Editor

Mary S. Jones, M.A.

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.

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The classroom teacher may Westminster, CA 92683
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a single classroom only. The ISBN: 978-1-4206-8373-8
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 Table of Contents
Introduction Incredible Disasters

About This Book. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Krakatau, a Deadly Volcano. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Destructive Wind and Water: The Galveston
Applying Bloom’s Taxonomy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Hurricane. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Practice Suggestions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
The Dust Bowl. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Standardized Test Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Avalanche! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Standards and Benchmarks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Flash Flood in Big Thompson Canyon. . . . . . . . 61
Deadly Cloud from Lake Nyos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Interesting Plants and Animals

Birds that Swim Instead of Fly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Amazing Discoveries and Inventions

The Venus Flytrap. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Gunpowder Inventions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

The Miracle of Movable Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
The Peculiar Platypus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Galileo’s Discoveries About the Universe. . . . . 73
Kelp: The Underwater Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Dinosaurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Cheetahs Are Fast Cats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Joseph Lister’s Fight Against Germs. . . . . . . . . 79
Poisonous Plants: Good or Bad?. . . . . . . . . . . . 25
The Janitor’s Invention. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Great Adventures and Rescues

Did You Know?
Around the World in 72 Days. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Recycling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
The Search for the Northwest Passage. . . . . . . . 31 Earth’s Hot Spots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

The Great Race of Mercy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Big Blast in Siberia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Daring Rescue During the Buffalo Blizzard The Story of the Brooklyn Bridge. . . . . . . . . . . 94
of 1977. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Libraries Make the World a Smarter Place. . . . . 97
Stranded Near a Mountaintop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Lightships. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

A Monster Wave Flips Two Boats . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Mount Rushmore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Trapped Underground!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Answer Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

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 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
reading 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 3.0–3.9 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 most 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.  #8373 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, or (c) 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. So I’ll get rid of choice A. 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.)

#8373 Document-Based Questions  ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

 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
the formulation of an answer through a think aloud.

©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.  #8373 Document-Based Questions

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.

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 Introduction

Practice Suggestions
Read aloud the first passage in each of the five topic areas and answer 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 Pages

Multiple Choice Questions (3) 12 points each 36 points
True-False-Explain Question (1) 16 points 16 points
Short-Answer Questions (2) 24 points each 48 points
Total 100 points

©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.  #8373 Document-Based Questions

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 pages, 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.

#8373 Document-Based Questions  ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

 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)
©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.  #8373 Document-Based Questions
Interesting Plants and Animals

Birds that Swim Instead of Fly

Emperor penguins are birds. But they cannot fly. Instead they swim. They use their
“wings” as flippers to move through the water. They swim in the icy seas around
Antarctica. When they are in the water, they stay in big groups. They call to each other.
Being in a group keeps them safer from the leopard seals that want to eat them, too.
Adult emperor penguins are about the same size as you. They are about four feet tall
and weigh about 70 pounds. When penguins are on shore, they gather in big groups
called rookeries. Rookeries may have thousands of penguins. There the penguins pick
their mates.
In the winter, when it is dark and very, very cold, each mother penguin lays one egg
on the ice. The father quickly pulls the egg into an opening near his feet called a
broodpouch. Then the mothers leave to find fish, krill*, and squid to eat. They stay out
at sea for two months. During that time all of the fathers stay close together to keep
from getting too cold. They also have a layer of fat to keep them warm. They must
stand over their eggs for two months without ever leaving them. During that time they
eat no food. They must live off their body fat.
After the egg hatches, the chick stays in the father’s broodpouch. This keeps it warm.
At last the mothers return with food for the chicks. They spit up food they have eaten.
They spit the food into the baby penguins’ hungry mouths. Then their mothers tuck
them into their own broodpouches. After four months the chicks can swim and get their
own food.
*A krill is a tiny, shrimp-like crustacean.

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 Interesting Plants and Animals

Birds that Swim Instead of Fly

Emperor Penguin’s Food

Every 100 Meals

krill: 2 squid: 3

fish: 95

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Interesting Plants and Animals

Birds that Swim Instead of Fly

1. Which animal wants to eat the emperor penguin?
a. leopard seal b. krill c. squid
2. How are emperor penguins like other birds?
a. They fly. b. They build nests. c. They lay eggs.
3. What would the male penguin most likely do when his mate brings food for the baby?
a. keeps the baby in his broodpouch c. goes to sea to get his own food
b. steals the baby’s food
4. Emperor penguins eat more krill than any other food. True or False? Explain.

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5. What would happen to the emperor penguins if something caused all of the squid in
their area to die?

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6. Do you think it’s good that emperor penguins have just one baby each year? Why or
why not?

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 Interesting Plants and Animals

The Venus Flytrap

Venus flytraps are plants that eat bugs! When people first discovered these plants,
they took them home. Soon everyone wanted one. Many were taken from the wild for
people to buy as houseplants. This made the plants endangered. Too few were left in
the wild. Now it is against the law to take one from nature.

Like other plants, Venus flytraps take in nutrients from the soil. But they live in poor
soil that lacks nitrogen. So they get the nitrogen from bugs and spiders. Venus flytraps
live only in bogs in North and South Carolina. They also thrive in greenhouses.

The two halves of the trap of the Venus flytrap open wide. Each half has some short,
stiff hairs. If something touches these hairs, the two sides of the trap slam shut in less
than one second! At first the trap doesn’t close tightly. This lets tiny bugs escape. Little
bugs take more energy to digest than they would give to the plant.

The trap hairs must be touched two times fast. This is to keep it from being triggered
by raindrops. Yet sometimes the trap closes on a stone or twig. When that happens, it
reopens after 12 hours. Over time the thing gets washed away by rainfall or blown away
by the wind.

When the trap does close on a bug, its cilia keep

the animal inside. Cilia look like teeth lining the
top edges of the trap. The cilia work like lacing
your fingers together. Once the trap shuts, it
forms a seal. This keeps digestive fluids in and
germs out.

It takes the plant about 10 days to digest the

bug. Then the trap reopens. Some parts of a
bug cannot be digested. They remain when the
trap reopens. Other times a bug is too big. It
sticks out. This lets any germs or mold on the
bug invade the trap. When this happens, the trap
turns black. It falls off the stem. This protects
the rest of the Venus flytrap from the disease.

A Venus flytrap has many traps.

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Interesting Plants and Animals

The Venus Flytrap

This diagram shows how a Venus flytrap traps and eats an insect.

The trap is open.

An insect lands on the trap.

The trap closes on the insect

and digests it.

The trap reopens. Some

insect remains may be seen.

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 Interesting Plants and Animals

The Venus Flytrap

1. Where won’t you find a Venus flytrap plant living in nature?
a. Georgia b. North Carolina c. South Carolina
2. How long does it take the Venus flytrap to digest a bug?
a. 12 hours b. 1 week c. 10 days
3. Which animal would the trap let escape instead of digest?
a. an ant b. a fly c. a spider
4. The Venus flytrap has a way to keep from becoming diseased. True or False?
Explain.

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____________________________________________________________________

5. Since both traps are open, how does step 1 differ from step 4?

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6. Would you like to have a Venus flytrap as a house plant? Why or why not?

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Interesting Plants and Animals

The Peculiar Platypus

A platypus is an odd mammal. It lives only in Australia. Its wide, flat tail and webbed
feet make it a good swimmer. It scoops up worms and shellfish from stream bottoms
with its wide, flat bill. It uses the claws on its feet to walk and to dig dirt. It digs long
burrows along streams. Some are as long as 50 feet! Each one lives alone in its burrow.

Whenever it is underwater, the platypus closes its eyes and ears. So how does it find
its food? It feels things with its bill. It is made of cartilage, just like our noses. Males
have spurs on their hind feet. If a predator is kicked with the spur, it gets poisoned!
The toxin is so strong that it can kill a dog and make people quite ill. Only four other
mammals make poison. (They are all shrews, which look like moles.)

Adult platypuses are less than two feet long and weigh just five pounds. Their thick
brown fur makes them look bigger. Hunters used to kill them for their fur. Their
numbers dropped. People feared that they would die out. So since the 1920s, it has
been against the law to kill one.

Unlike most mammals, the platypus lays eggs. The female uses grass and leaves to
make a nest at the end of her burrow. Next she blocks the burrow’s opening with dirt.
Then she lays two or three eggs. Soon the babies hatch. They drink her milk for four
months. Then they go out on their own.

Why is the platypus so different from other mammals? It developed away from other
mammals. Long ago the land of Australia broke free from a bigger continent. It slowly
drifted to its current spot. The platypuses on Australia slowly changed over time.
But they developed differently from other mammals because they were in a unique
environment.

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 Interesting Plants and Animals

The Peculiar Platypus

eggs

lay eggs 10 days

hatch

find
mate

nurse

4 months

2 years

leave mother

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Interesting Plants and Animals

The Peculiar Platypus

1. You can tell that the platypus cannot
a. fly. b. swim. c. dig.
2. What do young platypuses share with all other mammal babies?
a. They hatch from eggs. c. They drink their mother’s milk.
b. They can swim.
3. What makes platypuses different from most other mammals?
a. They live in Australia. b. They lay eggs. c. They are small.
4. It takes more than two weeks for platypus eggs to hatch. True or False? Explain.

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

5. At what age does a platypus first look for a mate?

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6. Do you agree with the law that says no one can hunt platypuses? Why or why not?

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 Interesting Plants and Animals

Kelp: The Underwater Forest

Kelp is an underwater plant. It grows best in cool, shallow seawater that never gets
above 70°F. The water must be clear, too. This lets the kelp do photosynthesis*. Kelp
is one of the fastest growing plants. With the right conditions, it can grow two feet a
day! Kelp is an algae. But it has a root-like structure called a holdfast. This keeps it
attached to a rocky surface even during sea storms.
The largest type is called giant kelp. It can have hundreds of branches. Each branch
has hundreds of long, narrow leaves. Giant kelp can live for six years and grow up to
200 feet long. In places where kelp grows, the plants form underwater “forests.” Many
of these forests are found in the Pacific Ocean. Some extend all the way to the Arctic
Ocean. They are in the Atlantic Ocean, too. Like rain forests, kelp forests have layers:
a canopy, a dimly lit middle, and a dark floor. Different animals live in each of these
zones. Many of these creatures eat kelp. In fact, it is the sole diet for some rockfish,
sea snails, and urchins. Others, like lobsters and herring, hide below its branches.
People have found lots of uses for kelp. In 1927, the Japanese brought kelp to China.
It spread up the coast. Now there are kelp “sea farms.” The sea farmers cut just the
leaves. Then the plant grows new ones. It takes two or three months. So it’s not
like cutting a tree. It’s more like trimming the grass. Once the kelp is harvested and
dried, it is used in fertilizer, animal feed, and health supplements. Kelp has minerals
and vitamins. It provides the iodine that’s added to our table salt. It keeps the human
thyroid gland working right.
Kelp also provides algin. This thickening agent is used in ice cream, salad dressing, and
soups. Algin is used in paper, tires, toothpaste, and makeup, too.
Kelp may soon have another use. Scientists say it can be turned into fuel. It can be used
to make clean-burning methane. How? First kelp leaves will be cut. Then they will be
put into tanks with bacteria. The tanks will be sealed. Without oxygen, the bacteria will
break down the kelp. This will make methane. This fuel could replace gasoline.
*a process in which a plant’s leaves use sunlight, air, water, and nutrients to make its
own food

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Interesting Plants and Animals

Kelp: The Underwater Forest

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 Interesting Plants and Animals

Kelp: The Underwater Forest

1. Kelp contains a mineral that our thyroid glands need called
a. algin. b. methane. c. iodine.
2. Kelp sea farms are located in
a. Asia. b. Antarctica. c. Europe.
3. Kelp stays in one location through the use of a
a. canopy. b. holdfast. c. supplement.
4. A part of kelp is used in making tires and ice cream. True or False? Explain.

____________________________________________________________________

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____________________________________________________________________

5. Look at the map showing where kelp forests thrive. Which continent does not have
any kelp growing along its shores? The growing conditions for it are not right
there. What conditions do kelp plants need?

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6. Will methane made from kelp someday replace gasoline? Why or why not?

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Interesting Plants and Animals

Cheetahs Are Fast Cats

Cheetahs are fast cats. They can outrun any other land animal on Earth. They can
go from standing still to running 45 miles per hour in just 2.5 seconds. And they can
keep up this pace for more than three miles! Their top speed is 70 miles per hour. But
they can only go that fast for 300 yards. Cheetahs have a flexible spine that acts as a
spring for the back legs. This gives the big cat extra distance between each step. While
running, just one foot touches the ground at a time.
The name cheetah means “spotted one.” Cheetahs have spots over nearly their whole
bodies. Just their white necks and bellies have none. Not only are these big cats
beautiful, they will not attack a human. Royalty in ancient cultures often kept them as
pets. Paintings show them living with people 5,000 years ago. Although they are easy
to tame, today it is against the law to keep one as a pet.
Cheetahs live on grassy plains. They like to lie on tree branches and watch for prey.
They do this in the early morning and late afternoon. They hunt rabbits or small
antelope.
Each female gives birth to two to eight cubs. But nine out of every 10 cubs die by the
age of three months. Lions and hyenas eat them. So, while they are babies, their mother
moves them to a new hiding spot each day. By the time they are five months old, the
cubs can outrun predators. Babies stay with their mothers for up to two years before
finding their own territory.
At one point long ago, nearly all cheetahs died out. Just a few were left to breed. As
a result, all cheetahs have similar genes. Now these big cats are dying out again. In
1900 there were 100,000 in Africa and India. Today there are less than 13,000 in Africa.
None live in India. Why? People have built homes and farms. This has cut down on
the cheetah’s hunting grounds. And even though people want to breed them, it hasn’t
worked well. Cheetahs in zoos rarely breed. Most often if a zoo has a cheetah, it came
from the wild.

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 Interesting Plants and Animals

Cheetahs Are Fast Cats

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Interesting Plants and Animals

Cheetahs Are Fast Cats

1. For a short distance a cheetah can run
a. 45 miles per hour. b. 70 miles per hour. c. 300 miles per hour.
2. Cheetahs hunt
a. in the afternoon. b. just after sunset. c. after it gets completely dark.
3. Since female cheetahs have multiple cubs, why are there so few adult cheetahs?
a. People steal cheetah babies from the wild to raise as pets.
b. The mother cheetah will only take care of two cubs no matter how many she has.
c. Hyenas and lions eat most of the cheetah babies.
4. Cheetahs are not dangerous to humans. True or False? Explain.
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5. Cheetahs used to live on two continents. What are their names? On which
continent do they still live?
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6. Is it good that a law now prevents cheetahs from being pets? Why or why not?
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 Interesting Plants and Animals

Poisonous Plants:
Good or Bad?
Did you know that what tastes good to some species can kill others? Most people like
chocolate. It comes from the beans of the cacao tree. But eating even a tiny piece of
chocolate can kill a dog! Sometimes just parts of a plant are poisonous, such as the pits
of peaches and cherries. So are the green parts of potato and tomato plants.
It’s best to never put anything in your mouth unless you know that it is safe. Some
flowering shrubs would kill you if you ate any part of them. These include azaleas and
rhododendrons.
Tobacco plants’ leaves are toxic. Yet they are used in cigarettes. That’s why smoking
them is bad for the lungs. Chewing tobacco is bad, too. Both can make you ill.
But poisonous plants aren’t all bad. The deadliest plant on Earth is the rosary pea.
Eating just one will kill you. So people have found another use for them. They use the
pretty seeds in jewelry. The berries of deadly nightshade are toxic. Yet the oil from
them can save a person who eats a deadly mushroom.
In fact, many medicines come from such plants. They are given in small doses.
Digitalis comes from the leaves of foxglove. It has saved the lives of many people with
heart trouble. Quinine comes from a rain forest tree. It cures malaria. Mosquitoes
spread this deadly disease.

foxglove
plant

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Interesting Plants and Animals

Poisonous Plants:
Good or Bad?
Poisonous Cousins
One you can eat . . . the other you should avoid!

Cashews grow on trees in warm, Poison ivy may be called a pretty

tropical places. They bear a fruit that plant. But that’s the only good thing
people can eat. And at the end of the you can say about it. If you brush
fruit is a nut. But you cannot just pick against it, it causes a rash on your skin.
these nuts and eat them. This rash itches badly. And when you
scratch it, the rash spreads!

