Answer Close-Reading Questions
Have students write their responses, or use the Close-Reading Questions to guide a discussion.
• What are some possible explanations for unidentified flying objects (UFOs)? (Text Evidence)
Many Americans (more than 40 percent in a recent poll) believe that UFOs are alien spacecraft visiting Earth. Another possible explanation is that UFOs are drones, spy aircraft, or other military planes. Sometimes what people think are UFOs are actually optical illusions caused by sunlight or clouds. A government report determined that one UFO was “a large deflating balloon” and speculated that others could be birds or strange weather events.
• How does the sidebar “UFOs Through the Ages” support the article? (Text Features)
The sidebar explains how people have been fascinated with extraterrestrials over the years. It mentions aliens in pop culture, such as in the 1898 novel The War of the Worlds and the 1977 movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The sidebar also includes information about mysterious events in the mid-20th century.
• How has the U.S. government studied UFOs? (Key Details)
The U.S. Air Force began investigating UFOs in the 1940s when sightings multiplied. In 2007, the Department of Defense started a secret program to investigate them. A report published in the summer of 2021 examined 144 unexplained aerial phenomena from the past 20 years. However, it couldn’t explain many incidents, and a bill signed in December will create a new office to investigate the phenomena.