Honey Bee Helpers Review

Based on the information in the passage, which two inferences can be drawn?

• There are certain types of plants that bees cannot use for food.

• Beekeepers find ways to make profits outside of honey production.

• Farmers do not care about the declining bee population.

• Home beekeepers are important factors in the overall bee population.

• There are only a few threats to bee colonies such as colony collapse disorder or pesticides.

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CCSS.RI.5.1

CCSS.RI.6.1

CCSS.RL.4.1

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.6.1

Read paragraph 11.

Despite their might, honey bees are in trouble. The number of managed hives in the United States has decreased by about 50 percent since the 1950s due to factors such as diseases, parasites, habitat loss, pesticide exposure, and shifting markets and consumer demand for honey. In recent years, beekeepers have experienced an average total loss of 30 percent of colonies annually, and in 2013-2014 this number increased to 34 percent—a damaging sting.

How does the paragraph contribute to the development of ideas in the passage?

• It introduces and then describes a problem in the bee industry.

• It lists the ways in which bees are used for agriculture.

• It explains how beekeepers are losing money in the bee industry.

• It details the decline of beekeepers in America due to profit losses.

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CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Read the sentence from paragraph 20.

“Our study demonstrates how fundamentally entwined the beekeeping and agriculture industries are and how land-use changes in the Great Plains are felt across the country,” Smart said.

What is the meaning of the word entwined?

• dependent on one another

• regulated together

• relying entirely on help

• trusting of two parties

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CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

Which sentence states a central idea of paragraphs 17-20?

• California almond farmers rotate their crops between almonds and grasslands in order to utilize rented bee colonies to pollinate their plants and almonds.

• Scientists at the USGS studied summertime land use in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota to determine whether or not rented apiaries were beneficial to California almonds.

• Scientists have found that land converted from grasslands to row crops resulted in smaller and less profitable bee colonies, which in turn affected the almond crop in California.

• The profitability of the beekeeping industry is a direct result of careful observation by local scientists, the results of which affect state and federal land-use laws and practices.

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CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

How does the author illustrate the idea that bees require specific diets?

• by explaining the ways in which bees are nourished by apiaries

• by using an analogy to show how a limited human diet has health consequences

• by presenting facts and statistics about the diet’s specific nutritional makeup of pollen

• by providing examples to clarify the types of plants that bees can use for food

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CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

Look at the photograph.

How does the photograph help the reader develop an understanding of the topic?

• by providing the reader with a historic photo of the largest beehive in America

• by showing the reader the necessity of apiaries for California almond farmers

• by presenting the reader with a portrayal of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor

• by allowing the reader to visualize the process of bees bringing pollen back to a hive

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CCSS.RI.1.5

CCSS.RI.2.5

CCSS.RI.K.5

Which claim lacks evidence in the passage to support it?

• “…critical honey bee and wild bee populations in the United States have been declining in recent years, creating concern about the future security of pollination services for agricultural crops.” (paragraph 3)

• “Originally imported from Europe in the 17th century, honey bees are essential to maintaining food production in North America today.” (paragraph 5)

• “Honey bees in the Northern Great Plains are of critical importance to the commercial beekeeping industry and to the diversity of U.S. crops.” (paragraph 10)

• “While the importance of a healthy pollinator population to agriculture is clear, pollinators are just as important to sustaining functioning ecosystems and food supplies for wildlife.” (paragraph 21)

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CCSS.RI.5.8

CCSS.RI.6.1

CCSS.RI.6.8

CCSS.RL.6.1

CCSS.RL.7.1

Select one phrase from the passage that provides context for the meaning of the word diversity in paragraph 15.

Land-use changes that decrease flower abundance can also affect bee health and pollination services. Midwestern states are losing crucial native grasslands and conservation lands that have historically provided abundant flowers for honey bees and native pollinators. A significant amount of corn and soybean crops are being planted to meet growing demands, often replacing many of the region’s bee-friendly crops. Also, agricultural practices associated with these changes reduce pollinator forage availability.

This loss of plant diversity can directly affect the health of honey bees. Pollen is the sole source of protein for bee colonies, and each plant species provides different balances of amino acids, fats, vitamins, and minerals in its pollen. As plant species are lost, so is honey bee nutritional availability.

• losing crucial native grasslands and conservation lands

• corn and soybean crops are being planted to meet growing demands, often replacing many of the region’s bee-friendly crops.

• each plant species provides different balances of amino acids, fats, vitamins, and minerals in its pollen

• honey bee nutritional availability.

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CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.RL.6.4