UNIT 1
WEEK 4
Read the article “Living Better, Thanks to Inventions!”
before answering Numbers 11 through 20.
Living Better, Thanks to Inventions!
Inventions improve people’s lives in many ways. Most people
use inventions every day. They never pause to consider who made
them or how they were made. But life would be quite different
without the many inventions we have come to rely on.
Automobiles
One of the most important inventions was the automobile.
This invention forced people to improve roads and turn them from
muddy gravel paths into paved highways. It led to the development
of suburbs as more people moved out of large cities. The automobile
helped people interact with each other by making it easier for them
to get together. People could drive to their jobs or to their friends’
and relatives’ homes. The distance between places seemed to
contract with the arrival of the automobile.
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Wheelchairs
Other inventions help fewer people, but they are no less
important. The wheelchair, for example, assists people who
cannot walk because of
physical problems. A
wheelchair is just that—a
chair with wheels. Many of
them also have motors. All
wheelchairs are the same in
one way: they all help
physically challenged people
get around. You may think this
invention will never be of use
to you, but you can’t be sure.
Anyone could fall and break
a leg, or another kind of
injury or illness could
make walking difficult.
GO ON ➜
42
Grade 5
Weekly Assessment • Unit 1, Week 4
UNIT 1
WEEK 4
Telephones
The next time your telephone rings, express your gratitude to
Alexander Graham Bell. He was the man who invented this device.
Bell first tested his machine on March 10, 1876. It quickly became
popular. His initial invention opened up a whole new way of
communicating. It made communicating over a distance almost
immediate. If you can imagine such a thing, contemplate what life
would be like without telephones.
Computers
Today much of the work of transmitting phone calls, and
thousands of other tasks, is done by computers. Computers are
everywhere in the United States, and the country could not function
without them. If computers were taken away, traffic would come to
a halt. Businesses would close their doors. Lights would go out, and
things would get out of control.
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Photography
Another invention that has changed our way of living is
photography. Early photographs tell the story of important events
in history. People used to paint pictures to record that history. But
photographs allow us to see what really happened, not an artist’s
interpretation. Today we take photographs to record the events of
our daily lives as well as world events.
Taking It Forward
Many inventions have been combined in order to make life
easier. Many cell phones have built-in cameras so people can take
photographs on the go. Using a computer and the Internet, people can
share those photographs with friends and family right away. People
can use their computers to have video telephone calls. They can talk
with friends, family, and coworkers around the world as if they were
sitting across the table from each other. Without the invention of the
photograph, telephone, or computer, these tasks would not be possible.
Because these inventions are so familiar to us and we use them
every day, they may seem simple. Actually, they are not simple at all,
but they have simplified and improved our lives.
GO ON ➜
Weekly Assessment • Unit 1, Week 4
Grade 5
43
Name:
Date:
Now answer Numbers 11 through 20. Base your answers on
“Living Better, Thanks to Inventions!”
11
How does the author organize the section labeled
“Telephones”?
a by comparing the invention of the telephone with other
similar inventions
b by asking questions about the telephone and then
answering those questions
c by describing the invention of the telephone and then
telling what happened afterward
d by explaining the idea that Alexander Graham Bell had
and then telling how he acted on it
12
Read this sentence from the article.
The distance between places seemed to contract with
the arrival of the automobile.
Which definition fits contract in the sentence above?
f to establish
g to become shorter
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
h to reduce by forcing together
i a document describing terms
13
How does the author highlight the effects of the invention
of the telephone?
a by explaining who invented it
b by describing how people communicate
c by sequencing the dates of its development
d by considering what life would be like without it
GO ON ➜
44
Grade 5
Weekly Assessment • Unit 1, Week 4
Name:
14
Date:
The author writes about the telephone before the computer
to show that
f computers are better.
g telephones are no longer used.
h telephones are more important.
i computers were invented after the telephone.
15
The origin of the word automobile comes from the Greek
words autos meaning “self” and mobile meaning “capable
of moving.” This name suggests that the automobile
a can have only one owner.
b is available to any independent person.
c is large enough to move smoothly on bad roads.
d can move by itself without being pulled by an animal.
16
The author suggests that one effect of having only painted
pictures of world events is that the viewer has to depend
on the painter’s
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
f ideas about what happened.
g ability to be in many places.
h technique.
i skill.
17
Read this sentence from the article.
If you can imagine such a thing, contemplate what life
would be like without telephones.
What does contemplate mean in the sentence above?
a ignore
c laugh about
b think about
d attempt to copy
GO ON ➜
Weekly Assessment • Unit 1, Week 4
Grade 5
45
Name:
18
Date:
Read this sentence from the article.
The next time your telephone rings, express your
gratitude to Alexander Graham Bell.
The Greek word tele means “far off” and phon means
“sound.” What is the meaning of telephone?
f a sound that is close by
g a sound that is very loud
h a sound that travels quietly
i a sound that travels a long way
19
The author tells about the invention of the photograph,
telephone, and computer first and then describes how
computers can be used to have video telephone calls so
that the reader can
a learn about the older inventions that led to newer
inventions.
b understand how the inventions work together.
c be interested in the combined inventions.
d see how important new inventions are.
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
20
Read this sentence from the article.
Another invention that has changed our way of living
is photography.
The word photography comes from the Greek roots phos
meaning “light,” and graph meaning “draw” or “write.” The
meaning of photography is
f making a picture using light.
g making a picture using paints.
h making a picture using a laser.
i making a picture drawing with pencils.
STOP
46
Grade 5
Weekly Assessment • Unit 1, Week 4