Reading comprehension - 4

Reading Passages -

Finding Evidence in the Text

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No Horsing Around

Teen jockey wins her first race as a pro.

Shannon Uske (YOO-skee) has wanted to race horses since she was a very young girl. "When I started to crawl, I'd get on my German shepherd and ride around," she said. "My mom would yell at me to get off the dog, and I'd go, 'He's my horsy! '"

Now in her twenties, Shannon is still living her dream. She is a jockey. Her job is riding racehorses.

In January [2003], Shannon rode a horse named Lilah to victory at the Calder Race Course in Miami. It was her very first race as a pro. The crowd was stunned. So was Shannon.

"This is so exciting; I can't believe it," she said. "This is the biggest thrill of my life." Few jockeys win on their very first try. "It's like a rookie baseball player hitting a home run in his first at-bat," one person said.

Multiple Choice

It was very surprising when Shannon won her first race as a jockey.

What evidence from the text supports this conclusion?

Remember to the clue - "surprising", this is the evidence you want to support.

• “Now in her twenties, Shannon is still living her dream. She is a jockey. Her job is riding racehorses.”

• “Few jockeys win on their very first try. ‘It's like a rookie baseball player hitting a home run in his first at-bat,’ one person said.”

An Early Start

Shannon was born with damaged hips. As a child, she wore leg braces. Growing up in New Jersey, she spent a lot of time at stables.

In 2002, Shannon got a job at a racetrack in New York. She was an exercise rider. There she met Allen Jerkens, a famous horse trainer. Jerkens has helped many young jockeys get their start. He has also helped many women enter the mostly male sport of horse racing.

Multiple Choice

Who is Allen Jerkins?

• Allen Jerkins is Shannon Uske’s father.

• Allen Jerkins is a famous jockey.

• Allen Jerkins is a famous horse trainer.

• Allen Jerkins owns a horse named Lilah.

An Early Win

When she turned 16, Shannon moved to Florida to train with Jerkens. The young jockey lives with her grandmother, who drives her to the track. Shannon didn’t have a driver's license yet.

Shannon never thought she would win so soon. The other jockeys were happy for her. They dumped a bucket of water over her head. Pouring water on a first-time winner is a racing tradition.

Shannon said she wants to keep racing. "I want to be a jockey as long as I can," she said. "The thrill of being on a horse going that fast is amazing."

Multiple Choice

What does the text suggest?

• Shannon Uske will probably never win another race.

• It is very common for a young jockey to win their first professional race

• Shannon Uske’s family is supportive of her and her goals.

• Shannon Uske will move to another state very soon.

Multiple Choice

Choose the word that best completes the sentence.

__________it was Shannon’s first time winning a race, the other jockeys dumped water on Shannon’s head to celebrate.

• Finally

• After

• Because

• Although

A Little About Ants

There are many different kinds of ants. There are fire ants, carpenter ants, and more. Ants are different colors, too. Some are red. Others are black or brown. Some ants are very small. Others are bigger. 

All ants have something in common, though. They are social creatures. They live in large groups called colonies. There are millions of ants in some of these groups!

Multiple Choice

“Whatever their differences, though, all ants are social creatures. They live in largegroups called colonies. Some ant colonies are big and have millions of ants.”

What does the author probably mean by writing that ants are "social" creatures?

• Ants are creatures that help their ecosystem.

• Ants are creatures that work hard and carry things.

• Ants are creatures that live together in groups.

Ants

In each group there are different types of ants. Each type of ant has a different job. One type of ant is the queen. Her job is to lay eggs. Another type of ant is the soldier ant. Soldier ants gather food and protect the rest of the ants. Sometimes they even attack other colonies. Worker ants are another type of ant. They build ant homes and look for food. They also take care of baby ants. Soldier and worker ants are female. Male ants have only one job. Their job is to mate with the queen so that she can lay eggs.  

Multiple Choice

What does the author describe in this paragraph?

• the importance of ants to their ecosystem

• the ways in which ants keep soil healthy

• the food that ants bring to their nests

• the jobs done by ants in a colony

Ants

Ants are busy animals. They move quickly. Sometimes you can see them carrying a small piece of something. Sometimes you can see them pulling part of a leaf. Sometimes you can even see two ants helping each other carry the same crumb. But why? And where are they going?

Ants may seem to be just running around, but they are actually doing much more. They are helping the environment around them. That environment is the soil under our feet.

Multiple Choice

Ants are busy insects.

What evidence in the text supports this conclusion?

• Some ants are very, very small, and some are rather big

• Ants move quickly from one place to another.

• Male ants' only job is to mate with the queen.

• Ants can be red, or brown, or black.

Ants

Ants help keep the soil healthy. How? They dig through it. By digging through the soil they make spaces in it. It needs this space for air and water. And the little animals in the soil need air and water to live.

Ants also bring nutrients to the soil. This happens when they take bits of food to their nests. Ants don’t eat all of this food. And what they don’t eat stays in the soil. After a while, it breaks down into nutrients for other animals in the soil. 

Multiple Choice

Based on the information you just read, what can you conclude about where the ecosystem of an ant is?

• The ecosystem of an ant is in the ocean.

• The ecosystem of an ant is in the air.

• The ecosystem of an ant is in the soil.

• The ecosystem of an ant is in the desert.

Multiple Choice

What is a main idea of this text?

• Ants can be red, brown, or black.

• Ants are important parts of their ecosystem.

• Soil needs space inside it for air and water.

• Sometimes two ants help each other carry the same crumb.