Questions 1-5
The reading passage has five sections, A-E.
Choose the correct heading for sections A-E from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number i-viii in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.
List of Headings
- The earliest plant and animal life on Mars
- How water movement shaped the planet
- The discovery of Mars
- Mars’ similarities with planet Earth
- The influences weather has had on the planet
- How did the water on Mars disappear?
- The complexities of Mars’ water system
- The functioning water system
The answer is iv. Section A describes features of water flow on Mars that resemble Earth's river systems and discusses the environmental conditions necessary for such features to form. The key sentence is: "They bear a strong resemblance to river systems on Earth, and geologists think that they are dried-up beds of long-gone rivers that once carried rainfall on Mars from the mountains down into the valleys." This clearly links Mars' channels to features that exist on Earth, making heading iv, 'Mars’ similarities with planet Earth,' the most appropriate.
Associated Text:
They bear a strong resemblance to river systems on Earth, and geologists think that they are dried-up beds of long-gone rivers that once carried rainfall on Mars from the mountains down into the valleys.
The answer is ii. Section B focuses on how outflow channels, likely caused by catastrophic flooding, shaped the Martian surface, describing their formation, location, and effects. The text says: "Outflow channels are probably relics of catastrophic flooding on Mars long ago. They appear only in equatorial regions... The onrushing water arising from these flash floods likely also formed the odd teardrop-shaped 'islands'..." This makes heading ii, 'How water movement shaped the planet,' the best fit.
Associated Text:
Outflow channels are probably relics of catastrophic flooding on Mars long ago. ... The onrushing water arising from these flash floods likely also formed the odd teardrop-shaped 'islands' ...
The answer is viii. Section C discusses various imaging results suggesting that rivers, lakes, or even oceans may have existed on Mars in the past. It mentions deltas, ancient seas, and possible ocean coverage. The right heading is viii, 'The functioning water system,' because the focus is on water features and their function in Mars' past.
Associated Text:
A 2003 Mars Global Surveyor image shows what mission specialists think may be a delta—a fan-shaped network of channels and sediments where a river once flowed into a larger body of water, in this case a lake filling a crater in the southern highlands. Other researchers go even further, suggesting that the data provide evidence for large open expanses of water on the early Martian surface.
The answer is v. Section D discusses disagreements among scientists about the interpretation of Martian features. It raises the possibility that features that look like ancient shorelines might have been formed instead by geological, rather than climatic or water-related, processes. This relates to heading v, 'The influences weather has had on the planet.'
Associated Text:
These ideas remain controversial. Proponents point to features such as the terraced 'beaches' shown in one image, which could conceivably have been left behind as a lake or ocean evaporated and the shoreline receded. But research suggests that the terraces could also have been created by geological activity, perhaps related to the geologic forces that depressed the Northern Hemisphere far below the level of the south, in which case they have nothing whatever to do with Martian water.
The answer is vi. Section E asks what happened to the water on Mars and proposes that it is now locked in underground ice or in the polar caps. The most suitable heading for this section is vi, 'How did the water on Mars disappear?'
Associated Text:
Where did all the water go? The answer may be that virtually all the water on Mars is now locked in the permafrost layer under the surface, with more contained in the planet’s polar caps.
Questions 6-7
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write your answers in boxes 6-7
on your answer sheet.
6. Which of the following is true of the outflow channels on Mars?
7. What does the 2003 Global Surveyor data suggest about Mars?
The answer is D. In Section B, the text states: "They appear only in equatorial regions," indicating that outflow channels are restricted to specific parts of Mars. This makes (D) the correct answer, as it matches the detail that they are found only in certain areas on the Martian surface.
Associated Text:
They appear only in equatorial regions
The answer is B. Section D states: "Mars Global Surveyor data released in 2003 seem to indicate that the Martian surface contains too few carbonate rock layers—layers containing compounds of carbon and oxygen—that should have been formed in abundance in an ancient ocean. Their absence supports the picture of a cold, dry Mars that never experienced the extended mild period required to form lakes and oceans." This indicates that the climate may not have been suitable for large bodies of water, supporting (B).
