1. What are two central ideas of the passage "The Unsinkable Titanic"?
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10 points
The builders of the Titanic were arrogant to assume they could build an unsinkable ship, and many lives were lost as a result.
Tickets for passage on the Titanic were extremely expensive, and many people had to save their entire lives to buy a ticket.
The Titanic was more luxurious than any other ship of the time, but the Carpathia quickly took her place after the sinking.
The Titanic was the most luxurious ship of her time and considered to be unsinkable, though this was proven untrue.
2. How does the author develop the idea that the builders’ overconfidence led to hundreds of preventable deaths?
10 points
The author describes how the builders of the ship designed it to withstand many possible dangers but did not consider the possibility of an iceberg collision.
The author describes the ship’s “unsinkable” reputation, then mentions safety measures that were disregarded because people did not believe they were necessary.
he author describes the crew members’ belief that the ship would stay afloat, which caused them to delay the alarm until it was too late for many passengers to escape.
The author describes the ship’s compartmentalized hull, then explains that the ship’s builder examined the iceberg damage but refused to admit that the ship could sink.
3. Which is the BEST summary of the passage "The Unsinkable Titanic"?
10 points
The Titanic was divided into sixteen watertight compartments, and she could still float even with four of these compartments completely flooded, which earned her the nickname "Unsinkable."
The loss of the Titanic caused new regulations to be put into place to ensure the safety of future passengers and crew, such as having enough lifeboats for every person on board.
The Titanic, the most luxurious vessel of her time, struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage and sank in the North Atlantic Ocean, taking over 1,500 people with her.
The Titanic passengers were divided into first, second, and third class, each of which brought varying degrees of luxury and wealth.
4. What is the biggest mistake the crew of the Titanic made because they thought she was unsinkable?
10 points
They didn't load all of the Titanic's lifeboats to full capacity.
They did not close the watertight doors when the iceberg struck.
They did not send telegrams asking other ships to come help them.
They disregarded important telegrams warning of ice in the Titanic's path.
5. Which sentence from the passage makes the BEST connection to the idea in the following sentence from paragraph 5?
"In case of an emergency, there were also 20 lifeboats on-board, capable of holding 1,178 people total."
10 points
The two wireless operators, Jack Phillips and Harold Bride, worked hard sending and receiving messages, many warning of ice in the Titanic's path.
At 11:40 p.m., the lookouts spotted a huge iceberg right in the path of the Titanic.
Many of the first lifeboats launched with only a handful of people.
More than 1,500 people were lost in the tragedy.
6. What is the BEST definition of the word enthralled in paragraph 9?
"The Titanic was lost to history until she was discovered by Robert Ballard in 1985, which allowed a new generation to become enthralled with her story once again."
10 points
develop or present a theory, policy, or system in detail
capture the fascinated attention of
control or achieve as if by magic
be distasteful to
7. What does the phrase well-to-do in paragraph 3 tell the reader about these families?
"These 285 passengers were schoolteachers, shopkeepers, and well-to-do families."
10 points
They had aristocratic ancestors.
They had been regular travelers.
They had a moderate amount of wealth.
They had been invited to exclusive social gatherings.
8. Which BEST explains the author’s purpose in the text?
10 points
to compare the Titanic to modern-day cruise liners
to discuss the social classes of passengers on the Titanic
to describe the tragic sinking of the Titanic and its aftermath
to provide a detailed account of the Titanic's luxurious amenities
1. The two central ideas of the passage "The Unsinkable Titanic" are:
- The builders of the Titanic were arrogant to assume they could build an unsinkable ship, and many lives were lost as a result.
- The Titanic was the most luxurious ship of her time and considered to be unsinkable, though this was proven untrue.
2. The author develops the idea that the builders’ overconfidence led to hundreds of preventable deaths by describing the ship’s “unsinkable” reputation, then mentioning safety measures that were disregarded because people did not believe they were necessary.
3. The BEST summary of the passage "The Unsinkable Titanic" is: The Titanic, the most luxurious vessel of her time, struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage and sank in the North Atlantic Ocean, taking over 1,500 people with her.
4. The biggest mistake the crew of the Titanic made because they thought she was unsinkable was that they did not close the watertight doors when the iceberg struck.
5. The sentence from the passage that makes the BEST connection to the idea in the following sentence from paragraph 5 is: "At 11:40 p.m., the lookouts spotted a huge iceberg right in the path of the Titanic."
6. The BEST definition of the word "enthralled" in paragraph 9 is: capture the fascinated attention of.
7. The phrase "well-to-do" in paragraph 3 tells the reader that these families had a moderate amount of wealth.
8. The author’s purpose in the text is to describe the tragic sinking of the Titanic and its aftermath.