Bonsai: Tiny Tree on High Alert by Mary Beth Cox

Which is a central idea?

• The art of bonsai represents the tension between peace and effort found in nature.

• Cultivating bonsai requires years of practice and an extensive knowledge of gardening.

• Using pruning shears to trim bonsai kickstarts a process of defense.

• Studying the origin of bonsai explains how small varities can be produced and grown today.

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CCSS.RI.7.2

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How does paragraph 2 contribute to the development of ideas in the text?

• It offers solutions for the problems that bonsai face in nature.

• It explains the origins of bonsai to provide context for the reader.

• It provides an example for the reader of how bonsai are produced.

• It transitions from the historical background of bonsai to modern-day development.

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Read the excerpts from parragraph 5.

Abonsai is also at war with its artist.

Sometimes a tree must choose between growth and defense......

How do the phrases "at war with" and "a tree must choose" impact the meaning of the text?

• They highlight an unsustainble exchange between trees and artists.

• They underscore the danger associated with artists pruning trees.

• They emphasize the trees' desperation to remain in their natural state.

• They convey the hostile nature of the trees' survival.

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CCSS.RL.2.6

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According to the text, which factor influences the small size of bonsai?

• The trees are grown in pots.

• The trees' leaves are used in cooking.

• The trees' defense system are damaged.

• The trees are kept safe from natural predators.

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CCSS.RI.7.2

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What is the author's purpose in writing this text?

• to explain how individuals can work to preserve bonsai history.

• to argue that chemicals pesticides are endangering the bonsai tradition.

• to explain why there are many misconceptions about bonsai.

• to describe the significance as an art form.

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Part A

What claim does the author make in the text?

• "Banzail! is an old Japanese battle cry, similar to the English Charge!" (paragraph 1)

• "Wild plants may be cropped short by predatory pest that come in two-, four-, and six-legged varities." (paragraph 5)

• "A bonsai is also at war with its artisit." (parapgraph 5)

• "Trees must divide their energy among thier many activities." (paragraph 5)

Part B

Which quotation from the text supports the answer to Part A?

• "Suppose a multi-legged pest munches on part of the tree. The munching damages many tree cells." (paragraph 6)

• "Other trees release substances into the environment that attract the attention of an ally." (paragraph 6)

• "An artisit will frequently prune the branches of a bonsai. This activates the tree's jasmonate alarm system." (paragraph 7)

• "A bonsai thus becomes a small-scale model of the full-sized tree, as it would appear in its native environment." (paragraph 7)

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