Wild Animals Aren't Pets

Which claim is presented in "Wild Animals Aren't Pets", the editorial by USA Today?

• Responsible people should be allowed to own wild animals.

• Wild animals are not pets.

Which is the claim is presented in "Let People Own Exotic Animals" by Zuzana Kukol?

• Wild animals are not pets.

• Responsible people should be allowed to own wild animals.

Analyze lines 17-23 of "Wild Animals Aren't Pets." Determine the central idea of this paragraph?

"If that were't already obvious, it became more so when collector Terry Thompson opened the cages on his Zanesville farm, springing dozens of lions, tigers, bears and other wild creatures before killing himself. With animals running loose and darkness closing in, authorities arrived with no good choices to protect the public. They shot all but a handful of the animals as the nation watched, transfixed and horrified."

• Wild animals are a threat to public safety

• Common sense tells us that wild animals should not be kept as pets.

• People who own exotic animals are cruel.

Determine which TWO details from the article support the central idea of lines 17-23 in "Wild Animals Aren't Pets"?

"If that were't already obvious, it became more so when collector Terry Thompson opened the cages on his Zanesville farm, springing dozens of lions, tigers, bears and other wild creatures before killing himself. With animals running loose and darkness closing in, authorities arrived with no good choices to protect the public. They shot all but a handful of the animals as the nation watched, transfixed and horrified."

• "Owners of "exotic" animals claim they rarely maim or kill."

• "With animals running loose and darkness closing in, authorities arrived with no good choices to protect the public."

• "They shot all but a handful of the animals as the nation watched, transfixed and horrified."

• "But is the death rate really the point?"

Analyze lines 42-48 "Wild Animals Aren't Pets." Determine the author's point of view on how states regulate exotic animals.

"Only collectors who exhibit animals need a federal license. Those, such as Thompson, who keep the animals as "pets"are left alone, unless states intervene. And many do not. Eight- Alabama, Idaho, Ohio, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Wisconsin- have no rules, and in 13 others the laws are lax, according to Born Free USA, which has lobbied for years for stronger laws."

• The author feels as though state governments should not be involved.

• The author feels that state governments are not doing enough.

• The author feels as though the government is too involved in the regulation of exotic animals.

Determine the meaning of the phrase "born in captivity" as it is used in line 13 of "Let People Own Exotic Animals".

"'are born in captivity, and not "stolen" from the wild. "

• that no animals are ever born in the wild

• that animals in captivity do not have babies

• that an animal was not born in the wild

Refer to "Let People Own Exotic Animals." Analyze this sentence from lines 16-18: "On average in the United States, only 3.25 people per year are killed by captive big cats, snakes, elephants and bears." The main purpose of this sentence is ...

• to provide a statistic that supports the argument.

• to emphasize a point that is not directly related to wild animals.

• to pose a question for the reader to consider.

Reread lines 30-33 of "Let People Own Exotic Animals." Determine which of the following examples of loaded language have negative connotations?

Negative connotation = when a specific word or phrase gives you a negative/bad feeling.

Choose THREE.

• overreacts

• bans

• abuse

• silly

Trace and evaluate both arguments presented in "Wild Animals Aren't Pets" and " Let People Own Exotic Animals"

Which of the following statements is true?

• Neither writer supports the claim with clear and convincing evidence.

• Both writers identify a claim and support their claims with evidence in a logical way.

• Both writers construct arguments based on their personal experiences and use only their own opinions as evidence.