You may have seen cashews in the

store. Maybe you’ve eaten them.
These nuts are expensive. Why?
Getting rid of poison ivy from your
They are hard to harvest. Cashews
yard isn’t easy. If you pull it up, you
are related to poison
must get the roots. And sometimes
ivy. The brown
you can get the rash even through
oil between their
clothing and gloves. But never set
outer and inner
poison ivy on fire! If you inhale
shells causes blisters
the smoke from the fire, you can get
on human skin. So the nuts must
poison ivy of the lungs. Only one
be roasted. This makes the outer
drug can cure it. And it requires a
shells burst open. The poisonous oil
six-week hospital stay.
evaporates. The fumes can cause eye
and skin irritation.

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 Interesting Plants and Animals

Poisonous Plants:
Good or Bad?
1. Which part of a tomato plant would be dangerous to eat?
a. the leaves b. the tomato c. the seeds
2. What part of a tobacco plant is poisonous?
a. roots b. leaves c. flowers
3. Which plant has a substance that helps people with heart problems?
a. foxglove b. azalea c. deadly nightshade
4. Every part of the cashew plant is poisonous. True or False? Explain.
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5. Is it more dangerous to breathe the smoke of roasting cashews or burning poison
ivy? What makes it worse?
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6. Should beautiful poisonous plants like rhododendrons be planted in public parks?
Tell why or why not.
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Great Adventures and Rescues

Around the World in 72 Days

Nellie Bly was the first female reporter. She was born in 1864. At 18, Nellie wrote
to the editor of the Pittsburgh Dispatch. The newspaper had written a piece that said
women are weak. Nellie pointed out how it was wrong. The editor liked her letter. He
asked to meet her. He hired her on the spot.
At first she wrote about fashion and cooking. But she wanted to write exciting stories.
So in September 1887, Nellie joined the staff of the New York World.
Years before, a French man had written a famous novel. It had a character who went
around the world in 80 days. At that time it took months to go around the world. No
one thought that it could really be done in 80 days. Nellie thought, “I will prove that
women are strong. I will go around the world in 75 days!” She had to get the business
manager’s approval. He said no because she was a woman. Nellie replied, “Very well.
Start your man. I’ll start the same day for some other newspaper and beat him.” The
manager knew that she meant it. So he said that she could go.
Nellie wrote a piece saying what she would do. People got excited. Along the way she
sent in reports. They told where she was and what was happening. The newspapers
sold better than ever before. All over the world people followed her trip. They called
her a heroine.
During her trip, Nellie went by steamship, ferry, and
rail. At times she had to go without sleep for days
in order to make her connections. She adopted a pet
monkey. And she faced dangers, including dangerous
heat, two bad storms at sea, and a man who wanted to
toss her overboard. Just as she reached America’s West
Coast, the worst snowstorm in 10 years hit. The New
York World hired a train to take her around the storm.
It was a much longer route. But it kept her moving.
Nellie had left New Jersey on November 14, 1889. She
returned on January 25, 1890. Her tour took 72 days,
6 hours, and 11 minutes. Nellie had shown that women
are not weak. She wrote a book about her adventures
in 1890. Its title? Around the World in Seventy-two
Days. Courtesy of the Library of Congress,
“Nellie Bly,”
LC-USZ62-75620
#8373 Document-Based Questions 28 ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.


Nellie Bly Timeline

May 5, 1864 Born Elizabeth Jane Cochran in Pennsylvania
Jan. 1885 Becomes the first U.S. female full-time reporter. Adopts
pen name Nellie Bly.
1886 Lives in Mexico and sends back news stories to the
Pittsburgh Dispatch.
1887 Moves to New York City to write for the New York World.
Goes undercover into an insane asylum and writes about
the bad conditions she finds there.
1888 Goes undercover to write about her experiences at an

©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 29

employment agency, working in a box-making factory, and
dancing in a chorus line.
Nov. 1889–Jan. 1890 Travels around the world in record-breaking time.
1895 Marries millionaire Robert Seaman and stops working.
1904 Robert Seaman dies.
1914 Goes to Austria as the first female war reporter covering
World War I.
1919 Returns to New York City to write for the New York Journal.
Jan. 27, 1922 Dies of pneumonia in New York City.
Around the World in 72 Days

#8373 Document-Based Questions

Great Adventures and Rescues
Great Adventures and Rescues

Around the World in 72 Days

1. Nellie Bly started to write for the New York World in
a. 1887. b. 1889. c. 1890.
2. You can tell that Nellie’s business manager at the New York World thought
that women
a. were equal to men. c. should be men’s servants.
b. were not equal to men.
3. Nellie’s trip around the world took her
a. more days than she had thought it would.
b. fewer days than she had thought it would.
c. exactly the number of days that she had thought it would.
4. While she worked as a reporter, Nellie spent time living in foreign nations. True or
False? Explain.
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5. List two times that Nellie went undercover to write about a story. Include when
each occurred.
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6. Would you enjoy being a newspaper reporter? Why or why not?
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 Great Adventures and Rescues

The Search for the

Northwest Passage
To sail from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean meant a long trip in 1900. A ship
had to go down to the tip of South America. There it would sail through the Strait of
Magellan or around Cape Horn. Many sailors hoped that there was another way through
the Arctic Ocean. For 400 years, men tried to find a Northwest Passage. Some returned
frustrated. Others never came back.
The worst disaster occurred on Sir John Franklin’s trip. He took a ship with 129 crew to
the area in 1845. They all died. Their ship got trapped in ice near King William Island.
The ice did not melt for three years! This was very rare. One good thing came from this
tragedy. The search parties sent to look for the men made good maps of the area.
Then, in 1903, Roald Amundsen and seven men started out on Gjöa. It was an old
fishing boat. It had a square stern (rear). Its hull did not go down very far into the
water. Amundsen said that the smaller ship would be easier to steer than a large ship.
A square stern would be less likely to get trapped in ice. And he thought that there
would be places where the water wasn’t very deep. He was right about all these things.
Amundsen sailed from the Atlantic Ocean into the Arctic Ocean. Along the way, he
met a group of Inuit. He lived with them for about two years. They taught him the
Arctic survival skills he wanted to know. Amundsen took on their lifestyle and wore
fur clothes. Once he left the tribe, he finished
his trip in just two weeks. In August 1905,
he reached the Pacific Ocean. Thick ice was
already forming. So he stopped for the winter.
The nearest telegraph was 500 miles away in
Eagle City, Alaska. Amundsen went by land
to get there. On December 5, 1905, he sent a
message to tell the world about his success.
Amundsen had sailed and mapped the
Northwest Passage. But it was not a useful
route. Ice clogged it for most of the year. And
it was too hard to go from the west to the east.
In fact, that wasn’t done until 1942.
Courtesy of the Library of Congress,
“Deck of Capt. Amundsen’s ship “GJÖA,”
Nome, Sep. 1st, 1906,” LC-USZ62-122067
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Great Adventures and Rescues

The Search for the

Northwest Passage
Roald Amundsen’s Chart of the Northwest Passage

RUSSIA

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 Great Adventures and Rescues

The Search for the

Northwest Passage
1. A tragedy occurred in the Northwest Passage expedition that began in
a. 1845. b. 1903. c. 1905.
2. What made Amundsen successful when all others had failed?
a. He had the biggest ship. c. He planned ahead and thought
b. He spent more money than of ways to overcome problems.
any other expedition did.
3. How much time passed between when Amundsen completed his journey and when
he notified the rest of the world?
a. one month. b. more than three months. c. a year.
4. The Northwest Passage was not an important discovery. True or False? Explain.
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____________________________________________________________________
5. What is the name of the strait through which Amundsen sailed as part of the
Northwest Passage? Name the lands that this strait separates.
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6. Should Amundsen have been rewarded with a cash prize for finding the Northwest
Passage? Why or why not?_ ____________________________________________
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Great Adventures and Rescues

The Great Race of Mercy

In January 1925 an outbreak of diphtheria struck Nome, Alaska. It spread fast. There
was a cure. But the closest supply of the serum (medicine) was more than 1,000 miles
away in Anchorage, Alaska. The only way to save the town’s 1,400 people was to get
them the medicine quickly. But how?
The serum could travel the first 400 miles by train. It could not go the rest of the way
by boat. Ice blocked all the waterways. It could not go by plane, either. Planes had just
been invented 20 years before. Pilots could only fly in the summer. There was just one
way for the serum to move beyond that point. Sled dogs would carry it.
Twenty teams of 160 dogs shared the trek. They raced around the clock. They braved
deadly temperatures. They faced blinding snowstorms and icy winds. They crossed thin
ice that had cracks. It took five and a half days to go 674 miles. This was amazing. It
was supposed to take at least two weeks.
On January 26, a doctor put the glass bottles of serum into a box. He put the box on the
train. Just before midnight on January 27, the first musher (sled driver) and dog team
met the train. They began the race across the snowy wilderness. The air was so cold
that it could hurt the dogs’ lungs. Two of the dogs in the race died this way. The serum
had to be kept from freezing. At each stop, it was warmed by wood stoves before the
next team left.
The dog teams averaged 6 to 7 miles an hour in brutal cold and darkness. During winter
in Alaska, the sun only shines for a few hours at midday. As the dogs approached
Nome, a gust of wind flipped the sled on top of the musher! The box tumbled into the
blowing snow. The musher took off his gloves and felt through the snow. He found
the unbroken bottles. But his fingers
never fully recovered from the frostbite
caused by this search.
The serum reached Nome on February
2 at 5:30 a.m. It was frozen, but the
doctor gave people the shots. The
shots worked. The dog sled teams had
prevented a disaster. Less than a dozen
people died.
Since 1973 the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog
Race has been run each year in March.
Courtesy of the Library of Congress,
It honors the dogs and mushers who “Dog sled arriving from Iditarod,”
carried the life-saving serum to Nome. LC-USZ62-131749
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 Great Adventures and Rescues

The Great Race of Mercy

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Great Adventures and Rescues

The Great Race of Mercy

1. How far away from Nome was the medicine before it started on its journey?
a. more than 400 miles b. more than 600 miles c. more than 1,000 miles
2. Why did the last dog sled driver get badly frostbitten hands?
a. He had to feel around in the snow with bare hands to find the missing bottles.
b. He had to take off his gloves to take proper care of the dogs.
c. When his sled fell through the ice, his fingers froze.
3. The people in Nome needed
a. diphtheria. b. serum. c. musher.
4. The Iditarod race is held each year during the same days as the original race was
run. True or False? Explain.
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5. Look at the map of the route the dog sled teams took. In which two places did they
have to cross frozen water?
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6. Would you prefer to be a musher or a spectator at this year’s Iditarod? Why?
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 Great Adventures and Rescues

Daring Rescue During the

Buffalo Blizzard of 1977
Blizzards are bad snowstorms. They have high winds and cold temperatures. The
blowing snow makes it hard to see even a few feet ahead. And the cold can cause
frostbite and death. On January 28, 1977, the U.S. Weather Service said that a blizzard
would hit Rochester, New York. Children were sent home from school. Factories closed
down. Everyone there went home. But the storm missed Rochester. Instead it hit the
city of Buffalo 90 miles away.
The people of Buffalo, New York, were used to lots of snow. They live between two
Great Lakes. Snow forms over Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Winds bring the snow to
the land. The city of Buffalo gets it from both directions. There was already more than
3 feet of snow on the ground in Buffalo. Another foot of snow fell. Bitter winds of 70
miles per hour whipped it into drifts. The high winds and low temperatures could freeze
human skin in less than one minute.
More than 17,000 people were stranded at their jobs. Drivers got stuck in drifts. Most
of them got out of their cars and stumbled to shelter. But nine people were stuck above
the city. They were on an elevated highway called the Skyway. They set off flares in
hopes that someone would see them. Someone saw a flare at 9:30 p.m. and called the
police.
Police Chief Larry Ramunno and two other officers put on snowsuits. They walked four
blocks to an entrance ramp. Ice formed on their eyebrows. The air was so cold that it
hurt to breathe. They were chilled before they even started out onto the highway. The
winds could blow them off. So they tied themselves together with a rope. That way if
one blew off, the others could pull him up. They brought extra ropes, too.
It took a long time to blaze a path through the deep, swirling snow. At last they reached
the cars. The people huddled in them were shivering and in shock. Each officer tied
three people to himself. Then they pushed, pulled, and dragged the people to the police
station. They could not get to a hospital. So they warmed the people with hot drinks
and blankets. Not only did all of the people live, they did not lose any limbs to frostbite.

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Great Adventures axnd Rescues

Daring Rescue During the

Buffalo Blizzard of 1977

Fa st Fa ct s Ab ou t the Bu ffa lo Bl izz ar d

d Blizzard conditions lasted d Snowdrifts were up to 30
for 25 hours; the storm feet tall—the height of a
itself lasted nearly 72 three-story building!
hours from January 28
through January 31.
d Twenty-nine people died,
some of them trapped
d Twelve inches of new inside their cars.
snow fell.
d At the Buffalo Zoo, drifts
d Temperatures were near let three reindeer step
0°F. over their fence and
wander around the city!
d Winds gusted up to 70
miles per hour; sustained d Due to the extreme cold,
winds were over 50 miles more than 20 animals died
per hour. at the Buffalo Zoo.

d Wind chills reached 60°F d Snow removal lasted

below zero. for the whole month of
February.

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 Great Adventures and Rescues

Daring Rescue During the

Buffalo Blizzard of 1977
1. In Buffalo, the Skyway is a(n)
a. skyscraper. b. tall bridge. c. elevated highway.
2. The part of the blizzard most dangerous to living things was the
a. amount of snow that fell. b. wind gusts. c. extreme cold.
3. How many members of the Buffalo police force helped in the Skyway rescue?
a. 2 b. 3 c. 9
4. The blizzard caused problems at the Buffalo Zoo. True or False? Explain.
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5. How long did it take to remove all the snow from the city of Buffalo?
____________________________________________________________________
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6. The Carnegie Medal for Bravery is given to those who risk their lives to save
others. Should Larry Ramunno and his officers have received the Carnegie Medal
for Bravery? Why or why not?
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©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 39 #8373 Document-Based Questions

Great Adventures and Rescues

Stranded Near a Mountaintop

In November 1982 Mark Inglis and Phil Doole joined the search-and-rescue team of
Mount Cook National Park. Both men were mountain climbers. They wanted to work
on New Zealand’s tallest peak. They decided to get to know the 12,315-foot mountain
by climbing it.

The pair chose to “climb light.” They did not bring a radio, extra clothes, tents, or food.
Near the peak a blinding snowstorm with high winds trapped them. They crawled into
what they thought was a cave. It turned out to be a tunnel. Icy winds blew through it.

The men needed water. They filled their empty water bottles with snow and melted it
against their skin. But this drained their body heat. They shared two candy bars. They
huddled together to wait out the storm.

After three days the storm let up enough so that a helicopter could check a hut on the
mountain. It was empty. People thought that Mark and Phil had died. But the search
leader would not give up. Yet a new storm kept them from doing any more.

After being trapped for a week, the men heard a helicopter. They crawled out of the
tunnel and waved. Rescuers dropped them food, water, sleeping bags, and a small grill.
Now they had supplies. But they were too weak to climb down.

A team began to climb to the men, but another storm struck! They set up a camp
about 3,000 feet below the peak. The moment the storm broke, the team leader sent
up a helicopter. It had a rope hanging down. At the end was a rescuer. When the man
reached the climbers, he strapped himself to Mark and carried him to camp. They did
this again to save Phil. The pair had been stuck near the peak for two weeks.

Both Mark and Phil had frostbite on their legs. They had to have their legs removed
below the knee. But both men still climb mountains using artificial legs. And on May
15, 2006, Mark became the first double amputee* to ever reach the peak of Mount
Everest. It is the tallest mountain on Earth.

*a person who has had a limb removed

#8373 Document-Based Questions 40 ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.



