The Great Chess Match: Kasparov Versus Deep Blueimages.pcmac.org/.../Documents/5th_Grade_ELA_EQT_2_Practice.pdf · games to two. Kasparov’s victory showed that human intelligence

5th Grade ELA Practice EQT #2

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COMPREHENSION

Directions

Read about historic chess matches between a man and a machine, and learn how

computers have improved at chess. Then answer the questions that follow.

The Great Chess Match:

Kasparov Versus Deep Blue

Back in 1950, some clever computer programmers began designing a computer to

play chess. The first thing these computer programmers had to do was create a formula, or

a step-by-step plan, for following the rules of chess. For the computer to be successful,

however, it had to be programmed to solve the problems that come up during a game. The

greatest problem for a chess player is keeping the valuable king piece safe at all times.

When a player loses the king, that player loses, and the game is over.


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The average person can only consider one or two chess positions per second. One big

advantage the computer had was its ability to analyze many different chess positions very

quickly. By 1988, programmers had created a computer named Deep Thought that could

search and consider the advantages and disadvantages of 750,000 positions per second. In

1989, Russian Garry Kasparov, who was the world chess champion at the time, agreed to

play Deep Thought. Against the computer, the chess master was undefeated in a two-game

match, and people were convinced that the machine was no match for human intelligence.

Six years later, Kasparov, who was still the world’s chess champion, agreed to a

six-game match against a new computer named Deep Blue. In the first game, Kasparov

lost to Deep Blue in the thirty-seventh move of the game. After that first game, people

were shocked, and many began to wonder if machines had become as smart as people.

As the match continued, however, Kasparov played differently, taking positions he

knew the computer would have a hard time analyzing. After changing his game-playing

strategy, Kasparov began winning, and eventually won the match with a final score of four

games to two. Kasparov’s victory showed that human intelligence still had the advantage

of flexibility over machines.

1 According to the selection, which of the following events occurred first?

A The computer Deep Blue was created.

B The computer Deep Thought was created.

C A world champion chess player lost a game to a computer.

D Garry Kasparov agreed to a chess match with a computer.

2 The phrase “Six years later” in the third paragraph helps the reader understand

F a cause-and-effect relationship.

G the difference between a fact and an opinion.

H the author’s purpose.

J the sequence of events.

3 What happened after Kasparov changed his strategy in the match against Deep

Blue?

A Deep Blue continued to beat Kasparov.

B Computer programmers designed a new computer.

C Kasparov began winning against the machine.

D Kasparov decided computers were worthy opponents.


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4 How did Kasparov change his strategy in the match against Deep Blue?

F He gave up his playing pieces except for the king.

G He asked a team of expert chess players to help with each move.

H He played at a much faster pace to confuse the computer.

J He selected moves the computer would have difficulty analyzing.

5 Based on the selection, how were Deep Blue and Kasparov alike?

A They were both taught by scientists.

B They had both defeated Deep Thought.

C They were both highly skilled at chess.

D They could both analyze thousands of plays per second.

6 Based on the selection, how were Deep Thought and Deep Blue different?

F Deep Thought lost all its games against Kasparov; Deep Blue won some games

against Kasparov.

G Deep Thought was a computer; Deep Blue was a computer programmer.

H Deep Thought won all of its games against Kasparov; Deep Blue won only some

of its games against Kasparov.

J Deep Thought was the nickname of a chess player; Deep Blue was the name of a

computer.

7 Which of the following is a statement of opinion?

A The average person can only consider two chess positions per second.

B When a player loses a king, the chess game is over.

C Kasparov is the greatest chess player who ever lived.

D Kasparov lost to Deep Blue on the thirty-seventh move of the game.

8 Which of the following is a generalization that could be made from reading the

selection?

F Human minds are more flexible than computers are.

G The best chess players come from the United States.

H Computers are generally much smarter than people.

J Most computers were invented before 1950.


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9 What happened after Kasparov beat Deep Thought in a chess match?

A Computer programmers gave up on designing chess-playing machines.

B People concluded that computers were no match for human intelligence.

C Kasparov decided to retire before he lost the world champion title.

D Deep Thought was redesigned to analyze a million positions per second.

10 The author probably wrote this selection to

F explain how to build a computer.

G tell about exciting games of chess.

H express personal feelings about computers.

J describe how to become a chess champion.

