Name: _____________________________
Nonfiction Reading Test
Asian Carp
Directions:
Read the following passage and answer the questions that
follow. Refer to the text to check your answers when appropriate.
The United States has
a lengthy history of going to war. It is a nation born from war. Pick any
year since 1776, and the odds of America being involved in at least one war
is over 90%. Every US President has faced war. Still, it may surprise
you to hear that the US government is at war with a fish.
Asian carp were
introduced to American waters during the 1970s. Southern fish farmers began
importing them to help clean their ponds. Asian carp are phenomenal cleaners.
Unfortunately, it didn't take too long for them to escape from these ponds,
perhaps from flooding, and get into the Mississippi River. From there they
have followed their natural tendency to swim upstream. This tendency may lead
them into the Great Lakes and Canada, a nightmare scenario for fisherman.
Asian carp are large
fish. One species, the silver carp, can grow to be 100 pounds. But despite
their size, they feed from the bottom of the food chain. That means that they
eat plankton and algae. A one hundred pound fish can eat an awful lot of sea
scum, and some of it is toxic. The carp are resistant to the toxins,
but we aren't. Some Asian carp are hazardous to eat because they have so many
algal toxins in their systems. They also have lots of tiny bones in their
meat, which makes them difficult to prepare. Asian carp is not a popular
delicacy.
Introducing the Asian
carp into waters that have not known them can be devastating. Beneath the
surface of the water is a unique ecosystem. This system rests delicately on a
balance that has evolved over millions of years. Then along come these big,
hungry bottom feeders to mess up everything. They breed rapidly and densely
populate the waters. Worse still, they compete with the native bottom
feeders. The native bottom feeders are smaller. Larger, tastier fish like
salmon eat them. The native bottom feeders are an important part of the
ecosystem. When the Asian carp outperform them, the whole food chain suffers,
all the way up to the people.
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Not only do Asian carp
mess up the food chain, they mess up people. Seriously. An Asian carp will
bust you in head. Remember that silver carp can be 100 pounds. There is a
reason why they are also known as "flying carp." This particular
species of Asian carp has a tendency to jump when frightened. They can jump
up to ten feet in the air, and the sound of boat motors frightens them. Watch
out watersportists! In 2003 a woman jetskier collided with one and broke her
nose and a vertebra. She almost drowned. In 2008 a teenager broke his jaw on
one while tubing. Many others have been injured by these flying logs. Asian
carp pose a serious threat to water skiers and boaters.
In 2007 the U.S.
Department of the Interior declared all silver carp to be an injurious
species. In 2010, the State of Michigan passed the $30 million CARPACT. In
2012 Congress approved the "Stop Invasive Species" act, legislation
written solely to protect the Great Lakes from Asian carp. The government has
been on the offensive against these large-bellied invaders.
But Asian carp are
difficult to catch. Since they eat from the bottom, they do not go for
lures or baits like most large fish. The best way to stop them is to keep
them out. The Great Lakes are connected to the Mississippi River through the
28-mile Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. For Chicagoans, it is the final
point of resistance.
A series of
multimillion-dollar electrical barriers have been built along the canal. The
barriers are effective at keeping adult carp at bay, but some fear that baby
carp may pass through. The United States Army Corps of Engineers has been
deployed along with EPA. In 2009 they poisoned the entire canal with
rotenone, a chemical that kills fish. The $3 million operation netted over 90
tons of dead fish, and a single carp.
Some think that Great
Lakes must be cut off from the Mississippi River. The Michigan Attorney
General sued to have the canal closed. The Ontario government and some Great
Lake states have also taken legal action. But the courts have been persuaded
by the value of the canal as a shipping conduit thus far. In the meantime,
the barriers continue to hold, but how long can they? The carp have the Great
Lakes under siege. Is this a war that we are destined to lose?
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1. Which statement best
expresses the main idea of the second paragraph?
a. Asian carp were
brought to America during the 1970s to assist Southern fish farmers.
b. Asian carp are
remarkable cleaners, which makes them highly desirable fish to have.
c. Asian carp were
supposed to clean ponds but they escaped and are headed north.
d. Asian carp are
excellent at swimming upstream and cleaning up plankton.
C
2. Which is not a
reason why Asian carp is an unpopular menu item?
a. It is hard to prepare
because of all the little bones.
b. They are a very
fattening fish.
c. Some of them are
toxic and unsafe to eat.
d. They are bottom feeders.
B
3. Which statement would
the author most likely disagree with?
a. Asian carp outperform
many native bottom feeders.
b. Asian carp could
disrupt the ecosystem in Lake Michigan.
c. One species of Asian
carp is the silver carp.
d. Asian carp are
disliked because they eat salmon.
D
4. Which best describes
the text structure of the fourth paragraph?
a. Chronological order b.
Cause and effect
c. Compare and contrast d.
Problem and solution
B
5. Which person would be
most threatened by silver carp in a local water source?
a. A waterskier b.
A chicken farmer
c. A bungee jumper d.
A beachgoer
A
6. Which best describes
the word resistant as it is used in the third paragraph?
a. To be allergic to
something
b. To be unaware of
something
c. To be unaffected by
something
d. To be attracted or
drawn to something
C
7. According to
information in the article, which event happened last?
a. Asian carp escaped
from southern fish farms.
b. The Chicago Sanitary
and Ship Canal was poisoned with rotenone.
c. A teenager broke his
jaw on a silver carp while tubing.
d. Congress approved the
"Stop Invasive Species" act.
D
8. Which of the
following statements is false?
a. Silver carp have been
declared an "injurious species" by the government.
b. Silver carp are also
known as "flying carp."
c. Silver carp can grow
to be 100 lbs.
d. Silver carp can jump
up to twenty feet in the air.
D
9. Which statement would
the author most likely agree with?
a. It would be best for
the fishing industry if the canal were closed permanently.
b. The electric barriers
will keep the Asian carp out of the Great Lakes forever.
c. The Great Lake states
agree fully on a solution to the Asian carp problem.
d. Closing the Chicago
Sanitary and Ship canal would have little economic impact.
A
10. Which title best
represents the author's main purpose in writing this text?
a. America: A Nation
at War
b. Asian Carp:
Threatening the Great Lakes
c. Asian Carp: A Beautiful
and Powerful Fish
d. Misunderstood:
Protect and Defend the Asian Carp
B
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