Reading Comprehension Test

Submitted by Chayanan Anu-ekjit 1004

Pluto was first discovered in 1930. Until 2006, students were taught that it was the ninth
and smallest planet in the solar system. Smaller than Earth’s moon, it is not even as wide as the
United States. Pluto is made up almost ​entirely​ of rock and ice. It is so far away that it took the
NASA New Horizons spacecraft over 11 years to get there from Earth. Pluto’s full ​orbit​ around
the sun lasts almost 250 Earth years! But as small as it is, as cold as it is, as far from the sun as
it is, for all those years it was considered the ninth planet of the solar system until Eris came
around.
Eris was discovered in 2005. It is about the same size as Pluto. And like Pluto, it is part
of the Kuiper Belt, a ring of objects that circle the outer edge of the solar system. After Eris was
discovered, scientists had to make a decision. Either Eris was the 10th planet in the solar system
or it was not a planet at all! And if Eris weren’t a planet, could Pluto be considered one?
Scientists made new rules for what is counted as a planet, and decided that neither Pluto
nor Eris qualified. A new category was created: dwarf planet. The official list of planets in the
solar system went from nine to eight, and Pluto and Eris became members of the dwarf planet
club. So long for Planet Pluto—but at least it no longer has to be the littlest guy in the club. In
fact, Pluto is one of the bigger dwarf planets! Maybe Pluto doesn’t have it so bad after all.

(source: Pluto: The Planet That Wasn't. (2017). Retrieved from

https://www.readworks.org/article/Pluto-The-Planet-That-Wasnt/fc7bcf2c-3069-462a-b594-27f
6a74702b9#!articleTab:content/)

Summary: The passage is about the history of Pluto. Pluto was considered to be one of the
planets in our solar system until Eris was found. Scientist started considering Pluto to be a
dwarf planet with Eris.

1. What is the main idea of the passage?

a. The history of Eris
b. The characteristics of Pluto
c. The history of Pluto
d. How Pluto orbits the sun

2. What is Pluto made up of?

a. ice and soil
b. rock and sand
c. rock and ice
d. water and soil

3. What is the Kuiper Belt?

a. a ring of objects that circle the outer edge of the solar system
 b. an ice ring that orbits around Saturn.
c. a line that connects the sun with other solar systems
d. a region of space between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter

4. How many planets are there in the solar system?

a. 9
b. 8
c. 10
d. 7

5. The word “entirely” in line 3 is closest in meaning to

a. total
b. some
c. enough
d. many

6. The word “orbit” in line 5 is closest in meaning to

a. to block
b. to stay with
c. to strike into
d. to move around

7. The word “ It” in line 15 refers to

a. Dwarf planet
b. Pluto
c. Scientist
d. Eris

8. Which of the following statement is true?

a. Pluto is as wide as the United States.
b. Pluto is the ninth planet in our solar system.
c. Pluto is cold because it is far from the sun.
d. Pluto is hot because it is far from the sun.

9. According to the passage, when did the dwarf planet category was officially created?
a. When the Pluto was discovered
b. Before the Eris was discovered
c. After the Eris was discovered
d. Before the Pluto was discovered

10. What can be inferred about the size of the Pluto?

a. It is bigger than the Jupiter
 b. It is smaller than the Earth
c. It is as big as the Eris
d. It is as small as the Moon

ANSWER KEY :

1. c
2. c
3. a
4. b
5. a
6. d
7. b
8. c
9. c
10. b