Tallest Mountain on Each Continent

30,000
28,000
26,000
24,000
22,000
20,000
18,000
16,000
14,000

©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 41

29,035
12,000

Mount Everest

Height in Feet
22,831

10,000
Aconcagua

20,322

19,341
18,511

8,000

16,066
Mount Elbrus
Mount McKinley

6,000

Mount Kilimanjaro
Vinson Massif
4,000
7,310

Mount

2,000
Kosciuszko

Africa Antarctica Asia Australia Europe North South

America America
Stranded Near a Mountaintop

Continent
Great Adventures and Rescues

#8373 Document-Based Questions

Great Adventures and Rescues

Stranded Near a Mountaintop

1. Mark Inglis and Phil Doole got frostbite on their
a. hands. b. legs. c. ears.
2. In mountain climbing, the phrase “climb light” means to
a. not bring extra supplies. c. lose weight in order to be
b. wear light-colored clothing. able to climb faster.
3. Since their ordeal, Inglis and Doole have
a. never climbed another mountain. c. learned how to fly helicopters.
b. continued to climb mountains.
4. The world’s tallest mountain lies on the continent of South America. True or False?
Explain.
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5. Look at the graph. Which continent’s tallest mountain is the shortest on the chart?
Is Mount Cook taller or shorter than it?
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6. Would you like to climb mountains? Why or why not?
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#8373 Document-Based Questions 42 ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.
 Great Adventures and Rescues

A Monster Wave Flips Two Boats

The Vendee Globe Race is a sailboat race around the world. Each sailor is alone. Each
one tries to use the wind and sea currents to go the fastest. But there is great danger in
sailing alone in the stormy Southern Ocean. This sea surrounds Antarctica. It often has
deadly storms.
On January 9, 1997, Tony Bullimore and Theirry Dubois were on boats in this sea.
Suddenly a monster wave as tall as a 10-story building struck Tony’s Exide Challenger.
The boat flipped over and lost its keel. The keel is the fin on the boat’s bottom that
keeps it upright. Tony was trapped inside the cabin under the water. He put on a
survival suit to stay warm in the cold water. But he did not have the hood, gloves, or
boots. So his head, hands, and feet grew numb.
Tony climbed onto a counter. He found two candy bars and ate them slowly. But he
needed water more than food. Luckily his desalination pump still worked. He put
seawater into it. Fresh water came out. It took 1,000 pumps with his numb hands to get
one cup of water.
The huge wave continued on for miles and capsized Theirry’s boat as well. He climbed
onto his overturned boat to get out of the water. Both boats had distress beacons that
turned on when the boats overturned. Rescue was on the way. A search plane found
Theirry first. It dropped him a lifeboat filled with supplies. Then it went to look for
Tony. A storm stopped the air search. Instead an Australian navy ship headed toward
Tony’s position.
For four days Tony had crouched on a ledge near icy cold water. His boat was sinking,
and he was running out of time. Suddenly he heard a motor. He swam out through a
broken window. He splashed about wildly in the waves. An inflatable speedboat had
been lowered from the navy ship. It rushed toward him. He was saved!
Frostbite scarred his feet and face. But Tony was lucky. He did not lose any body parts.
He still loves to race. But now he has a watertight box packed with survival gear. He’s
not taking any more chances.

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Great Adventures and Rescues

A Monster Wave Flips Two Boats

You know that the ocean’s water is salty. But did you know that drinking salt water
can kill you? The human body cannot stand too much salt. The body’s cells give off
water in order to dilute the saltiness of the seawater. As the cells lose water, the body
dehydrates. The person dies.
But seawater can be made safe to drink. It can be changed into fresh water through a
desalination pump, like this one:

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 Great Adventures and Rescues

A Monster Wave Flips Two Boats

1. Who found the Exide Challenger?
a. Theirry Dubois b. a search plane c. an Australian naval ship
2. The towering monster wave was
a. able to travel for many miles. c. moving in a gigantic circle.
b. a freak event in just one spot.
3. The word capsized means
a. rescued. b. sent out a distress signal. c. overturned.
4. The monster wave occurred in the ocean that surrounds the continent of Australia.
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?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

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Great Adventures and Rescues

Trapped Underground!
In July 2002 coal miners worked underground in the Quecreek Coal Mine near
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Their shaft was 12 feet wide but just four feet high. Nine men
ran the mechanical miner. This machine drilled into the seam of coal. Chunks of coal
moved down a conveyor belt to railroad cars.
Suddenly water gushed into the mine shaft. The nine men ran downhill toward the
elevator. It could take them to the surface. But the water got there first. The men
turned and, breathing in a tiny space near the ceiling, they walked back on the
conveyor belt.
The mine’s owners rushed to the scene. They knew that the men were under a field.
But where? They had to drill a hole to get air to the miners. They looked at a map of
the mine’s shafts. If the men were still alive, they would go to the highest ground. The
owners found the coordinates of the highest shaft. Then they used GPS* to find the right
spot in the field. Pumps began removing 20,000 gallons of water per minute.
While the men above worked to drill a hole, the men below worked to hold back the
water. They used cement blocks to build a wall. But the water surged over the top of
it. They retreated to a higher spot. At last the drill bit from above broke through near
them. The men hit the pipe nine times to tell that they were alive. But rising water soon
buried the pipe bringing them air. The men squeezed together in the only dry spot. Air
from above was forced down the pipe. It bubbled through the water and gave the men
air (like air blown down a straw into a drink).
Now the men above were drilling a bigger hole so that they could lower a rescue cage.
But their drill broke! It took many hours to get the old drill bit out of the ground and
bring in a new one. They had to start a new hole. At last, more than three days after the
accident, the rescue crew broke into the mineshaft.
The men had been in total darkness. They had shut off their headlamps to save the
power. Just two lamps still worked. They switched them on. In the dim light, they saw
a welcome sight. A rescue cage had been lowered to them. One by one, each man got
into the cage. A cheering crowd on the surface met each man. Loved ones ran to hug
the men.
Only one of the miners kept his job. The rest refused to go back into the coal mine.
*Global positioning system—a system in which three satellites pinpoint an exact
location on Earth’s surface and send the information to a receiver

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 Great Adventures and Rescues

Trapped Underground!
The Global Positioning System (GPS) helped to save the miners’ lives. It let the people
above know where to drill.
The U.S. Air Force has 24 GPS satellites in space. Each one has a set orbit. Each stays
a constant distance from Earth. Each one sends out signals all the time. The spot where
three of these signals meet tells where a place lies on Earth’s surface. It is correct to
within 33 feet. The location is shown on a GPS receiver.
How GPS Works

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Great Adventures and Rescues

Trapped Underground!
1. How long after the accident happened did it take to rescue the trapped miners?
a. 2 days b. 3 days c. 5 days
2. A mechanical miner is
a. part of the GPS system. c. a machine.
b. a piece of equipment used
to rescue the men.
3. What caused the mine to flood?
a. The miners flooded the mine on purpose to protest their low pay.
b. The mine’s owners flooded the mine without realizing that there were people
working down there.
c. The miners accidentally drilled into an underground water supply.

4. During the rescue, a drill bit broke and caused a long delay. True or False?
Explain.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
5. How many GPS satellite signals are needed to find a single spot on Earth’s surface?
How is the location given to people?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
6. Would you like to work in a coal mine? Why or why not?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

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 Incredible Disasters

Krakatau, a Deadly Volcano

After years of silence, a volcano awoke in May 1883. Ash and smoke came from its
cone. For three months it shook and rumbled. But the volcano had not actually erupted
for over 200 years. No one could have guessed what would happen next.
Krakatau stood on a small island in the Indian Ocean. It had formed over millions of
years. Lava flowed up from the sea floor. At last the volcano stood 2,700 feet high.
No one lived on the island with the volcano. But thousands of people made their homes
40 miles away. They lived on the islands of Sumatra and Java. When they first felt
the earth shake and saw the clouds of smoke and dust, some of them moved to higher
ground. But they couldn’t stay there long. They had to go back to their farms and homes.
On August 27 at 5:30 a.m. Krakatau erupted. It made so much noise that it woke up
people thousands of miles away. A second blast occurred an hour later. But Krakatau
wasn’t done. Shortly after 10 a.m. the island blew up with more force than 1,000 atom
bombs. Two-thirds of the land shot into the air. It formed a huge cloud.
The rest of the land fell into the center. This caused another big blast. Seawater poured
into the deep new crater. So much water was displaced that a 100-foot-high tsunami
went racing toward Java and Sumatra. No one knew the tall wave was coming. They
had no time to flee. It wiped out hundreds of villages. More than 36,000 people died.
Some people were 30 miles away on the ship Charles Bal. The black clouds blocked the
sun. The captain told everyone to go below deck. Then he took down the sails to keep
them from being ripped to shreds. Strong winds carried the volcanic ash over the sea.
The ship was caked with a thick, cement-like layer of ash and mud. Yet the big wave
did not crash over it. It went right under the boat. So those people lived to tell their tale.

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Incredible Disasters

Krakatau, a Deadly Volcano

On the morning of August 27, 1883, a telegram was sent from Batavia to Singapore.
It stated:

AT DAYBREAK TERRIFIC DETONATIONS1 FROM KRAKATAU

HEARD AS FAR AS SOERAKARTA. ASHES FALLING AS FAR AS
CHERIBON. FLASHES PLAINLY VISIBLE FROM HERE.
1
explosions

A second telegram arrived at noon:

SERANG IN TOTAL
DARKNESS. STONES
FALLING. VILLAGE NEAR
ANJER WASHED AWAY.
BATAVIA NOW QUITE DARK.
UNABLE TO COMMUNICATE
WITH ANJER. FEAR
CALAMITY2 THERE. . . .
BELIEVE ALL LOST.
2
disaster
TELOK
On the morning of August 28, Singapore BETONG
ANJER
received this message:
SERANG
ANJER, TJERINGIN, AND
TJERINGIN
TELOK BETONG DESTROYED.
WHERE ONCE MOUNT
KRAKATAU STOOD, THE SEA
NOW PLAYS.

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 Incredible Disasters

Krakatau, a Deadly Volcano

1. Most of the people who died were on
a. islands near Krakatau. c. the island of Krakatau.
b. the ship Charles Bal.
2. The most deadly part of Krakatau’s eruption was the
a. clouds of volcanic ash that made the world’s temperature drop for years.
b. hurricane-force winds it generated.
c. tsunami it caused.
3. How much time passed between when Krakatau started rumbling and when it
erupted in 1883?
a. one month b. three months c. six months
4. The people who died in the disaster never knew that Krakatau had erupted. True or
False? Explain.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
5. What are Anjer, Tjeringin, and Telok Betong? Where are they located?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
6. Should people be allowed to live in areas that have active volcanoes? Why or
why not?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
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Incredible Disasters

Destructive Wind and Water:

The Galveston Hurricane
The worst natural disaster in U.S. history occurred more than 100 years ago. It
happened in Galveston, Texas, in 1900. A strong hurricane hit the island. More people
died in this storm than in all other U.S. hurricanes between 1901 and 2006 added together.
At that time about 38,000 people lived on the island of Galveston. It is really a sandbar1
just 2 miles wide and 25 miles long. It lies in the Gulf of Mexico, just off the Texas coast.
In early September the U.S. Weather Bureau tracked a hurricane. It started near Cuba.
It moved toward Texas. Two of the forecasters got on horses. They went down the
streets and beaches. They told the people to get off the island. A man raised two flags
on a pole atop the Weather Bureau building. One meant that a bad storm was coming.
The other flag told its direction. The people knew what the flags meant. But most of
them did not want to leave their homes. By the time they chose to do so, the bridges
joining the city to the mainland had washed away. They were stranded on a sandbar
with a hurricane bearing down on them.
A hurricane causes a storm surge. A storm surge is like a big wall of water. It hits the
shore before the rest of the storm. The storm surge was 20 feet above sea level. And the
city was just five feet above sea level. The whole island flooded. Water turned the soil
to mud. Some buildings tilted. Others caved in.
Coffins came out of their graves and floated in
the water.
Then the storm struck. High winds tore off
roofs and wrecked buildings. Waves pounded
the shore. Docks vanished. Sixteen ships were
moored in the harbor. All broke free. They
sailed through the city and smashed into things.
The storm killed at least 8,000 people. Once
the city recovered, its citizens built a huge stone
seawall. They hoped to keep the water from
ever again covering their city. Fifteen years later
another big hurricane hit Galveston. The seawall
worked well. It kept the worst of the waves out
Courtesy of the Library of Congress,
of the city. “Galveston disaster, trying to find where their
1
a ridge of sand built up by waves and currents home stood,” LC-USZ62-12022
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 Incredible Disasters

Destructive Wind and Water:

The Galveston Hurricane
This telegram was sent the night after the storm ended:

HOUSTON, TEXAS
11:25 P.M.
SEPTEMBER 9, 1900

TO: WILLIS MOORE

CHIEF, U.S. WEATHER BUREAU

FIRST NEWS FROM GALVESTON JUST RECEIVED BY

TRAIN. IT COULD GET NO CLOSER TO THE BAY SHORE
THAN SIX MILES WHERE PRAIRIE WAS STREWN WITH
DEBRIS1 AND DEAD BODIES. ABOUT 200 CORPSES
COUNTED FROM THE TRAIN. LARGE STEAMSHIP
STRANDED TWO MILES INLAND.
NOTHING COULD BE SEEN OF GALVESTON. LOSS OF
LIFE AND PROPERTY UNDOUBTEDLY MOST APPALLING.2
WEATHER CLEAR AND BRIGHT HERE WITH GENTLE
SOUTHEAST WIND.

G. L. VAUGHAN
MANAGER, WESTERN UNION, HOUSTON

1
wreckage
2
shocking

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Incredible Disasters

Destructive Wind and Water:

The Galveston Hurricane
1. How many ships sailed into the city during the storm?
a. 5 b. 16 c. 20
2. What did the people of Galveston do after the terrible hurricane of 1900?
a. They left the island without rebuilding, realizing it would never be safe.
b. They built hurricane-proof houses and buildings on the island.
c. They built a seawall around the island to keep it safe from high water.
3. How much higher than sea level was the storm surge compared to the city of
Galveston?
a. 5 feet b. 15 feet c. 20 feet
4. The people of Galveston had some warning that a bad hurricane was coming. True
or False? Explain.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
5. Name two things that the telegram states were seen from the train.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
6. Is it wise for people to live in Galveston today? Why or why not?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
#8373 Document-Based Questions 54 ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.
 Incredible Disasters

The Dust Bowl

During the 1930s over three million people moved from the Great Plains. They left
Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Kansas. They went to California. This was more
people than had gone in all of the gold rushes. This was more people than had come in
search of free land. In fact, this was the biggest westward migration ever in U.S. history.
Why did it happen? The people were fleeing the Dust Bowl.
The first farmers went to the Midwest in the 1800s. They felt lucky to plow and plant
just two acres. By the 1920s farmers had better farm equipment. They plowed lots of
acres. They were proud of their long, straight rows of crops. They didn’t waste any
land with rows of trees for windbreaks. Cattle and horses grazed on the prairie. They
ate most of the grass that held the dirt in place.
Then, in 1931, a seven-year drought began. No rain fell. Without it, the crops died.
When the wind blew across the flat Great Plains, nothing slowed it down. The long dry
spell and high winds lifted the dirt into the air. It blew around like snow in a blizzard.
These dust storms blew millions of tons of dirt as far east as Washington, D.C.! What
had once been rich farmland looked like a desert. The dust storms ruined 50 million
acres. They are one of the worst environmental disasters in world history.
The cattle and sheep breathed the dust. Then they died. Many people died from
breathing the dust, too. The dust wrecked car and tractor engines. It blew through tiny
cracks in homes. So much blew into some attics that the ceilings fell in!
At last the families gave up. They left their farms. They went to the West Coast in
search of jobs. But there were not enough jobs in California. The people living there
resented the newcomers. They didn’t want to compete for jobs. They called the
refugees “Okies.” Hatred toward them was so bad that some farmers burned their extra
crops. They didn’t want to share them with the hungry Okies!
The U.S. government tried to help those who stayed in the Dust Bowl. They told the
farmers to plant crops in rows that ran across the typical winds. They also planted over
18,500 miles of trees to form windbreaks.

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Incredible Disasters

The Dust Bowl

The Resettlement Administration was a U.S. government program set up in 1935
to help farmers in the Dust Bowl. Here is one of the posters from the Resettlement
Administration. It was posted in towns throughout the Midwest.

