|
Remember to:
- Read the question before reading the passage.
-
Look at the title. What do you
already know about space travel? What would be the "ups"
and the "downs"? Remember this is an
informational piece, so you'll read facts, data and
information. You'll probably find scientific information,
maybe about the speed of light, speed of travel, the
dangers of blast off and re-entry, gravity, what happens
to astronauts in space. What are other things that might
be included in this informational article?
- Locate the section of the passage that discusses muscles
and what happens to them in a space flight. Look for why.
-
What are the key
words in this question? (why,
muscles weaken)
-
What is this question asking me to do?
(show I understand a detail
to explain an important idea).
-
Which choices can you eliminate right
away, and which are possibly correct answers? Remember
the "YES, NO, MAYBE"
tool.
Multiple Choice Answers:
First let's review the section of the passage that tells
about how an astronaut's muscles weakening during a flight:
There
are also some longer-lasting effects. Muscles slowly waste
away, just as they always do when not being used. And
without the weight of gravity to work against, bones slowly
lose calcium and become lighter and weaker.
Now, let's take another look at the possible answers to
the question: Why do an astronaut's muscles weaken on
a space flight?
- Muscles shrink in space.
Think
to yourself:
The
passages says, "Muscles slowly waste away,"
which means they must be shrinking. A careful reading
of the question would lead you to conclude that this
answer is a result of weakened muscles - not
the cause of weakened muscles. We can't create a BECAUSE
statement to connect the information. "Muscles
weaken BECAUSE they waste away" does not make
sense. "Muscles weaken WHEN they are not used"
does make sense. When muscles are weakened, they waste
away because they are not used. Wasting away is not
WHY they become weak. You would choose NO for this response.
- Muscles don't have to work hard.
Think
to yourself: The
article says that muscles always waste away when not
used, which would cause them to weaken. This would explain
WHY muscles would weaken, because it addresses a cause.
Muscles weaken BECAUSE they are not used. You know that
astronauts have restricted movement in a space capsule,
so it makes sense that they don't use their muscles
to the same extent they would on Earth. Later in the
article, the writer talks about exercise being important
to combat some of the negative effects of space travel.
This answer makes the most sense so far and you would
choose YES, but be sure to read the other answers and
think about them also.
- The bones become heavier.
Think
to yourself: This is an
easy one to eliminate. The article says, "bones
slowly lose calcium and become lighter and weaker"
which
is directly opposite this answer choice. The article
says bones become lighter, not heavier. Another reason
not to choose this answer is because it doesn't answer
the question of why muscles weaken on a flight. Definitely
a NO choice.
- Blood doesn't flow as easily.
Think
to yourself:
The article does indicate that gravity has a different
effect on the blood flow, but the information about
blood in the article does not connect with muscle weakness.
The blood flow details support the important idea of
one effect of gravity on the body. Another effect is
on muscles, which is what this question is asking, not
about blood flow. Eliminate this answer quickly.
Answer B remains the best choice for this question.
|