11 Based on the selection, how are people who play chess different from computers that

play chess?

A People can analyze one or two chess positions per second, but computers can

analyze thousands per second.

B People adapt more slowly than computers to different game strategies.

C Computers are better than people at keeping the king piece safe and winning

games.

D Computers cannot play as many chess games in one day as people can.


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Directions Good friends Octavia and Andy each build a talented robot. Read about what

happens at the science fair. Then answer the questions that follow.

A Tale of Two Robots

Octavia and Andy were fifth-graders in Mr. Arenstein’s class, and they were also best

friends. Both fifth-graders liked science, and both of them were working on projects for

the science fair at their school. The theme of the science fair was “Technology to Serve

People.”

Octavia knew she wanted to be a doctor when she grew up, and she decided to make

a robot that would be able to help people who weren’t feeling well. Working for several

months, she programmed a robot that would check for fever by taking a person’s

temperature. Her invention, which she named Doctor R, could also monitor a heartbeat

and pass out adhesive bandages to people who needed them.

Andy also built a robot, and, like Octavia, he based his design on his future career

choice: being a rock musician. Andy named his robot Rocky, programming it to sing and

play the guitar music for three different songs.


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During the science fair, Octavia, Andy, and the other students brought all their

hi-tech projects to the school gym and demonstrated them for the teachers and other

students. Although Octavia and Andy had worked separately, their robots looked almost

the same. Both Doctor R and Rocky were small round machines made from old globes.

Both robots moved on four spiky legs that were fashioned from metal pieces; both had two

arms adapted from forks and other moveable pieces; and each robot had a single flashing

light. “We can’t even distinguish ourselves now. Looks like we were thinking along the

same lines,” Andy joked to Octavia.

“Visually, at least,” she said, laughing.

Andy’s robot, Rocky, was performing the song “Country Roads” when suddenly it

fell off the small stage Andy had made. After seeing Rocky fall, Octavia used her remote

control to send Doctor R speeding over to offer a bandage. “Take me home,” sang Rocky.

(It was a line from the song.) Everyone laughed and applauded.

Doctor R bowed and rolled back to Octavia. Rocky finished his song and bowed to

the audience. The judges gave Octavia and Andy first prize to share. They congratulated

both students on making functional robots that had amazed and amused everyone at the

science fair.

12 According to the story, which of the following occurred first?

F The students laughed at Rocky.

G Octavia and Andy built robots.

H Doctor R delivered a bandage.

J Rocky fell off his stage.

13 When did Doctor R offer Rocky a bandage?

A after the judges gave out prizes

B while Andy was building Rocky

C after Rocky fell off the stage

D while Octavia was receiving first prize

14 How did the appearance of Doctor R resemble that of Rocky?

F They both had rectangular bodies.

G They both had several flashing lights.

H They were both made of globes.

J They were both remote-controlled.


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15 How were Rocky and Doctor R different?

A Rocky’s hands were forks, whereas Doctor R’s hands were spoons.

B Rocky acted like a musician, whereas Doctor R acted like a doctor.

C Rocky could bow to an audience, whereas Doctor R could not move.

D Rocky was built in one night, whereas Doctor R took months to build.

16 What did Octavia and Andy base their robot designs on?

F their favorite movies

G models they saw in a book

H their dream jobs

J characters in a comic strip

17 Which word from the third paragraph is a clue word showing a comparison between

Octavia and Andy?

A built

B like

C design

D different

18 Octavia can best be described as

F thoughtful.

G musical.

H lazy.

J noisy.

19 Where does most of the story take place?

A in Octavia’s garage

B in a classroom

C in a science laboratory

D in a school gym

20 The author’s purpose in writing this selection was to

F entertain with a story about two friends.

G give facts about student competitions.

H explain how to win a prize at a science fair.

J tell a story about the dangers of robots.


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Nothing Left to Lose

Laura McClure

Feeling their way through the Chinese mountains, two brothers creep carefully through the dark hills. The

older brother is scared of dokkebi, mischievous goblins from Korean folklore. He is sure the ugly, horned

creatures are hidden around every corner, waiting to pounce.

Dokkebi are not the teens' biggest fear. The brothers have, like their mother, sister, and aunt, fled North Ko-

rea, a country run by a dictator. If the Chinese police find the boys, the authorities will send them back to

North Korea, where they will face severe punishment and maybe even death.

