Burrowing Owls Quiz

Which sentence from the passage best expresses the controlling idea?

• A

  Though they are small in stature, they play an integral part in maintaining healthy, viable agricultural operations by controlling insects and small mammals. (paragraph 1)

• B

  The burrowing owl is a unique owl because it is both diurnal and nocturnal. (paragraph 3)

• C

  Along with the decline in the population of other ground dwelling animals due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and poisoning, the burrowing owl population numbers are declining as well. (paragraph 4)

• D

  Burrowing owls sometimes mimic the prairie rattlesnake as a defense. (paragraph 5)

The author includes the quoted section in paragraph 4 most likely to —

• F

  present an amusing and lighthearted image of the burrowing owl

• G

  demand that more support be provided for the burrowing owl

• H

  reveal the dependent nature of the owl’s relationships with other species

• J

  minimize the importance of the burrowing owl on its ecosystem

The author uses the pictures of the three burrowing animals after paragraph 4 to — Select TWO correct answers.

• A.

  compare the three animals to each other

• B.

  provide an image of the burrowing owl in its habitat

• C.

  illustrate the physical appearance of the exotic animals

• D.

  transition into the information in paragraph 5

• E.

  offer visual evidence of the types of animals which burrowing owls rely on

Footnote 1 is most likely included to —

• F.

  explain why populations of other ground-dwelling animals are declining without distracting from the controlling idea

• G.

  support the claim that commercial farming destroys natural habitats

• H.

  introduce the concept of public rodent eradication events such as “Rodent Round-Ups”

• J.

  suggest that farm equipment could replace the need for animals to create homes by burrowing

What is the source of the quote the author uses as supporting evidence in paragraph 4? What text feature can be used to determine the quote’s source? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

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The author organizes the selection primarily by —

• F.

  listing different ways to help the burrowing owl

• G.

  comparing the burrowing owl to other animals

• H.

  describing the burrowing owl and ways to help it

• J.

  discussing animals that could replace the burrowing owl

What is the best summary of the passage?

• D.

  Burrowing owl populations are declining due to harmful human interactions and loss of habitat. They rely on other animals such as ground squirrels and badgers to dig burrows that they can live in. Unfortunately, farming operations are causing the squirrel and badger populations to decline.

• A.

  Burrowing owls are unique animals to an ecosystem. They are small in size, live in burrows dug by other animals, and have special adaptations to avoid predators. They are in need of protection, as their populations in the United States and Canada are declining.

• B.

  Burrowing owls are small owls that live in burrows dug by other animals. It is important that humans help protect the owls by ensuring that they have safe, chemical-free burrows that are unbothered by human action or domesticated animals.

• C.

  Burrowing owls are different from other owls. They are shorter than other owls, standing at almost 9 inches tall. They also live in holes in the ground. These holes are dug by other animals like ground squirrels and badgers, because the owls are poor diggers.