Series 6: Afraid of Spiders?

12. This question has two parts.

Part A: Based on the context of paragraph 1, what does the words arachnophobia mean?

• a phobia, or fear, of members of the arachnid family

• a cure for a common fear or phobia

• a creature in the arachnid family, including spiders and mites

• a sort of illness caused by the bite of a venomous arachnid

Part B: Which words or phrase from the paragraph best support your answer in Part A?

• startled at some time

• fear of spiders

• most common fears

• fascinating creatures

13. 13. The adage in paragraph 2 supports the idea that spiders--​ ​ (a)  

• are beneficial
• can be beautiful
• eat insects
• are rarely seen

14. Look at this sentence from paragraph 2.

15. The feed on flies, of course, but also mosquitos, roaches, wasps, and moths.

    1. The author mentions these feeding details to show the reader that--

• spiders can be useful

• spiders are rarely seen

• spiders are fierce predators

• spiders differ from insects

15. 15. Which of these sentences best expresses the author's main claim in the article?

• Being afraid of spiders is perfectly natural, but that fear keeps many people from using spiders to control pests.

• Miss Muffet, a character in a nursery rhyme, is a good example of why we should fear spiders.

• Spider bites can be painful, but they are rarely dangerous.

• Learning about spiders can help us to see that these interesting creatures are beneficial to humans.

16. 16. The details in paragraph 4 help the reader understand that--

• black widow and brown recluse bites can be easily treated

• spiders present very little risk to humans

• horses are actually more dangerous than other animals

• running with a mouth full of cheese is a risky behavior

17. The diagram at the bottom of the article best supports which idea from the selection?

• Spiders are distinct from insects because they have eight legs and two body segments

• spiders tend to look more frightening than insects

• many spiders are close in size to common insects

• very few people are able to accurately identify spiders

18. 18. In which section of the article would the reader likely find information about spider silk? ​ (a)  

• Arachnid Adaptations
• The Perfect Houseguest
• Give Peace a Chance
• An Undeserved Reputation