Courtesy of the Library of Congress,“Years of Dust,” LC-USZ62-19225

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 Incredible Disasters

The Dust Bowl

1. How many people left the Dust Bowl and went west?
a. more than 3 million b. about 10 million c. 50 million
2. Why did the people in California refuse to welcome the Okies?
a. There wasn’t enough food for everyone.
b. There weren’t enough jobs for everyone.
c. There wasn’t enough water for everyone.
3. How was the dust dangerous to the health of people and animals?
a. Breathing too much dust could kill people and animals.
b. When the dust got into food, it poisoned people and animals.
c. If the dust got into milk, it was no longer safe to drink.
4. One the factors that caused the Dust Bowl was a lack of trees on farms. True or
False? Explain.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
5. Look at the poster. What is the look on the farmer’s face? Why does he look that
way?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
6. Did the U.S. government act quickly enough to help farmers in the Dust Bowl?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
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Incredible Disasters

Avalanche!
An avalanche occurs when a mass of snow breaks free near the top of a mountain. It
rushes to the valley below. As it slides, the snow buries everything in its path. It can
cover trees, animals, people, and towns. No one knows how often they race down the
world’s many mountains. Scientists think that each year about one million do! Luckily
most of these are small. But when a big avalanche happens, people can die.
Avalanches often occur after heavy snowfall. The snow’s weight makes it unstable.
Even a loud sound can make it start sliding. It picks up speed and more snow as it roars
down the side of the mountain. There’s only one thing to do once an avalanche starts:
Get out of its way!
An earthquake caused an avalanche in the worst natural disaster to ever hit South
America. An earthquake happens when big plates far below the ground slide. They
move under or against each other. This makes everything above the ground shake and
slide around.
The morning of May 31, 1970, was normal for people in the town of Yungay, Peru.
Then, in the afternoon, the animals started to act odd. Flocks of birds took to the air.
They would not perch on anything. Cows would not go into their barns. Dogs that
weren’t tied up ran away. The animals sensed a disaster about to happen. A strong
earthquake shook the town. Streets cracked. Buildings fell down. But most of the
people survived. Then they heard a rumble. It came from the slopes of the nation’s
tallest mountain.
The quake had shaken the mountain. Millions of tons of rock, snow, and ice tore loose.
It slid down and crashed into lakes. The lakes burst from their banks. A wave of mud,
ice, and rocks rushed toward the town at 180 miles per hour. It took just three minutes
for it to go 10 miles. No one had time to get away. Tons of ice, mud, and rock buried
Yungay. Most of the 20,000 people who lived there died. Just 92 people on the far edge
of the town lived.

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 Incredible Disasters

Avalanche!
High Ridge Ski Resort Safety Brochure—Avalanche Survival Tips
We want you to be safe. When you slowly. The trees will also trap
are on the mountain, you must wear much of the snow.
the rescue beacon given to you at 2. Take Shelter! Get off the ski
check-in. If you don’t, your lift pass run. Get under a rock shelf.
will be taken away. Even if the snow buries the shelf,
We have people who check the the area under it will have an air
mountain at dawn. They report to a pocket. This will let you breathe
helicopter crew that drops explosives. until rescuers can dig you out.
This causes controlled slides and 3. Abandon Your Equipment!
stops bigger ones. Still, snow sports Your equipment may cause you to
involve risk. We cannot control twist and break a bone. If you are
nature. So, if an avalanche starts in the slide, kick off your skis or
while you’re on the mountain, here’s snowboard. Drop your poles.
what to do: 4. Stay on Top of the Snow! If
1. Get Out of the Way! Get off you’re caught in moving snow,
the ski run. Move at a right use your arms and legs to “swim”
angle to the slide. Get into the to stay on top of the snow. When
trees. Even if the snow overtakes it stops moving, the closer to the
you there, it will be going more surface you are, the better.
5. Move Around! As the snow
starts to slow down, move your
arms and legs. This will make a
small air pocket for you once the
slide stops.
6. Stay Calm! If you’re trapped
under the snow and can’t move,
don’t struggle. Stay calm to use
your air slowly.
7. Turn on Your Rescue Beacon!
By following its signal, we can
find you fast.

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Incredible Disasters

Avalanche!
1. The avalanche that buried Yungay, Peru, started because of a(n)
a. heavy snowfall. b. loud noise. c. earthquake.
2. Most of the world’s avalanches
a. kill thousands of people. c. are small and may not even be noticed.
b. bury entire towns.
3. Right before the earthquake, which animals began to act strangely?
a. dogs b. snakes c. fish
4. The earthquake itself caused little damage to Yungay. True or False? Explain.

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

5. Could the information given in the High Ridge Ski Resort Safety Brochure have
saved the lives of the people in the Yungay, Peru, avalanche?

____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

6. Is it fair for High Ridge to take away a person’s lift pass (which was paid for) if the
person refuses to wear a rescue beacon? Why or why not?

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________
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 Incredible Disasters

Flash Flood in
Big Thompson Canyon
A flash flood occurs when heavy rains fall upstream. Downstream the weather may be
fine. But a river or stream can rise fast from all the rainwater running into it. A wall of
water gushes down a river or stream in a flash flood. The people downstream may have
no warning.
Big Thompson Canyon is in Colorado. It is a part of the Rocky Mountains. The narrow,
25-mile-long gorge has steep rock walls. A road winds through this area. It follows the
Big Thompson River. Much of the canyon is narrow. There is just room for the road
and the river. Campgrounds and cabins occupy space wherever the gorge widens.
On July 31, 1976, storms upstream made the river’s level rise 19 feet. The Colorado
State Police and local sheriffs knew this meant trouble. They sent officers into the
canyon. They told the people of the danger of a flash flood. Since no rain had fallen in
their area, few people paid attention. Some would live to regret that. Others would not
be so lucky.
About 6:30 p.m. heavy rain started to fall in the canyon. Soon mud, trees, and rocks slid
down the gorge walls. They blocked the road. Cars and trucks could not get around
them. Many people were trapped in their cars. When lightning flashed, they saw that
the river was almost up to the road. But where could they go?
Some got out of their cars. They climbed up the unstable rock wall. The rocks were
slippery and it was dark. A few people found it too hard. They went back to their cars.
Soon the water rose so high that their cars started to float down the roaring river.
The high water lasted for three hours. During that time two miles of the road crumbled
into the raging rapids. Houses bobbed down the river. So did tractor trailers and big
motor homes. People trapped in the water clung to anything they could. The strong
current tore off their clothes. All they could do was hang on and hope that nothing big
hit them. When the storm died down, helicopters lowered ropes to them. Twenty-five
years later, in 2001, a statue was made to honor the 144 people who died.
Everyone knows that one day the gorge will flood again. They hope that the next time,
people will heed the warnings. Now signs line the gorge. They state “Climb to Safety.”

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Incredible Disasters

Flash Flood in
Big Thompson Canyon
Great Flash Flood Memorial Plaque

IN MEMORY OF TWO GALLANT

LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS

COLORADO STATE PATROL ESTES PARK PATROLMAN

SGT. W. HUGH PURDY MICHEL O. CONLEY

THEY GAVE THEIR LIVES TO SAVE THE LIVES OF OTHERS

THE NIGHT OF JULY 31, 1976 WHEN MORE THAN 140 PERSONS
DIED IN THE GREAT FLASH FLOOD OF BIG THOMPSON CANYON.

“LORD OF HOSTS PROTECT US YET

LEST WE FORGET . . . LEST WE FORGET.”

ERECTED BY THE GRATEFUL CITIZENS OF COLORADO

DEDICATED 7-31-78

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 Incredible Disasters

Flash Flood in
Big Thompson Canyon
1. How long is Big Thompson Canyon?
a. 19 miles long b. 25 miles long c. 144 miles long
2. Why didn’t the people in the canyon leave after the officers warned them of the
danger?
a. They didn’t believe the officers because it hadn’t rained in the canyon.
b. They had no way to leave the canyon.
c. Most of the people were deaf and couldn’t hear the warning.
3. Why have signs been posted along the gorge since the flash flood?
a. to tell people that it’s best to stay in their cars during a flood
b. to guide people to the flood shelters that have been built
c. to warn people that they must climb the rock walls during a flood
4. The Big Thompson Canyon Flash Flood plaque was put up two years after the flash
flood occurred. True or False? Explain.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
5. What were the names of the two officers who died trying to save others from the
flash flood in Big Thompson Canyon? How do you know?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
6. Should the officers who warned the people to leave the gorge have forced them to
go? Why or why not?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 63 #8373 Document-Based Questions
Incredible Disasters

Deadly Cloud from Lake Nyos

In Cameroon, Africa, a lake lies above an old volcano. How did it get there? The
volcano had a deep crater, or hole. Over time rain filled it with water. The result was
Lake Nyos.

The volcano no longer erupts. But gases from it still seep into the lake. Carbon dioxide
goes into the deepest waters of the lake. It stays there just as carbon dioxide stays inside
an unopened can of soda. Over time the lake built up a lot of carbon dioxide mixed in
the water. This water was a bit heavier than normal water. So it didn’t rise. The weight
of the water above it held it down, too.

But then something happened. In the early morning of August 21, 1986, the carbon
dioxide water rose to the top of the lake. Carbon dioxide bubbles formed, just like
when you open a can of soda and fizz comes out. These bubbles pulled up more carbon
dioxide water. Soon billions of bubbles rushed to the surface. They formed a cloud that
burst from the lake. So much gas escaped that the lake’s water level dropped three feet!

Carbon dioxide is heavy. It didn’t rise into the sky. Instead the cloud swept over the
surrounding land. People and animals need oxygen. If there is too much carbon dioxide
in the air, they cannot get enough oxygen. The deadly cloud moved over a few towns.
About 1,700 sleeping people never woke up. Cows and wildlife died, too.

No one knows why this happened. Some think that there was a landslide. Tons of rock
and dirt slid into the lake. This stirred up the water. Others say that there must have
been a slight volcanic eruption under the lake. It pushed up the deep water.

Scientists know that other lakes have carbon dioxide

in their depths as well. They are in Africa, too. After
the Lake Nyos tragedy, people wanted to take action.
They did not want a cloud to come from any of these
lakes. They had to stop the lake waters from getting gas-
charged. So pumps have been put at the bottom of each
lake. They bring up the deep water a little at a time.
This lets the deep water lose its carbon dioxide slowly.
Then a big bubble cannot form. This solution looks
good, too. There’s a fountain in the middle of each lake.

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 Incredible Disasters

Deadly Cloud from Lake Nyos

Strange Disaster in Cameroon Takes 1,700 Lives
NPI, August 22, 1986—Yesterday The clear blue waters of Lake Nyos
in the early morning hours a cloud are now a murky red. This is due
of carbon dioxide (CO2) burst from to the iron-rich water that rose
Lake Nyos in Cameroon. The to the surface with the CO2. The
gas cloud quickly spread over two lake’s level dropped from the huge
villages. It killed at least 1,700 volume of gas released. Trees on
people and 3,500 head of livestock. the shore were knocked down, too.
About 4,000 people were able to This means that the outgassing
flee. They are being treated for caused an overflow of the lake’s
breathing problems. waters, like soda overflowing when
a can is opened.
No one knows what caused this rare
and deadly event. Scientists say Two other lakes are known to have
that a landslide, minor earthquake, this condition. They are Lake
or slight volcanic eruption may Monoun, also in Cameroon, and
have triggered the gas release. Lake Kivu in Rwanda. Scientists
Lake Nyos fills the crater of extinct from many nations are heading to
volcano Mount Oku. A pocket of the area to learn more.
magma lies below the lake. It leaks
CO2 into the water. But usually
the CO2 remains in solution in the
lowest layer of water.

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Incredible Disasters

Deadly Cloud from Lake Nyos

1. Lake Nyos lies above a(n)
a. earthquake fault. b. old volcano. c. natural spring.
2. What happened to 1,700 people living near Lake Nyos on August 21, 1986?
a. They fled from the area and were treated for breathing problems.
b. They died in their sleep.
c. They saw all of their cows die.
3. After the cloud came from Lake Nyos, its water looked
a. the same as before. b. clear blue. c. a murky red.
4. Scientists know what caused the deadly cloud to come from Lake Nyos. True or
False? Explain.
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5. Read the newspaper article. What are the names of the three lakes that have this
carbon dioxide problem? What does CO2 stand for?
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6. Are the people living near Lake Nyos today safe? Why or why not?
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 Amazing Discoveries and Inventions

Gunpowder Inventions
For thousands of years, humans have looked for new ways to win battles. As a result,
wars often bring about new inventions.

Around the year 1000, the Chinese made gunpowder. They found that sulfur, saltpeter,
charcoal, and pitch exploded if touched by a spark. By 1288 they had cannons. They
used gunpowder to fire cannonballs at invaders. Each cannon was made one at a time.
No two were alike. The person firing one had to know its quirks in order to aim it. The
nations with cannons had an advantage over those that didn’t. Cannons changed the
course of history.

The first guns looked like small cannons. They were carried over the shoulder and fired
just the same way. A gunpowder charge was rammed down the barrel. Then a charge
was lit. These guns were heavy and hard to use. It took a lot of time to load, aim, and
fire them once. After about 1400, guns that could be carried on a person’s body became
smaller, more accurate, and more common.

American patriot David Bushnell invented floating mines in 1775. He wanted to cause
enough damage to sink an enemy ship. He coated wooden kegs with tar. This kept out
water. Then he packed gunpowder in the kegs. Just a light shock would make them
explode. If a British ship bumped into one, it would blow a hole in its side.

In December 1777 Bushnell sent a group of these kegs

floating down the Delaware River. He wanted to stop
the British ships. They had supplies for their troops in
Philadelphia. He hoped their ships would hit the kegs.
But all of the kegs got jammed in ice. Two boys saw
them. They walked out on the ice to check them out.
Both were killed. The tragedy tipped off the British.
They found a way to blow up the kegs safely. Their
sailors went out and got rid of the rest of them.

Since then water mines have been used in many wars.

The newer mines worked because they have been
hidden below the water’s surface.
Removing mines from the ocean
after World War I.
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Amazing Discoveries and Inventions

Gunpowder Inventions
Julia Chang Mr. Rodriguez
Language Arts Report

Fireworks
Gunpowder is used to make fireworks. You’ve probably seen them. They
are set off at night as part of a festival. Fireworks get shot into the sky. Then
they blow up. They make colorful sparks and loud noises.
Fireworks start out as hollow cardboard tubes filled with gunpowder. A fuse
sticks into this gunpowder. The fuse is a thick cotton string. It’s been soaked in
saltpeter. When a match lights the fuse, it burns the gunpowder. This makes
the rocket shoot into the air. Then the gunpowder lights a smaller packet of
gunpowder. This blows up the cardboard tube. It ignites tiny firecrackers at the
top of the rocket, too.
Small amounts of chemicals are added to the gunpowder. They make the
different colors. When sodium is added, the fireworks are yellow. When
copper is added, the fireworks are blue. Charcoal gives the fireworks a
sparkling tail.
You should not play with fireworks. They are dangerous. Gunpowder can
explode from a small spark. If they blow up near you, you can be hurt or killed.
That’s why a lot of states won’t let stores sell fireworks. That way only experts
can set them off.
Fireworks have other uses, too. You may have seen red flares on a road
around an accident. They burn for a long time. They do not blow up, but
they are a kind of firework. Railroads use big firecrackers called torpedoes.
(Firecrackers just make noise.) These torpedoes blow up as a train runs over
them. The engineer knows to put on the brakes because there’s danger ahead.

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 Amazing Discoveries and Inventions

Gunpowder Inventions
1. Gunpowder was invented around
a. 1000. b. 1288. c. 1775.
2. The first guns looked most like
a. fireworks. b. cannons. c. mines.
3. Why did David Bushnell invent floating mines?
a. He wanted to blow up Philadelphia.
b. He wanted to keep the Chinese from going up the Delaware River.
c. He wanted to blow up British ships.
4. It is OK for you to set off fireworks without an adult present. True or False?
Explain.
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5. Name and describe two uses for fireworks.
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6. Should people other than police and the military be allowed to own guns? Tell why.
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Amazing Discoveries and Inventions

The Miracle of Movable Type

Long ago every book had to be copied by hand using a quill pen. A quill pen was a bird
feather dipped in ink. It was hard to use without making ink blots. Monks made books.
They spent years making one copy of a book. Once they finished, they started all over
again to make another copy. This made books cost so much that only the rich could buy
them. With so few books, ideas and knowledge spread slowly.
Johannes Gutenberg worked in Germany’s mint making coins. He heated gold or
silver and poured the liquid metal into molds. When the metal cooled, it was a coin.
Gutenberg had an idea. He wanted to make separate letters out of metal. In 1428
Gutenberg started working in secret on his project. But he needed funds to buy metal
and equipment. In 1448 he had to borrow money. About two years later, he printed his
first book. It was a 641-page Bible. It was written in Latin. He made about 300 copies.
One of these is on display in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Think about
how old it is!
How did Gutenberg do it? He had invented movable type, or the printing press. He had
made hundreds of pieces of type. He made each letter of the alphabet. Can you guess
what letters he made the most pieces of? The vowels a and e. That’s because they are
used in so many words. There were also punctuation marks.
He used the letters to form words. He set the words in rows in a tray. Then he rolled
ink onto the “type.” Next he pressed paper against it. (This is how it got the name
printing press.) The ink on the type pieces came off on the paper. He hung the page
up to dry. Then a person sewed the pages in order using sturdy thread. At last a fabric
cover was put on the book.
Gutenberg had made one of the most important inventions in history. But he did not
pay back his debt. The man to whom he owed money took over his printing press.
Gutenberg retired. Little more is known about him. Yet his invention changed the
world. Ideas could be shared faster and easier than ever before.

