U2 TEST/Part 1: Multiple Choice 15 Points

READING PRACTICE: Read the passage. Then read each question and choose the correct answer.

Solar Lighting

(A)       Katherine Lucey knows from personal experience the amazing impact that light can have on a family. Lucey helped to install a solar-light system in the home of a Ugandan family who didn’t have access to electricity. The system powered just three lights, but it changed the family members’ lives dramatically.

(B)       One light was placed in the kitchen, one outside for security, and the final one was placed near the family’s chickens. Light encourages chickens to lay more eggs, so soon the family could earn a little extra income by selling more eggs. Over time, the family saved enough money to buy a cow, a goat, and a pig. The family’s mother eventually was able to start a school and women’s literacy club.

(C)       The Ugandan family’s situation was not unique. In poor countries around the world, millions of families live without electricity—600 million people in Africa, and one in six people globally. Without electric lights, these people have had to use dangerous alternatives. Often they use kerosene lamps, which are expensive and produce toxic black smoke. The smoke causes serious health problems, and thousands of people are seriously burned or die in kerosene accidents each year.

(D)       Until recently, there were few solutions to this problem. However, everything began to change with the introduction of small solar lamps. Costing as little as $10, these lights are now affordable even to poor families, and because there is no need to buy kerosene, the lamps pay for themselves in a few months. Solar lights are clean and safe, and many now also have an outlet to charge a cell phone. The introduction of light to homes in this way has improved millions of people’s lives in the past few years. It allows families to extend the working day, and children can study and do their homework after dark.

(E)       Inspired by the positive change in the Ugandan family’s life after the introduction of solar lighting, Katherine Lucey founded a nonprofit organization called Solar Sister. The organization trains women to sell solar lights in Africa, giving them the chance to earn an income. One success story is a woman named Grace—by becoming a Solar Sister entrepreneur, she has tripled her family’s income, and this money has enabled the ten children she and her husband support to attend school. 

(F)       The demand for solar lighting devices is growing fast. There are now over 40 companies that offer affordable and high-quality solar lights. In Africa alone, solar lighting has impacted over 35 million people across 25 countries. Thanks to technology innovations and the work of many creative people, millions of people around the world can look forward to a brighter future.