wanted to get rid of them. The animals made too much trouble. So the farrners

TestSMARIP-Reading, Gr. 3 10: The Mongoose Problem Look at the animal in the picture. It is a mongoose. It looks like a weasel. It eats meat and is a...
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TestSMARIP-Reading, Gr. 3

10: The Mongoose Problem Look at the animal in the picture. It is a mongoose. It looks like a weasel. It eats meat and is a good hunter. It hunts small animals like mice, toads, and

wanted to get rid of them. The animals made too much trouble. So the farrners had to find other ways to solve the rat problem.

snakes.

At first, the mongooses solved a

The mongoose comes from India. Many years ago, people took some mongooses to a small country called Jamaica. This little country had a big problem. People there grew sugar cane on farms. They made money by selling the sugar cane. What was the problem? Rats were eating the sugar cane plants.

problem. Then they became a problem! Today, many countries do not want these little animals at all. The mongoose just makes even more trouble frr people!

The farmers wanted to preserve the sugar cane plants. They had to do something about the rats. First, the farmers put big toads in the sugar cane fields. They wanted the toads to eat the rats. Their plan didn't work. The rats still ate the sugar cane plants.

Context Clues (l.C)

1. In this passage, the word preserve means_

A save B eat

Then the farmers put a few mongooses in the fields. They helped the farmers because they hunted the rats. Soon the farmers didn't see as many rats in the fields. This was splendid news for the farmers!

kill

D

hide

Context Clues (l.C)

2.

What does the word splendid mean?

A Secret B Sad

Then the farmers had a new problem. The mongooses stopped eating the rats. They began to eat the chickens from the farms. They liked chickens better than they liked rats! Sorne people made money by selling their chickens. They were upset with the mongooses and

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c

C Funny D Very good

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TestSMARIb-Reading, Gn 3

Focts/Detoils (il.A)

3.

Cause/Effect (tV.A)

The mongoose really comes

7. The people in Jamaica wanted to

from-

get rid of the mongooses because these animals_

A Jamaica B India C

D

A ate too many rats B ate too much sugar cane

the United States all counhies

C

D

Facts/Detaits (tt.A)

4. A mongoose

does NOT

eat-

Foct/Opinion (Vt.A)

8. Which is a FACT from this

A mice B toads

passage?

C snakes D sugar cane Sequential Order

5.

A The toads solved the farmers, rat

problem. B People in Jamaica grow sugar cane plants. C Mongooses liked rats better than chickens. D Mongooses always cause too much houble.

(t t. B)

What did the farmers do first to get rid of the rats?

A Hunted for the rats B Grew bigger sugar cane plants

C Put big toads in the fields D Used chickens in the fields

Ceneralizotions (V.C)

9. Which word would you use to tell how the mongooses were in

Main ldea (ilt.A)

6.

made too much mess ate chickens from the farms

This passage is mostly about_

Jamaica?

A

A Friendly B Helptul

bringing the mongoose from India B a good idea that turned into another problem how to grow sugar cane plants _C D how people in Jamaica grow sugar cane plants

C Scary D Damaging

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IestSMART,-Reading, Cr. 3

Main ldea (lll.A)

10. What would be another good title for this passage? Give reasons for your answer.

,:

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80

l'.:

R.ead

this selection. Then answer the questions that follow it.

A Rare Bear This animal is the most famous animal in the world. With its chubby body and friendly face, it looks like a real-life teddy bear. But, it is not a stuffed animal. It is the giant panda. The giant panda has charmed people for thousands of years. A giant panda is a beautiful animal. Its big, round body has a puzzle of black and white pieces. The panda's face is flat and white, and it has big black spots around its eyes. Its little round ears are black, too. All together, the panda looks like it was made for a hug.

