- In early times, before the physical reasons for an eclipse were understood, people had fantastic notions about the causes and meanings of this phenomenon. People used to go into the street and make a terrific noise to frighten away an imagined dragon that they thought was trying to swallow the sun. An eclipse of the sun is such a rare and spectacular sight that it is no wonder primitive people
Your answer:
understood it.
loved it.
stopped it.
feared it.
- Part of the equipment aboard a ship might well be a cannon that shoots a lifeline to ships in distress. The victims of a sinking ship can use the lifeline to pull their lifeboat to safety. This cannon has come to be known as the cannon that
Your answer:
sends messages.
saves lives.
shoots missiles.
sinks ships.
- The oldest Egyptian mummy (embalmed body) is thought to be about five thousand years old. Many of the old mummies are in such an excellent state of preservation that we can compare the features of the dead with portrait statues of them. The early Egyptians were skilled
Your answer:
painters.
historians.
embalmers.
kings.
- One area sent out to its residents a beautifully illustrated booklet about skiing in the region. It listed eighty-one ski resorts and said that no place in the area was more than an hour's drive from a ski slope. The pamphlet urged people to use the "instant skiing" opportunities of the area, with the reminder that by doing so they would spend more time on skis, and less time on the
Your answer:
slopes.
lifts.
snow.
road.
- Different languages are spoken in different parts of Switzerland. About two-thirds of the people speak German. Most of the rest speak French or Italian. One canton has still another language, called Romansh. German, Italian, and French are all official languages. Many Swiss speak several languages. Although English is a foreign language to them, many of the Swiss speak it very well. Any western visitor to Switzerland has little trouble with
Your answer:
learning to ski.
mountain climbing.
transportation.
communication.
- A small animal of the deserts in Mexico and the western part of the United States has a head like a rat's head and teeth that can gnaw. It has strong hind legs and a long tail, which it uses in jumping somewhat as a kangaroo does. It is appropriately called a
Your answer:
baby kangaroo.
western rat.
jumping mouse.
kangaroo rat.
- The caracal is an animal found in Africa and southwest Asia. Somewhat larger than a fox, this reddish-brown animal is at home in grass and bushes. Since caracals are easily trained to capture antelopes, deer, and large birds, many caracals are used for
Your answer:
food.
circuses.
racing.
hunting.
- Early colonists came to America to escape repression and to exercise their rights as individuals. As the nation grew in population and in educational level, and as more persons were given the franchise (vote), interest in elections has declined. There may be little agreement on the reasons for this lack of interest, but many agree that it represents
Your answer:
a cause for worry.
a need for conservatism.
an incurable fault in the system.
a change for the good.
- A manikin made of plastic and metal has been placed in a mechanical seat and subjected to a simulated car collision. The manikin is wired electronically to report the results of the crash. This equipment has aided in the production of better protective devices to minimize the bad effects of accidents. Some day you may owe your life to
Your answer:
an accident.
a dummy.
an automobile.
a signal.
- In warm climates and during the summer, in temperate climates, coastal breezes blow from land to sea at night and from sea to land during the day. These land breezes are caused by differences between the air pressure over the land and that over the sea. There are a few hours during the day when there are no breezes, because at these times the air masses over land and sea
Your answer:
are equal in pressure.
have alternating currents.
have varying temperatures.
are too cool to move.