Animal intelligence

Which sentence would be inappropriate in an informational piece of writing with a formal tone?

• Loggerhead sea turtles are the most common sea turtle in the southeastern United States.

• The loggerhead sea turtle is one marine species that is listed under the Endangered Species Act.

• These turtles face many threats in our seas, from getting caught in fishing nets, being hit by ships, and ingesting plastic debris.

• People need to stop throwing trash in the water and and keep away from the nests of these cute creatures or they won't survive.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

What is the most reliable source of information?

• a long and very detailed article on a website with no author

• a website last updated in 2005

• an article in the most recent volume of an academic journal

• a personal blog article updated yesterday

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.5

CCSS.RL.4.1

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

Read the first paragraph of "Dog Talk":

Listen. Do you hear it? No matter where you are, if you stick your head out a window for a minute or two you'll probably hear a dog barking. What is it they're trying to say? Does that racket actually mean something? Why do dogs bark?

• The purpose is to instruct; it provides supporting details about the abilities of dogs.

• The purpose is to entertain; it uses a humorous tone.

• The purpose is to inform; it asks a question that will be answered by the text.

• It is trying to convince you that you are the smartest animal of all.

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.6

CCSS.RI.6.9

CCSS.RI.7.6

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

Which author has the most credible and reliable source of information?

• an author who includes in-text citations and a works-cited page

• an author with an impressive-sounding job

• an author who is being paid by an advertising company to write

• an author with a well-designed website

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.5

CCSS.RL.4.1

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

Read the excerpt from "Close Encounters of the Bear Kind."

The blinding glare of spring sunlight glinting off the snow makes it tough to make out where the bear is in the hole. John crouches down, shades his eyes with his hands and puts his face close to peer inside. With a startled look, he pulls back and whips the sleeping bag over the hole. The black bear inside is not only awake; its head is right at the entrance. John hopes the sleeping bag will keep the den dark and the bear calm a bit longer. Which detail from the text best supports the inference that John is afraid of a bear attack?

• "With a startled look, he pulls back and whips the sleeping bag over the hole."

• "The black bear inside is not only awake; its head is right at the entrance."

• "John crouches down, shades his eyes with his hands and puts his face close to peer inside."

• "John hopes the sleeping bag will keep the den dark and the bear calm a bit longer."

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.1

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.1

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

Read this excerpt from "Close Encounters of the Bear Kind."

John is a biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. His study area is the Tanana Valley, a boggy lowland in central Alaska. It's prime black bear habitat, but most of the ground is too wet for dens. Unfortunately, the only dry areas that seem good for dens also happen to be used by the U.S. Army for winter training. So to protect both bears and soldiers, the army hired John to find out where most bears in the area hibernate.

What is the author's purpose in this paragraph from "Close Encounters of the Bear Kind"?

• to inform

• to entertain

• to tell a story

• to persuade

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CCSS.RI.6.6

CCSS.RI.6.9

CCSS.RI.7.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

In "The Think Tank," the final paragraph begins with the question, "What's the next step?"

Why does the author include this question?

• to show that she does not have all the answers

• to suggest that writers, like scientists, must be curious

• to casually lead into Shumaker's plans for future research

• to criticize Shumaker's lack of ideas about what to do next

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CCSS.RI.6.6

CCSS.RI.6.9

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

Read this excerpt from "Are Dogs Dumb?" by Karen Hopkin.

Chimps can use sign language to talk to their trainers. Monkeys can learn to count. A crow can figure out how to us a stick to get at that hard-to-reach grub. Chickens can learn to play checkers. Even worms can be taught to run mazes. So which animal is the smartest? You're probably thinking that chimps are smarter than chickens. And that crows are smarter than worms. And that you’re smarter than all of them.

What is the author's viewpoint in this excerpt?

• She is curious about which animal is the smartest.

• She believes the readers think too highly of themselves.

• She thinks that animals are smarter than humans.

• She thinks that humans are smarter than animals.

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CCSS.RI.6.6

CCSS.RI.6.9

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

Which example is considered plagiarism?

• citing someone else’s work in a research paper

• reading other people’s research before writing

• quoting another source in the text of your paper

• using another’s work in a paper without citing it

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.5

CCSS.RL.4.1

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

Cassandra plans to write an essay about the devastating effects of acid rain on the environment.

Which organizational structure would be most appropriate?

• compare and contrast

• cause and effect

• chronological

• most-to-least important

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5