A baby panda does not look like its parents when it is born. For one thing, it is not black and white. The baby panda is pink. The baby panda has almost no hair. It is also very tiny, about the size of a rat. A baby panda does not grow its pretty black and white patches until it is three weeks old. After that, it looks like a very small adult. The beautiful giant panda is a very rare animal. Wild pandas are found only in western China. They live high in the mountains. Thick, green forests grow all around them. The weather on the mountains is misty, cool, and damp. That is just the right weather for pandas. It is also iust the right weather for growing bamboo, their favorite food. Bamboo is a hard, woody plant that grows in tall stalks. The panda eats every part of the bamboo plant. In spring, it eats the plant's soft, young shoots. Other times, it feeds on the leaves or the tough, chewy stems. Its powerful jaws crush the hard bamboo. Then its wide teeth grind the food into bits. A giant panda must eat a lot of bamboo to stay healthy. For this reason, it never travels far from its food. It also spends most of its time eating. In fact, a giant panda spends about L4 hours a day just eating!

Just like people, a panda sits down to eat. It likes to lean against a tree or a rock. Then it uses its paws to hold its food. The giant panda has a special way of holding things. It has a large wrist bone which sticks out like a thumb. The panda uses this "thumb" to grab a piece of bamboo to eat.

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From time to time, one type of bamboo plant makes flowers. This happens every 4O to 80 years. After making flowers, these bamboo plants die, This is a natural part of the bamboo plant's life, but it can be deadly for giant pandas. Without bamboo, the giant pandas do not have food to eat. Flowering bamboo plants are not the pandas' greatest danger. People are much more dangerous to them. Giant pandas can live only in places where there is ptenty of bamboo to eat. Sometimes people want to live in those places, too. They move into the bamboo forest and clear the land for farming. They cut down the bamboo plants. They build villages. Soon the pandas. ale pushed out of their homes. They are forced to live in smaller areas. Some people woffy that soon there will be no more giant pandas. Many people in China are trying to change that. They have set up special places for pandas to live. There, the pandas and the bamboo plants are protected. The pandas have lots of room and plenty to eat. No one wants to see giant pandas disappear completely. With luck and hard work, these beautiful animats will stay safe. Then they can delight people for years

to come.

Objective 1 (Root Word/Structural Cue)

Objective 1 (Synonym/AntonYm)

L. Which word means the same stalks in paragraph 5?

0a 0s 0c 0n

as

2. What does the prefix dis mean in the word disappear in paragraph

Roots

0a 0g 0c 0o

Stems Places Parts

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t

MKS

8?--

with Against Between

Away

MASTER@ Power Practice, Reading,

Grade

3 ffi

Objective 3 (Order of Events)

Objective 1 (Detail/Fact)

3. What color is a panda when it

5. What happens after bamboo plants make flowers?

is born?

0a 0n 0C 0O

0 A Pink 0 g Black

0 c white 0 o Brown Objective 1 (Main ldea)

4. What

is paragraph 8 mostlY about?

0 0

A

g

0C 0

n

Why people in China like pandas

How people try to save the pandas Why people are a danger to pandas How people build villages in China

Abjective 3 (Graphic Source)

6. Look at the chart about how pandas

eat.

l-low Pandas Eat

Which of the following goes in the blank box?

0 a Rest on backs 0 g Wash food in water 0 C Hide food in trees 0 o Hold food in paws ffi

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TAKS MASTER@ Power Practice, Reading, Grade 3

The pandas have more food. The bamboo plants die. People cut down the plants. The bamboo plant grows bigger.

Objective 4

Objective 3 (Genre Features)

7. The reader can tell that "A Rare Bear" is nonfiction because the

author0

e

0

s

0 0

C

n

g

0

C

0

D

0

n

10. The author says that a panda is like people because it-

passage?

0

C

bamboo forests Setting up special places for pandas to live Bamboo plants that flower and die Very hot and dry weather in the mountains

Objective 4 (Supporting lnterpretation/Conclusion)

8. Which is a fact stated in the

n

0

that Pandas are beautiful animals

a

A People moving into the

0g

says

Objective 4 (Fact/Opinion)

0

nference)

9. Which of the following is not danger to the giant Panda?

0

teils what ababY Panda looks like says that pandas look like teddy bears gives true information about pandas

(l

The giant Panda has charmed people for thousands ofYears.

This animal is the most famous animal in the world. No one wants to see giant p andas disaPP ear comPletelY.

0 a eats one kind of food 0 g has a long wrist bone 0 C sits down when it eats 0 U likes to be hugged

Wild Pandas are found onlY in western China.

@

ECS Learning Systems, Inc.

a TAKS MASTER@ Power Practice, Reading, Grade

3 ffi

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