Communicating with the Future (Reading)

Click the link below for the reading passage:

Communicating with the Future

1) According to paragraph 1, the radiation warning symbol:

A) looks like a harmless object to most people.
B) may change in the future.
C) may one day not adequately explain the danger.
D) is an essential danger symbol for the future.


2) The author mention "early humans" in line 1 or paragraph 3 to:

A) explain the difference between modern humans and prehistoric ones.
B) illustrate how much we have developed as a species.
C) show that manmade objects can last for millennia.
D) explain the vast cultural changes that can occur in thousands of years.


3) The message on the waste facility must be comprehensible to anyone because future civilizations:

A) may have technology comparable to our own.
B) will likely have a different economic structure.
C) will be more advanced than we are.
D) could be quite different from us in several ways.


4) Which of the following words is closest in meaning to "comprised of" (paragraph 5, line 4)?

A) constituting
B) collected
C) developed
D) discussing


5) Which of the following is NOT a reason that the facility might be opened in the future?

A) a search for ancient artifacts
B) climate manipulation
C) mining operations
D) human burial


6) Which of the following words is closest in meaning to "sprang" (paragraph 7, line 1)?

A) escaped
B) materialized
C) distributed
D) jumped


7) From paragraph 7 line 9, what does the word "they" refer to?

A) humans
B) panel members
C) materials
D) discoverers


8) What can be inferred about future generations from paragraph 9?

A) Their language may not yet exist.
B) They will not be able to uncover the radioactive material at the site.
C) They will have difficulty understanding the basic information left behind.
D) They may try to change the message on the main wall.


9) The sentence "Still others advised against erecting any warning monuments at all, worrying that the markers themselves– if not properly interpreted– may rouse the curiosity of their discoverers enough that they might explore further, to disastrous ends," (paragraph 11) can best be restated as:

A) People are more likely to investigate the site if there are markers so they should make sure any monuments can be properly understood.
B) Some people believe it would be better to avoid constructing any monuments since humans may excavate the site to satisfy their curiosity.
C) It has been suggested that the markers may not be properly interpreted and therefore nothing should be placed above the site.
D) It seems likely that future civilizations will end in disaster if they explore the site due to misleading markings, so it would be better if the site was vacant.


10) Choose three sentences that best summarize the passage.

A) Researchers are developing a number of strategies to communicate with future generations.

B) The US Department of Energy is developing a nuclear waste storage facility that needs to remain closed for thousands of years.

C) It is inevitable that future generations will attempt to open the waste facility.

D) Future societies will likely have quite different technology to our own.

E) At the moment, researchers are considering a variety of ideas, including a massive landscape of thorns or perhaps an arrangement of black blocks.

F) It is essential the danger of the site is communicated clearly into the distant future.