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Name:_____________________________________________
Date:________________________
The Locust
from On the Move
by Judi Tertini
Locusts can migrate in swarms of millions of insects. These swarms can be as big as clouds and can block out
the Sun, turning day into night.
Locusts live in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. Most species are found in Africa, where they
migrate in response to the rainy season. Locusts migrate to a wet, rainy area where they will find plenty of food.
Once they reach an area where it is raining, the locusts lay their eggs and then die. By the time the eggs have
developed into adults, the rainy season has moved on to a different area. The new swarm gathers and migrates to
the new rainy area.
Every few years, huge swarms of locusts gather together and migrate. One swarm may contain millions of
locusts, each eating its own weight in vegetation every day. As the swarm moves through an area, the locusts
devour everything that is green, often damaging crops. Swarms have been known to tower over two miles into
the sky and to cover 100 square miles.
In 1889, a large swarm of desert locusts was seen crossing the Red Sea. The swarm covered about 2,000
square miles. This is the size of Delaware. In the 1930s and 1940s, huge swarms damaged crops in the
southwestern states and along the Pacific Coast _ and also plundered fields east of the Rocky Mountains.
Used by permission of Wright Group Publishing.
1.
"Sub" in the word subtropical is a
A. root.
B. prefix.
C. suffix.
D. compound.
2.
Swarms of locusts in the past have been big enough to cover
A. Delaware.
B. Canada.
C. an ocean.
D. the Red Sea.
3.
What do locusts eat?
A. dead leaves
B. living plants
C. insects
D. cattle
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4.
What is meant by the term "turning day into night" in paragraph 1?
A. traveling toward the Sun
B. making it dark outside
C. migrating early morning to dusk
D. resting during the day rather than at night
5.
According to the passage, how much can a locust eat in a day?
A. half its own weight
B. its own weight
C. twice its own weight
D. three times its own weight
6.
After locusts lay their eggs they
A. die.
B. migrate.
C. gather with a new group.
D. continue to eat plants.
7.
The word devour in paragraph 3 means to
A. eat.
B. hit.
C. share.
D. waste.
8.
Which word best defines the word swarm?
A. large
B. circle
C. crowd
D. insect
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The Magic Turtle
by Alvin Schwartz
Here is the story of a "magic" trick with a turtle. You will probably catch on quickly . . .
read about someone who did not.
The candy store was owned by Madame Perrier and her husband, Louis. They lived
in an apartment above the store with six goldfish and a small turtle no more than an inch
across.
Madame kept the fish and the turtle in a fish tank on a sill outside the kitchen
window. Several times a day, she fed them bread crumbs and talked to them about the
weather, the store, the candy, whatever was on her mind.
A boy named Jack lived in the apartment just above the Perriers. On warm spring
nights, he would lean out his open window and watch Madame feed her pets, and
eavesdrop as she talked to them.
One evening, as he was watching and listening, he had an idea. It seemed so silly that
he laughed. But then he thought, Madame would not mind. She would think it was
funny.
The next day, Jack bought five turtles at a pet shop. They all looked just like
Madame Perrier's turtle, except that they were larger. They ranged in size from about
two inches across to about six inches across. He also bought some cheesecloth and wire
and a bamboo fishing pole.
That night, Jack made a small scoop net with the cheesecloth and wire and attached
it to the fishing pole. Early the next morning, before anyone else was awake, he reached
out of his kitchen window with the scoop net and removed Madame's turtle from the
tank. He put it in a bucket of water. Then he replaced it with a turtle that was two inches
across or twice as large.
When Madame Perrier saw the turtle, she got very excited. "It's twice as big as it
was yesterday!" she told Louis. The next morning, Jack removed the two-inch turtle and
replaced it with a four-inch turtle. It had doubled in size again! When Madame saw it,
she ran to the telephone and called everybody she knew.
