- What does the word "kinetic" mean as it is used in the passage?
Answer: Related to motion and how fast particles move
The passage says particles with more kinetic energy slide past each other, which relates to how particles move. Answer B is wrong because the passage never mentions color or brightness. Answer C is wrong because weight and mass are not discussed. Answer D is wrong because the passage does not describe sound or vibration.
- According to the passage, what causes condensation to occur?
Answer: Cooling air makes water vapor change back into the tiny water drops we call condensation.
The passage tells you that when the air cools, water vapor changes back into tiny drops of water, and that this is condensation. So the choice about cooling air turning vapor into tiny water drops is correct. The choice about warm air spreading vapor out until it disappears describes evaporation, which is the opposite process. The choice about cold weather freezing water into a solid is wrong because the passage never talks about freezing or ice. The choice about a heat source melting a solid into a liquid describes melting, not the cooling that makes condensation. Only cooling air matches what the passage says causes condensation.
- Based on the passage, why can packets from one message take different routes?
Answer: Because routers choose from several open paths, and they can switch to a different one if a path is closed.
The passage says routers send pieces along open paths, and if one path is blocked, a router sends the piece a new way. That is exactly why packets from one message can take different routes: routers pick from open paths and can switch when a path is closed. The choice about packets circling in a safe loop is wrong because the passage never mentions circles. The choice about stopping and waiting at each computer is wrong because packets travel along chosen paths, not stopping at every computer. The choice about computers pulling off the labels is wrong because the passage says each piece keeps its label so it reaches the right place, not travels randomly.
- According to the passage, how did surplus food affect early towns?
Answer: It allowed more people to live in one place and do different jobs.
The passage explains that surplus food let more people stay in one place and take on different jobs instead of farming every day. Choice A is wrong because surplus food let people stay in one place, not move often. Choice C is wrong because rain and rivers are not described as unnecessary. Choice D is wrong because farming became more common, not unnecessary, as towns grew.
- According to the passage, what was one result of having a food surplus?
Answer: People could do new jobs because fewer workers were needed for farming.
The passage explains that a surplus meant farmers grew more food than they needed, so some people could stop farming every day and do new jobs like making tools or pottery. That is why the answer about doing new jobs when fewer workers were needed for farming is correct. The choice saying people kept hunting and gathering is wrong because that describes life before farming, not a result of the surplus. The choice about building settlements far from rivers is wrong because the passage says crops grew well near rivers and settlements grew there. The choice about trading pottery and tools for extra food is wrong because people made those things thanks to the surplus, not to get food they were already short on.
- Which detail from the passage best supports the idea that the internet keeps working even when problems happen?
Answer: Routers can use a different path when one path is busy.
The correct answer is B because being able to use a different path when one is busy is what lets the internet keep working during problems. Choice A is wrong because labeling packets helps them arrive, but does not explain working around problems. Choice C is wrong because it describes a normal step in the process, not a way to handle problems. Choice D is wrong because typing an address is just how a request starts, not how the internet handles failures.
- Which statement best summarizes the passage?
Answer: Farming began near rivers and let people grow more food, which helped towns grow.
The best summary tells the passage's main idea: farming started near rivers, gave people extra food, and let villages grow into towns. That matches how the passage moves from moving hunters to farming to bigger towns. The choice about hunting improving is wrong because the passage says farming let people stay in one place, not hunt better. The choice about no longer needing rules and trade is wrong because the passage says towns grew with rules and trade, not without them. The choice about making tools instead of growing any food is wrong because extra food let SOME people do other jobs while others still farmed.
- What caused the water drops to form on the outside of the cold cup?
Answer: The water vapor in the air cooled and turned into tiny drops of liquid.
The passage says that when water vapor cools, it turns into a liquid, forming tiny drops on a cold surface like the outside of a cold cup. So the drops came from water vapor in the air cooling down. The choice about liquid water inside the cup heating up describes evaporation, which is the opposite change and does not make drops on the outside. The choice about cold air warming up is wrong because cooling, not warming, makes the drops form. The choice about water vapor heating into a gas we cannot see is also backward, since a gas does not turn into liquid drops when it heats up.
- According to the passage, what causes a phase change in matter?
Answer: Matter changes phase when it gains or loses heat.
The passage states that a phase change happens when matter gains or loses heat, which changes how fast and how far apart its particles move. Choice A is wrong because particles are not removed during a phase change. Choice C is wrong because mixing materials is not described as a cause. Choice D is wrong because matter is always made of particles, even after a phase change.
- According to the passage, how do routers help data reach the correct place?
Answer: They check where each packet needs to go and steer it along a path toward that destination.
Routers do their job by checking where a packet needs to go and steering it along a path toward that destination. The passage explains that each packet has an address label, the router reads it, and it sends the packet toward its spot, even choosing a new path if one is blocked. The choice about erasing the address label is wrong because a router uses the label to guide the packet, not delete it. The choice about saving a full copy of every website is wrong because storing whole websites is not what a router does; it just moves packets along. The choice about changing packets into a burst of electricity is wrong because the passage never says packets become electricity, and that is not how routing works. Only checking the label and steering the packet matches what the passage actually says.
- Based on the passage, what is one way the branches keep power balanced?
Answer: Congress can override a presidential veto with enough votes.
