Editorial Development: Bonnie Brook Communications

SKILL PRACTICE
Read each question. Fill in the bubble next to the correct answer.
 1. Before 1845, the Irish people 
.
A 
depended highly on potatoes for food
B 
had left Ireland in large numbers
C 
suffered from cholera and typhus
D 
lived through a very difficult winter
 2. What happened between 1846 and 1847?
A 
Ships brought a fungus to Ireland.
B 
Millions left Ireland for the United States.
C 
The harvested potatoes rotted.
D 
The winter weather limited the potato crop.
 3. At what point had people left Ireland in 
significant numbers?
A 
right after the crops disintegrated
B 
shortly after the fungus arrived from Mexico
C 
by the time a million people had died
D 
during the bitter winter following the famine
 4. Ireland relied so heavily on potatoes because 
potatoes 
.
A 
prevented diseases like cholera and typhus
B 
provided a great amount of food on a small 
amount of land
C 
usually grow well in severe winter weather
D 
are an important ingredient in soups
STRATEGY PRACTICE
Think about what the fungus-infected potatoes might have looked like.
Write a description of what you visualize.
 
 
3458.indb 50
10/31/12 7:34 AM

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© Evan-Moor Corp. • EMC 3458 • Daily Reading Comprehension 
51
Name: 
WEEK 7
DAY 5
Main Idea and Details
Sequence
READ THE PASSAGE
Look for the main idea and details in the passage. Also pay attention to the sequence
of events.
The Big Green Bus
In 2005, a group of 15 students from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire had an unusual idea. 
Because gasoline is expensive and pollutes the atmosphere, the students wanted to find a different, 
cleaner, better way to travel. They decided to see if they could get a bus to run entirely on recycled 
vegetable oil. The bus they started with had a diesel gasoline engine, so they had to redesign the bus to 
run without gasoline. The students worked together, rebuilding the bus to run on waste vegetable oil, which 
is the oil left over from deep-frying food.
After the students converted the bus to run successfully without gasoline, they decided to take it on 
the road to spread their message. Every summer since that first year, a new group of students has traveled 
across the country in their energy-efficient creation. They show people what the Big Green Bus can do 
and teach them other ways to conserve energy as well.
The first Big Green Bus was an old school bus. In 2009, however, the students bought a newer bus 
and made some additional modifications. They put in solar panels that provide electricity to run computers, 
lights, a refrigerator, a television, and air conditioning. They replaced the countertops with renewable 
bamboo and added batteries to store the extra power that the solar panels create. The new Big Green Bus 
sends an even stronger message about energy conservation and is inspiring the nation to ride into the 
green future today.