The following morning, while the Perriers slept, Jack removed the four-inch turtle
and replaced it with a turtle that was five inches across. That caused a sensation. All day
long, people in the neighborhood came to see the magic turtle, then went out and told
others. The crowd got so large a policeman was sent to keep order. Soon a reporter
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arrived to interview Madame and take her picture with the turtle. Madame was going to
be famous!
Jack decided not to replace the five-inch turtle with his six-inch turtle. The tank did
not seem large enough. He also was afraid that Madame could not stand the shock.
Instead, he decided to make the turtle smaller once more.
Early the next morning, Jack replaced the five-inch turtle with a three-inch turtle.
Of course, when Madame discovered what had happened, the excitement continued.
Still more people came to see the turtle, and the reporter came back to interview her
again.
The next morning, Jack replaced the three-inch turtle with the one-inch turtle Madame
owned at the beginning. That night, he put away the dip net and the bamboo pole. He
took his five turtles to the park and let them loose in a stream. On the way home, he
stopped in to see Madame's turtle. It was away for a while, at the zoo, she said. A
scientist was studying its strange behavior.
Adapted from As I Remember Him by Hans Zinsser. Copyright 1940. Published by
Little, Brown and Company.
9.
In the passage, the word sensation means
A. people got angry.
B. there was a party.
C. people felt sad.
D. a lot of interest.
10.
Why did Jack's trick with the turtle so easily fool Madame Perrier?
A. Madame paid little attention to the turtle.
B. The turtle tank was outside the window.
C. Madame did not know much about turtles.
D. Jack used truly magic turtles.
11.
Which did Jack do when he decided his trick was making too much excitement?
A. He called a scientist.
B. He stopped in to see Madame's turtle.
C. He told Madame about his trick.
D. He put back a smaller turtle.
12.
Which is probably the reason that a scientist is studying the turtle at the end of the story?
A. Many people came to see it.
B. Turtles don't usually change size so quickly.
C. He wants to put it in the zoo.
D. Madame was not feeding it properly.
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13.
Which evidence from the passage shows MOST CLEARLY that Jack planned to keep his trick a secret?
A. He didn't use the six-inch turtle.
B. He put the original turtle back into the tank.
C. He released his five turtles into a stream.
D. He visited Madame to see what was going on.
14.
Imagine the story told Madame Perrier's side instead of Jack's. What would her story be about?
A. her six goldfish
B. the mystery of the turtle
C. a practical joke
D. setting turtles free
15.
Which words BEST describe Jack?
A. mean and thoughtless
B. selfish and lazy
C. kind and cheerful
D. playful and clever
16.
What does the word eavesdrop mean?
A. listen secretly
B. laugh to himself
C. have an idea
D. fall down
17.
In this story the turtle is said to be magic because it
A. is impossible to understand.
B. has supernatural power.
C. disappears and reappears.
D. comes from another planet.
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18.
"She Walks in Beauty"
by George Gordon Byron
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impair'd the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.
And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!
Which of these would be the BEST illustration for the poem?
A. a raven
B. a heart
C. starry skies
D. a woman's face
19.
Which shows the events ordered by date from first to last?
1. Junko Tabei climbed Mt. Everest.
2. Brahms was born.
3. Earhart crossed the Atlantic.
4. The Hindenburg exploded.
A. 1, 2, 3, 4
B. 2, 4, 3, 1
C. 2, 3, 1, 4
D. 4, 1, 3, 2
20. Which word is an antonym for raise?
A. up
B. rays
C. lower
D. praise
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Answer Key
1. B) prefix.
2. A) Delaware.
3. B) living plants
4. B) making it dark outside
5. B) its own weight
6. A) die.
7. A) eat.
8. C) crowd
9. D) a lot of interest.
10. C) Madame did not know much about turtles.
11. D) He put back a smaller turtle.
12. B) Turtles don't usually change size so quickly.
13. C) He released his five turtles into a stream.
14. B) the mystery of the turtle
15. D) playful and clever
16. A) listen secretly
17. A) is impossible to understand.
18. D) a woman's face
19. B) 2, 4, 3, 1
20. C) lower
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