Associated Text:
Mars Global Surveyor data released in 2003 seem to indicate that the Martian surface contains too few carbonate rock layers—layers containing compounds of carbon and oxygen—that should have been formed in abundance in an ancient ocean. Their absence supports the picture of a cold, dry Mars that never experienced the extended mild period required to form lakes and oceans.
Questions 8-14
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage? In boxes 8-14 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this.
The answer is TRUE. Section A mentions: "Runoff channels on Mars speak of a time 4 billion years ago (the age of the Martian highlands), when the atmosphere was thicker, the surface warmer, and liquid water widespread." This sentence directly states that the atmosphere has changed over time, making the statement true.
Associated Text:
Runoff channels on Mars speak of a time 4 billion years ago (the age of the Martian highlands), when the atmosphere was thicker, the surface warmer, and liquid water widespread.
The answer is NOT GIVEN. Nowhere in the passage is there a direct comparison that Mars’ runoff and outflow channels carried a higher volume of water and made more extensive networks than Earth’s river systems. While the passage compares runoff channels to Earth's rivers in shape and discusses the volume of water in outflow channels, it does not compare their overall volumes or network extent to those of Earth. Therefore, the information required for this statement is not given in the text.
Associated Text:
The answer is TRUE. Section C mentions: "A 2003 Mars Global Surveyor image shows what mission specialists think may be a delta—a fan-shaped network of channels and sediments where a river once flowed into a larger body of water... Other researchers go even further, suggesting that the data provide evidence for large open expanses of water on the early Martian surface." This demonstrates that imaging has been used to suggest possible channels and bodies of water.
Associated Text:
A 2003 Mars Global Surveyor image shows what mission specialists think may be a delta—a fan-shaped network of channels and sediments where a river once flowed into a larger body of water, in this case a lake filling a crater in the southern highlands. Other researchers go even further, suggesting that the data provide evidence for large open expanses of water on the early Martian surface.
The answer is FALSE. Section D states: "But research suggests that the terraces could also have been created by geological activity, perhaps related to the geologic forces that depressed the Northern Hemisphere far below the level of the south, in which case they have nothing whatever to do with Martian water." This means that geological forces are one possible explanation for the terraces, but it does not rule out water as a cause, making the statement that they 'could not have been formed by water' false.
Associated Text:
But research suggests that the terraces could also have been created by geological activity, perhaps related to the geologic forces that depressed the Northern Hemisphere far below the level of the south, in which case they have nothing whatever to do with Martian water.
The answer is TRUE. Section D notes: "Their absence supports the picture of a cold, dry Mars that never experienced the extended mild period required to form lakes and oceans." This sentence directly states that due to a lack of warmth, lakes and rivers did not develop on Mars, making the statement true.
Associated Text:
Their absence supports the picture of a cold, dry Mars that never experienced the extended mild period required to form lakes and oceans.
The answer is FALSE. In Section E, the text states: "Aside from some small-scale gullies (channels) found since 2000, which are inconclusive, astronomers have no direct evidence for liquid water anywhere on the surface of Mars today." This means astronomers do not dismiss them as evidence, but rather find them inconclusive. Therefore, the statement is false.
Associated Text:
Aside from some small-scale gullies (channels) found since 2000, which are inconclusive, astronomers have no direct evidence for liquid water anywhere on the surface of Mars today,
The answer is TRUE. Section E explains: "The answer may be that virtually all the water on Mars is now locked in the permafrost layer under the surface, with more contained in the planet’s polar caps." This statement confirms that today most water on Mars is frozen.
Associated Text:
The answer may be that virtually all the water on Mars is now locked in the permafrost layer under the surface, with more contained in the planet’s polar caps.
