Flying Lessons for Big Bird

Based on paragraphs 4 and 5, what can the reader infer about the staff members at

the resort?

• They needed more training to learn how to help animals.

• They used the resort’s blog to share information about native wildlife.

• They wanted to make sure that Big Bird learned a necessary skill.

• They thought that having Big Bird at the resort would discourage tourists from visiting.

How does the author organize the information in paragraph 3?

• The author uses cause and effect to explain why the appearance of pelicans

  changes.

• The author uses logical order to help the reader understand how pelicans came to

  look the way they do.

• The author uses sequential order to show what is interesting about the way

  pelicans fish.

• The author uses compare and contrast to explain what male and female pelicans

  look like.

The author’s primary purpose for writing the selection is to —

• share interesting facts about a large species of bird

• explain how the staff at a resort is taking care of a large bird as it grows up

• tell about the methods bird experts use to encourage birds to fly

• describe how a lost bird caused problems for tourists at a beach resort

Which sentence from the selection conveys the idea that people were beginning to

follow Big Bird’s story?

• Startled tourists may have assumed the bird was an adult because of his

  large size.

• They cared for Big Bird, as they called the young pelican, and nursed him back to health.

• The staff members, however, were not discouraged.

• After some more practice, Big Bird rewarded his growing fan club with a video of a

  successful flight.

What is the best summary of the selection?

• Big Bird, a young pelican, landed on a beach at a Tanzanian resort after being

  injured in a storm. Resort staff helped him recover, feeding him and even

  teaching him how to fly. Big Bird, whose flight has been captured on video, is

  welcome at the resort as long as he wants to stay.

• Because of their size, pelicans may seem older than they really are. One example

  is Big Bird, a young pelican that now lives at a Tanzanian resort. He was only

  three months old when he first landed at the resort’s beach, which meant that he

  had to be taught some skills to survive.

• Tourists at a resort in Tanzania were surprised when a young injured pelican

  swam onto the shore. Staff members at the resort named the pelican Big Bird and

  nursed him back to health. They also taught him how to fly because he had not

  learned from his flock.

• Big Bird is a pelican living at a Tanzanian resort while he recovers from injuries

  received during a storm. Staff members at the resort have been taking care of

  him. With permission from the park authority, the staff began feeding Big Bird. He

  grew bigger and stronger.

The author includes the quotations from the resort’s blog mainly to —

• help the resort contact people who may know of a flock that Big Bird could join

• show the park authority that Big Bird is being well cared for at the resort

• share details about Big Bird’s progress as he was learning to fly

• encourage tourists to visit the resort to see Big Bird

In paragraph 2, the details about how great white pelicans catch fish support the idea

that Big Bird —

• could not have survived on his own without help

• left his flock because he was unable to find food

• had injuries that kept him from fishing on his own

• was not familiar with the food at the resort

Read these sentences from the selection.

Everyone at the resort anticipated that Big Bird would fly

away and rejoin his flock once he regained his health.

(paragraph 4)

He may one day take flight, find a flock of pelicans to join,

and never return to the place where he learned to fly.

(paragraph 7)

These sentences help the reader understand that Big Bird’s caretakers —

• lack the resources to give Big Bird what he needs

• know that Big Bird belongs in the wild

• believe that Big Bird will get lost if he flies away

• are trying to find out where Big Bird came from