READTHEORY
Passage and Questions
Name________________
Date________________
• Reading Comprehension Assessment
Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions below.
Beautiful, but Endangered
Giant Panda Bears are beautiful creatures. They are very
large. They look like American bears. But their fur is different. Instead
of being brown, their fur is black and white. They have white heads,
with black fur around their eyes and ears. They also have black hair on
their shoulders and legs. But the rest of their fur is white. Their fur is
very thick. It keeps them warm in the winter.
Giant Panda Bears live on the other side of the world. They
live in forests in China. They cannot be found in America. Unless, of
course, you see one at a zoo. Sometimes you can see one at a zoo.
Giant Panda Bears mainly eat plants. Their favorite plant to eat is the bamboo plant. They can eat
bamboo for 12 hours every day. That's a lot of bamboo! But they sometimes eat other things. Sometimes
they will eat small animals. And they can sometimes eat fish. But they like plants the most. And their
favorite plant is always the bamboo.
There are a couple of interesting things about Giant Pandas. One interesting thing is that they
have six fingers instead of five. Their sixth finger helps them eat bamboo. Another interesting thing is that
they are very good at climbing trees. They can do this because they have very strong legs. They can
climb high up big trees to look for food.
Giant Panda Bears are wonderful animals, but they are very hard to find. There are very few of
them. There are many more American bears than Giant Panda Bears. This is because Giant Panda
Bears are dying. They are sometimes not able to find enough food. When this happens, they die.
Because there are not many Giant Panda Bears left, scientists say they are endangered. This means
they are in danger of dying and disappearing. It also means we need to take very good care of them. If
we do not, they might disappear from the earth.
1) According to the passage, how are Giant Panda Bears different from American bears?
A.
B.
C.
D.
they have thicker fur
they live in forests
they can sometimes eat fish
they have white and black fur
2) According to the passage, what do Giant Panda Bears like to eat most?
A.
B.
C.
D.
fish
bamboo
small animals
berries
READTHEORY
Questions
3) What is the main purpose of the final paragraph?
A.
B.
C.
D.
to show that the Giant Panda is in danger
to explain that Giant Pandas can die
to emphasize that Giant Pandas need to eat bamboo
to say that sometimes animals can disappear from the earth
4) In this passage, the author talks about
A.
B.
C.
D.
what Giant Pandas are like first, then how they are in danger
what Giant Pandas eat first, then how they are in danger
how Giant Pandas are in danger first, then how they behave
what Giant Pandas do first, then where they can be seen
5) Which sentence from the passage describes the main idea?
A.
B.
C.
D.
“Giant Panda Bears are beautiful creatures.”
“There are a couple of interesting things about Giant Pandas.”
“Giant Panda Bears are wonderful animals, but they are very hard to find.”
“Because there are not many Giant Panda Bears left, scientists say they are endangered.”
6) In this passage, we learn that the Giant Panda Bear is "endangered." Which of these animals is
also endangered?
A.
B.
C.
D.
the Dart Frog, which uses bright colors to warn away its enemies
the Labrador Retriever, which is one of the most popular dogs in the world
the Bottlenose Dolphin, which survives by eating schools of small fish
the Sumatran Tiger, which is in danger of dying and disappearing
7) In paragraph 5, the author writes that pandas “are sometimes not able to find enough food” and then
they die. What are some reasons why a panda might not find enough food? Brainstorm some
possible reasons below.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________
READTHEORY
Answers and Explanations
1) D
Question Type: Detail
In order to answer this detail question correctly, we need to find where in the passage the author talks about what Giant Panda
Bears are like and how they are different from other bears. A good way to do this is to scan the topic sentence (the first sentence) of
each paragraph, since this sentence will likely tell us what information can be found in the rest of that paragraph. The topic sentence
of paragraph 1 reads: “Giant Panda Bears are beautiful creatures.” From this sentence we can tell that paragraph 1 will likely tell us
about what the Giant Panda Bear is like, and especially how it looks. This lets us know that the details we are looking for might
possibly be found in this paragraph. Later in the paragraph, we read: “They look like American bears. But their fur is different.” From
this we can tell that Giant Panda Bears are different from American bears because their fur is different. But how exactly is it
different? In the next sentence, we read: “Instead of being brown, their fur is black and white.” This lets us know that, according to
this passage, Giant Panda Bears are different from American bears because they have white and black fur. Therefore (D) is correct.
