The Lives of Turtles

Read this sentence from the article. "When the baby turtles hatch, they head straight for the water." What does the word head mean in this sentence?

• part of the body that has eyes and a mouth

• to act as chief or leader of a group

• one side of a coin

• to move in a certain direction

How do tortoises protect themselves from danger?

• They bite with their beaks.

• They hide inside their shells.

• They swim away fast.

• They run away from danger.

How are tortoises and sea turtles alike?

• Both eat animals.

• Both dig holes for their eggs.

• Both move slowly.

• Both live in the sea.

Suppose you see a turtle that has flippers and eats only plants. What kind of turtle is it?

• leatherback turtle

• painted turtle

• green sea turtle

• snapping turtle

Which statement is true?

• Most turtles live near fresh water.

• Tortoises are the largest turtles.

• Most turtles live in the ocean.

• All turtles can pull their heads inside their shells.

Where do tortoises live?

• on a beach

• in the ocean

• on land

• in fresh water

Why did the author include a pencil in the diagram?

• Because bog turtles like to eat wood

• To compare the size of a bog turtle to that of a pencil

• To compare the size of a leatherback turtle to that of a pencil

• Because the author used a pencil to draw the illustration

What is the main idea of this article?

• There are many kinds of turtles that live near fresh water, in the ocean, or on land.

• Many kinds of turtles can pull their head, legs, and tails inside their shells.

• All kinds of turtles dig holes to lay their eggs and then leave.

• The largest land turtles may weigh 600 pounds, but leatherbacks grow even larger.