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 Amazing Discoveries and Inventions

The Miracle of Movable Type

This is how Gutenberg’s printing press worked:
Step 1: A man set the pieces of metal type Step 2: The type pieces moved from the
into a stick to form a sentence. He put them stick to a galley tray.
in backwards order.

Step 4: The form was inked. A piece

of paper was laid over it. The form was
Step 3: The galley was put into a metal frame carried to the press.
called a type form.

Step 5: A hand crank pressed the type

form under a wooden slab. This moved the
ink from the type to the paper.

Step 6: The page was hung to let the

damp ink dry.

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Amazing Discoveries and Inventions

The Miracle of Movable Type

1. Before Gutenberg invented the printing press there were
a. fewer books than today.
b. about the same number of books as today.
c. more books than today.
2. The first book that Gutenberg printed was
a. a book about the German mint. b. a Bible. c. about monks.
3. Gutenberg’s printing press changed the world in a way most similar to the invention
of the
a. plow. b. Internet. c. wheel.
4. Gutenberg printed his first book in 1450. True or False? Explain.
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5. How many steps did it take to print and dry a page with Gutenberg’s press? What
was the third step?
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6. Will the Worldwide Web bring about the end of book publishing? Why or why not?
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 Amazing Discoveries and Inventions

Galileo’s Discoveries
About the Universe
For thousands of years people thought that the universe was a hollow ball—like the
inside of a basketball. Earth was in the middle. The sun, the moon, and the planets went
around it in a circle. The stars did not move. They were fixed in place on the inner wall
of the “ball.” About 1520, Nicolaus Copernicus found out that this theory was wrong.
He watched the sky. He saw the way that the moon and planets moved. They did not
seem to go around Earth. He started to think that Earth and other planets went around
the sun. But he had no way to prove it.
The Roman Catholic Church controlled all learning in Europe. It did not like
Copernicus’s ideas. The Church stated that Earth was the center of the universe.
Anyone who said otherwise was a heretic. And the Church could kill a heretic.
Galileo Galilei was a scientist. He wanted to know how things worked. He did
experiments with gravity. He knew about Copernicus’s idea. He agreed with him. But
he could not prove it. Then in 1609 he met a man. The man showed him a new Dutch
invention. It was a crude telescope. Galileo got excited. He could improve upon it! He
made one with curved glass lenses. This made things appear 32 times larger.
Galileo used his telescope to watch the night sky. He kept records of the motion of the
moon and planets. By 1613, he knew how things really worked. Earth and other planets
moved around the sun. He wrote about his findings. The Church attacked him. He
waited for things to settle down. Twenty years later he repeated his findings in another
book. This time the Church arrested him. It found him guilty of being a heretic. He
would burn at the stake! Galileo did not want to die. So he said that he had written lies.
The Church put him under house arrest for the rest of his life. He could not go places or
talk about his ideas.
But Galileo had changed the world. He showed other scientists that it was important
to make careful observations and keep records. He created a useful telescope. And he
showed people that they could question the Church.

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Amazing Discoveries and Inventions

Galileo’s Discoveries
About the Universe
Galileo’s telescope was the best at the time. But it was not strong enough to show him
all of the planets in our solar system. He only knew about six of the planets.

The Solar System According to Galileo

Mars
Venus Jupiter
Sun
Earth

Mercury

Saturn

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 Amazing Discoveries and Inventions

Galileo’s Discoveries
About the Universe
1. Galileo’s ideas were attacked by
a. other scientists.
b. Nicolaus Copernicus.
c. leaders of the Roman Catholic Church.
2. In what year did Galileo know for sure how our solar system is set up?
a. 1520 b. 1609 c. 1613
3. Which planet did Galileo know about?
a. Jupiter b. Neptune c. Uranus
4. In 1633 Galileo refused to say that what he had written about the sun and planets
was wrong. True or False? Explain.
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5. Look at Galileo’s diagram of our solar system. Which planet is closest to the sun?
Which one is fourth from the sun?
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6. Should Galileo receive credit for inventing the telescope? Why or why not?
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Amazing Discoveries and Inventions

Dinosaurs
Did you know that a 13-year-old girl found the first dinosaur fossil? Mary Anning lived
in Lyme Regis, England. It is near the seacoast. This area has big storms. When she
was a baby, one ruined her home. And she was hit by lightning!
When she was older, Mary’s dad took her and her brother Joe to hunt for fossils. They
searched the nearby cliffs. They dug out fossils. They cleaned them. Then they put
them on their front porch. Collectors bought them. In 1810, when Mary was just
11 years old, her dad died. This made the family poor. But the children found and sold
fossils. One day she and Joe dug out a huge head. The children could not find the rest
of the skeleton. But they were thrilled. They had never seen anything like it.
A bad storm hit in 1812. Loose rocks fell from the cliffs. The rest of the skeleton was
exposed! Mary saw it. She paid men to help her dig it out. It was 20 feet long. She
had just found the first dinosaur. Years later scientists named it Ichthyosaurus. This sea
dinosaur swam in the sea millions of years ago.
Mary never married. She spent her life finding fossils. In 1823 she found a nearly
complete skeleton of a Plesiosaurus. Five years later she found the first flying dinosaur
fossil. It was a Pterosaur. Scientists bought these fossils. They studied them. Then
they put them in museums.
During her life, people called Mary “The Fossil Woman.” But she never wrote about
her findings or sought any fame. Even today few books give her credit for discovering
dinosaurs.
In 1844, Richard Owen coined the term dinosaur. It means terrible lizard. Mary Anning
died just three years later. Now she is called the Princess of Paleontology. That’s the
word for the study of dinosaurs.

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 Amazing Discoveries and Inventions

Dinosaurs

MANTELL, GIDEON (1790–1852), was one

of the first fossil hunters. In 1822, his wife
saw some teeth sticking out of a rock. She
showed it to him. He knew that it was a fossil.
But he had no idea what the animal was.

Mantell took the rock home. He studied it.

The rock around the teeth was 130 million
years old. He looked at animal skeletons to
find a match. In 1824, he saw that the teeth
looked like an iguana’s. Mantell wrote an
article. He called the animal Iguanadon. He
stated that huge lizards had once walked on
Earth. Because he shared his findings, he
is usually given credit for finding the first
dinosaur. Others credit Mary Anning.
(See ANNING, MARY)
Nine years later, a whole Iguanadon skeleton was found. Mantell paid $40 for
it. He spent months putting it together. He came close. But he put the two
thumb claws on the forehead. He thought they were a pair of spiked horns.

Mantell wrote more articles about dinosaurs. He told about their teeth. Those
with flat teeth, like the stegosaurus, ate plants. Those with pointed teeth, like
the T-Rex, ate animals. He stated that dinosaurs were reptiles and laid eggs.
(See DINOSAURS; PALEONTOLOGY)

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Amazing Discoveries and Inventions

Dinosaurs
1. A dinosaur fossil with flat teeth lets you know that the dinosaur
a. laid eggs. b. ate plants. c. ate other animals.
2. What is something that paleontologists cannot tell from a fossil?
a. the dinosaur’s length c. whether the dinosaur hunted
b. the dinosaur’s height during the day or night
3. Picture yourself looking at an actual dinosaur skeleton set up on display. Where
are you?
a. at a school b. at a museum c. at a movie theater
4. Mary Anning found an Iguanadon skeleton. True or False? Explain.
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5. Why does Gideon Mantell get the credit for finding the first dinosaur in 1822 when
Mary Anning found one in 1812?
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6. If you could, which dinosaur would you most like to see in real life? Why?
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 Amazing Discoveries and Inventions

Joseph Lister’s Fight

Against Germs
If germs get into our bodies, infection occurs. You may have had an infected cut. It
happened after your skin was broken. This let germs in. If you’ve had an infected cut,
a cream cured it. That’s because we know what was wrong. But 150 years ago, doctors
didn’t know what caused infection. Their patients often died from it. But they had no
idea why. This meant that they had no idea how to stop it.
Joseph Lister began working on the problem in 1860. He had read Louis Pasteur’s
work. This chemist had written about germs. Pasteur was the first person to find that
these small cells can do great harm. Lister wondered how to fight germs.
He talked with other professors. What might kill germs? One said carbolic acid. In
1865 Lister started dressing wounds with carbolic acid. He found that it stopped
infection. It helped healing, too. Using this method he could save injured arms and legs
that would have been cut off. Next he found that sores and other skin infections could
be cured the same way.
Soon doctors in many nations started to use his methods. They saw success and were
thrilled. Word spread quickly. It had reached America by 1867. But many patients still
died after surgery. Lister wondered if germs in the air let people get internal infections
that could not be seen. He wanted to find a way to clean the air in operating rooms.
He made a carbolic acid pump. It sprayed a solution into the air during surgery. He
also told doctors that they must wash their hands. They had to use clean clothes and
tools for each operation. Before that, they had worn the same clothes and used the same
scalpel all day long! Most of the time they did not even wash their hands or instruments
between patients! Many doctors were annoyed by the extra work. Some would not do
it. Yet those who tried Lister’s ideas saw their death rate after surgery drop. Instead of
one patient out of every three dying, it was one patient in 20.
Of course many advances have been made since that time. We have many ways to fight
germs in our hospitals, homes, and schools. It all started with Joseph Lister and his
desire to stop germs.

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Amazing Discoveries and Inventions

How Germs Spread

Germs can move from dirty hands to food. This happens

when a person does not wash his or her hands before
making or eating food.

Germs move from raw meat to a

person’s hands. If the person doesn’t
wash and touches the salad, the greens
now have the germs. When the meat
is cooked, the germs die. But the
salad is not cooked, so the germs
remain.

Germs can move from a sick person to a

healthy one. This can happen if a person
wipes his or her nose and then touches
something. Then another person picks it up
and gets the germs. Washing your hands
when you are sick is really important.

Germs can also spread through the air. The

best way to stop that is to cover every cough
and sneeze with your hand or a tissue. Then
wash your hands.

Germs that cause colds, and eye, ear,

and throat pain can move from a sick
person to a well one through hand
contact. Always wash your hands after
touching the part of you that feels ill
(such as rubbing eyes).

As you can see, most germs spread on

dirty hands. So wash your hands with
soap and water often!

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 Amazing Discoveries and Inventions

Joseph Lister’s Fight

Against Germs
1. Joseph Lister taught doctors to
a. do operations.
b. wash their hands and instruments between patients.
c. use medicines to fight cancer.
2. How did doctors figure out that Joseph Lister’s ideas were right?
a. Fewer patients were dying after surgery, and fewer wounds were infected.
b. People with cancer began to live longer.
c. Fewer people needed to have operations.
3. How did Louis Pasteur help Joseph Lister?
a. Lister read Pasteur’s work on germs, which helped him start to find a way to
fight them.
b. In college Lister was Pasteur’s student.
c. Pasteur suggested the use of carbolic acid to Lister.
4. Lister used carbolic acid to prevent infection. True or False? Explain.
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5. What is the best thing you can do to keep from spreading germs? Why is it
important for you to cover every sneeze and cough?
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6. After doing this lesson, will you wash your hands more often than before? Why or
why not?
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Amazing Discoveries and Inventions

The Janitor’s Invention

Are all inventors scientists? No. Anyone can make an invention. All it takes is an idea
and some hard work. A person must be willing to try again and again until the invention
works. That’s just what happened to Murray Spangler in 1907.
Spangler was a janitor at a department store. Every night after the store closed, he went
to work. He took pride in his job. But it was a lot of work to clean all that space. So
his back and feet ached. His muscles hurt. He wished that there was a better way to
clean the store’s floor.
Spangler lived during a time when new machines were being invented almost daily.
Each night as he worked, he thought about the problem. What kind of a machine could
he make? After a while, some ideas formed in his head. He got an old box, tape, a
pillowcase, an electric fan, a broom handle, a stove pipe, and a paint roller. He added
stiff goat bristles to the roller. Then he spent time assembling and adjusting his machine.
It took several weeks. He tried it at home. It worked! At last, he was ready to take his
invention to the store.
A police officer was walking down the street. He glanced in the department store
window. He saw Spangler using his invention. The officer went to the owner’s house
and woke him up. He told the owner that Spangler was doing something with an odd-
looking contraption that made a lot of noise. He thought that Spangler had lost his
mind!
The owner rushed to the store. He told Spangler that he was fired for messing around
instead of doing his job. Spangler told him that he was doing his job—better than ever
before. He asked the storeowner to let him demonstrate. Curious, the man agreed. He
was shocked when Spangler moved his machine over dirt and gum wrappers. They
disappeared! Spangler had just built the first vacuum cleaner. The next year he sold his
invention to a firm named Hoover. Before long vacuum cleaners were as common as
stoves in homes.

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 Amazing Discoveries and Inventions

The Janitor’s Invention

This Hoover vacuum ad appeared in 1921 in National Geographic magazine:

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Amazing Discoveries and Inventions

The Janitor’s Invention

1. Which thing was not a part of Murray Spangler’s original vacuum cleaner?
a. a cloth bag b. an electric fan c. a stove pipe
2. Murray Spangler invented the vacuum cleaner because he wanted to
a. make his job easier. b. get rich. c. win a bet with the store owner.
3. The police officer who saw the janitor vacuuming thought that Murray Spangler
was doing something
a. boring. b. illegal. c. wrong.
4. In 1921 Hoover was not the only company making vacuum cleaners. True or
False? Explain.

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____________________________________________________________________

5. Read the Hoover advertisement. What were vacuum cleaners called in 1921? What
reasons does the ad give for vacuuming rugs?

____________________________________________________________________

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____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

6. Do you like using new gadgets? Why or why not?

____________________________________________________________________

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 Did You Know?

Recycling
Have you ever thought about the fact that most of what you own will one day be thrown
out? Think about your clothes, the TV, and the stove. They will tear or break down. Or
you may just want to get new, better things. But where do things go when you throw
them out?
The bad news is that most of it goes to a landfill. A landfill is a big hole in the ground.
It may have a concrete or plastic liner. This liner keeps chemicals from seeping into the
groundwater around the landfill. Trash trucks filled with all the things that people throw
out go to the landfill. They dump their loads into the hole. Bulldozers cover everything
with soil. But there is a better way. And since we are running out of landfill space,
more people are doing it.
The better way is recycling. Recycling lets things be used again. Give away an old TV
or stove. They can be fixed so that someone else can use them. Clothes can be sent to
people who need them. Most glass, paper, plastic, and metal is recyclable. When people
recycle these things, it helps the environment. It saves space in landfills. (Paper takes
up more space in landfills than any other thing!) And instead of wasting these materials,
they get used again.
Some people have recycle bins. They put their paper, metal, glass, and plastic into the
bin. A special truck takes these things to a processing center. Other people must drive
to a recycling center and drop off their things.
What happens at the recycling center? Paper is shredded and then mixed with water and
wood pulp to make new paper. Glass, metal, and plastics are melted down. Then they
are poured into molds to form new things. Glass jars are melted down and become new
glass jars. Recycling lets things be used over and over.
Have you ever heard of a car crusher? First the tires and windows are removed from an
old car. Then it enters the crusher. Powerful jaws smash the car. It comes out a small,
flattened rectangle. Then it is loaded onto a train car. It goes to a place where the steel
is melted down and used to make new cars.

This symbol means a thing This symbol means a thing is made

can be recycled. from recycled things.
©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 85 #8373 Document-Based Questions
Did You Know?

