Mr. Derek Stice - Study Skills NTI Lessons
[email protected]
Directions: On each day, visit the link
provided and read the article. Once
finished, answer the questions on your
own paper.
Day 6: Henrietta Lacks’ “Immortal” cells
https://newsela.com/articles/smi-henriettalacks-immortal-cells/id/23914/
1. Which answer choice BEST explains
the cause of the confusion about where
HeLa cells came from?
(A) We know no one lives forever, but
one woman's cells from 65 years ago,
seem to be the first immortal cells that
scientists have. Until not too long ago, it
was a mystery where these cells came
from.
(B) In 1951, a scientist at Johns Hopkins
Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, created
the first immortal human cell line with a
tissue sample taken from a young black
woman with cervical cancer.
(C) When the cells were taken, they were
given the code name HeLa, for the first
two letters in Henrietta and Lacks. But,
Henrietta's real name wasn't known until
the 1970s.
(D) The people behind those samples
often have their own thoughts and feelings
about what should happen to their tissues,
but they’re usually left out of the
equation.
2. Which section of the article BEST
explains that Henrietta Lacks' cells were
taken without her permission?
(A) the introduction [paragraphs 1-3]
(B) "Who Was Henrietta Lacks?"
(C) "Learning Henrietta's Story"
(D) "Finding Out HeLa Is Henrietta
Lacks"
3. How does the article convey the
importance of Henrietta Lacks' cells?
(A) by quoting excerpts from a book
about the life and impact of Henrietta
Lacks
(B) by describing events from the
childhood of Henrietta Lacks' daughter
(C) by detailing the scientific process of
collecting and growing HeLa cells
(D) by giving examples of the scientific
advances made using HeLa cells
4 Which answer choice BEST explains
Rebecca Skloot's purpose in writing her
book?
(A) to share information about the life and
family of the woman behind the famous
HeLa cells
(B) to bring fame and fortune to the other
members of the Lacks family
(C) to show the importance of properly
labeling cells in a laboratory
(D) to give evidence to suggest that
scientists should take human cells without
permission
Imagine that you are Henrietta Lacks.
What would you think about your cells
being used? Use details from the text to
support your answer.
Day 7: What is a Black Hole? –
https://newsela.com/articles/lib-nasablack-holes/id/24078/
1. Choose the paragraph in the section
"How Big Are Black Holes?" that
suggests that a black hole's mass can be
much greater than its size.
2. Which section highlights the idea that
gravity plays an important role in studying
black holes?
(A) "How Do Black Holes Form?"
(B) "If Black Holes Are 'Black,' How Do
Scientists Know They Are There?"
(C) "Will the Sun Ever Turn Into A Black
Hole?"
(D) "How Is NASA Studying Black
Holes?"
3. What is MOST likely the reason the
author included the section "Could A
Black Hole Destroy Earth?”
(A) to disprove an existing idea about
black holes
(B) to encourage further research of black
holes
(C) to explain how the orbits of black
holes change
(D) to show how black holes and the sun
are alike
4. Fill in the blank. The author mainly
explains the importance of black hole
research by:
(A) interviewing multiple experts on the
significance of black holes in the universe
(B) providing extensive descriptions of
how black holes affect Earth's galaxy
(C) explaining the causes and effects of
black holes on objects in space
(D) describing how black holes are
formed and then classified.
Write a short paragraph that explains the
central idea of the article. Use at least two
details from the article to support your
response.
Day 8: Great Depression: The New Deal
– https://newsela.com/articles/gl-historynew-deal/id/22293/
1. Read this selection from the section
"Roosevelt fails to respond to Holocaust".
Only World War II, with its relentless
demand for production, manpower and
unchecked spending, restored the
economy. How does using the words
"relentless demand" affect the tone of the
sentence above?
(A) They give a sense of how important
Roosevelt's presidency was to many
historians.
(B) They give a sense of the sheer scope
of production in World War II.
(C) They give a sense of Roosevelt's
personal views about getting involved in
World War II.
(D) They give a sense of how most people
viewed efforts to solve the Depression
crisis.
2. Which of the following words, if it
replaced the word "hamper" in the
sentence below, (from section "Roosevelt
fails to respond to Holocaust") would
CHANGE the meaning of the sentence?
He refused to give European Jews a safe
haven in the United States and
disregarded pleas to have American
warplanes hamper the genocide by
bombing the rail lines leading to the death
camps.