Using the above information, we can tell that, according to this passage, Giant Panda Bears are different from American bears
because they have white and black fur instead of brown fur. But do they have thicker fur? Later in the passage, we read: “Their fur is
very thick.” This lets us know that Giant Panda Bears have very thick fur. But, although Giant Panda Bears have thick fur, the
passage does not say that their fur is thicker than the fur of American bears. This lets us know that, according to this passage, the
difference between Giant Panda Bears and American bears is not that Giant Panda Bears have thicker fur. This eliminates (A).
Using the above information, we can tell that, according to this passage, Giant Panda Bears are different from American bears
because they have white and black fur instead of brown fur. Although the passage does tell us that Giant Panda Bears live in
forests, it does not tell us that this makes it different from American bears. This lets us know that, according to this passage, the
difference between Giant Panda Bears and American bears is not that Giant Panda Bears live in forests. This eliminates (B). Using
the above information, we can tell that, according to this passage, Giant Panda Bears are different from American bears because
they have white and black fur instead of brown fur. Although the passage does tell us that Giant Panda Bears sometimes can eat
fish, it does not tell us that this makes it different from American bears. This lets us know that, according to this passage, the
difference between Giant Panda Bears and American bears is not that Giant Panda Bears can sometimes eat fish. This
eliminates (C).
2) B
Question Type: Detail
In order to answer this detail question correctly, we need to find where in the passage the author talks about what Giant Panda
Bears like to eat. A good way to do this is to scan the topic sentence (the first sentence) of each paragraph, since this sentence will
likely tell us what information can be found in the rest of that paragraph. The topic sentence of paragraph 3 reads: “Giant Panda
Bears mainly eat plants.” From this we can tell that paragraph 3 will likely talk about what Giant Panda Bears like to eat. This lets us
know that the details we are looking for will likely be found in this paragraph. In the next sentence, we read: “Their favorite plant to
eat is the bamboo plant.” This lets us know that the favorite plant to eat of the Giant Panda Bear is the bamboo plant. But is it not
just their favorite plant to eat and also their favorite thing to eat? Later in the paragraph, we read: “But they like plants the most. And
their favorite plant is always the bamboo.” This lets us know that Giant Panda Bears’ favorite thing to eat is bamboo. Therefore (B)
is correct. Using the above information, we can tell that Giant Panda Bears like to eat bamboo most. Although the passage does tell
us that they “can sometimes eat fish,” it does not tell us that they like to eat fish most. Instead, it tells us that they like to eat bamboo
most. From this we can tell that Giant Panda Bears do not like to eat fish most. This eliminates (A). Using the above information, we
can tell that Giant Panda Bears like to eat bamboo most. Although the passage does tell us that they sometimes “eat small animals,”
it does not tell us that they like to eat small animals most. Instead, it tells us that they like to eat bamboo most. From this we can tell
that Giant Panda Bears do not like to eat small animals most. This eliminates (C). Using the above information, we can tell that
Giant Panda Bears like to eat bamboo most. Although the passage does tell us that they like to eat plants, and we know that berries
grow on plants, the passage does not tell us that they like to eat berries. In fact it does not even mention berries. Instead, it tells us
that they like to eat bamboo most. From this we can tell that Giant Panda Bears do not like to eat berries most. This eliminates (D).
3) A
Question Type: Inference
In the final paragraph, we learn that, although Giant Panda Bears “are wonderful creatures,” they are also “hard to find.” We are told
that this is because “there are very few of them.” We are also told that this is because Giant Panda Bears “are dying” because they
“are sometimes not able to find enough food.” We are told that, because of this, “scientists say they are endangered.” We then read:
“This means they are in danger of dying and disappearing.” Finally, we are told that we need to take very good care of them, or else
they may “disappear from the earth.” All of this lets us know that Giant Panda Bears are in danger. From this we can tell that the
main purpose of paragraph 5 must be to show that the Giant Panda Bear is in danger. Therefore (A) is correct. Although the final
paragraph does talk about Giant Panda Bears dying, it talks about much more. We learn that Giant Panda Bears can die, and that
many of them are dying because they cannot find enough food. We also learn that, because they are dying, there are very few of
them left, and that this means they are in danger not only of dying but also of disappearing from the earth. From this we can tell that,
although the paragraph does talk about how Giant Panda Bears can die, this is not the main purpose of paragraph 5.
