13D: Advanced Paragraphs Content 4

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Lesson 13D: Advanced Paragraphs Content 4 Quiz

Question #1: The Amazon

The longest river in the world is the 4,160-mile-long Nile River. But the South American Amazon river is the second longest, at 3900 miles long. Its length is almost the same as between New York City and San Francisco. Plus, the Amazon River is known as the mightiest river in the world.

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Question #2: The Amazon

The Amazon is mightiest because it flows the greatest amount of water. More fresh water flows out to sea than from the Nile, Mississippi, and Yangtze rivers combined. The average discharge is about 7,400,000 cubic feet per second, and it represents 20% of global riverine water discharge into the ocean. The force of its current is tremendous, where people can see its white currents as far as 200 miles from land.

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Question #3: The Amazon

At its mouth, the Amazon is 90 miles wide. Even up the river, people are unable to see the opposite bank. The river is also extremely deep—from 75 to 250 feet. During the rainy season, the river can rise an additional 53 feet. This enables big ocean ships to sail on the river!

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Question #4: The Amazon

The most bloodthirsty fish in the world is not the shark; it is the Amazon's piranhas. They are only about four-to-eight inches long, but they have razor-sharp teeth and their jaws are massive. Thousands travel in a group. No animal can swim across the river because the fish will attack it. They can devour even large animals within seconds. So, if you are planning a trip to the Amazon, a good tip is to leave your bathing suit at home—that is, if you want to get home!

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Question #5: Up, Up, and Away!

Humans have always been fascinated by flying in the sky like birds. Wilbur and Orville Wright launched the modern Aviation Age with their motor-powered plane in 1903. But some 140 years prior, exhibitionists had begun flying high in the sky via balloons, which persists today.

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Question #6: Up, Up, and Away!

After inventors had safely tested their device with animals, in 1783, the first manned balloon took to the sky on France. That first hot-air-filled balloon remained aloft for only 20 minutes, traveling a mere five miles. Within two years, balloonists had figured out a way to traverse the 30-mile-wide English Channel, and by 1793, the first hydrogen-filled balloon went up in America.

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Question #7: Up, Up, and Away!

Once airplanes had replaced balloons as the principal means of air transportation, balloonists concentrated on setting height, distance, and duration records. In the 1970s and 1980s several transoceanic records were set and broken. These feats were possible because of new techniques for keeping balloons, now generally helium-filled, at steady temperatures.

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Question #8: Up, Up, and Away!

But circling the globe remained the final target. In March 1999, after a 19-day flight, Bertrand Piccard of Switzerland and Brian Jones of England landed in Egypt, having flown 29,056 miles to circle the globe.

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Question #9: Can I Afford This House?

Ron Ross wants to purchase his first house on Baker Street, but it is $120,000 and he only has $20,000. He learned that most people take out a mortgage, a way to finance the money that he does not have to purchase his dream home. He wants to put $20,000 down (equity) on the house and plans to finance $100,000. He went to the bank to get a loan and the bank officer approved his request.

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Question #10: Can I Afford This House?

The bank gave Ron a $100,000 loan and provided a monthly payment system, where Ron pays the same amount on the loan every month, for a term of 30 years. This is a 30-year, fixed-rate loan, meaning that the payment amount never changes for the entire term of 30 years, or 360 months. The loan officer explained to him that his loan’s interest amount will be largest at the beginning of the payment course because he will be paying interest on the entire $100,000. As he pays off his loan and his loan amount decreases, the interest amount will also decrease. But more of his monthly payment goes toward paying off the principal (the loan amount), which reduces the principal balance faster every month and increases his equity. Therefore, the interest always reflects the amount of the loan. Thus, the higher the loan amount, the more interest he will pay; the less he owes, the less interest he will have to pay.

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Question #11: Can I Afford This House?

The bank gave Ron an annual interest rate of 7.5 percent, so his monthly payment for his home will be 0.625% (7.5% divided by 12 months), yielding a monthly payment of $699.21 per month, for 30 years. The first loan payment ($699.21) is based on $625 of interest, but he is only paying down his loan by $74.21. Every month thereafter, the interest will slightly decrease because the interest is based on the amount that Ron owes. Since his next month’s payment of $699.21is now based on $99,925.79 ($100,625 -$699.21), his interest is slightly reduced and more money helps to pay down the loan. Regardless of the amount of interest, because his loan is a fixed-rate, he will always pay the same amount of $699.21 per month.

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Question #12: Can I Afford This House?

By the time that Ron is nearing the end of his payments in year 30, the majority of his payment will go toward his principal. For instance, if Ron’s loan balance is $1,000, from the monthly payment of $699.21, $692.96, will go to pay back the principal. The interest left will only be $6.25.

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Question #13: Can I Afford This House?

Looking at a bigger picture, if you added up all the interest that Ron paid over the 30 years, he paid 2.5 times the actual price of his home. He really paid over 250,000! But then again, he would not have been able to afford and enjoy his dream home had he not taken out the loan. Sometimes you need to pay more to get what you want!

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