STAAR 10 Reading, One Kingdom: Our Lives With Animals

Which statement best expresses the main idea of the essay?

• As uncomfortable as zoos can make us feel, they are useful and appealing.

• Zoos benefit everyone by helping animals and educating people.

• When visiting zoos, people should respect the animals.

• Zoos have initiated many improvements that benefit animals.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Read this quotation from paragraph 1. "It’s the wide, wild world in miniature, and its human architects are conscientious stewards." In this quotation, the author means that —

• zoos should provide visitors with opportunities to feed and care for the animals

• zoos need to be designed to accommodate most of the world’s animal species

• people are responsible for properly feeding the animals in zoos

• people have built and control the unnatural world the animals in their care now inhabit

What evidence does the author primarily use to support her message?

• Facts about biodiversity

• Expert opinions and interviews

• Personal observation and reflection

• Details about zoo practices

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.6

CCSS.RI.11-12.6

CCSS.RL.11-12.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RL.9-10.6

The author includes the ideas in paragraphs 3 and 4 primarily to —

• explain why visitors to zoos often experience troubling emotions

• describe the zoo habitats of the animals that children most like to visit

• advocate for zoo programs that will provide more-stimulating activities for the animals

• inform visitors to zoos how to behave when viewing the animals

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Why does the author include an imaginary conversation with a wolf in paragraph 5?

• To contrast the experience of animals in a zoo with that of wild animals

• To suggest that animals are worthy of moral consideration

• To ridicule the behavior of zoo visitors who do not respect the animals

• To present a subtle argument for the improved treatment of animals

Which of the following provides the best summary of the essay?

• Zoos exhibit the world’s animals to millions of visitors every year. But since the animals’ habitats do not provide the freedom and stimulation found in the wild, the animals often act in unnatural ways that are disturbing to the people observing them.

• Zoos provide meaningful opportunities for people to observe animals they might not otherwise see. However, seeing animals in captivity can be disheartening and can make people wonder whether the benefits of zoos outweigh the disadvantages.

• Zoos allow people the opportunity to observe wild animals at close range. Although these opportunities are beneficial to people, the animals in zoos live in unnatural habitats that restrict their movement and cause them permanent harm.

• Zoos give visitors a view of the world’s animals in settings similar to their natural habitat. By providing care and food to these animals, zoos improve the survival chances for many species facing extinction in the wild.