Prime Time for Cicadas ri.4/ri.1 test

Read this sentence from paragraph 3.

The loud throb of their alien-sounding, high-pitched screeches fills the air.

What does the author’s word choice suggest about the sound that cicadas make?

• It is so fascinating that everyone should hear it.

• The sound is breathtakingly rhythmic and musical.

• The noise is both awful and annoying.

• The screeches are dangerous enough to lead to hearing loss.

Tags

CCSS.L.6.4A

CCSS.RL.6.4

Read this sentence from paragraph 7.

Researchers are especially interested in . . . periodical cicadas; these insects live only in this

part of the world, and they appear just once every 17 years, on the dot.

Which phrase from the sentence helps you figure out the meaning of periodical?

• are especially interested

• these insects live only

• in this part of the world

• just once every 17 years

Tags

CCSS.L.6.4A

CCSS.RI.6.4

Why do you think the author chose to use the words prime time in the title?

• to reveal her knowledge about prime numbers and cicada instincts

• to focus on the importance of the insect’s well-timed life cycle

• to highlight how researchers solved a puzzling mystery about the insect

• to emphasize that cicadas must emerge in the evening in order to survive

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

According to the text, how does the life cycle of periodical cicadas help them avoid interbreeding?

• They stay underground longer than most insects.
  

• Their prime number cycles make it rare for different populations to hatch at the same time.
  

• They hatch in the summer when it is warmer.
  

• They only hatch when the soil reaches 64 degrees F.

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.1

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.6.3

CCSS.W.6.9A

What does the word "juvenile" mean in the phrase "All cicada eggs hatch into juveniles underground"?

• Adult insect
  

• Young insect
  

• Fully grown cicada
  

• Insect with wings

Tags

CCSS.L.6.4A

CCSS.RI.6.4

What is the meaning of the word "phenomenon" as used in the sentence, "This is a really special phenomenon that doesn’t happen anywhere else in the world"?

• An event that rarely occurs.
  

• A complex scientific theory.
  

• A typical event in nature.
  

• A fact that can be easily explained.

Tags

CCSS.L.6.4A

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

What does the word “stagger” mean in the sentence “Different populations stagger their maturation”?

• Delay for a few hours.
  

• Organize their timing.
  

• Space out their timing.
  

• Prevent their development.

Tags

CCSS.L.6.4A

CCSS.L.6.4D

CCSS.RI.6.4

How does the author develop the idea that cicada life cycles are influenced by weather?

• By stating that cicadas prefer colder climates.
  
  

• By discussing how the length of their life cycle varies based on temperature changes.

• By explaining that cicadas emerge only when the soil reaches a specific temperature.

• By describing a study that shows cicadas are more likely to survive if they emerge in warm weather.

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.6.3

What is the purpose of including the study by researchers from Tennessee and Arkansas in the passage?

• To provide evidence for why cicadas have longer life cycles.
  

• To show how cicadas are affected by predators.
  

• To explain how cicadas have developed their ability to fly.
  

• To demonstrate the difference in survival rates for cicadas with shorter life cycles.

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.6.6

At what soil temperature do juvenile cicadas begin to emerge from underground?

• 60 degrees F
  

• 68 degrees F
  

• 70 degrees F
  

• 64 degrees F