Explaining Events & Ideas

Question 1

Read the passage below. "On December 16, 1773, a group of colonists in Boston, known as the Sons of Liberty, boarded three ships carrying tea and dumped the tea into the harbor. They did this because the British Parliament had passed the Tea Act, which gave the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales and allowed it to sell tea at a lower price, threatening the colonists' own merchants." Which choice best explains what happened during the Boston Tea Party and why the colonists did it?

Accepted Answer

The colonists boarded the ships and dumped the tea into the harbor because they were protesting the Tea Act that gave the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales.

Answer

The colonists seized the tea and sold it to raise money for the colonial army.

Answer

The colonists boarded the ships and threw the tea into the harbor because they were angry about the British soldiers' presence in Boston.

Answer

The colonists burned the tea in the harbor because they wanted to protest high taxes on tea.

Question 2

Read the passage below and answer the question that follows. "In December 1773, American colonists were angry because the British government had passed a law that required them to pay a tax on tea. The colonists believed this tax was unfair because they had no representatives in the British Parliament. To protest, a group of colonists disguised themselves as Native Americans and boarded three ships in Boston Harbor. They threw 342 chests of tea into the water, destroying the tea and showing their opposition to the tax." Which choice best explains what happened during the Boston Tea Party and why the colonists did it?

Accepted Answer

The colonists, dressed as Native Americans, boarded the ships and threw the tea into the harbor because they opposed the tax on tea imposed by a government in which they had no representation.

Answer

The British soldiers seized the tea from the colonists and burned it, because the colonists had stolen it.

Answer

The colonists wrote letters to the king asking for lower taxes, because they wanted more tea.

Answer

The colonists held a peaceful meeting in the town square to discuss the tea tax, because they wanted to negotiate with the British.

Question 3

Read the passage below: "To make a tiny sand volcano, first build a small mound of dry sand inside a clear bottle so the mixture stays inside. Next, add one tablespoon of baking soda to the sand; the baking soda will react with vinegar later to produce carbon‑dioxide gas. Finally, pour the vinegar slowly into the bottle. The slow pour lets the gas form gradually so the eruption doesn’t overflow the bottle." Which of the following lists the steps in the exact order given in the passage and gives the correct reason for each step?

Accepted Answer

1) Build a sand mound in the bottle to contain the reaction, 2) Add baking soda because it reacts with vinegar to make gas, 3) Pour vinegar slowly so the reaction doesn’t spill.

Answer

1) Pour vinegar into the bottle first to start the reaction, 2) Add baking soda because it makes the mixture fizz, 3) Build the sand mound last to catch any overflow.

Answer

1) Build the sand mound, 2) Pour vinegar first, 3) Add baking soda because it strengthens the sand.

Answer

1) Add baking soda, 2) Build the sand mound, 3) Pour vinegar quickly to make a big eruption.

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