The brothers arrive in Thailand after about 12 months. From there, they fly in a plane to South Korea, their

new home.

The brothers are lucky. Although about 200,000 to 300,000 North Koreans are hiding in China, only about

2,000 of them make it to South Korea--and freedom--each year.

Why were the boys and their family willing to risk their lives? If they had stayed in North Korea, they might

have starved to death. Since the mid-1990s, an estimated 2 million North Koreans have died from starvation,

aid workers say. The situation is getting worse, says Byung-ho Chung, a South Korean professor.

Worlds Apart

Nearly a year after their arrival, the brothers seem content in Seoul, South Korea's capital city.

Both boys wear long shorts, T-shirts, and sneakers. Young Hoon, 18, is taller and has a round face. Young

Jun, 15, has small features and a soft, childlike voice. The brothers spend most of their time at the Hannuri

School, an after-school program to help 13- to 18-year-old North Korean refugees with their schoolwork.

Chung, who founded Hannuri, says it's a place where the teens can talk about their emotions as they adjust to

their new lives.

Although North and South Korea are neighbors, they are enemies.

Communist-led North Korea invaded South Korea, starting the Korean War (1950-1953). The United States

and other countries helped fend off the North Korean soldiers. Afterward, a heavily guarded border, called

the Demilitarized Zone, was set up to divide the two countries.

Ever since, North Korea's communist leaders have isolated their country from the rest of the world. South

Korea, on the other hand, has struggled to become a democracy.

The boys experienced the dramatic differences between the two countries firsthand. In North Korea, Young

Hoon and Young Jun lived in a hut and ate mostly corn and potatoes. Their family was poor. Their father,

who is still in North Korea, worked in a mine, pushing a heavy cart. Their mother spent long days doing

housework, including washing clothes by beating them with sticks.

In South Korea, the brothers live with their mother and others in an apartment and have plenty of food, a

refrigerator, a washing machine, and a TV.

In North Korea, only Young Jun attended school. Now the brothers have plenty of time to concentrate on

their schoolwork. "You can eat well. You can study a lot," Young Jun says of life in South Korea.

Like other Hannuri students, the brothers love movies and video games--things they didn't have in North

Korea.


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Hope for the Future

Chung said many of the children are doing well despite being far from their homeland. Their success is a

good indicator for the eventual outcome of what South Koreans long for--reunification with the North Ko-

rea.

Chung says reunification won't be easy, but watching the teens helps him believe the two countries will be

one again.

fend off: to keep or ward off

refugee: a person who flees for safety, especially to a foreign country

reunification: to become unified (one country) again after being divided

“Nothing Left to Lose” Questions

21.The major difference(s) between North Korea and South Korea is/are

a. North Korea is communist while South Korea is democratic.

b. people are starving in North Korea but there is plenty to eat in South Korea.

c. life is more comfortable and work easier in South than in North.

d. all of the above.

22. The order of countries which the brothers go through while fleeing communism is

a. North Korea, Thailand, China, South Korea

b. China, Thailand, North Korea, South Korea

c. North Korea, China, Thailand, South Korea

d. China, North Korea, Thailand, South Korea

23. The contrast in lifestyles before and after the family members fled their homeland is most explic-

itly shown in

a. the demilitarized zone.

b. the after school programs.

c. the washing of laundry.

d. the lack of goblins in the south.

24. Surprisingly, the older brother Hoon is, compared to the younger Jun, more

a. superstitious.

b. short.

c. soft-spoken.

d. poor.

25. South Korea has struggled to become a democracy because the country is

a. isolated from the rest of the world because of their neighbor North Korea.

b. not supported by other countries, like the United States.

c. at war with other countries.

d. spending money on the military.


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The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Returns

For more than 50 years, scientists thought the ivory-billed woodpecker was extinct in the United States. Now

bird lovers are flying high. Scientists recently announced that they have evidence that the bird still exists in

eastern Arkansas.

The scientists caught the black-and-white birds in flight on a blurry videotape. The sighting was made by

University of Arkansas researcher David Luneau. Luneau was paddling on the Cache River when he acci-

dentally left a video camera running as his canoe drifted through a bayou. The camera recorded an ivo-

ry-billed woodpecker.

