Beth Convertito Science Portfolio

Readworks: Everyday Compound or Poison

1. 1​. What happens when the atoms of a substance are regrouped? 

○ gold becomes malleable 
○ the atoms break apart and disappear 
○ a new substance is formed 
○ the substance stays the same 
2. 2​The creation of carbon monoxide is an effect. What is one cause? 

○ the regrouping of the atoms in table salt 
○ the burning of fossil fuels 
○ cleaning swimming pools 
○ operating a stove 
3. 3​Table salt can be separated into sodium and chlorine. Sodium is explosive. 

Chlorine is a gas that can kill people. 

4. What can be concluded from the statements above? 

○ A harmful compound can become harmless when its 
elements are separated. 

○ A harmless compound can become harmful when its 
elements are separated. 

○ Breaking a compound into its separate elements has no 
noticeable effects. 

○ Breaking a compound into its separate elements can create 
carbon dioxide. 

5. Based on the information in the passage, what is true of gases? 

○ Some, but not all, gases are harmful to humans. 
○ Any gas with carbon in it is not harmful to humans. 
○ All gases are harmful to humans. 
○ No gases are harmful to humans. 
6. What is this passage mainly about? 

○ Germany’s use of chlorine in World War I as a chemical 
weapon 

○ hydrochloric acid, aspartame, fructose, citric acid, and gelatin 
production 

○ the similarities and differences between carbon dioxide and 
carbon monoxide 

○ changes in chemical compounds and the effects of those 
changes 

7. Read the following sentences: “When the atoms of a specific substance are 

regrouped, a new substance is formed with often vastly different p​ roperties​ from 

the original substance. Occasionally something completely harmless, or even 

necessary, can become dangerous or lethal when its molecules (a grouping of 

two or more atoms) are regrouped.” 

8. What does the word ​properties ​mean above? 

○ extremely large amounts 
○ places where experiments are done 
○ qualities or characteristics 
○ elements or compounds 
9. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below. 

10. Oxygen by itself is not harmful; _______, it can become harmful when combined 

with carbon. 

○ however 
○ for instance 
○ in summary 
○ namely 
11. What is hydrochloric acid? 

12. A clear solution of hydrogen and chlorine in water.  

13. What is hydrochloric acid used for? 

14. It is mostly used for household cleaning and food processing.  
15. Should people make changes to chemical compounds? Support your answer with 

evidence from the passage. 

16. People should not make changes to chemical compounds. For example, when 

some chemical compounds are created such as carbon monoxide it can appear 

odorless, colorless, and has no taste. Therefore, humans have no way of knowing 
its there and the effects of this compound is killing people.   

Readworks: Everyday Energy 

1. A rollercoaster car at the top of the hill, an archer preparing to release an arrow, 
and a lake that sits above a dam are all examples of what kind of energy? 
○ potential energy 
○ kinetic energy 
○ gravitational energy 
○ consumption of energy 

2. What does the author describe in the passage? 
○ the history of human energy use in the United States 
○ the ways in which potential energy is converted to kinetic 
energy 
○ the best reasons to build new dams in the American 
Southwest 
○ the consequences of drought for people who rely on dams 

3. The conversion of stored potential energy into kinetic energy can also be 
harnessed to power homes, factories and entire cities. Which example from the 
text supports this conclusion? 
○ the softball pitcher 
○ the slingshotting comet 
○ the archer 
○ the Hoover Dam 

4. Which of the following conclusions is supported by the text? 

○ Nuclear power is the most efficient kind of energy for 
powering cities. 

○ Professional athletes should study the science of energy to 
play better. 

○ Dams power cities by converting stored potential energy into 
kinetic energy. 

○ Drought is a serious problem for farmers in the American 
Southwest. 

5. What is this passage mainly about? 
○ The movement of comets through our solar system. 
○ The scientific forces behind our favorite roller-coasters. 
○ The unusual properties of water molecules in rivers. 
○ The conversion of potential energy into kinetic energy. 

6. Read the following sentences: “The Arizona and Nevada spillways are two means 
by which the waters of Lake Mead can escape the dam. As the lake water 
tumbles over the walls into a s​ pillway,​ potential energy is instantly converted into 
kinetic energy.” 

