Big Talkers

Multiple Choice

1. 1. The prefix un- helps the reader know that the word unfamiliar in paragraph 8 means —

• partly known

• known together

• known in the past

• not known

Multiple Choice

2. 2. What is the best summary of the selection?

• Loud trumpeting sounds are just one of the sounds elephants make. They also make rumbles, barks, snorts, and cries to communicate with members of the herd.

• Elephants have many more ways of communicating than most people might think. Elephants use touch, smell, noise, and movement to give one another messages.

• An elephant’s trunk lets an elephant share messages such as “Let’s play” or “Danger!” The trunk has a sensitive tip for touching other elephants and picking up smells.

• People and elephants both have a larynx, a body part that lets them make sounds. Elephants “talk” in low sounds, and elephants also use their sense of touch and smell a lot.

Multiple Choice

3. 3. Based on information in the selection, what is the most likely reason the author includes the photograph of the baby elephant standing close to its mother?

• To suggest that the baby elephant is warning its mother that there is danger nearby

• To show the reader what the baby elephant does to try to get its mother to play with it

• To show the reader what the baby elephant does when it wants its mother to know it is hungry

• To suggest that the baby elephant feels safe and protected when it is near its mother

Multiple Choice

4. 4. How do the subheadings provide an overview of the selection?

• They identify the ways elephants communicate.

• They describe important roles in an elephant herd.

• They tell why elephants need attention.

• They compare ways that elephants find food.

Multiple Choice

5. 5. Which sentence from the selection supports the idea that elephant herds try to guard themselves from danger?

• But an elephant’s huge larynx produces very low sounds.

  (paragraph 3)

• Some gestures—a twitch of an ear, a wag of the head—are so small that most people wouldn’t even notice them.

  (paragraph 4)

• They think it may help the elephants focus all their attention on the sounds and smells around them.

  (paragraph 5)

• If you ever wonder what an elephant is paying attention to, don’t watch its eyes.

  (paragraph 6)

Multiple Choice

6. 6. Based on information in paragraph 4, what can the reader infer about elephants?

• An elephant’s ears help the elephant communicate.

• Elephants usually feel either happy or scared.

• A large herd will rarely experience danger.

• Scientists are confused by an elephant’s body language

Multiple Choice

7. 7. The author includes questions at the end of paragraph 6 most likely —

• to show the details scientists want to learn about elephants

• to show that an elephant’s most important sense is the sense of smell

• to show that elephants can identify members in their herd

• to show that elephants gather information from different smells