Kylie's Fossil Find

What is the purpose of the first two paragraphs in “Kylie’s Fossil Find”?

• They describe the first event in a sequence of events.

• They explain the effects of Kylie’s actions on her family.

• They describe Kylie and compare her to the paleontologists.

• They explain a problem that will be solved in the rest of the

  passage.

Which quotation from the passage best supports the claim that fossils

can be preserved for long periods of time?

• “Every time it rained, the butte eroded and more of the fossil was

  exposed.” (paragraph 10)

• “Paleontologists soon realized that this was a very rare saber tooth

  cat skull!” (paragraph 11)

• “The hard limestone protected the fossils for millions of years. . . .”

  (paragraph 12)

• “ It took them three days to carefully dig around the fossilized

  bones . . .!” (paragraph 14)

What does the graphic in “Kylie’s Fossil Find” help the reader

understand about the fossil discovery?

• important details around the map area

• important details about the picnic table

• important details that include where the item was found

• important details that include what the item looked like

Read the sentence from paragraph 10.

Every time it rained, the butte eroded and more of the

fossil was exposed.

What is the meaning of the word eroded as it is used in the sentence?

• dug up

• grew

• protected

• washed away

Which sentence explains what happened after the fossil was first

found?

• The fossil was carefully excavated so that it could later be prepared

  in the lab.

• The fossil was carefully examined so that it could be pictured in the

  newspaper.

• The fossil was surrounded by limestone so it could be protected

  from the elements.

• The fossil was shiny and white because, every time it rained, more

  of the fossil was exposed.

Which two quotations support the idea that uncovering fossils requires

patience?

• “While they were exploring the Badlands, Kylie and her mom noticed

  something on the ground that looked a little unusual.” (paragraph 4)

• “Paleontologists checked on the fossil find throughout the summer.”

  (paragraph 9)

• “Every time it rained, the butte eroded and more of the fossil was

  exposed.” (paragraph 10)

• “The hard limestone protected the fossils for millions of years before

  Kylie found them.” (paragraph 12)

• “It took them three days to carefully dig around the f

The following question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then,

answer Part B.

Part A

Read the sentence from paragraph 13.

P aleontologists carefully excavated the fossils.

Which word means the same as excavated as it is used in the

sentence?

• examined

• plastered

• protected

• uncovered

Which paragraph further explains the fossils being excavated, as the

word is defined in Part A?

• paragraph 8

• paragraph 11

• paragraph 14

• paragraph 16

Read the sentence from paragraph 11.

S kulls from saber tooth cats are usually broken or

fragmented .

Which two words mean the same as fragmented as it is used in the

sentence?

• cracked

• fixed

• removed

• shattered

• whole

Read the following summary.

The Badlands National Park had a junior ranger program

during the summer. The girl and her mom noticed

something and thought it might be a fossil. Over a

period of time, paleontologists carefully removed the

fossil and studied it.

Which statement should be included in the summary?

• Kylie and her family learned about fossils.

• The fossil was covered in limestone.

• Sometimes the skulls are broken.

• Fossils are white and shiny.