Recycling
Plastic Item Marked Can Be Made Into
Soda bottles, paint brushes,
Soda bottles, food product carpeting, microfleece for
packaging, oven-ready meal clothing and blankets; fiber
trays, and vitamin bottles filling for sleeping bags,
comforters, coats, and vests

Milk, juice, and water jugs, Milk, juice, and water jugs,
shampoo, detergent, and drainage pipes, trash cans, and
other cleaning fluid bottles the fibers used in bullet-proof
vests

Recyclable plastics marked

Clear food wrap, cooking oil
3–7 are mixed together and
bottles, molded plastic lawn
used to make big plastic items
chairs
such as picnic tables, sand
boxes, plumbing pipes, fencing,
Rings for 6-packs, coffee park benches, playground
can lids, grocery store bags, equipment, plastic lumber,
and trash can liners lawn chairs, storage bins, etc.

Margarine and whipped topping

tubs, yogurt cups, snap-on lids,
and microwaveable meal trays

Styrofoam meat trays, egg cartons,

and cups, insulation, plastic forks,
spoons, and knives, and packing
“peanuts”

Squeeze bottles for jellies, sauces,

and syrups, and various other
plastics

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 Did You Know?

Recycling
1. What happens to glass jars that you throw out instead of recycle?
a. People dig through the trash, find them, and send them to a recycling center.
b. They take up space in a landfill.
c. They slowly rot and turn back into soil.
2. A car crusher is used as the first step in recycling a car’s
a. windows and windshield. b. tires. c. metal.
3. What is the most important reason to recycle paper?
a. It saves trees from being cut down.
b. It will keep us from running out of paper.
c. It keeps the cost of paper low.

4. Plastics marked “3” and “4” can be recycled to make fabrics. True or False? Explain.
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____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
5. Name three kinds of plastic items that are labeled “6.”
____________________________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
6. If you could only recycle one: glass, metal, paper, or plastic, which would be the
most important one? Why?
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©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 87 #8373 Document-Based Questions
Did You Know?

Earth’s Hot Spots

Did you know that Yellowstone National Park lies above one of the Earth’s “hot spots”?
A hot spot is where melted rock from Earth’s core comes within four miles of its crust.
High heat turns water below the ground into steam. This hot water and steam blows up
through holes. These places are called geysers. There are only about 600 on Earth. And
400 of those are in Yellowstone.

A geyser is like a rock “pipe” that goes deep into the Earth. The pipe stretches down to
a reservoir that holds hot ground water. As the heat builds up, the water turns to steam.
It needs to escape, just as steam does from a tea kettle. As soon as there is enough
steam, it shoots up the tube and spurts into the air like a fountain.

Some geysers explode every couple of days. Others do so after years. They cannot be
predicted. However, one Yellowstone geyser, Old Faithful, erupts every 77 minutes.
It has done so for hundreds of years. Each time it shoots water into the sky for 3 to 5
minutes.

Geysers aren’t the only things that lie above hot spots. Hot springs do, too. There are
places in Japan and Iceland where people can soak in a natural “hot tub” year round.
The people do not get burned because the hot water mixes with cooler water near the
ground’s surface. In a few places the water mixes with
dirt to form hot mud baths. Some people think that
soaking in hot mud cures illnesses.

The world’s most talked about hot spots are volcanoes.

Many volcanoes erupt each day. But no one sees them.
They are on the sea floor. Surtsey, the world’s newest
island, started as an undersea volcano. The volcano
spilled lava on the sea floor. The lava cooled. It formed
rock. Over a long time the lava built up. It grew into a
mountain. When it broke the sea’s surface, it became an
island. All of the Hawaiian Islands formed this way.

Old Faithful
#8373 Document-Based Questions 88 ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.
 Did You Know?

Earth’s Hot Spots

©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 89 #8373 Document-Based Questions

Did You Know?

Earth’s Hot Spots

1. Which one always lies above one of Earth’s hot spots?
a. a mud bath b. an island c. a river
2. How are geysers and volcanoes alike?
a. Both send out lava.
b. Both erupt from heat that comes from below the ground.
c. Both cause hot springs to form nearby.
3. A geyser erupting looks most like
a. a whistling tea kettle. c. a tall fountain.
b. steam rising from a hot spring.
4. Most geysers do not erupt on a regular schedule. True or False? Explain.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
5. Look at the geyser diagram. Starting at the bottom, describe the layers beneath this
hot spot in Earth’s crust.
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6. Which type of hot spot do you think is the most interesting? Why?
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#8373 Document-Based Questions 90 ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

 Did You Know?

Big Blast in Siberia

Did you know that no one knows what caused the largest natural blast on Earth? It
happened on June 30, 1908. The place was Tunguska, Siberia. This part of Russia is
quite cold. Few people live there. No one is sure just what occurred. But all agree that
it was good that it happened where it did. In other places it would have caused great
loss of life. And no buildings would have been left intact.
The blast’s power was shocking. It knocked down people, cows, and horses over 400
miles away! It flattened and burned everything within 24 miles of its center. Not one
tree or building remained standing. Trees lay on the ground around a center point. They
looked like spokes on a bike wheel.
Some people said that they saw a thing fall from the sky. This was a few seconds before
the blast. Then there was such a bright light that they had to shield their eyes. For two
months after the blast, people saw odd-colored sunsets. Streaks of green and bright
yellow filled the sky all over Europe. And the nights never got dark. People could read
outside at midnight!
Scientists have some ideas about what happened. But they cannot prove them. High
radiation levels were measured at the site. This lasted for many years. It was an atomic
explosion. Yet it occurred 36 years before humans made the first atom bomb. And it
was more destructive than that first atom bomb. Small crystals found in asteroids have
been found at the site, too. The most likely answer is that an asteroid blew up when it
entered Earth’s atmosphere. That would cause a natural atomic explosion. And it would
explain why there’s no crater (big hole in the ground).
Researchers say that the object weighed 10,000 tons. But we may never know for sure
what it was.

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Did You Know?

Big Blast in Siberia

This is a Native American’s eyewitness account. Chuchan of the Shanyagir tribe was
dozens of miles from the Siberian blast and survived to tell about it. In 1926, Chuchan
told his story to I. M. Suslov, who wrote it down:

“We had a hut by the river with my brother Chekaren. We were sleeping. Suddenly we
both woke up at the same time . . . We heard whistling and felt strong wind. Chekaren
said, “Can you hear all those birds flying overhead?” We were both in the hut, couldn’t
see what was going on outside.
Suddenly, I got shoved . . . . so hard I fell into the fire. I got scared. Chekaren got
scared, too. We started crying out for father, mother, brother. But no one answered.
There was noise beyond the hut. We could hear trees falling down. Me and Chekaren got
out of our sleeping bags and wanted to run out, but then the thunder struck. This was
the first thunder. The Earth began to move and rock. Wind hit our hut and knocked it
over. My body was pushed down by sticks, but my head was in the clear.
Then I saw a wonder: Trees were falling, their branches were on fire. It became mighty
bright, how can I say this, as if there was a second sun. My eyes were hurting. I even
closed them. It was like what the Russians call lightning. And immediately there was a
loud thunderclap. This was the second thunder. The morning was sunny. There were no
clouds. Our sun was shining brightly as usual, and suddenly there came a second one!
Me and Chekaren had some difficulty getting from under the remains of our hut. Then
we saw that above, but in a different place, there was another flash, and loud thunder
came. This was the third thunder strike. Wind came again, knocked us off our feet,
struck against the fallen trees.
We looked at the fallen trees, watched the treetops get snapped off, watched the fires.
Suddenly Chekaren yelled, “Look up!” and pointed with his hand. I looked there and saw
another flash, and it made another thunder. But the noise was less than before. This
was the fourth strike, like normal thunder.
Now I remember well there was also one more thunder strike. But it was small, and
somewhere far away, where the sun goes to sleep.”

#8373 Document-Based Questions 92 ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

 Did You Know?

Big Blast in Siberia

1. The big blast in Siberia in 1907 was probably caused by an
a. atomic bomb. b. asteroid. c. earthquake.
2. The big blast occurred in a
a. city. b. suburb. c. place where few people lived.
3. The Siberian explosion caused changes that people could see in the
a. sky. b. oceans. c. Himalayan mountains.

4. Chekaren pushed Chuchan into the fire. True or False? Explain.

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

5. How many thunder strikes did Chuchan hear? Were they caused by a
thunderstorm? How do you know?

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

6. Which is more important in determining what caused the blast: eyewitness

accounts or scientific observations (like the level of radiation at the site)? Why?

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

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©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 93 #8373 Document-Based Questions

Did You Know?

The Story of the Brooklyn Bridge

Did you know that there is an amazing story behind the famous Brooklyn Bridge?
The man who came up with the idea for the bridge died before he could start building
it. Twenty workers died making it. And the builders’ leader got so sick that he never
recovered! His wife became the first female construction foreman in America.
The Brooklyn Bridge joins the island of Brooklyn to the main part of New York City. It
has two large stone towers. They stand on solid rock under the East River. Big cables
are hooked onto these towers. These cables hold up the road. The road actually hangs
in midair!
In 1869, John Roebling went to the river. He wanted to find the best spot for the
bridge. While he was on a dock, a boat crushed his foot against the edge. His wound
got infected. He died a few weeks later. His son, Washington, said he would build the
bridge. But after working on the bridge’s foundation, he got very sick. He had worked
in a compression chamber under the water. The chamber was like a huge box. It was
sunk into the river. Air was pumped into the box to keep it dry. Men worked inside
the box to lay the bridge’s foundation. But working inside the chamber was dangerous.
Several men became invalids. And Roebling got so ill that he never went back again.
Instead he watched the work from his bedroom window.
He sent his wife, Emily Roebling, to lead the workers. Back then women did not work
on building projects. So no woman had ever been in charge! At first the men did not
want to listen to her. But over time they began to respect her. She brought directions
from Roebling every day. On his worst days he could not speak. Then he tapped the
message into her hand.
In May 1883 the Brooklyn Bridge
opened. At that time it was the
longest suspension bridge in the
world. There was a big party.
Roebling had had the workers
make the bridge very strong.
It’s a good thing, too. Today the
bridge carries many more cars
than anyone could imagine back
then. People cross it on foot.
They walk on a raised platform Courtesy of the Library of Congress, “New York City:
above the traffic. Brooklyn Bridge from Brooklyn view,” LC-USZ62-79048

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 Did You Know?

The Story of the Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge and the Towns’ Wedding
Let all of the bells ring clear!
Let all of the flags be seen!
The King of the Western Hemisphere1
Has married the Island Queen.2
For many a day he waited
By the shining river’s side,
Certain the island was fated
To be his own true bride.
People were always dashing
From him to his adored.
But the river lay flashing
Between them, like a sword.
In heart they were well mated.
And patiently and long
They for each other waited.
These lovers true and strong.
Now let no flag be hidden!
And let no bell be dumb!3
The guests have all been bidden.4
The wedding now has come.
Through many a golden year
Shall shine this silvery tie.
The wondering world will gather here
To gaze with gleaming eye.
And praise 1883, the year
When in May, a month so green,
The King of the Western Hemisphere
Was wed to the Island Queen.
1
New York City 2
town of Brooklyn 3
silent 4
invited
An adaptation of The Wedding of the Towns by Will Carleton first published in The Independent on
Thursday, May 24, 1883, Vol. XXXV, No. 1799.
©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 95 #8373 Document-Based Questions
Did You Know?

The Story of the Brooklyn Bridge

1. In the late 1800s where was the world’s longest suspension bridge built?
a. in Washington b. in Roebling c. in New York City
2. What happened last?
a. John Roebling worked on the project.
b. Emily Roebling worked on the project.
c. Washington Roebling worked on the project.
3. Why was the Brooklyn Bridge so important in 1883?
a. It showed that suspension bridges could span wide rivers.
b. It was beautiful.
c. It proved that Americans could build bridges.
4. Read the poem. Before the “wedding,” people used horses and carriages to dash
between the “King” and his adored “Queen.” True or False? Explain.
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5. Read the poem. Who is the Island Queen? Who is the King of the Western
Hemisphere? What is the silvery tie that joins the two?
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6. Do you think that bridge construction workers today would accept Emily Roebling
as their leader? Why or why not?
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 Did You Know?

Libraries Make the World

a Smarter Place
Do you like going to your school or public library? You know that you can take out
books and other things. It’s free. You only have to pay if you lose an item or bring it
back late. Public libraries have made knowledge available to all people.

It wasn’t always this way. Years ago, just the rich had libraries. They had rooms in their
homes that held thousands of books. But they only lent them to friends. A few towns
had libraries. But a person had to pay to borrow the books. Colleges had libraries, too.
But just their students could use them.

Andrew Carnegie was a very rich man. He said that each person could improve by
learning. He wanted anyone to be able to use a library. So in 1919 he gave the funds to
build 1,700 public libraries. They went up all over the United States.

Each library must keep track of what it owns. When a new book comes in, a worker
stamps the library’s name inside it. The book’s title, author, and price are put in the
accession record. This is a list of each item the library has ever had. So a book entered
today may have a big number. The worker often writes the book’s accession number on
its title page.
Next the book’s information is put into
a card catalog. This is usually stored
on computer. A bar code is glued inside
the book. A sticker with the book’s
location gets glued on the book’s spine.
If it is a nonfiction (true) book, it gets
a Dewey Decimal number. It tells
where the book should go on a shelf.
For example, books with the Dewey
Decimal number 636 are about pets.

Sometimes a plastic jacket gets taped to

the book. This protects the cover. At
last the book is put on a shelf. Now it’s
ready for you to check out! Courtesy of the Library of Congress,
“Library of Congress,” LC-D43-T01-15061
©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 97 #8373 Document-Based Questions
Did You Know?

Libraries Make the World

a Smarter Place
The Dewey Decimal System is how most public libraries shelve their nonfiction (true)
books. Using decimals allows an endless amount of books to be numbered. That’s a
good thing. New books are published every day.

Numbers Called Examples

030 Encyclopedias
000–099 Generalities 060 Museums
070 Journalism and Publishing
133.1 Ghosts
100–199 Philosophy and Psychology 150 Self-help
160 Logic
200–299 Religion 220 Bible
292 Myths
340 Law
300–399 Social Sciences 392.5 Weddings
398 Folk and Fairy Tales
413 Dictionaries
400–499 Languages 419 Sign Language
460 Spanish
551.5 Weather
500–599 Natural Sciences and Math 552 Rocks and Minerals
598 Birds
610 Medicine
600–699 Technology (Applied Sciences) 629.1 Airplanes
641.5 Cooking
740 Drawing
700–799 The Arts and Sports 769 Stamp Collecting
796.332 Football
811 Poetry
800–899 Literature 812 Plays
840 French Literature
912 Maps and Atlases
900–999 Geography and History 932 Ancient Rome
973.7 The American Civil War

#8373 Document-Based Questions 98 ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

 Did You Know?

Libraries Make the World

a Smarter Place
1. Some of the U.S. public libraries were built with money given by
a. a foreign government. b. Melvil Dewey. c. Andrew Carnegie.
2. A Dewey Decimal number tells library workers
a. where to find a book in the library. c. if they can afford to buy a book.
b. the date a book was published.
3. If people do not have a chance to read books, they may
a. get sick. b. find a better job. c. not get to learn new things.
4. A card catalog contains information about all of the books that a library owns. True
or False? Explain.____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
5. Look at the chart. Under what Dewey Decimal number would you look to find
books about different types of birds? Where would you look to find books about
how to play football? Where would you look to find an atlas?
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6. Do you prefer reading fiction books or nonfiction (true) books? Why?
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©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 99 #8373 Document-Based Questions
Did You Know?

Lightships
Did you know that the U.S. Coast Guard used lightships from 1821 to 1983? These
ships were like moveable lighthouses. They were used where a lighthouse could not be
built. They would anchor in a place with an underwater hazard. It might be a sandbar
or rocks. A lightship might also mark the entry to harbors, rivers, and bays. Each ship
had a bright light. It also had a loud foghorn. During fog, the constant noise from it
blasted the sailors who lived on board.

The men who served on lightships spent 30 days at sea. Then they had 10 days of shore
leave. Their life was unusual. Most of the time it was dull. They read or played cards.
But at other times being on a lightship was scary. They had to ride out hurricanes and
other bad storms. They could not move to safety. They had to stay in place to warn
others. In November 1913, Lightship 82 sprang a leak during a big storm on Lake Erie.
It sank. All the men aboard died. Over the years a total of 12 lightships sank, and 150
were seriously damaged in storms or accidents.

