Comprehension

Read this issue's cover story, "Five Years of War." Then answer the following questions.

1. What has caused tension and violence among Iraq's three main groups: Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds?

A. disputes about how to share power and resources

B. a lack of funding for a proposed space program that some Iraqis want

C. widespread pollution from old power plants used to provide electricity to the biggest cities in the country

2. What does the author mean by saying that Saddam Hussein and his troops "melted back into the population"?

A. They sweat a lot in the hot desert sun.

B. They went back to their normal lives.

C. They joined an undercover national. security agency.

3. What are insurgents?

A. rebels

B. foreign soldiers who occupy a land

C. weapons of mass destruction

4. Which statement is a fact?

A. All insurgents are members of Al Qaeda.

B. Muqtada al-Sadr refuses to call a cease-fire.

C. The Iraq war started on March 20, 2003.

5. What is the main idea of this story?

A. After five years of fighting, U.S. soldiers are still struggling to establish peace in Iraq.

B. There have been some signs of success in Iraq, such as the 2005 election in which 8 million Iraqis voted.

C. Insurgent violence, such as car bombs, has endangered the lives of U.S. soldiers.

ANSWER KEY

1. A, 2. B, 3. A, 4. C, 5. A

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