Understanding Buffalo in Native American Culture

Which phrase from paragraph 5 helps the reader understand the meaning of the word sinew?

• People clean buffalo horns and cut them to make rattles, spoons and cups.

• They save and dry the tendons from the back and the legs.

• They use the sinew as sewing thread.

• pound it to separate the fibers

How do the headings provide the reader with an overview of the selection?

• They identify the ways buffalos communicate

• To compare ways that buffalos find food

• They describe different ways Native Americans used buffalo as a resource

• They tell about the different types of animals Native Americans hunt

Which sentence best explains why Native Americans used every part of a Buffalo?

• Buffalo were abundant (too many to count) and easy to hunt.

• Buffalo were considered sacred animals.

• Native Americans needed to conserve (save) resources.

• Native Americans believed in using all parts of an animal.

What is the central idea of the section “Buffalo as Food”?

• Native Americans only ate buffalo meat.

• Native Americans prepared buffalo meat in various ways.

• Buffalo meat was difficult to find.

• Native Americans used buffalo fat to make pemmican.

The section headings in the article are included to ______?

• to show the central idea of each section of text about how the buffalo was used by the Native Americans

• explain the reasons that the buffalo population went down

• describe the body parts of the buffalo

• compare and contrast different Native American tribes.

Read these sentences from paragraph 4. What is the best paraphrase of these sentences? This could also sound like the central idea of the paragraph.

• Buffalo hides were used only for clothing.

• Native Americans used buffalo hides in many ways.

• Buffalo hides were difficult to obtain.

• Native Americans preferred buffalo hides over other materials.

PART 1: What is the central idea of the whole article?

• Buffalo were important to Native Americans for food.

• Native Americans hunted buffalo for fun.

• Buffalo populations declined due to white settlers.

• Buffalo played an important role in Native American culture and survival.

PART 2: Which sentence from the article supports (proves) the central idea is correct?

• "Buffalo once roamed the Plains in innumerable herds until the middle of the 19th century."

• "They ate the intestines raw or cooked."

• "With careful monitoring, American Bison have grown in number in parks and reserves."

• "Buffalo, or the American Bison, has played an essential role in the survival and culture of the Native Americans who lived in the Plains region."

How does the author organize the information in paragraphs 2-5?

• to compare and contrast different uses of buffalo parts

• to explain the causes and effects of buffalo hunting

• to describe different ways they used buffalo

• to present the information in chronological order

What is the most likely reason the author includes the diagram of the buffalo under paragraph 1?

• To provide a visual representation of the parts of the buffalo and how they are used by Native Americans

• It allows the reader to visualize what buffalo bladders were used for

• It provides the reader with an illustration of where the buffalos lived

• It helps the reader understand the main idea of paragraph 1