Monster of the Deeps

Which quotation provides support for the main idea of the text?

• A. “Over the years, more than 250 dead or dying giant squid have washed ashore. Others get caught in fishing nets.” (paragraph 2)

• B. “Scientists can learn some things from these clues and from smaller species of squid that they’ve studied, but many habits and behaviors of this deep-sea giant remain a mystery.” (paragraph 2)

• C. “He named them Architeuthis (‘Archie’ to its friends), which means ‘first squid.’ Today, scientists who study squid and their relatives are called teuthologists.” (paragraph 5)

• D “Like their smaller squid relatives, giant squid belong to the group of animals called cephalopods, which also includes octopuses.” (paragraph 8)

How have scientists learned information about giant squid?

• A. Scientists followed giant squid as they hunted for food in the ocean.

• B. Scientists studied giant squid that died and washed onto beaches.

• C. Scientists placed special cameras on whales and watched giant squid.

• D. Scientists read stories written by people who had seen giant squid.

How are giant squid different from other types of squid?

• A. Giant squid change colors to confuse predators instead of squirting ink.

• B. Giant squid blast water to get away from danger instead of swimming away.

• C. Giant squid have long tentacles with sharp suckers instead of short arms.

• D. Giant squid swim deep in the water to catch food instead of staying at the top.

How are giant squid different from other types of squid?

• A. Giant squid change colors to confuse predators instead of squirting ink.

• B. Giant squid blast water to get away from danger instead of swimming away.

• C. Giant squid have long tentacles with sharp suckers instead of short arms.

• D. Giant squid swim deep in the water to catch food instead of staying at the top.

How does a giant squid move through the water?

• A. It moves its body up and down quickly.

• B. It blasts water through a short tube on its body.

• C. It squirts ink from a small sac on its body.

• D. It uses the long tentacles on its body to swim.

Part A: What does the word shred mean as it is used in paragraph 8?

• A. move

• B. rip

• C. stop

• D. watch

Part B. Which phrase from paragraph 8 best supports the answer to Part A?

• A.“…buried deep in muscle.”

• B. “…reach its stomach…”

• C. “…the pieces can’t be too big!”

• D. “…help it see in the deep ocean…”

What can the reader infer about scientists based on the “Squid Squads” section?

• A. Scientists have no idea how whales are able to eat giant squid.

• B. Scientists sometimes spend their entire lives searching for giant squid.

• C. Scientists often prefer to work alone when studying giant squid.

• D. Scientists are trying to get creative to learn more about giant squid.

Read the sentence from paragraph 11.

"But scientists love a challenge."

What does the author mean by the sentence?

• A. Scientists are determined to get answers to their questions.

• B. Scientists work together on teams to learn about unknown creatures.

• C. Scientists are pleased when they discover new creatures.

• D. Scientists ask for help from others to get answers to their questions.

How were researchers in Japan able to get a video of a giant squid?

• A. They attached their camera to a large whale.

• B. They used an undersea robot with their camera attached.

• C. They put a blue light on their camera that flashed like a jellyfish.

• D. They put their camera on a smaller squid that lived deep in the ocean.