In 1920, lightships started sending out radio signals. They were meant to guide other
ships. But sometimes they led ships right to the lightships. The other ships ran into
them! The Olympia was as big as the Titanic. In 1934 the Olympia hit Lightship 117.
This happened in dense fog off Cape Cod. The lightship was cut in half. Seven of its
11 sailors died.
Lightships are no longer used.
Lighted buoys have taken
their place. Now ships have a
better idea of where they are
at all times. They use global
positioning systems (GPS).
With GPS, a ship knows its
exact location. And each
ship’s captain gets up-to-date
information on underwater
hazards by computer or radio.

Courtesy of the Library of Congress,

“Light Ship,” LC-DIG-ggbain-04043

#8373 Document-Based Questions 100 ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

 Did You Know?

Lightships
On June 24, 1960, the SS Green Bay struck the U.S. Coast Guard Lightship Relief. This
is a letter from a sailor aboard the Relief:

Dear Mom and Dad and all, June 25, 1960

I wanted to give you more details about the collision we suffered
yesterday. About 4:10 in the morning we were in dense fog. Suddenly
the freighter SS Green Bay struck us with such force that we all fell to
the deck. Those sleeping were thrown from their bunks.
1
We had a starboard hole 12 feet long and 2 feet wide. We had no
time to send an SOS or to save anything, even the logbook. Captain
Tamalonis told us to abandon ship. Our motor lifeboat had been ripped
away in the crash. Bobbie launched the self-inflating rubber life raft.
The men who’d been asleep rushed to get their pants and wallets.
Bobbie put the ladder over the side, and I climbed down into the raft.
The rest of the crew followed me. The Relief was already so low in the
water that the Captain just stepped from the deck onto our raft! We
paddled away as fast as we could. We feared that when the Relief
went under, she’d take us down with her undertow. If she rolled over,
her masts or rigging could hit us.
At 4:21 a.m. the Relief sank beneath the waves. She went stern first. It
was hard to believe that so few minutes had passed since the Green Bay
rammed her. All nine of us sat in silence. We all worried what would
happen next since we were drifting in heavy fog in the Atlantic’s
busiest shipping lane. We heard the Green Bay drop anchor. But
we couldn’t see her through the fog. Her crew shouted to us. They
sounded their horn and bell. We fired flares and yelled. We tried
to paddle towards the freighter’s sounds. But it was hard to get our
bearings, as sound is dampened in fog. We just could not find the ship.
After about an hour in the lifeboat, a huge ocean liner appeared and
almost ran us down. It was the Queen Elizabeth! She came so close we
felt sure we were goners. Captain Tamalonis fired 30 flares. We blew
whistles and shouted until we were hoarse. We read her name as she
slowly moved by. Our life raft rocked wildly in her wake.
At last, around 5:30 a.m., a motor lifeboat from the Green Bay found
us. What a welcome sight! It towed us over to the Green Bay. The
freighter had not sustained much damage. About an hour later, a U.S.
Coast Guard Harbor Entrance Patrol Boat arrived and took us back to
the St. George U.S. Coast Guard Base. I was glad to step ashore.
I miss you all. Don’t worry about me. The worst is past!
William

1
the right side of the ship when one is facing it head on
©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 101 #8373 Document-Based Questions
Did You Know?

Lightships
1. When did the U.S. Coast Guard lightships begin using radio signals?
a. 1913 b. 1920 c. 1934
2. What has replaced lightships?
a. lighted buoys and GPS. c. two-way radios.
b. automated lighthouses.
3. What was one of the worst hazards faced by lightships and their crews?
a. ice cold water b. thunder c. thick fog
4. When a storm was coming, lightships could not seek a safe harbor. True or False?
Explain.
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____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
5. Read William’s letter. How much time passed between when the Green Bay struck
the Relief and when the lightship sank? What actions did the Relief’s crew take to
try to reach the Green Bay?
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____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
6. Do you think that the crew of the Queen Elizabeth saw the men in the Relief’s life
raft? Tell why.
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#8373 Document-Based Questions 102 ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.
 Did You Know?

Mount Rushmore
Did you know that there is a cliff in South Dakota with four men’s heads carved into
it? It is the world’s biggest sculpture. Its name is Mount Rushmore. It took workers 14
years to form the heads. Each one is 60 feet tall! They had to drill, chip, and blast to
shape the rock into faces. The rocks they knocked away lie in a big pile far below the
heads. The work was hard. But the men wore ropes to stay safe.
The heads show George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and
Abraham Lincoln. Each man was a U.S. president. Mount Rushmore honors these
leaders. Why? Each one did something important for America.
George Washington led the Revolutionary War. After it, the nation was free to make its
own laws. Then he led America as its first president.
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. It told Great Britain that
Americans would rule themselves. Later he was chosen to be the third president. He
bought a big piece of land. It lay west of the Mississippi River. It doubled the size of
the nation.
In the 1860s the states in the south tried to break away from the United States. They
wanted to form their own nation. Abraham Lincoln wanted to keep the nation united. It
caused a war, but America stayed united. Lincoln also set all slaves free in 1863. He
said that one person could not own another.
Theodore Roosevelt started building the Panama Canal. This let ships go between the
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. People and things could move faster than ever before. He
set aside parts of America as national parks, too. This way anyone could enjoy them. If
he had not done this, a rich person could have bought the Grand Canyon! Then other
people could not have gone there. Mount Rushmore is one of these national parks.

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Did You Know?

Mount Rushmore
Frequently Asked Questions About
Mount Rushmore
1. Who created the sculpture?
Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers.
2. What did the sculpture cost?
$989,992.32.
3. How long did it take to build?
14 years (October 4, 1927–October 31,1941)
4. Are the faces eroding?
No. The rock is hard. The erosion rate is one inch every
10,000 years.
5. Who is the mountain named after?
Charles E. Rushmore, a New York City lawyer, who was in
South Dakota on business in 1885.
6. Were there any deaths during the carving?
No.

Ownership
Information presented on this website, unless otherwise indicated, is considered in the public domain.
It may be distributed or copied as is permitted by the law.
Mount Rushmore National Park Service web site, http://www.nps.gov/disclaimer.htm

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 Did You Know?

Mount Rushmore
1. Mount Rushmore is a cliff in
a. Panama. b. Mississippi. c. South Dakota.
2. Theodore Roosevelt is famous because he
a. wrote the Declaration of Independence. c. freed the slaves.
b. started the national park system.
3. Why aren’t the heads placed in order of the men’s presidencies?
a. Each head was placed where the rock could be most easily shaped into that
person’s face.
b. No one knew the order in which the men had served as U.S. presidents.
c. The job was done before the sculptor realized that heads weren’t in the right order.
4. Mount Rushmore is named after a famous U.S. president. True or False? Explain.
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5. Will the faces wear away from weathering during your lifetime? Explain.
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____________________________________________________________________
6. Would you like to go see Mount Rushmore? Why or why not?
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____________________________________________________________________
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©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 105 #8373 Document-Based Questions
 Answer Key
Page 12 platypuses because they became endangered when
1. a 2. c 3. c hunting was allowed. It’s a good thing that they
4. False. An emperor penguin eats more fish than any are now protected. OR No, I disagree with the law
other food. In fact, 95 of every 100 meals it eats is that says no one can hunt platypuses because if their
fish. Just two out of every 100 meals are krill. numbers are not kept under control, there may get to
5. The Emperor penguins would have to find more fish be too many of them. Then some would starve. This
and krill to eat if all of the squid in their area died. has happened with deer (woodchucks, armadillos,
Fewer penguins might survive because there would be Canadian geese, etc.) when hunting was stopped.
less food for them. But since just three out of every Page 21
100 meals are squid, it probably wouldn’t hurt the 1. c 2. a 3. b
penguin population too badly. 4. True. Kelp provides algin. This thickening agent is
6. Yes, it’s good that the emperor penguins have just one used in tires, ice cream, and other products.
baby each year because there is only room for one in 5. Kelp forests do not grow along the coast of Europe.
the broodpouch. And the parents only have to come This is because the growing conditions are not right
up with enough food to keep one baby alive. OR No, for it there. Kelp plants need shallow, clear seawater.
it’s not good that the emperor penguins have just one They need rocky coasts, and the water must be the
baby each year because this means that they reproduce right temperature. (any three conditions)
slowly. The fewer penguins that are born, the fewer 6. Yes, methane made from kelp will someday replace
that survive. This might be bad for the species’ gasoline because we are running out of gas and its
survival. cost is rising. This means that people will be willing
Page 15 to use methane instead, especially if it is cheaper. OR
1. a 2. c 3. a No, methane made from kelp will not replace gasoline
4. True. The Venus flytrap has traps that close tightly and because enough kelp cannot be grown fast enough to
form a seal to keep out germs and mold. OR True. If meet the world’s demands for a gasoline substitute.
one of the traps gets infected, it will fall off the plant. People would destroy the wild kelp forests rapidly,
This keeps the disease from spreading. which would mess up the environment. Kelp may
5. In step one, the trap is ready to catch a bug. In step eventually provide some methane, but not all of it.
four the trap has just finished eating a bug. It must Page 24
wait for rain or wind to wash the remains away before 1. b 2. a 3. c
it can trap another one. 4. True. Cheetahs do not attack humans. Ancient royalty
6. Yes, I’d like to have a Venus flytrap as a house plant kept these big cats as pets.
because I think it is an interesting plant; pretty; 5. Cheetahs used to live in Asia and Africa. Now they
unusual; I would like to see it trap and eat a bug; it just live in Africa.
would help get rid of the mosquitoes that get into our 6. Yes, it is good that a law now prevents cheetahs from
house; etc. OR No, I wouldn’t want to have a Venus being pets because there are too few cheetahs already.
flytrap as a house plant because there aren’t enough If people could keep them as pets, they would be
bugs in my house to keep it alive, so I’d have to bring taken from the wild because they don’t like to breed
it food; the fact that it eats bugs is gross; I don’t like in captivity. After a while there would be no more
house plants; I think they belong in the wild, etc. wild cheetahs. Also, most people don’t have the place
Page 18 or knowledge to keep such a big cat. OR No, it is
1. a 2. c 3. b bad that a law now prevents cheetahs from being pets
4. False. It takes less than two weeks for platypus eggs because if they were allowed to be pets people would
to hatch. OR False. It takes just 10 days for platypus care more about the fact that they are endangered.
eggs to hatch. Also, making it illegal means that people who want a
5. A platypus first looks for a mate when it is 2 years old. pet cheetah bad enough will use illegal methods to
get one.
6. Yes, I agree with the law that says no one can hunt
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 Answer Key (cont.)

Page 27 5. Amundsen sailed through the Bering Strait as part of

1. a 2. b 3. a the Northwest Passage. It separates Siberia (Russia)
4. False. The part of the cashew plant that is poisonous is from Alaska (the United States). (Allow the specific
the oil around the nut. The fruit and the nut itself are names or nation names.)
both good to eat. 6. Yes, Amundsen should have received a cash prize
5. It is more dangerous to breathe the smoke of burning for finding the Northwest Passage because it was a
poison ivy because it can give a person poison ivy of major achievement that many men before him had
the lungs. This is so serious that it takes six weeks in tried and failed. And winning money would have
a hospital to cure. Breathing the smoke of the roasting helped him to pay for the costs of the trip (supplies,
cashews will only cause eye and skin irritation. crew’s pay, etc.). OR No, Amundsen shouldn’t have
6. Yes, plants like rhododendrons should be planted in received a cash prize for finding the Northwest Passage
public parks because they are beautiful. People may because he didn’t go there expecting to be paid. He
not have a yard or have room for them in their yard, so was an explorer who wanted to see if he could find
the only place where they will see such plants is in a the passage. Also, the Passage did not turn out to be
public park. It’s not very dangerous because it’s rare useful, so it wasn’t as if the discovery changed the
to hear of someone poisoned by eating a public park world or made things better.
plant. OR No, plants like rhododendrons should not Page 36
be planted in public parks because they are poisonous. 1. c 2. a 3. b
Most people do not know which plants are poisonous 4. False. The original race was run during January and
and which ones aren’t. People take their children and the annual race is now held in March.
dogs to public parks to walk around and play. If a pet 5. The dog sled teams had to cross the frozen water of the
or a child were to eat a part of the rhododendron, they Yukon River and Norton Sound.
might become so ill that they would have to go to the 6. I would prefer to be a musher at this year’s Iditarod
hospital. And the parent might not even realize what because I love dogs and would enjoy racing them; I
caused the problem, which would make it harder for like the winter; I enjoy competitions/races, etc. OR I
the doctor to figure out how to cure. would prefer to be a spectator at this year’s Iditarod
Page 30 because I am afraid of dogs; I don’t like the cold; I
1. a 2. b 3. b don’t enjoy competitions/races; it’s dangerous; it would
4. True. In 1866, Nellie lived in Mexico and wrote for take too long to learn how to get a dog sled team to
the Pittsburgh Dispatch, and in 1914 she went to work together, etc.
Austria to write about World War I. Page 39
5. In 1887 Nellie went undercover in an insane asylum.
1. c 2. c 3. b
Nellie went undercover in an employment agency,
4. True. Twenty zoo animals died from the cold. And the
a box-making factory, and a chorus line in 1888.
snow drifted along the reindeer’s fence. Three were
(Accept any two dates and events.)
able to step right over the fence and walk away from
6. Yes, I would enjoy being a newspaper reporter because
the zoo. (Give credit for either answer.)
I like to write; it would give me a chance to travel; I
5. It took the whole month of February (28 days) to
enjoy reading and watching the news, etc. OR No, I
remove all the snow from the city of Buffalo.
would not enjoy being a newspaper reporter because I
6. Yes, Larry Ramunno and his officers should have
don’t like writing; I would not like to travel; sometimes
received the Carnegie Medal for Bravery because they
they are in danger; I don’t like reading or watching the
risked their lives during a bad blizzard to save others.
news, etc. (Allow reasonable responses.)
These men bravely faced the risk of frostbite and
Page 33 freezing to death. The people on the bridge probably
1. a 2. c 3. b would not have survived if the police hadn’t come to
4. True. Ice blocked it so much of the time that very few their aid. OR No, Larry Ramunno and his officers
ships used it. OR False. Only once the passage had should not have received the Carnegie Medal for Bravery
been found could people be sure that it was too hard to because what they did was not dangerous enough. The
use as a sea route. men had on snowsuits to protect them from the cold,
©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 107 #8373 Document-Based Questions
 Answer Key (cont.)

and they were tied together with ropes so that they is the location. The location is sent to a GPS receiver.
wouldn’t blow off the edge. If they had deserved the When a person looks at the GPS receiver, he or she
Medals, they would have gotten them. knows the location.
6. Yes, I would like to work in a coal mine. It sounds
Page 42 like an interesting job; my relative is a coal miner; it’s
1. b 2. a 3. b one of the jobs available in our area; I wouldn’t have
4. False. The world’s tallest mountain lies on the to get a college degree to work there, etc. OR No, I
continent of Asia. It is Mount Everest. OR False. would not like to work in a coal mine. It sounds scary
The world’s second tallest mountain lies on the and dangerous; the space in which the men had to work
continent of South America. It is Aconcagua. was small, and I don’t like small spaces; I would hate
5. Of the world’s tallest mountains, the continent of being underground instead of out where I could see the
Australia has the shortest one. It is Mount Kosciuszko, sun and weather, etc.
and it is 7,310 feet tall. Mount Cook is 12,315 feet
Page 51
high, so it is taller.
6. Yes, I would like to climb mountains because it sounds 1. a 2. c 3. b
exciting/fun/interesting; I enjoy sports and hiking and I 4. False. Even people thousands of miles away heard the
think it would be enjoyable; I like to challenge myself, eruptions. Those who died probably did not know that
etc. OR No, I would not like to climb mountains a tsunami was on its way toward them or didn’t have
because it sounds difficult; it would take too much anywhere to go to get away from the giant waves.
effort; climbing mountains is dangerous—look at what 5. These are the names of villages completely destroyed
happened to Mark and Phil on Mount Cook, there by Krakatau. Anjer and Tjeringin were located on the
are many ways to die while climbing such as falling, island of Java, and Telok Betong was on Sumatra. The
getting caught in a storm, freezing to death, etc. person sending the telegram from Batavia would be
reporting about nearby places.
Page 45
6. Yes, people should be allowed to live in areas with
1. c 2. a 3. c
active volcanoes. After all, there are natural dangers
4. False. The monster wave occurred in the Southern
in many settings. People are not told they can’t live
Ocean. It surrounds the continent of Antarctica. OR
where there are numerous earthquakes, hurricanes, or
False. The monster wave occurred in the Southern
tornadoes. Scientists now watch many volcanoes, and
Ocean. The Pacific and Indian Oceans surround the
they may be able to give the people enough warning to
continent of Australia.
escape. OR No, people should not be allowed to live
5. There is a mesh filter inside the desalination pump. It
in areas with active volcanoes. Nothing on Earth can
traps the salt particles. Just the water comes out of the
stop a volcano from erupting, and when it does it will
other side of the filter.
at the very least destroy people’s property if not their
6. Yes, a desalination pump should be required on every
lives. By living near active volcanoes, people know
ocean-going ship and boat. That way if something
that they are putting themselves in danger. Then when
goes wrong and the people get stuck at sea, they won’t
the disaster comes, firefighters and rescue workers
run out of water to drink. OR No, a desalination pump
must risk their lives to save them!
should not be required on every ocean-going ship and
Page 54
boat. Large ships can carry all the fresh water they
need. And if a boat sank, the person probably wouldn’t 1. b 2. c 3. b
have time to save the desalination pump anyway. 4. True. Two flags were posted to tell people of a coming
Page 48 hurricane and its direction. OR True. Two forecasters
rode horses around the island telling the people to flee.
1. b 2. c 3. c
4. True. While they were trying to drill a hole for the 5. Debris/wreckage, 200 dead bodies/corpses, and a large
rescue cage, the drill bit broke. They had to start a new steamship stranded on land could be seen from the
hole. It took many hours to fix this problem. train. (Any two)
5. Three GPS satellite signals are needed to find a spot 6. Yes, it’s wise for people to live in Galveston. It is a
on Earth’s surface. The place where they all intersect city, and many people make their homes there. Since