The correct answer is stated directly in the passage: Congress can vote to override a veto if enough members agree. Choice A is wrong because the passage says the Supreme Court decides if laws break the rules, not that it writes laws. Choice C is wrong because voters, not the President, choose members of Congress. Choice D is wrong because the passage never says the Senate directs the police or military.
- How does the author organize the information in this passage?
Answer: By explaining what each part of the government does, then showing how those parts act as a team.
The right answer says the author explains what each part of the government does and then shows how those parts work as a team. That matches the passage, which describes Congress, the President, and the courts one at a time and then gives examples of them working together. The choice about following a single new law through the government in time order is wrong because the passage does not track one law step by step; it describes the branches themselves. The choice about comparing today's government to ancient times is wrong because the passage never mentions ancient governments at all. The choice about explaining the President's daily duties is wrong because the passage covers all three branches, not just the President. To pick the best answer, you have to notice the passage's real plan: describe each branch, then show them together.
- Which statement best summarizes the passage?
Answer: Data travels the internet as packets through different paths and is put back together.
The best summary says data moves across the internet as packets that take different paths and then get put back together — that matches every main idea in the passage. The choice about websites being shown as a whole page without breaking into pieces is wrong because the passage says your message first breaks into small packets. The choice about routers holding packets on one blocked path is wrong because routers send packets along, and a blocked path just makes a packet find a new way. The choice about packets staying in perfect order is wrong because the passage says packets may arrive out of order, which is exactly why your device has to put them back together. Only the keyed choice captures the whole point instead of twisting one detail.
- What can you infer about evaporation based on the passage?
Answer: Evaporation happens when water heats up and part of it rises into the air as a gas.
The passage says that when water gets hot, some of it rises into the air and turns into a gas. That is exactly what the correct answer describes. The choice about water getting colder and sinking down mixes up evaporation with condensation, which the passage says is the opposite. The choice about a completely new kind of matter is wrong because the water only changes its form into a gas; it is still water. The choice about the whole pool rising all at once is wrong because the passage says only some of the water rises into the air at the top, not all of it.
- According to the passage, why did people use words like conductor and station?
Answer: To keep their escape plans secret and safe.
The correct answer is B because the passage explains that code words like conductor and station helped hide the escape plans from people who wanted to stop them. Choice A is wrong because the words were not about building anything. Choice C is wrong because the passage never says the government ran the network. Choice D is wrong because the Underground Railroad was not a real railroad or train system.
- What is the main idea of this passage?
Answer: Living things in an ecosystem depend on each other, and changes can affect many species.
The passage talks about producers, consumers, and decomposers and how they all depend on one another, so its main idea is that living things in an ecosystem are connected and a change can affect many of them. The choice about sunlight helping grass grow is only one small detail near the start, not the whole point. The choice about hawks hunting rabbits is just one example the passage uses to show how animals depend on each other. The choice about decomposers cleaning up dead things is another single detail, not the big idea. Remember, the main idea covers the entire passage, not just one sentence in it.
- According to the passage, what would likely happen if a predator disappears?
Answer: Prey populations may increase, which can lead to plants being overused.
The correct answer is A because the passage says if a predator disappears, prey animals may increase and then overuse the plants they eat. Choice B is wrong because decomposers are not connected to predators disappearing. Choice C is wrong because producers cannot become predators. Choice D is wrong because losing a predator does not make energy transfer more efficient.
- Why does the author include the example of a snake eating different animals?
Answer: To show that many feeding links overlap in a food web.
The snake example shows that the same animal can be linked to more than one food source, which is exactly how a food web works: many overlapping links, not one straight line. The best answer says the example shows that feeding links overlap in a food web. One wrong choice says a food chain gives the clearest picture, but the author uses the snake to show a food chain is too simple and a web shows more. Another wrong choice says most animals eat only one kind of food, but the passage says many animals eat more than one kind, which is why the snake eats both a mouse and a frog. The last wrong choice says a change never affects other animals, but the passage says the opposite: because links overlap, one change can affect many animals.
- Why does the author include the steps of passing a bill?
Answer: To show how the process requires more than one branch to agree on a law.
The author walks through each step to show that no single branch acts by itself. Congress votes, the President signs or vetoes, Congress can override, and later the courts can review. Because so many parts must agree, this shows how power is shared. The choice about the President acting alone is wrong: the passage says Congress must vote first and can even override a veto, so the President does not decide by himself. The choice about courts helping write the bill is wrong: the passage says courts only step in later to review a law, not to create it. The choice about steps getting faster is wrong: the passage tells the order of the steps but never says anything about how fast or slow they happen. Only the first choice explains why the author listed every step—to show the whole shared process.
- Why does the author include the example of a veto and a second vote by Congress?
Answer: To show how checks and balances limit power between the President and Congress.
The veto and the second vote show that neither side can act alone: the President can say no, but Congress can vote again and still pass the law. That back-and-forth is exactly what checks and balances means, so this is the best answer. The choice saying the President alone has final power is wrong because the passage shows Congress can override a veto. The choice saying making a law is quick and needs only one group is wrong because the passage says more than one group must agree and that it can be slow. The choice about voting for leaders is wrong because elections are never mentioned in the passage as replacing these steps.