"We were nearing the end of a long day," Luneau says. "As we came around the bend in the channel, I cut

the motor off, raised it to its locked position, and reached for my paddle. When I looked up, I saw the tail

end of a black-and-white bird flying away."

It wasn't until 11 months later that scientists looked at the video frame by frame. What they saw astounded

them. They had found the ivory-billed woodpecker.

A Majestic Bird

The rare woodpecker began to disappear as loggers cut down the forests where the birds lived between 1880

and the 1940s. The last time anyone saw the bird was in 1944.

The ivory-bill is the largest woodpecker in the United States. The spectacular red-crested bird has white

patches on its huge wings. Its wingspan extends almost 3 feet. The bird's call sounds like the toot of a tin

horn. Ivory-bills are also known for their one-of-a-kind sound made when their long bills strike wood. They

produce a double knock when their beaks strike trees as they look for insects.

George M. Sutton/Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology

I vory-Billed Woodpecker


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Convincing Evidence

Some skeptical scientists were not convinced that the woodpecker Luneau had accidentally photographed

was an ivory-billed woodpecker. Some critics said the bird was instead a pileated woodpecker, which looks

much like the ivory-bill.

For people who doubted the videotape, scientists collected more proof. They recorded the ivory-billed

woodpecker's double knock. The recording made believers out of the doubters.

"Hearing [the recording] was very exciting!" Richard Prum, a scientist from Yale University, told Senior

Edition. "[It is] convincing evidence the ivory-billed woodpecker is not extinct."

Now that the ivory-bill is soaring again, a number of things are being done to make sure the bird doesn't

really become extinct. Nature lovers are cutting down some trees in a select area of Arkansas.

Why? The woodpeckers feed on young beetles that thrive under the bark of fallen trees. With more food for

the woodpeckers, bird lovers hope, the ivorybill's double knock will become a common sound again.

bayou: a marshy or slowly flowing body of water (as a stream or inlet)

astounded: filled with puzzled wonder

skeptical: relating to or marked by doubt

“The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Returns” Questions

26. The author’s purpose is to make the rediscovery of the Ivory-Billed

Woodpecker seem exciting. This is achieved by

a. telling about the discovery as though it were a mystery story.

b. describing the bird as unusual in both size and sound.

c. proving that the people who doubted the rediscovery were wrong.

d. all the above.

27. The author includes the story of how the bird was rediscovered

a. because he does not believe David Luneau.

b. to draw the reader into the article.

c. to let the reader know that not everyone agrees with David Lunueau.

d. because the article is mostly about David Luneau.

28. If “pileated” means having a crested head, then to be easily confused with the ivory-billed wood-

pecker, the pileated woodpecker must

a. have a crest similar to the red one of the ivory-billed bird.

b. have a different crest from that of the ivory-billed woodpecker.

c. use its crested head to camouflage itself against predators.

d. none of the above.

29. The author uses two direct quotations from scientists in order to demonstrate that

a. the scientists disagreed with each other.

b. the discovery was questioned but later accepted as true.


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c. scientists don’t all have the same personality types.

d. the scientists quoted had talked with each other. scientists

30. The title of the story tells the reader that the story will

a. inform the reader about camouflage being important.

b. persuade the reader to buy a woodpecker.

c. inform the reader about a special type of woodpecker.

d. entertain the reader with a funny story about birds.

Children in the Shadows

“Quiet, and never tell anyone you are Jewish.”

Renee Schwalb heard that a lot as a young girl. She heard it from her mother, who tried to keep Renee safe

from the Nazi German soldiers who killed and enslaved European Jews during World War II (19391945).

She heard it from Madame DeGelas, who hid Renee's family in a small apartment in Brussels, Belgium. She

heard it again from the Catholic nuns who concealed Renee when it became too dangerous for her to live

with Madame DeGelas.

Finally, she heard it from the Protestant teachers who took Renee in until the Americans arrived and liber-

ated Belgium.

"[Everybody] told me Jewish was a bad word," Renee Schwalb, now Renee Fritz of Bloomfield, Connecti-

cut, told Senior Edition. "They did it for my protection as well as theirs."