7. As used in the passage, what does the word “s​ pillway​” mean? 
○ A place where water flows over the top of a dam, creating 
energy. 
○ A place where water accidentally spills, causing problems for 
engineers. 
○ A place where water flows underground, into tunnels. 
○ A place where water flows into nearby farms, watering crops. 

8. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below. 
9. “The conversion of stored potential energy into kinetic energy can be harnessed 

to power homes, factories and entire cities. __________, the Hoover Dam provides 
power to California, Nevada and Arizona. 

○ Even though 
○ Initially 
○ For instance 
○ However 
10. How does the Hoover Dam provide power to California, Nevada and Arizona? 
11. Turbines are housed within the power plant at the base of the dam. 
Electricity production occurs depending on how much water is required 
downriver from the dam and the water levels of Lake Mead. 
12. What two factors determine the energy production of the Hoover Dam? 
13. Electricity production varies annually depending on how much water is 
required downriver from the dam and the water levels of Lake Mead. 
14. Explain why the prolonged period of drought (a time where there is little rain, and 
little water flowing into rivers and lakes) would cause the Hoover Dam to 
generate much less energy since 2009. Use evidence from the text to support 
your answer. 
15. When there is a prolonged period of drought, the Hoover Dam would create 
less energy because water is the main source in order to generate energy. 
For example, "Electricity production varies annually depending on how 
much water is required downriver from the dam and the water levels of 
Lake Mead.The greatest amount of energy was produced during 1984; a 
year after floods brought the lake to its highest levels. As of 2009 the 
American Southwest has entered a prolonged period of seasonal 
droughts." So therefore, the amount of energy produced decreased due to 
the drought.  

Readworks: Could the Futuristic Travelling Tube Really
Become a Reality?

1. What is the Hyperloop? 

○ an electric car that Elon Musk is designing 
○ a private spaceship that Elon Musk is designing 
○ a traveling tube that Elon Musk is designing 
○ a bullet train that Elon Musk is designing 
2. What does this passage describe? 

○ This passage describes a traveling tube that could help people 
get around in the future. 

○ This passage describes the costs of building traveling tubes 
around the world. 

○ This passage describes the damage that cars, planes, and 
trains do to the environment. 

○ This passage describes the reasons that people are looking 
for a cheaper-than-ever way to travel. 

3. If built, the Hyperloop would be faster than any other type of transportation. 

4. What evidence from the passage supports this statement? 

○ People using the Hyperloop would travel in pods that are 
about six-and-a-half feet across. 

○ The Hyperloop is being designed to travel at twice the speed 
of an airplane. 

○ Right now people can fly, drive, or take a train to get from Los 
Angeles to San Francisco. 

○ Inventors in other countries are working on technology similar 
to the Hyperloop. 

5. Based on information in the passage, what is one reason that people might want 

to use the Hyperloop instead of other kinds of transportation? 

○ People with motion sickness might not be able to handle the 
Hyperloop. 

○ People are tired of using the same four kinds of transportation 
over and over. 

○ The Hyperloop could take people to places where planes and 
trains do not go. 

○ People would not have to pay as much to use the Hyperloop. 
6. What is this passage mainly about? 

○ science fiction movies and cartoons featuring futuristic 
traveling tubes with tiny pods 

○ the interest that inventor Elon Musk has in private space flight 
and electric cars 

○ why the train between Los Angeles and San Francisco is one 
of the slowest in the country 

○ a tube that could make travel in the future easier, faster, and 
cheaper 

7. Read the following sentences: “Additionally, Musk believes the Hyperloop could 

be completely powered by the sun—making it more environmentally friendly than 

cars, airplanes, or train systems. Someday it could possibly move people 

between the East and West Coasts of the United States in less than an hour, 

which is faster than any other m​ ode​ of transportation that exists.” 

8. What does the word ​mode​ mean in the sentence above? 

○ ticket 
○ type 
○ train 
○ travel 
9. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below. 

10. The Hyperloop would offer travelers many benefits, _______ fast trips and low 

prices. 

○ meanwhile 
○ finally 
○ including 
○ otherwise 
11. According to the passage, what are some of the questions that remain 

unanswered about the Hyperloop? 

12. "How much would the hyperloop cost?" 
13. "Where would the hyperloop go?"