Therefore (B) is incorrect. Although this passage does talk about how Giant Panda Bears like to eat bamboo, it does not talk about
bamboo in paragraph 5. And although paragraph 5 does say that Giant Panda Bears are dying because sometimes they cannot find
enough food, it does not say that they need to eat bamboo. From this we can tell that the main purpose of paragraph 5 cannot be to
emphasize that Giant Panda Bears need to eat bamboo. Therefore (C) is incorrect. Although the final paragraph does say that Giant
Panda Bears are in danger of disappearing from the earth, it does not talk about any other animals disappearing from the earth.
From this we can tell that the main purpose of paragraph 5 must be to show that Giant Pandas are in danger of disappearing from
the earth, and not to say that sometimes animals can disappear from the earth. Therefore (D) is incorrect.
4) A
Question Type: Global
In this passage, the author begins by telling us some of the basic information about Giant Panda Bears. For example, he or she tells
us that they are beautiful, very large, look like American bears, and have black and white fur. We also learn that their fur is very
READTHEORY
Answers and Explanations
thick, and that this helps them stay warm in the winter. In the next paragraph, we learn that Giant Panda Bears live only in China. In
the third paragraph, the author tells us about what Giant Panda Bears like to eat. And in the fourth paragraph, we learn about two
interesting things about Giant Panda Bears. We learn that they have 6 fingers, and that they are good at climbing trees. All of this
lets us know about what the Giant Panda Bear is like. But in the final paragraph, the author stops telling us about what the Giant
Panda Bear is like, and instead tells us about how Giant Panda Bears are in danger of dying and disappearing from the earth. From
this we can tell that, in this passage, the author talks about what Giant Pandas are like first, and then talks about how they are in
danger. Therefore (A) is correct. In this passage, the author begins by telling us some of the basic information about Giant Panda
Bears. He or she begins with some information about what Giant Panda Bears look like. We are told that they are beautiful, that they
are very large, that they look like American bears, and that they have black and white fur. We also learn that their fur is very thick,
and that this helps them stay warm in the winter. All of this lets us know what the Giant Panda Bear looks like. From this we can tell
that the author of this passage does not begin by telling us about what Giant Panda Bears eat. This lets us know that, although the
author does end the passage by telling us about how Giant Panda Bears are in danger, he or she does not talk about what Giant
Panda Bears eat first and then talk about how they are in danger. Therefore (B) is incorrect. Although this passage does talk about
how Giant Panda Bears are in danger, it does not talk about this first. It begins by telling us about what Giant Panda Bears are like.
It tells us that they are beautiful, large, look like American bears, and have thick fur that is black and white. The passage does not
talk about how they are in danger until the 5th and last paragraph. Also, this passage does talk about how Giant Pandas behave,
but it does not talk about this last. It talks about this in the 3rd and 4th paragraphs. In the 3rd paragraph, we read about what they
like to eat. In the 4th paragraph, we read about how they climb trees. All of this lets us know that the author of this passage tells us
about how Giant Panda Bears behave before he or she tells us about how they are in danger. From this we can tell that the author
of this passage does not talk about how Giant Panda Bears are in danger first, and then talk about how they behave. Therefore (C)
is incorrect. In paragraph 3, we read about what Giant Panda Bears eat. We learn that they mostly eat plants, and that their favorite
thing to eat is the bamboo plant. From this we can tell that paragraph 3 is telling us about something Giant Panda Bears do. They
eat plants. In paragraph 4, we read about how Giant Panda Bears have 6 fingers, and about how they climb trees. From this we can
tell that paragraph 4 is also telling us about something Giant Panda Bears do. They climb trees. In paragraph 2, we read about how
Giant Panda Bears live in China, and can be seen only in China or in zoos. From this we can tell that paragraph 2 is telling us about
where Giant Panda Bears can be seen. Because the passage tells us about where Giant Panda Bears can be seen in paragraph 2,
and about what they do in paragraphs 3 and 4, we can tell that the author of this passage does not talk about what Giant Pandas do
first, and then about where they can be seen. Therefore (D) is incorrect.