Life on the Run

Renee's story of being a Jewish kid growing up in war-torn Europe was part of an exhibit on display in the

early 2000s at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. The exhibit "Life in

Shadows: Hidden Children and the Holocaust" is no longer on display at the museum, but a transcript and

photos of some of the exhibit’s displays can be found on the museum’s website as an online exhibition. The

exhibition reveals the stories of Jewish children who escaped the Holocaust. The Holocaust refers to the

killing of 6 million Jews and others whom the Nazis, led by Adolf Hitler, thought to be inferior. The Nazis

killed about 1.5 million Jewish children.

Thousands of Jewish children, however, survived by concealing their identities or hiding out in attics, cel-

lars, barns, and sewers. Like Renee, many children found refuge with Christian families. Others sought

safety in churches and orphanages. Some played a dangerous game of hide-and-seek with the Nazis, moving

from place to place to avoid capture.

The exhibition includes photos of many pieces of everyday life that tell extraordinary stories. For example,

there is a photo of a sweater worn by 8-year-old Krystyna Chiger, who hid in the sewers for more than a

year. Visitors to the site can also view a photo of a light-blue dress worn by Sabina Kagan when she hid

from the Nazi death squads.


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Also in the exhibition is a photo of tiny "toy soldiers" Jurek Orlowski and his brother fashioned out of wood

scraps. The brothers played with the soldiers in a flea-infested basement because they were afraid to go out-

side.

Church of Hope

To make sure that others know his story of survival, Leon Chameides, of West Hartford, Connecticut, do-

nated several photos and an oral history to the museum.

Just before the war, the Russian army forced Leon and his Jewish family to move from Poland to the

Ukraine in the Soviet Union.

When the Germans invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, Leon's father asked a priest to take care of Leon and

his older brother. The priest separated the brothers, hoping that at least one would survive the war. Each

went to a different monastery.

At the monastery, Leon had to pretend to be a Christian. He changed his name and learned a new language.

"I had to pretend I was someone else," Leon told Senior Edition. "That was an enormous burden to place on

a 7-year-old."

His brother also survived the Holocaust.

Lost Childhood

Before the exhibit opened at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Leon was looking forward to

seeing it. As for Renee, she said people should visit the museum to learn about the Holocaust.

Renee donated photographs and her mother's trunk to the exhibit. Madame DeGelas had kept the trunk and

all its belongings, hoping to return it to Renee's family.

"[Now] I get to do something for humanity," Renee said.

monastery: a place where a community of monks or nuns live and work

Nazi: a member of a German fascist party controlling Germany from 1933 to 1945

liberated: set free inferior: of little or less importance, value, or merit

“Children in the Shadow” Questions


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31. Leon was forced to move from Poland to the Ukraine before he

a. played hide and seek with the Nazis.

b. was separated from his family and put in a monastery.

c. lived with Madame DeGelas.

d. played toy soldiers with his brother in a basement.

32. Renee Schwalb heard the advice to “never tell anyone you’re Jewish” from people in this order:

a. Madame DeGelas, Catholic nuns, Protestand teachers, her mother

b. her mother, Catholic nuns, Madame DeGelas, Protestant teachers

c. her mother, Madame DeGelas, Catholic nuns, Protestant teachers

d. her mother, Madame DeGelas, Protestant teachers, Catholic nuns

33. Based on the text, the Jewish children who survived the Holocaust did so mostly because of the

kindness of

a. Christian families.

b. nuns and monks.

c. Protestant teachers.

d. all of the above.

34. The exhibit “Life in Shadows: Hidden Children and the Holocaust” is no longer on display. But there

is now an online exhibition featuring certain content from the exhibit “Life in Shadows: Hidden

Children and the Holocaust.” What does this content include?

a. a transcript

b. photo of a sweater worn by Krystyna Chiger

c. photo of tiny “toy soldiers” made by Jurek Orlowski and his brother

d. all of the above

35. What did both Renee and Leon years and years after the Holocaust was over?

a. They became teachers and shared their story with their classes.

b. They both became soldiers to help fight for the rights of others.

c. Renee and Leon donated some of their personal belongings to be shared in the Holocaust

museum.

d. Renee and Leon did not survive the Holocaust.


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Answers

1. b

2. j

3. c

4. j

5. c

6. f

7. c

8.f

9.b

10. g

11. a

12. g

13. c

14. h

15. b

16. h

17. b

18. f

19. d

20. f

21. d

22. c

23. c

24. d

25. a

26. d

27. b

28. a

29. b

30. c

31. b

32. c

33. d

34. d

35. c