Test Prep-Excerpt Birdology

Lines 1 through 11 best support the idea that the author

• is fearful the chicks will be vulnerable to predators

• is unsure about what she can expect the chicks to understand

• wants the chicks to explore the yard she has set up for their needs

• has not planned how she will teach the chicks to adjust to a new environment

Based on lines 12 through 18, which statement best describes the exchange between Gretchen and the author?

• Gretchen proves a point, and the author feels embarrassed.

• Gretchen gives the author advice, and the author learns from it.

• Gretchen comforts the author, and the author feels more confident.

• Gretchen shares her personal experiences, and the author criticizes them.

What do lines 23 through 31 indicate about the developmental strategy of chickens?

• Chickens are adapted to food availability and pressure from predators.

• Chickens are born ready and require no further maturing.

• Chickens have a faster growth rate than other birds.

• Baby chickens spend no time with their parents.

Lines 49 through 59 develop the key idea that chickens raised by humans

• are curious about the activities of their caregivers

• become a nuisance to the other projects of their owners

• grow to prefer the company of people over other chickens

• develop their intelligence more than chickens raised by hens

Read lines 36 through 42 from the passage.

"In scientific experiments, researchers have trained days-old chicks to find hidden food using both distant and nearby and nearby landmarks as cues. Italian researchers demonstrated that at the tender age of fifteen days, after just a week's training to find hidden food in the middle of their cage, chicks can correctly calculate the center of a given environment-even in the absence of distinctive landmarks. Even more astonishing, they can do it in spaces they have never seen before, whether the area be circular, square, or triangular. "

How do these lines relate to lines 59 through 64?

• Lines 36 through 42 express an opinion, and lines 59 through 64 provide support.

• Lines 36 through 42 identify why something happens, and lines 59 through 64 describe what happens.

• Lines 36 through 42 present facts, and lines 59 through 64 support the facts with a personal experience.

• Lines 36 through 42 provide a comparison, and lines 59 through 64 provide evidence for the comparison.

Which claim do lines 65 through 72 support?

• The chickens stay where they do as a direct result of what the author has taught them.

• The chickens do what they do because of their interactions with their environment.

• The chickens stay where they do because they are unfamiliar with other areas.

• The chickens do what they do as a result of trail and error.

How does the author's attitude toward the chickens change from the beginning of the passage to the end?

• It varies from fear for their safety to gratitude for winning over the author's father-in-law.

• It shifts from being uncertain about their abilities to being amazed at their complex ways.

• As she observes the behavior of the chickens, she realizes their learning keeps pace the risks they take.

• As she gains confidence in her ability to raise her chickens , she comes to appreciate their self-sufficiency.

Based on the title, "birdology" what does "ology" mean

• the world

• information

• scientist

• the study

Based on paragraph 1, what would be the best annotation for this paragraph

• how chicks survive in the barn all day

• how Gretchen saves the chicks from predators

• preventing chicks from getting lost in a new environment

• chicks and their domestic habitat

Line 23 uses the word, "precocial", what does precocial mean?

• when youngs/babies are in an advance state right from birth

• development of life is at a normal pace

• when youngs /babies don't fully develop and are helpless

• stages of development are mature after a week