5) C
Question Type: Global
In this passage, we read about Giant Panda Bears. In paragraph 1, we read about what they look like. In paragraph 2, we read
about where they live. In paragraph 3, we read about what they eat. In paragraph 4, we read about two unusual and interesting
things about them. In all of these paragraphs, the passage is letting us know what Giant Panda Bears are like, and that they are
wonderful creatures. In paragraph 5, we read about how they are very hard to find because they are in danger of dying out and
disappearing from the earth. From all this we can tell that the main idea of the passage has two parts. The first part is that Giant
Panda Bears are wonderful creatures. The second part is that they are hard to find because they are in danger of disappearing from
the earth. This lets us know that the sentence from the passage that best describes the main idea of the passage is, “Giant Panda
Bears are wonderful animals, but they are very hard to find.” Therefore (C) is correct. Using the above information, we can tell that
the main idea of the passage has two parts. The first part is that Giant Panda Bears are wonderful creatures. The second part is that
they are hard to find because they are in danger of disappearing from the earth. Although the sentence, “Giant Panda Bears are
beautiful creatures,” does express the first part of the main idea of the passage, it does not say anything about how they are in
danger, which is the second part. From this we can tell that the sentence from the passage that best describes the main idea of the
passage cannot be, “Giant Panda Bears are beautiful creatures.” Therefore (A) is incorrect. Using the above information, we can tell
that the main idea of the passage has two parts. The first part is that Giant Panda Bears are wonderful creatures. The second part is
that they are hard to find because they are in danger of disappearing from the earth. The sentence, “There are a couple of
interesting things about Giant Pandas,” does say a little bit about why Giant Panda Bears are wonderful creatures, which is the first
part of the main idea, but it does not say anything about how they are in danger, which is the second part. From this we can tell that
the sentence from the passage that best describes the main idea of the passage cannot be, “There are a couple of interesting things
about Giant Pandas.” Therefore (B) is incorrect. Using the above information, we can tell that the main idea of the passage has two
parts. The first part is that Giant Panda Bears are wonderful creatures. The second part is that they are hard to find because they
are in danger of disappearing from the earth. Although the sentence, “Because there are not many Giant Panda Bears left, scientists
say they are endangered,” does talk about how Giant Pandas are in danger of disappearing from the earth, which is the second part
of the main idea, it does not talk about how they are wonderful creatures, which is the first part. From this we can tell that the
sentence from the passage that best describes the main idea of the passage cannot be, “Because there are not many Giant Panda
Bears left, scientists say they are endangered.” Therefore (D) is incorrect.
6) D
Question Type: Vocabulary
endangered (adjective): threatened with extinction.
We can use context clues—hints from known words and phrases around an unknown word or phrase—to help us figure out what
the word endangered means. In paragraph 5, we read: “Because there are not many Giant Panda Bears left, scientists say they are
endangered.” In the next sentence, we read: “This means they are in danger of dying and disappearing.” This lets us know that the
word endangered must mean “in danger of dying and disappearing.” From this we can tell that the animal that is also endangered is
the Sumatran Tiger, which is in danger of dying and disappearing. Therefore (D) is correct. Using the above information, we can tell
that the word endangered means “in danger of dying and disappearing.” The Dart Frog, which uses bright colors to warn away its
enemies, is not in danger of dying and disappearing. This lets us know that the animal that is also endangered is not the Dart Frog.
Therefore (A) is incorrect. Using the above information, we can tell that the word endangered means “in danger of dying and
disappearing.” The Labrador Retriever, which is one of the most popular dogs in the world, is not in danger of dying and
disappearing. From this we can tell that the animal that is also endangered is not the Labrador Retriever. Therefore (B) is incorrect.
READTHEORY
Answers and Explanations
Using the above information, we can tell that the word endangered means “in danger of dying and disappearing.” The Bottlenose
Dolphin, which survives by eating schools of small fish, is not in danger of dying and disappearing. From this we can tell that the
animal that is also endangered is not the Bottlenose Dolphin. Therefore (C) is incorrect.