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 Answer Key (cont.)

they added the seawall, the island has never again 6. Yes, I think it is fair because it’s the resort’s policy. It
been destroyed by a hurricane. OR No, it’s not wise is clearly stated and was put in place to save lives. If
for people to live in Galveston. It is still just a sandbar the person doesn’t want to wear the rescue beacon,
and even though it has a good seawall, it can be broken then that person should go to another ski resort that
by a bad enough storm. It’s just a matter doesn’t require one. OR No, I do not think it is fair
of time before another giant hurricane strikes and because the person has paid for the lift ticket. If people
wrecks the island again. After all, New Orleans was want to risk their lives by not wearing rescue beacons,
protected by a seawall, and it was still destroyed by then they should have that choice.
Hurricane Katrina. Page 63
Page 57 1. b 2. a 3. c
1. a 2. b 3. a 4. True. The flood occurred on July 31, 1976, and the
4. True. Trees provide a windbreak. They slow down the plaque states that it was dedicated on July 31, 1978.
wind. Less wind means that less dirt gets caught up That’s two years to the day.
into the air. In fact, trees were so important that 18,500 5. The police officers were named W. Hugh Purdy and
miles of them were planted to restore the Dust Bowl. Michel O. Conley. Their names are shown on a plaque
5. The look on the farmer’s face is one of that honors them for trying to save others during the
discouragement, unhappiness, sadness, sorrow, despair, flash flood.
depression, hopelessness. He looks that way because 6. Yes, the officers that warned the people should have
he has lived in the Dust Bowl for years. His farm has forced them to leave the gorge. By letting them stay,
been ruined. (Allow any of the adjectives given or they created an emergency situation in which people
their synonyms.) and rescue workers died. I bet in the future when they
6. Yes, the U.S. government acted quickly enough to suspect a flash flood is coming, they will force the
help farmers in the Dust Bowl. The people in the people in the gorge to leave it. OR No, the officers
government had no idea that the drought would be who warned the people did the right thing by not
so bad or last so long (seven years). As soon as it forcing them to leave the gorge. The officers were not
became clear that the situation was an emergency, the certain that a disaster was about to happen. And people
Resettlement Administration was formed. OR No, in America have freedom of choice, even though that
the U.S. government did not act quickly enough to means that sometimes they make bad decisions.
help farmers in the Dust Bowl. The drought started Page 66
in 1931 and the Resettlement Administration began 1. b 2. b 3. c
in 1935. Four years is too long for crops to fail! The 4. False. Scientists have several theories, but no one
government should have started helping out one year knows for sure. OR False. Scientists say that a
after the drought began. By then it should have been landslide or a slight volcanic eruption may have
obvious that the situation was serious. caused it.
Page 60 5. The names of the three lakes that have a carbon dioxide
1. c 2. c 3. a problem are Lake Nyos, Lake Monoun, and Lake Kivu.
4. True. Most people survived the earthquake. An CO2 stands for carbon dioxide.
avalanche triggered by an earthquake caused the 6. Yes, the people living near Lake Nyos today are
terrible damage done to Yungay. OR False. In safe because now a fountain brings up a little carbon
Yungay streets cracked and buildings fell down during dioxide all the time so that a big bubble cannot form in
the earthquake. the lake’s depths. OR No, the people living near Lake
5. No. The advice given is for people on a mountain Nyos today are not safe because no one knows what
during a snow slide. The people of Yungay were caused the first disaster. Perhaps the volcano under the
not skiing or snowboarding and did not have rescue lake will erupt. That could put them in danger. If there
beacons. The avalanche in Peru was not a typical were another huge landslide, it could force the lake’s
one. The people were in the valley and their slide water over its banks and flood the towns. The people
contained boulders, water, mud, and trees as well as are safer than before because of the fountain, but they
snow and ice. are not completely safe.
©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 109 #8373 Document-Based Questions
 Answer Key (cont.)

Page 69 Web. The Worldwide Web may reduce the number of

1. a 2. b 3. c books that are published, but it will not end the book
4. False. I should not be using matches or fireworks if publishing industry.
an adult is not present. Both flames and fireworks can Page 75
be dangerous. Gunpowder can explode from a small 1. c 2. c 3. a
spark. If it happened while I was close to it or holding 4. False. In order to save his life, Galileo had to say that
it, I could be hurt. he had lied about the sun and planets in his book. If
5. Two uses for fireworks include celebrating, marking he had not said that he lied, he would have been put to
the scene of an accident, and notifying a train engineer death by the Church.
that she or he must stop immediately. For celebrating, 5. The planet closest to the sun is Mercury. The fourth
people set off fireworks as part of a festival because planet from the sun is Mars.
they are pretty. Flares are a type of red fireworks. 6. Yes, Galileo should receive credit for inventing the
They are set up to keep people from driving into a telescope because he made the first useful one. It
dangerous area. Railroad torpedoes are also fireworks. magnified things 32 times because he used curved
They blow up as a train runs over them to tell the lenses. The first telescope ever made was very crude
engineer to stop the train. (Accept any two that include and Galileo had to improve it in order to use it to
a description.) study the sky. OR No, Galileo did not create the first
6. Yes, people should be allowed to own guns because telescope; a Dutch person invented it. Galileo made
most people use guns responsibly. And if guns are the first useful telescope with curved glass lenses, but
outlawed, only the criminals will have them! Now he did not come up with the idea for the invention. He
if someone breaks into your home, he or she doesn’t just figured out how to improve it.
know if you have a gun or not. OR No, people should
not be allowed to own guns because many people die Page 78
in gun accidents and when someone loses his temper. 1. b 2. c 3. b
If guns weren’t readily available, there would be less 4. False. Mary Anning found skeletons of Ichthyosaurus,
crime. The police and the military need guns. The rest a Plesiosaurus, and a Pterosaur. OR False. Gideon
of the people do not. Mantell (or his wife) found Iguanadon teeth and later
Page 72 bought its whole skeleton.
5. Gideon Mantell gets the credit because he wrote an
1. a 2. b 3. c
article that told others about his discovery. Mary
4. True. The article says that he borrowed money to
Anning was just a girl and did not write about her
make the press in 1448 and two years later printed his
findings.
first book.
6. Accept reasonable responses, so long as the student
5. It took six steps to print something on the Gutenberg offers a reason, such as this: I would like to see a
press. The third step was putting the galley tray into a stegosaurus because it would not eat me, and I think it
metal frame called a type form. looks neat with the rows of bony plates along its spine.
6. Yes, the Worldwide Web will bring about the end of book
publishing because it offers so much information for Page 81
free. There are online dictionaries and encyclopedias, 1. b 2. a 3. a
etc. Often the first place people turn to is the Web to 4. True. First Lister started dressing wounds with
find information on any subject. Information on the carbolic acid. Then he cured sores and skin infections
Web can be constantly updated, too. The information with it. Later he made a pump that sprayed carbolic
in books becomes dated. Eventually books will stop acid to clean the air while an operation was going on.
being made. OR No, the Worldwide Web will not 5. The best thing I can do to keep from spreading germs
bring about the end of book publishing because people is to wash my hands often. It is important for me to
like books they can hold in their hands. Many people cover every sneeze and cough so that germs won’t
don’t like reading on a screen. Some people like spread from me to another person through the air.
to write in the margins or use highlighters on their 6. Yes, I will wash my hands more often. I never realized
books, too. Also, not every person has access to the that washing my hands was the best way to keep from
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 Answer Key (cont.)

getting sick. I really hate being sick! And it’s not that plastic is the most important to recycle because so
hard to wash your hands; you just have to remember many things are made of it, and plastic can so easily be
to do it. OR No, I won’t wash my hands more often melted down and made into new things.
because I already wash my hands before eating and Page 90
after sneezing. My mom/dad/teacher taught me to 1. a 2. b 3. c
wash my hands often. Maybe since I keep my hands 4. True. Most geysers are not predictable. That’s what
so clean, it’s why I am hardly ever sick. makes the Old Faithful geyser so interesting and
Page 84 famous—it erupts about every 77 minutes.
1. a 2. a 3. c 5. At the bottom, the melted rock heats the reservoir of
4. True. Hoover states in its ad that it makes the largest- water above it. This layer has a tube that connects to a
selling electric cleaner in the world. It also says that, reservoir of boiling water and steam just below Earth’s
“Only The Hoover does these things.” Both of those crust. This top reservoir has a short tube. Steam and
statements make you realize that some other company water shoot up through it when the geyser erupts.
must be making electric cleaners. (Accept either 6. I think geysers are the most interesting hot spots
reason.) because they look beautiful when they erupt and as
5. In 1921, vacuum cleaners were called electric cleaners. long as you don’t get too close, they’re not dangerous.
Hoover called its electric cleaner The Hoover. (Accept OR I think volcanoes are the most interesting hot
either answer.) The ad says that vacuuming rugs will spots because when they erupt, they are dangerous
get buried dirt, lift crushed nap, and revive the color. It and exciting. They spew lava, ash, and hot rocks
also states that using The Hoover will protect valuable and can form new islands. OR I think hot springs
rugs from avoidable wear. (Accept either answer.) are the most interesting hot spots because even in the
6. Yes, I like to use new gadgets because they make life wintertime they let people soak in a “hot tub”; they
easier; they are fun and interesting; I like to learn are not dangerous. OR I think mud baths are the
about/use new technology, etc. OR No, I don’t like most interesting hot spots because I’ve never taken a
to use new gadgets because then I have to figure out bath in mud; people think that the mud baths can cure
how to use them; a lot of times it’s easier to just do illnesses; they are not dangerous. (Allow reasonable
something yourself rather than figure out how to make responses.)
the gadget do it; I don’t like complicated things; etc. Page 93
Page 87 1. b 2. c 3. a
1. b 2. c 3. a 4. False. Chuchan was “shoved into the fire” by the force
of the blast. Chekaren was his brother and wouldn’t
4. False. Plastics marked “1” can be used to make
push him into the fire. Chekaren was just as shocked
fabrics such as microfleece or fiber filling. OR False.
and frightened as Chuchan by what was happening.
Plastics marked “3” and “4” are mixed with plastics
5. Chuchan says that he remembers hearing a total of five
marked 5–7 and made into large plastic items such
thunder strikes. They were caused by the explosion
as pipes, lawn chairs, lumber, etc. (Allow any of the
and not by a thunderstorm. He states that the sun was
items from the last column of the chart for 3–7.)
shining and there were no clouds in the sky.
5. Three kinds of plastic marked “6” are meat trays, egg
6. I think that the eyewitness accounts are more
cartons, cups, insulation, plastic forks, spoons, knives,
important because they tell exactly what was seen
and packing “peanuts.” (Accept any three.)
and heard at the time the blast occurred. Their
6. I think that glass is the most important to recycle memories are like instruments that recorded the order
because it never rots. Once it’s thrown in a landfill, it in which things happened. OR I think that scientific
lasts forever and just takes up space. OR I think that observations are more important because there’s no
metal is the most important to recycle because so many way that you can tell it was probably an asteroid by
big things are made of it, like cars and appliances. reading the eyewitness account. Knowing about the
OR I think that paper is the most important to recycle radiation and types of crystals lets scientists draw
because it takes up more landfill space than anything realistic conclusions. OR I think that eyewitness
else, and it would save the lives of trees. OR I think
©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 111 #8373 Document-Based Questions
 Answer Key (cont.)

descriptions and scientific observations are equally that are real; it helps me to make good decisions—like
important because what information one doesn’t give when I wanted a pet, my parent made me read about
the other might. There is no physical evidence left how to take care of it so that I could be sure that I
of the blinding light or the five thunder strikes that really wanted it.
Chuchan mentions. But using his eyewitness account Page 102
in combination with the scientific evidence (fallen 1. b 2. a 3. c
trees around a central point, high radiation, crystals), 4. True. The lightships could not leave their posts no
scientists can drawn more definite conclusions. matter how bad the weather got. They had to stay in
Page 96 place to warn other ships of danger. As a result, storms
1. c 2. b 3. a sometimes damaged or sank lightships.
4. False. The river lay between the King and his adored 5. Just 10-11 minutes passed between the Green Bay
Queen. People dashed between the two using boats. striking the Relief and the lightship sinking. The
They could not use horses and carriages to cross the Relief’s crew fired flares, shouted, and tried to paddle
river until the bridge was built. toward the sounds made by the Green Bay.
5. The Island Queen is the town of Brooklyn. The King 6. Yes, the crew of the Queen Elizabeth saw the Relief’s
of the Western Hemisphere is New York City. The life raft. How could they have missed seeing 30
silvery tie joining them is the Brooklyn Bridge. flares? The crew kept the big ship from hitting the
6. Yes, bridge construction workers today would accept raft. But it takes a long time to stop a big ship, and the
Emily Roebling as their leader. People are used to captain probably felt that he would be unable to find
having women in leadership roles. And now there the survivors in the dense fog. OR No, the crew of
are women who work in construction, so the workers the Queen Elizabeth never saw the Relief’s life raft in
wouldn’t find it odd if one was in charge of the the thick fog. If they had seen it, the ship would have
project. OR No, bridge construction workers today stopped to help. Ships do not just go past life rafts
wouldn’t accept Emily Roebling as their leader. She and do nothing. It was probably just luck that kept the
was not trained or experienced in bridge construction. ocean liner from hitting the life raft.
If the head of the project got sick, today’s workers Page 105
would expect a skilled replacement instead of the 1. c 2. b 3. a
person’s wife. 4. False. Mount Rushmore is named after a New York
Page 99 City lawyer, Charles Rushmore. OR False. Mount
1. c 2. a 3. c Rushmore is not named after any president, but it has
4. True. Every new book that a library gets has its the heads of four famous U.S. presidents carved on it.
information put into the card catalog. When people 5. No, the faces will not wear away from weathering
search the card catalog, they find the title, author, during my lifetime. The erosion rate is one inch every
publication date, and other information about the book. 10,000 years. Those faces will be there for a long,
They will also discover where the book is shelved. long time!
5. I would look under 598 to find books on different types 6. Yes, I would like to go see Mount Rushmore because I
of birds. I would look under 796.332 to find books think it would be interesting to see the world’s biggest
about football. I would look under 912 to find an atlas. sculpture; I like to travel and see new things; it would
6. I prefer reading fiction books because I like stories; help me to imagine how the men made it, etc. OR No,
I can picture myself living through the events in I wouldn’t like to go see Mount Rushmore because I
the book; I can visit other places and times; it helps don’t like to travel; I am not interested in sculpture; I
me understand how others feel or how others deal think seeing it on a computer screen or photograph is
with problems like mine, etc. OR I prefer reading just as good as going there, etc.
nonfiction books because I like to learn about new
things; I like to read about places, people, and events

#8373 Document-Based Questions 112 ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc.