Technology With the evolution of smartphone technology, people are now able to complete a
number of important tasks conveniently on the go. The problem with completing
tasks on the go, however, is that many people try to complete tasks while doing
other important tasks that require more focus, such as driving. Despite the ways that
smartphones have made many things in life more convenient, they have also made
some significant negative contributions to human society.
Distraction is one of the most obvious ways smartphones have left a negative mark
on society. Remember the days when families would sit around the dinner table and
talk about each other's days? These days, family members are more likely to be
multitasking at the dinner table between eating and scrolling through their social
media feeds or texting friends. Ironically, smartphones have given people a way to
connect more with the people they don't see all the time, but at the cost of
neglecting the relationships we have with the people right in front of us. With the ability to be entertained at any moment with the tap of a screen, people
with smartphones have also become firmly ingrained in an entitlement society.
Students sitting in classrooms across America struggle to be engaged with what's
going on in the classroom in a way that people who grew up without smartphones
never experienced. Even though they're often reminded that their learning is
important, students often find that almost anything they can do on their smartphone
would be more interesting than engaging in what their teacher has planned for the
day. Texting their best friend in another class or posting their thoughts about how
bored they are on their social media accounts means that, whatever is going on in
the classroom, students aren't fully engaged in their learning, and they're missing
out.
Furthermore, with entertainment never far away, people aren't using their
imaginations as much as they once did. Before smartphones, people were able to
practice mindfulness, the ability to be thoughtfully present in the moment. Now,
instead of being mindful of their surroundings, people are occupying their time and
their thinking with apps and activities on their smartphones. Research indicates that
boredom often leads to creative thinking, but smartphones, for many people, are
eliminating even the possibility of experiencing boredom.
Smartphones have certainly made many things more convenient. The ability to pay
bills online, connect with people around the world, or find out new information at
the touch of a screen are just a few of the ways smartphones have benefitted their
users. While convenience is great people need to realize the ways smartphones have
negatively impacted society and respond accordingly.

1. Based on the passage, we can infer that the author feels...
A: ambivalent toward the use of smartphones.
B :hopeful for the future of smartphone technology.
C: wary about a future filled with the overuse of smartphones.
D: angry about people's use of smartphones.

Question 2: the authors overall tone in the passage is

A: favorable
B: cautionary
C: foreboding
D: inspiring

Question 3: Which of the following is stated explicitly in the passage?
A: Smartphones are dangerous.
B: Smartphones have caused people to be distracted from other important
activities
C: Smartphones produce more negative consequences than positive benefits.
D: People who us Smartphone aren't as creatives people who don't.

Question 4: Which of the following statements accurately represents the central idea of this
passage?
A: "Smartphones have certainly made many things more convenient."
"B: Distraction is one of the most obvious ways smartphones have left a negative
mark on society."
"C: Research indicates that boredom often leads to creative thinking, but
smartphones, for many people, are eliminating even the possibility of
experiencing boredom."
"D: Despite the ways that smartphones have made many things in life more
convenient, they have also made some significant negative contributions to
human society."

Question 5: What inference can you derive based on the author's use of the following
information- "Research indicates that boredom often leads to creative thinking, but
smartphones, for many people, are eliminating even the possibility of experiencing
boredom"?
A: The author believes that as people use smartphones more, their creative
thinking will decrease because they won't have time to be bored.
B: The author is trying to convince the reader to put down their smartphones and
allow themselves to become bored more often.
C: The author uses this research to show that smartphones help people become
more creative by allowing them to connect with people around the world,
D: The author believes that boredom is an important part of becoming a better
person