Shame on Us: Protecting Animals by Jailing them in Zoos

The Latin root feroc, meaning “fierce,” helps the reader understand that the word ferocious in paragraph 7 means one who is -

• extremely unpleasant

• Violent by nature

• mild in mannerisms

• tremendously strong

What is the main idea of paragraph 7?

• Cages are not the answer

• Tigers should be given their freedom

• Tigers will not fight if put in a cage

• Cages change an animal's natural instinct.

What is the author's main claim?

• Zoos only hurt animals.

• All zoos should be closed down.

• Zoos are causing more harm than good.

• People need to think before they go to the zoo.

Which sentence best summarizes paragraphs 1 through 3?

• When the author was in middle school, he always went to the zoo. It was an excellent way to learn about animals and to see what they look like and ate. He found it interesting, like when you give bears food, they will close their palms, which means thank you in China.

• People feel different ways about zoos and aquariums. However, zoos are fun for kids to come to see the animals. They enjoy how the zookeepers train them for entertainment. But, is that a bad thing?

• There are opposing views on zoos and aquariums. As a kid, the author enjoyed going to zoos and found the animals interesting. But, zookeepers train the animals to do things against their nature. This makes the author question if zoos are then wrong.

• Should zoos and aquariums exist? Some people think aquariums are a good way to teach kids knowledge about animals. Others believe establishing zoos and aquariums are inhumane.

Which sentence(s) suggests the narrator did not always think negatively about zoos?

• When I was in middle school, we always went to the zoo. It is a good way to learn about animals and to see what they look like and what they like to eat.

• Zookeepers teach animals how to attract tourists. The animals are trained to behave in a way as to attract tourists and earn revenue for zoos.

• Is it humane to train animals to do something that does not obey their natural instinct? Should we decrease the number of zoos?

• As humans, we fight for freedom and equal rights. Everyone needs freedom– woman or man, black or white, poor or rich

Read the sentence from paragraph 7.

Weeks ago, I saw a video about a tiger in a cage. Tourists threw branches to the tiger. The tiger did not do anything, much like a house cat might do.

The reader can conclude that –

• A.people are cruel and enjoy torturing animals

• technology exposes more people to how animals are treated

• the tiger did not care enough to respond to the branches

• more people will watch the video and feel the same way

The author included the comparison to jails in paragraph 5 most likely to -

• emphasize the trauma of being in a cage all your life

• show the reader why caging an animal is inhumane

• explain to the reader what caging an animal really means

• help the reader form a stronger human connection to the issue

Which sentence best shows the author of the selection’s attitude toward zoos?

• Others believe establishing zoos and aquariums are inhumane.

• But, are we protecting them or torturing them?

• However, when we set up a zoo, the first thing we do is catch wild animals

• We should put these animals back where they belong