"Some Like It Hot" Review

Multiple Choice

Part A: What is the central idea of the text? (RI.8.2)

• It is almost impossible to strike a balance between maintaining fires and maintaining ecosystems.

• A pyrophyte is a plant that has developed adaptations that rely on fire.

• The red-cockaded woodpecker makes its nests inside living trees as opposed to dead ones, which are likely to be blown down by harsh winds.

• Some plants and animals depend on fire to maintain their ecosystems and prevent ecological succession.

Multiple Choice

Part B: Which quotation from the text supports the answer chosen in Part A? (RI.8.1)

• “Longleaf pine trees are pyrophytes—fire-dependent plants. (Pyro- is Greek for ‘fire’ and -phyte means ‘plant.’)” (paragraph 6)

• “Like most woodpeckers, the RCW is a cavity nester, meaning it drills holes in dead trees to nest in. Unlike other woodpeckers, though, RCWs tend to drill holes in live trees, preferring longleaf pine.” (paragraph 9)

• “Silviculture is the science of maintaining healthy forests. Today, silviculture techniques strike a balance between harvesting trees for human use and maintaining healthy habitats for wildlife.” (paragraph 14)

• “From the destruction brought by fire, new life returns to the longleaf pine forest.” (paragraph 17)

Multiple Choice

Which statement should be included in a summary of the text? (RI.8.2)

• Lightning strikes are common causes of wildfires.

• Snakes will not cross pathways made sticky by resin.

• Some trees have complex root systems and thick bark to keep animals sheltered.

• Better land management is a crucial part of preserving habitats.

Multiple Select

Which two quotations support the inference that animals and plants maintain a close or dependent relationship? (RI.8.1)

• “Pine saplings possess complex root systems that store a lot of energy. A new tree uses this energy to grow quickly after a fire and outpace the green plants like palmetto and wiregrass that might block out the sun.” (paragraph 8)

• “Drilling just a few well-placed holes around the nest opening gets that gooey resin flowing. Soon, a sticky layer covers the area around the nest entrance. It’s the perfect way to keep out any unwanted guests, like the black rat snake that loves to slither up trees to snack on fresh eggs.” (paragraph 10)

• “A dense forest canopy would create too much shade for the leafy plants and grasses to survive. Rager says, ‘The animals that live in the longleaf pine ecosystem depend on the open ground, free of hardwoods or a dense understory.’” (paragraph 11)

• “Most of this habitat loss was due to poor land management—and not much planning for the future. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, America grew fast. Pine forests were cut down to provide building lumber.” (paragraph 13)

• “Today, silviculture techniques strike a balance between harvesting trees for human use and maintaining healthy habitats for wildlife. Improved silviculture over the last century has led to more sustainable forests. It has also helped protect healthy ecosystems.” (paragraph 14)

Multiple Choice

Which statement shows how the author distinguishes between humans’ responses and nature’s response to wildfires? (RI.8.3)

• Humans plan carefully for fires, whereas plants and animals are surprised by fires.

• Humans disregard the importance of fires, whereas plants and animals fear fires.

• Humans seek to understand fires, whereas plants and animals ignore fires.

• Humans attempt to control fires, whereas plants and animals adapt to and thrive after fires.

Multiple Choice

How does the author use structure in paragraph 7 to refine a key concept? (RI.8.5)

• by using sequential order to illustrate how the longleaf pine endures after fire

• by using cause and effect to explain how scorched land allows for the longleaf pine to conserve energy

• by using description to explain how the longleaf pine can outgrow any other shrub or bush after a devastating fire

• by using problem and solution to convey how land management systems can preserve longleaf pine forests

Multiple Choice

Which quotation from the text clarifies the meaning of the word thrive as it used throughout the text? (L.8.4)

• “Pine saplings possess complex root systems that store a lot of energy.” (paragraph 8)

• “After just a few years, a tall trunk with fortified bark will allow the pine to survive…” (paragraph 8)

• “Unlike other woodpeckers, though, RCWs tend to drill holes in live trees, preferring longleaf pine.” (paragraph 9)

• “At the turn of the twenty-first century, only about 5 percent of the longleaf pine forests remained.” (paragraph 12)

Multiple Choice

Questions 8-10 ask about what you read in both the text “Fire Danger” and the text “Some Like It Hot.”

How is the topic of prescribed burns treated differently in the two texts? (RI.8.9)

• In “Fire Danger,” the author focuses on prescribed burns used as a method of fire prevention, while the author of “Some Like It Hot” focuses on the use of prescribed burns to help maintain delicate ecosystems.

• In “Fire Danger,” the author focuses on the contributions of prescribed burns to climate change, while the author of “Some Like It Hot” focuses on the downsides of prescribed burns for lumber businesses.

• In “Fire Danger,” the author conveys the difficulties of convincing people about the benefits of prescribed burns, while the author of “Some Like It Hot” illustrates the ways that people are encouraging prescribed burns to conserve soon-to-be extinct plants and animals.

• In “Fire Danger,” the author mentions how legislators feel about prescribed burns, while the author of “Some Like It Hot” highlights the trust governments put in scientists to maintain forests.

Multiple Choice

With which statement would the authors of both texts agree? (RI.8.9)

• Naturally occurring fires are beneficial to nature.

• Most fires are started by humans.

• Plants and animals have evolved to support life after fires.

• Native Americans invented the method of using prescribed burns for fire prevention.

Multiple Choice

Read the sentences from paragraph 3 of “Some Like It Hot.”
The problem is humans don’t like wildfires. Each year, out-of-control infernos destroy homes and claim lives. People fight fires in hopes of controlling the destructive force of Mother Nature.

Which quotation from “Fire Danger” expresses a similar idea?

• “Burning gasoline produces greenhouse gases. Burning trees and plants in a forest fire produces many of the same problematic gases. In spite of this risk, scientists are learning that putting out wildfires as soon as they start may not be such a good idea.” (paragraph 5)

• “It’s not easy for legislators to explain to the people who voted for them why the government is setting fires near their houses.” (paragraph 9)

• “Occasionally a prescribed burn gets out of control. That makes people worry all the more about them. In 2000, a prescribed fire in New Mexico jumped its boundaries. It turned into the Cerro Grande wildfire, which cost about 400 families their homes.” (paragraph 10)

• “Even when forest rangers are allowed to do prescribed burns, they may have a hard time paying for them. Because wildfires are getting bigger, government needs to spend more money fighting them.” (paragraph 11)