Day 7 STAAR® Blitz Assignment

The author organizes the selection by -

• comparing whooper chicks that are hand-reared by scientists to whooper chicks that live in the wild
• providing a chronological account of the events leading up to the scientists’ decision to hand-rear the whooper chicks
• presenting the problems that occur when scientists hand-rear whooper chicks and then the solutions to those problems
• discussing the advantages and disadvantages of hand-rearing whooper chicks

What is the primary purpose of the photos next to the text?

• To show the difference between the puppets and real whooping cranes
• To provide visual images of the scientists working with the whooping cranes
• To illustrate the size of the whooper chicks
• To contrast the differences in the way each scientist cares for the chicks

What is the author’s main purpose for writing this selection?

• To criticize the scientists for wasting time and money on hand-rearing whooping cranes
• To analyze the hand-rearing methods the scientists use to raise the whooper chicks
• To inform the reader of the methods scientists use to raise whooper chicks in captivity
• To explain why whooper chicks need to be raised in captivity

How do the photographs support an important detail in paragraph 3?

• By demonstrating the way the scientists peck at the ground and forage for food
• By highlighting the pleasant weather conditions at the research center
• By providing a visual image of the number of scientists who work with the whooper chicks
• By showing the costumes and puppets the scientists use when working with the chicks

Which statement best expresses the thesis of the article?

• Whooper chicks are often aggressive, and scientists must go to great lengths to protect themselves when raising the chicks.
• The Patuxent Wildlife Research Center has strict rules for the scientists who work with whooper chicks.
• Handlers at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center work with whooper chicks to teach them how to eat.
• Scientists at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center work hard to raise whooper chicks in an environment close to what they would experience in the wild.

Which quotation from the article best supports the answer to Part A?

• Fostering the whooper chicks at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland proved to be a full-time job. (paragraph 1)
• Some young whoopers would attack their keepers, aggressively defending their territories from them. (paragraph 2)
• The handlers were silent when working with the chicks—no talking, sneezing, or coughing! (paragraph 4)
• The food is crushed and crumbled onto the wet model beak so that it will stick. (paragraph 6)

Based on the article, which conclusion can be made by the reader?

• Whooping cranes need help from humans to increase their population.
• The whooping crane population is thriving in the wild.
• Whooping cranes prefer to live with humans and make good pets.
• The whooping cranes raised in captivity do not need to learn how to survive in the wild.

Which word from paragraph 5 means “made to look genuine”? Enter your answer below.

Select the response that corrects the spelling error in sentence 3.

• heirarchy
• hierarcky
• heirarky
• hierarchy

Which sentence in the paragraph is extraneous and should be deleted?

• Sentence 1
• Sentence 2
• Sentence 3
• Sentence 4