Name: _____________________________
Nonfiction Reading Test
Carnivorous Plants
Directions: Read
the following passage and answer the questions that follow. Refer to the text
to check your answers when appropriate.
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Imagine that you're a
fly. You're just zipping around the sky, looking for a place to rest, when
you see nice pink leaf. That looks like a nice place to land. You
think to yourself in your fly head. As you rest your feet on the leaf, you
notice something strange. This leaf is hairy. You begin to make your move,
but you trigger the plant's reflex. Snap! In one-tenth of a second,
you are caught in the Venus flytrap. You will be digested in five to twelve
days. Welcome to the world of carnivorous plants!
There are over a
quarter of a millions plant species. Only small number of plants are carnivorous.
We call them this because they attract, trap, and eat bugs. Like other
plants, they get energy from the sun. But unlike other plants, they get their
nutrients from their prey. Carnivorous plants live in bogs and places where
the soil lacks nutrients. Most plants get nutrients from the soil.
Carnivorous plants have turned to other sources.
The snap of the Venus
flytrap is not the only way that plants eat bugs. Pitcher plants trick their
prey into landing on them. They offer nectar bribes to the foolish insects
that would take them. True to their name, pitcher plants have deep chambers.
Their landing surface is slippery. They have inward pointing hairs, making it
hard to escape. The fly lands on the pitcher plant to eat, but slips into a
pit filled with digestive fluids and is eaten.
Then there're sundews.
We call them sundews because they sparkle in the sun as if covered in morning
dew. Of course, that sparkle is from something much more treacherous.
It is a sweet goo called mucilage that bugs can't resist. Sundews create
mucilage to attract bugs. As they fly in to eat, bugs become trapped in the
very object of their desire. They soon exhaust themselves by trying to escape
the mucilage. Or the sundew's tentacles, which respond to prey by curling
around them, smother them. Bugs usually die in about 15 minutes. Then the
plant dissolves its prey in enzymes and absorbs the nutrients.
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Have you ever walked
into trouble and found that you couldn't get out? So has every insect that
has ever wandered into a corkscrew plant. Bugs love to investigate plants for
nectar and food. Corkscrew plants have inviting stems. Curved hairs line the
inside of these stems. These hairs allow insects to go up the stems, but not
back. Going forward leads a chamber filled with digestive fluid, the plant's
stomach. Bugs who wander into the corkscrew plant find that they are unable
to escape. They must march to their own demise.
And then there are the
bladderworts. They're about as nice as they sound. They live in water and
float near the surface. Their traps are like small bladders hidden beneath
the water. Only their flowers are visible from the surface. When bugs swim
into the trigger hairs, the plant reacts. A trapdoor in the bladder opens up.
The bladder sucks up the prey and the water surrounding it. A tenth of
a second later, the bladder shuts again. The plant has trapped the prey. It
releases digestive fluids. The prey will be digested within hours.
Carnivorous plants might sound tough, but they are difficult to keep at home. They are built to survive in places that other plants cannot. This specialization comes at a cost. They have a hard time adapting to other environments. Their strengths become weaknesses in rich soil. They depend on the harsh yet delicate environments in which they thrive. They are not so hardy after all. Still, there's something to be said about the power of life when one finds a plant that can survive in barren soil. |
1. Which statement would
the author most likely agree with?
a. There are too many
species of carnivorous plants.
b. There are a lot of
plant species in the world.
c. Only a small number
of plants are carnivorous.
d. A majority of plants
are carnivorous.
C
2. Which plant traps
bugs in its stem and forces them to walk forward?
a. Corkscrew plants b.
Sundews
c. Bladderworts d.
Pitcher plants
A
3. Which of the
following statements is false?
a. Carnivorous plants
get their energy from eating bugs.
b. Carnivorous plants do
not get nutrients from the soil.
c. Carnivorous plants
get their energy from the sun.
d. Carnivorous plants
get their nutrients from eating bugs.
A
4. Which event happens last
when a sundew eats a meal?
a. The sundew creates
mucilage.
b. The sundew's
tentacles curl in response to the prey.
c. The bug is attracted
to the mucilage.
d. The sundew releases
enzymes.
D
5. Which best expresses
the main idea of the third paragraph?
a. There are more types
of carnivorous plants than the Venus fly trap.
b. The pitcher plant
tricks bugs into falling into its stomach.
c. The Venus flytrap
kills its prey in a various ways.
d. Some plants attract
bugs by offering them nectar.
B
6. Which best defines
the word treacherous as it is used in the fourth paragraph?
a. Something that
provides nutrients.
b. Something that is
very bright.
c. Something that tastes
delicious.
d. Something that has a
hidden danger.
D
7. Which best describes
the overall text structure of the second paragraph?
a. Chronological order b. Compare
and contrast
c. Sequential order d.
Spatial
B
8. Which statement would
the author most likely disagree with?
a. Carnivorous plants
cannot thrive in rich soil.
b. Bladderworts react
quickly when their trigger hairs are bumped.
c. Carnivorous plants
are tough and can live in any environment.
d. Bladderworts hide
their traps just below the surface of the water.
C
9. Which best expresses
the main idea of the last paragraph?
a. Carnivorous plants
are not hard to take care of because they feed themselves.
b. Carnivorous plants
are delicate because they need certain conditions to survive.
c. Carnivorous plants
are difficult to keep at home, but you should keep trying.
d. Carnivorous plants
are inspirational and they are interesting to watch and own.
B
10. Which title best
expresses the author's main purpose in writing this text?
a. Watch Out! How To
Avoid Being Eaten by Carnivorous Plants
b. At Risk: How You
Can Help to Preserve Carnivorous Plants
c. Venus Flytrap:
Nature's Most Beautiful and Dangerous Plant
d. Fatal Flowers:
Plants That Kill Insects
D
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