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Inside Reading Unit 5 Test
Name: __________________________ Date: _____________
Reading Comprehension: True or False
Mark each statement as T (true) or F (false) according to the information in the reading passage.
Read this passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Tornadoes
The fact that tornadoes are meteorological phenomena makes them interesting to scientists, but
their unpredictability and violence make them fascinating to the general public. Deafening noise,
flying cars, and destructive winds make tornadoes extremely exciting to watch in movies or on
news shows. To people who live in tornado-prone areas, however, fascination quickly turns to
fear.
For a tornado to form, there must first be a cold, horizontally spinning storm high above the
ground. This storm must run into a column of heated air rising from the surface of the earth.
When the leading edge of the spinning storm runs into the rising column of air, it turns vertically
and wraps itself around the core of warm air in a spiral.
This action creates a vortex (a spinning funnel) of air one to six miles above the ground, called a
mesocyclone. As the storm itself continues to spin, the updraft continues to rise, and the storm
and updraft continue to collide. The mesocyclone is continually reinforced, making it widen,
speed up, and, most importantly, lengthen.
More and more cold air wrap around more and more rising warm air. The now fast-spinning
mesocyclone telescopes downward from the more slowly spinning storm in a section called a
wind funnel. While the mesocyclone lengthens, the storm system surrounding it descends.
Eventually, the lengthening of the mesocyclone plus the storm's descent cause the wind funnel to
touch ground and become a tornado.
A tornado needs a continuous supply of warm air to live. Tornadoes only live for a short time—
from about a minute to no more than an hour—because the storm's cold air will eventually
overtake the warm air. When this happens, the mesocyclone will shrink and lose energy, and the
tornado will die.
After a town has been hit by a strong tornado, the scene is quite disturbing. Tornadoes have been
known to relocate cars several yards and destroy houses. If a person is caught outside in a
tornado (and is not whisked away by it), he or she will most likely suffer injuries from flying
objects, such as broken glass. So, even though tornadoes are fascinating works of nature to many
people, for those who live in areas prone to these storms, tornadoes are a deadly reality.
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1. Tornadoes have been known to relocate cars and destroy homes in their path.
A) True
B) False
2. Even though tornadoes are entertaining to watch on television, watching a real tornado
up close is even more fun.
A) True
B) False
Reading Comprehension: Multiple Choice
Choose the option that best completes each sentence.
3. The author introduces the topic by explaining that ___.
A) people should not consider moving to tornado-prone areas
B) people who live in tornado-prone areas are in constant fear
C) although exciting to watch on television, tornadoes are very dangerous
D) although living in tornado-prone areas is dangerous, there can be some benefits
4. Tornadoes typically live ___.
A) for many hours or even days
B) for a short time, usually less than an hour
C) longer in cold weather
D) longer in warm weather
Vocabulary: Word Families
Choose the word form that correctly completes each sentence.
5. The sales report only served to ____ what the newspaper editor already knew.
A) reinforcement
B) reinforce
C) reinforced
D) reinforcing
6. The bonus that the employees received ____ their commitment to the project.
A) reinforcement
B) reinforce
C) reinforced
D) reinforcing
7. Suzanna praised her sons for their help in the kitchen, _____ their helpful behavior.
A) reinforcement
B) reinforce
C) reinforced
D) reinforcing
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8. The emergency-response team ____ about how they might handle a major natural
disaster.
A) strategy
B) strategize
C) strategized
D) strategizing
Vocabulary: Multiple Choice
Choose the word that best completes each sentence.
9. The ___ between the time it began raining and the time the basement flooded was only a
few minutes.
A) assistance
B) energy
C) strategy
D) interval
10. Although the caffeine in that drink will ___ you for a short period of time, you will soon
become even more tired than you were before you drank it.
A) assist
B) energize
C) strategize
D) ensure
11. The ___ the tornado traveled was across two state lines and three major highways.
A) route
B) energy
C) core
D) exhibit
12. The firefighters ___ the evacuees as they walked through the flooded streets.
A) exhibited
B) assisted
C) reinforced
D) energized
13. The hurricane ___ many residents' beliefs that building a house overlooking the ocean
was a bad idea.
A) energized
B) reinforced
C) strategized
D) assisted
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Vocabulary: Fill in the blank
Use the words below to complete the sentences. Use each word one time.
energy
incoherent
section
orient
phenomenal
previously
14. The company experienced a _____________ increase in sales over the past year due to
the nation's obsession with portable music devices.
15. The student's essay was _____________ because he hadn't organized it well or used
effective transitions between ideas.
16. The storm seemed to gain _____________ as it traveled toward the coastline.
17. The family had _____________ experienced a flood, so they were reluctant to accept an
insurance policy that did not include coverage for natural disasters.
18. Look in the _____________ of the insurance policy that talks about natural disasters
“acts of God,” and you will find out whether your house is covered for earthquakes.
19. After the wind stopped, the girl found it difficult to _____________ herself because she
could still hear the loud ringing in her ears.
Writing Prompts
Read the questions. Write your answers in paragraph form.
20. People sometimes underestimate the power of nature. That happens because natural
phenomena, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes, are somewhat
unpredictable. Can you think of a situation in which you or someone you know
underestimated nature? What happened?
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