Cholla Cactus/ Cactus Wren

Use “The Cholla Cactus” to answer the following question.

What are the most likely reasons the author includes paragraphs 1

and 2 of the article “The Cholla Cactus”?

Select TWO correct answers.

• To connect the reader to the topic

• To argue for the protection of a species

• To explain how a cactus grows in the desert

• To provide a mental picture of the subject

• To show how animals survive in harsh climates

Use “The Cholla Cactus” to answer the following question.

Read the question carefully. Then record your answer in the box

provided.

Based on paragraph 7 of the article “The Cholla Cactus,” why does

the wood rat use the cholla cactus to build its nest? Support your

answer with evidence from the article.

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Use “The Cholla Cactus” and “Cactus Wren” to answer the following

question.

This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer

Part B.

Part A

Which important idea is explained in BOTH the article “The Cholla

Cactus” and the poem “Cactus Wren”?

• Many animals make their homes inside of the cholla cactus.

• Birds sing from the cholla cactus when other animals are asleep.

• The cholla cactus provides moisture for some desert wildlife.

• The cholla cactus is used as a food source for some animals

  and people.

Part B

Which lines from the poem support the answer to Part A?

• On the hottest

  summer afternoons

  when desert creatures

  look for shade

  (lines 1–4)

• I sit high on a cactus

  and fling

  my loud ringing trill

  out to the sun . . .

  over and over

  again. (lines 8–13)

• is a stickery branch

  in a cactus thicket.

  I like thorns

  in all directions. (lines 21–24)

• It is so good a nest

  that when we leave it

  other creatures

  will move in—

  a family of crickets

  or a cactus-climbing mouse. (lines 31–36)

Use “The Cholla Cactus” to answer the following question.

Which sentences from paragraphs 4 through 6 show that the cholla

cactus is difficult to harvest?

Select the TWO correct answers.

• The desert bighorn sheep, for example, has learned to get

  water from the cholla cactus.

• The animal

  uses its large curled horns and its hooves to tear off pieces of

  a cholla and remove the spines.

• Bees enjoy the pollen of its colorful blooms.

• They roll the buds on a

  hard surface to remove the spines and then roast them slowly

  on an open fire.

• Cholla buds

  contain protein, calcium, and fiber—all of which are important

  to good health.

Use “The Cholla Cactus” (pp. 14–15) to answer questions 18–21. Then fill

in the answers on your answer document.

What is the main idea of the section titled “A Prickly Feast”?

• People sometimes roast the buds of certain types of cholla cactus.

• The cholla cactus attracts bees because of its pollen.

• People and animals eat parts of the cholla cactus.

• The fruit of the cholla cactus is quite juicy.

According to the article, rainwater is stored in the cholla cactus’s —

• spines

• roots

• flowers

• stems

The author included the information in paragraph 1 to help the reader —

• visualize a hot desert region

• learn about people who live in extreme conditions

• understand the kinds of plants that live in sandy soil

• identify the ways in which animals survive in the desert

What do the subheadings in the article help the reader understand?

• There are many different types of cholla.

• The author is knowledgeable about desert animals.

• The cholla can be used for different purposes.

• Many animals live in severe environments.