

chose to include this fact in the passage, it would best fit in

A. paragraph 1

B. paragraph 2

C. paragraph 3

D. paragraph 5

7) Based on information in the passage, it can be inferred that because the U.S. Army reopened the

Iditarod Trail in 1972,

A. more people could compete in the Iditarod race

B. the mushers had to get permission from the U.S. Army to hold the race

C. the trail was cleared all the way to Nome

D. the Iditarod race became a seasonal Army competition

2

© Copyright Read Theory LLC, 2012. All rights reserved.

8th Grade Nonfiction Article

       The biggest house of cards, the longest tongue, and of course, the tallest man: these are among the thousands of records logged in the famous Guinness Book of Records . Created in 1955 after a debate concerning Europe's fastest game bird, what began as a marketing tool sold to pub landlords to promote Guinness, an Irish drink, became the bestselling copyright title of all time (a category that excludes books such as the Bible and the Koran). In time, the book would sell 120 million copies in over 100 countries— quite a leap from its humble beginnings. 

       In its early years, the book set its sights on satisfying man's innate curiosity about the natural world around him. Its two principal fact finders, twins Norris and Ross McWhirter, scoured the globe to collect empirical facts. It was their task to find and document aspects of life that can be sensed or observed, things that can be quantified or measured. But not just any things. They were only interested in superlatives: the biggest and the best. It was during this period that some of the hallmark Guinness Records were documented, answering such questions as "What is the brightest star?" and "What is the biggest spider?" 

       Once aware of the public's thirst for such knowledge, the book's authors began to branch out to cover increasingly obscure, little- known facts. They started documenting human achievements as well. A forerunner for reality television, the Guinness Book gave people a chance to become famous for accomplishing eccentric, often pointless tasks. Records were set in 1955 for consuming 24 raw eggs in 14 minutes and in 1981 for the fastest solving of a Rubik's Cube (which took a mere 38 seconds). In 1979 a man yodeled non- stop for ten and a quarter hours.

       In its latest incarnation, the book has found a new home on the internet. No longer restricted to the confines of physical paper, the Guinness World Records website contains seemingly innumerable facts concerning such topics as the most powerful combustion engine, or the world's longest train. What is striking, however, is that such facts are found sharing a page with the record of the heaviest train to be pulled with a beard. While there is no denying that each of these facts has its own, individual allure, the latter represents a significant deviation from the education - oriented facts of earlier editions. Perhaps there is useful knowledge to be gleaned regarding the tensile strength of a beard, but this seems to cater to an audience more interested in seeking entertainment than education.

       Originating as a simple bar book, the Guinness Book of Records as evolved over decades to provide insight into the full spectrum of modern life. And although one may be more likely now to learn about the widest human mouth than the highest number of casualties in a single battle of the Civil War, the Guinness World Records website offers a telling glimpse into the future of fact - finding and record-recording.

Questions

1) Which of the following statements would best serve as the headline for this passage?

   A. The encyclopedia of the extremes reflects the changing interests of modern society.
   B. A book of simple origins makes it to the top as sales total a staggering 120 million  

        copies.
   C. Facts are often displayed in a boring, uninteresting manner, but not in theGuinness 

        Book of Records.
   D. The Guinness World Records website proves itself a valuable resource for insight into 

         the full spectrum of modern life.
   E. Where other books fall short, the index of superlative sciences never ceases to amaze.

2) According to the author, the most significant difference between older editions of the

Guinness Book of Records and the new Guinness World Records website involves

    A.  an end to the use of facts as a means to promote Guinness

    B.  an overall increase in the total number of facts presented

    C.  a move from fact -finding to the recording of achievements

    D.  a shift in focus from educational to entertaining material

    E.  a departure from book sales being limited to local pubs and bars

3) As used in paragraph 2, which is the best definition for empirical?

    A. natural

    B. derived from experience

    C. recordable

    D. excellent or unmatched

    E. convenient or handy

4) Based on its use in paragraph 2, which of the following best describes something that is

    superlative?

    A. Students give presentations about their favorite subjects for a grade. Amy Newhouse  

        receives an 87% for her presentation, while Dustin Lincoln receives a 92%.

    B.  Although sharks are significantly bigger and have razor - sharp teeth, dolphins are   

         smarter and can therefore successfully evade attack.

    C. The lake holds a contest to see who can catch the biggest fish. Tommy wins, having  

        caught a 6lb. 5 oz. smallmouth bass.

    D. A man built an enormous house of cards. It took him 44 days and 218,792 individual 

        playing cards to complete.

     E. Ichiro likes tennis and practices every day. In his last tournament, he placed 3rd of  

         over 350  competitors, winning the bronze trophy.

   

5)  Using the passage as a guide, it can be inferred that the author most likely believes reality   

     television to be

    A. corrupt

    B. absurd

    C. idiotic

    D. invaluable

    E. shallow

6)  In the final paragraph, the author writes, "And although one may be more likely now to  

     learn about the widest human mouth than the highest number of casualties in a single     

     battle of the Civil War, the Guinness World Records website offers a telling glimpse into  

     the future of fact- finding and record-recording." Which of the following literary devices is    

     used in this quotation?

A.  Aphorism, characterized by the use of a concise statement that is made in a matter of 

     fact tone to state a principle or an opinion that is generally understood to be a universal 

     truth. Aphorisms are often adages, wise sayings and maxims aimed at imparting sense 

      and wisdom.

B.  Alliteration, characterized by the use of adjacent words that begin with the same

     sound or letter,creating a repetition of similar sounds in the sentence. This is used to add 

     character to the writing and often adds an element of playfulness.

C.  Amplification, characterized by the embellishment or extension of a statement in order to  

     give it greater worth or meaning. This is often used for rhetorical purposes.

D.  Anagram, characterized by the jumbling of the syllables of a phrase or the individual   

     letters of a word to create a new word. Anagram is a form of wordplay that allows the  

     writer to infuse mystery and a fun into the writing so that the reader can decipher the  

     actual word on his or her own and discover enhanced depth of meaning.

E.  Anthropomorphism in which a human quality, emotion or ambition is attributed to a non-

     human object or being. This is often used in order to relate the object to the reader on a   

     familiar level and also to increase the level of relativity between the humans and objects 

     while lending character to the subject.

7)   Which of the following best summarizes the organization of this passage?

      A. introduction, history, conclusion

      B. history, examples, explanations, conclusion

      C. exposition, history, conclusion

      D. introduction, thesis, supporting paragraphs, conclusion

      E. introduction, history, exposition, conclusion