(A) support
(B) hinder
(C) obstruct
(D) impede
3. Read the following paragraph from the
section "New Deal does little to address
racial discrimination". There were areas in
which Roosevelt failed to live up to his
progressive ideals, however. For example,
the New Deal did little to address
systemic racial discrimination. Fearful of
offending the white South, Roosevelt
declined to back legislation that would
make lynching a federal crime, and many
of the New Deal programs tolerated
segregation and other racially
discriminatory practices. Why does the
author include this paragraph in the
article?
(A) to give an example of why Roosevelt's
policies are still well-regarded today
(B) to offer an example of why people
may be disappointed in Roosevelt's
presidency
(C) to contrast between Roosevelt's
policies and that of his immediate
successor
(D) to describe one of the greatest
successes of Roosevelt's presidency
4. Read the final section of the article
"Roosevelt fails to respond to Holocaust."
Why does the author choose to conclude
the article with these paragraphs?
(A) to leave the reader with a sense of
Roosevelt's greatest accomplishments
(B) to identify several problems with
Roosevelt's presidency
(C) to contrast between Roosevelt's
policies and those of Hitler's
(D) to describe how Roosevelt is currently
viewed by historians
Cause & Effect: What was the main event
described in the article? What were the
causes of this event? Describe each cause
by citing specific details from the article
and explaining how it contributed to the
main event.
Day 9: Artists: Pablo Picasso –
https://newsela.com/articles/bio-artistspablo-picasso/id/24334/
1. Read the section "Early Life And
Education." Select the paragraph that
BEST suggests that Picasso showed
extraordinary artistic ability even as a
child.
2. Which section of the article highlights
the idea that Picasso was the founder of a
unique style of painting?
(A) "Blue Period: Blue Nude, La Vie And
Other Works"
(B) "Break Into Cubism"
(C) "Classical Period"
(D) "Surrealism"
3. According to the article, how did
Picasso's thoughts about politics change
after World War II?
(A) He dedicated himself to painting
scenes of suffering in war.
(B) He refused to get involved in political
movements.
(C) He reverted to a more simple,
childlike painting style to show mankind's
innocence.
(D) He became outwardly political,
joining the Communist Party.
4. Fill in the blank. The author MAINLY
explains the importance of Picasso's
introduction of Cubism by:
(A) highlighting how Cubism
revolutionized the artistic world
(B) describing Picasso's feelings about his
Cubist works
(C) interviewing several of Picasso's
associates about Cubism
(D) summarizing the subjects of the most
important Cubist paintings
Write a short paragraph explaining how a
person in the article changed. Use details
from the article to show how they
changed.
Day 10: Religious Leaders: Martin Luther
– https://newsela.com/articles/bioreligious-leaders-martin-luther/id/23465/
1. Read the paragraph from the section
“Excommunication.” On May 25, 1521,
the council released the Edict of Worms.
The edict, or ruling, outlawed Luther’s
writings and declared him a “convicted
heretic” who had denied the truths of the
Roman Catholic Church. Which phrase in
this selection helps you understand the
meaning of the word “heretic”?
(A) the council released
(B) The edict, or ruling
(C) outlawed Luther’s writings and
declared
(D) denied the truths of the Roman
Catholic Church
2. Read the sentence from the section
“Rejection Of The Roman Catholic
Church.” In 1519 Luther publicly declared
that nothing in the Bible gave the pope
alone the right to interpret its meaning.
Which option is the BEST definition of
the word "interpret" as used in the
sentence?
(A) question privately
(B) rewrite and change
(C) perform dramatically
(D) decide and explain
3 How does the section "Spiritual
Anguish" contribute to the MAIN idea of
the article?
(A) It shows that Luther was promoted in
the church at an early age.
(B) It shows the beginning of Luther's
doubts about the church.
(C) It explains why some priests were
looking for money and power.
(D) It explains who Luther admired
during his religious studies.
4. Complete the sentence below. In the
closing paragraph, the author .......
(A) explains that Luther’s life caused
significant religious changes.
(B) describes how Luther was reformed
by his religion.
(C) suggests that the Roman Catholic
Church later forgave Luther.
(D) criticizes Luther’s actions against the
Roman Catholic Church.
Write a short paragraph explaining how a
person in the article changed. Use details
from the article to show how they
changed.