Read the text and answer the questions.
NOCTURNAL
LIFE
Most human
beings are awake during the day and sleep all night. Owls live the opposite
way. Owls are nocturnal. This means that they sleep all day and stay awake at
night. Because owls are nocturnal, this means they must eat at night. But
finding food in the dark is difficult. To help them, they have special eyes and
ears.
Owls have
very large eyes. These eyes absorb more light than normal. Since there is
little light during the night, it is helpful to be able to absorb more of it.
This helps owls find food in the dark.
Owls also
have very good hearing. Even when owls are in the trees, they can hear small
animals moving in the grass below. This helps owls catch their prey even when
it is very dark.
Like owls,
mice are also nocturnal animals. Mice have an excellent sense of smell. This
helps them find food in the dark.
Being nocturnal
helps mice to hide from the many different animals that want to eat them. Most
of the birds, snakes, and lizards that like to eat mice sleep at night—except,
of course, owls!
Questions
1) In
paragraph 1, we learn that "Owls are nocturnal." The word diurnal is
the opposite of the word nocturnal. Using information in the passage as a
guide, we can understand that an animal that is diurnal
A. sleeps
at night and is awake during the day
B. hunts
during the day and is awake at night
C. sleeps
every other night and is awake during the day
D. hunts
during the day and night
2) Based on
information in paragraph 2, it can be understood that an animal with small eyes
A. must be
diurnal
B. has
trouble seeing in the dark
C. can see
very well at night
D. is
likely to be eaten by an owl
3)
According to the passage, owls can find food in the dark using their sense of
I. sight
II. sound
III. smell
A. l only
B. I and II
only
C. II and
III only
D. I, II,
and III
4) In
paragraph 3 the author writes, "This helps owls catch their prey even when
it is very dark." Based on its use in the passage, we can understand that
prey is
A. a noise
that an animal makes during the night
B. a small
animal such as a pet dog or cat
C. an
animal that is hunted by other animals
D. an
animals that hunts other animals
5) Based on
information in the final paragraph, it can be understood that mice sleep during
the day in order to
A. find
food that other animals can not
B. keep
themselves safe
C. store
energy for night time activities
D. release
stress
6) Based on
information in the final paragraph, it can be understood that
A. owls
hunt mice
B. mice can
hide from owls
C. mice and
owls both hide from birds, snakes, and lizards
D. birds
and snakes often hunt lizards
7) If added
to the end of this passage, which of the following conclusions would fit best?
A. The owl
is a nocturnal animal. This means it is active at night. The owl's excellent
sense of sight and sound enable it to find food in the dark.
B. Mice are
nocturnal animals. This means they are active at night. Similar to the owl,
mice use their excellent sense of smell to find food in the dark.
C. Both
mice and owls are nocturnal. This means they are active at night. Because these
animals are active at night, they must sleep during the day. This makes them
especially vulnerable to attack from diurnal animals.
D. Some
animals are nocturnal. This means they are active at night. The owl and the
mouse are good examples of nocturnal animals that use their senses to find food
in the dark.
