1. “Water Shapes the Land”
Unit 1 Week 4
“Water Shapes the Land”
“On the Move”

2. Read the article “Water Shapes the Land” before answering Numbers 1 through 10.
Now answer Number 1 through 10. Base your answers on “Water Shapes the Land.”

3. 1. Which sentence best expresses the main idea of the article?
A. Rivers play a role in forming canyons and deltas.
B. Glaciers are bodies of ice so heavy that they move.
C. Water makes up about three-fourths of Earth’s surface.
D. Water and ice have shaped Earth’s surface over many centuries.

4. 2. Read this sentence from the article.
In the oceans, water circulates continuously, moving around the globe?
What does circulates mean in the sentence above?
F. combines
G. drains
H. freezes
I. travels

5. 3. Read this sentence from the article.
This changes the shape of the land slowly, like a painting that is never finished.
Why does the author compare the land to a painting that is never finished?
A. to show that the land is slowly disappearing
B. to show that the land is beautiful and colorful
C. to show that the shape of the land is still changing
D. to show that the shape of the land is affected by water

6. 4. Read this sentence from the article.
At the bottom, you can see the Colorado River winding like a snake through the canyon.
What does the simile in the sentence above mean?
F. The river twists and turns on its path through the canyon.
G. The river sparkles a green color at the bottom of the canyon.
H. The river runs in and out of holes along the base of the canyon.
I. The river makes a hissing sound as it flows through the canyon.

7. 5. Which detail would best support the main idea of the section “Carving Canyons” on page 37?
A. The Colorado River runs through seven states.
B. Every year, many people visit the Grand Canyon.
C. The Colorado River supports plant and animal life.
D. Many centuries ago, the Grand Canyon did not exist.

8. 6. Read the sentence from the article.
This delta is a spider web of land and water sprawling from the mouth of the river into the Gulf of Mexico.
Why does the author compare the Mississippi River delta to a spider web?
F. to show that the land in the delta slows the river’s flow
G. to show that the mouth of the river covers a large area
H. to show that the land and water form complex patterns
I. to show that the delta traps many fish and small animals

9. 7. Which feature on Earth’s surface was formed by a glacier?
A. sea caves
B. barrier islands
C. the Great Lakes
D. the Grand Canyon

10. 8. What text evidence supports the main idea of the section “Ice on the Move” on page 38?
F. Glaciers have slowly shaped Earth’s surface.
G. Water continues to move even when it is frozen.
H. Glaciers are found in Antarctica and on mountain tops.
I. Large parts of Earth’s surface were once covered by glaciers.

11. 9. Read this sentence from the article.
The huge ice sheets are bulldozers, pushing rocks and other loose materials as they creep along.
What does the metaphor in the sentence above mean?
A. Glaciers move very slowly.
B. Glaciers are a powerful force.
C. Glaciers move over large areas.
D. Glaciers are a type of macine.

12. 10. Which paragraph would the following detail best support?
Glaciers carve out jagged ridges in the mountains, as well as peaks, called horns, where the ridges meet.
F. paragraph 2, page 38
G. paragraph 3, page 38
H. paragraph 4, page 38
I. paragraph 5, page 38

13. Read the article “On the Move” before answering Numbers 11 through 20.
Now answer Numbers 11 through 20. Base your answers on “On the Move.”

14. 11. Which sentence best expresses the main idea of the article?
A. Earth’s crust is made up of tectonic plates.
B. Earth’s continents fit together like a big puzzle.
C. Melted rock formed mountain ranges on the ocean floor.
D. The theory of continental drift explains how the continents move.

15. 12. Read this sentence form the article.
The seven continents seem as though they could fit together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
What does the simile in the sentence above mean?
F. The continents form a picture.
G. The continents are shaped in a puzzling way.
H. The continents are linked together in several places.
I. The continents look like they were cut from one whole.

16. 13. Which detail would best support the main idea of the second paragraph on page 42?
A. The seven continents continue moving slowly today.
B. Similar fossils were found on the coasts of Australia and Africa.
C. The plates under land are lighter and thicker than those under the oceans.
D. A rift between Africa and South America formed the South Atlantic Ocean.

17. 14. Read this sentence from the article.
The continents drifted apart for a long, long time like ships at sea, moving into the positions seen on maps today.
Why does the author compare the continents to ships at sea?
F. to help readers understand why the continents move
G. to show readers what maps looked like a long time ago
H. to show readers how and where the continents moved
I. to help readers see that oceans cover much of the world

18. 15. Read this sentence from the article.
As the plates moved, landmasses sometimes collided and crushed together.
What does collided mean in the sentence above?
A. changed direction
B. passed by
C. crashed into
D. broke apart

19. 16. Read this sentence from the article.
Why does the author compare impacting landmasses to a crashing car?
F. to show that the crashes happen quickly
G. to show how the land buckles and changes shape
H. to show that ridges in the ocean floor formed quickly
I. to show that the movement of plates causes crashes

20. 17. The main idea of the section “Finding Evidence” is that scientists are…
A. searching the ocean floor for evidence of continental drift.
B. finding evidence to support the theory of continental drift.
C. asking how mountains split as continents broke apart.
D. still trying to prove that continents are slowly moving.

21. 18. Read this sentence from the article.
Over the years, scientists worked like detectives building a case to support Wegener’s theory.
What does the simile in the sentence above mean?
F. Scientist searched underground for evidence.
G. Scientists are gathering data to help detectives.
H. Scientists have evidence to prove continental drift.
I. Scientists searched for evidence in order to prove a theory.

22. 19. Which clue shows that South America and Africa were once connected?
A. The same fossils were found on both continents.
B. The continents crashed and caused earthquakes.
C. Rifts formed as the continents moved farther apart.
D. Ocean ridges were found between the two continents.

23. 20. Which paragraph does the following key detail best support?
The floor of the Atlantic Ocean was formed over many centuries through this process.
F. paragraph 4, page 43
G. paragraph 5, page 43
H. paragraph 6, page 43
I. paragraph 7, page 43

24. Essay
Identify the main ideas in “Water Shapes the Land” and “On the Move.”
In what ways are the main ideas similar or different? How do the authors of these passages support their main ideas?
Include details and accurate, explicit text evidence from both passages that help to support the main ideas.