Question

down into the hole and strikes the granite. a spark flies onto the exposed blasting powder. blam! the drill hole a of a bullet, it fires phineass rod straight upward. the iron shrieks through the air and comes down with a loud cla 9 this is what happens. imagine you are inside phineass head, watching in extreme slow motion: see the pointy his left cheekbone, pass behind his left eye, through the front of his brain, and out the middle of his forehead just a fraction of a fraction of a second for the iron rod to pass from cheekbone to forehead, through and through. 1. which response best shows an understanding of the text that is supported by textual evidence? a. the accident shows that gunpowder was too dangerous to be used safely. b. the incident proves that accidents can happen to even the most experienced experts. c. the confusion after the accident suggests that witnesses are unreliable. d. gage deserved what happened because it was his fault. 2. which paragraph best supports the inference that the cause of the accident is unknown? a. 6 b. 7 c. 8 d. 9 3. which textual evidence best supports the inference that the accident happens too quickly to be fully observed? a. \when its too dry or mixed in the wrong formula, almost anything can set it off, without warning.\ b. \a few yards behind phineas, a group of his men are using a hand - cranked derrick crane to hoist a large piece of rock\ c. \a spark flies onto the exposed blasting powder. blam!\ d. \it takes a fraction of a fraction of a second for the iron rod to pass from cheekbone to forehead, through and through\

Explanation:

1. The text describes an accident where a rod shoots through Phineas' head after a spark ignites blasting - powder. There is no indication that the accident was due to Phineas' fault, nor that witnesses are unreliable. The text doesn't focus on the safety of gunpowder in general but on this specific accident. The incident shows that accidents can happen even to those working with such materials regularly. So, the best - supported answer is that accidents can happen to even the most experienced experts.
2. The paragraphs provided do not clearly indicate which one shows the cause of the accident is unknown. However, the description in paragraph 9 about the extremely fast movement of the rod through Phineas' head might imply that it was hard to determine exactly what happened, suggesting the cause could be unknown.
3. The statement "It takes a fraction of a fraction of a second for the iron rod to pass from cheekbone to forehead, through and through" clearly shows that the accident happens too quickly to be fully observed.

Answer:

1. B. The incident proves that accidents can happen to even the most experienced experts.
2. D. 9
3. D. "It takes a fraction of a fraction of a second for the iron rod to pass from cheekbone to forehead, through and through"