Author's Questions and Answers Practice Exercises

Review the following study guide for a concept review:

Author's Questions and Answers Study Guide

Author's Questions and Answers Practice Exercises

Practice 1: Animal Action

Read the selection, and then answer the questions that follow.

(1)

What was the first domesticated, or trained, animal? Archaeologists have found evidence of trained dogs as far back as 15,000 years ago! That would make them the first species to be domesticated by humans.

Four-Footed Workforce

(2)	What did humans train dogs to do? Prehistoric hunters first trained dogs to hunt big prey. Later, Egyptian pharaohs also used dogs for hunting. In ancient Rome, dogs not only hunted, but performed in circuses and went to war.
(3)	Most commonly, dogs were used to guard important buildings, army bases, and the homes of the wealthy. Dogs also herded sheep and other farm animals, and some canines used their sensitive noses to search for lost or injured humans. Other dogs pulled small carts or sleds filled with people or goods.
(4)	There are still many working dogs today. They still hunt, guard, search for and rescue humans, and pull sleds. They also help handicapped humans. Trained dogs guide people who can't see, can't hear, or are wheelchair bound.

Moving In

(5)	So is work the only thing in a dog's life? No! Over the centuries, dogs became pets. After years of living outdoors, they weren't just allowed inside; they were welcomed as members of the family!
(6)	In the nineteenth century, England held the first dog show. Today many dog shows are held around the world so people can proudly parade their pampered pets. Are dogs the most popular pet? In America, they were until the 1990s. Then cats clawed and purred their way to the top as the most popular pet!

1.	What does the author's first question ask?
	a.	What did archaeologists find?
	b.	Where were the fossils of the first trained animal found?
	c.	What animal was the first to be domesticated?
	d.	Who first trained lions and other big cats?
2.	The ancient Romans used domesticated dogs to
	a.	control herds of dinosaurs.
	b.	hunt, perform in circuses, help in war.
	c.	dive for pearls.
	d.	haul rock for the building of the pyramids.
3.	The word canines in the article is a synonym for
	a.	cats.
	b.	sheep.
	c.	pigs.
	d.	dogs.
4.	The words dogs became pets answer which of the author's questions?
	a.	Are wolves a dog's ancestors?
	b.	What did humans train dogs to do?.
	c.	Is work the only thing in a dog's life?
	d.	Why can some dogs follow a scent better than others?.
5.	In the United States today,
	a.	cats are the most popular pets.
	b.	dogs are the most popular pets.
	c.	cats and dogs can never get along.
	d.	dogs can't be used in movies.
6.	Wat is the answer to the author's second question: What did humans train dogs to do? Give at least four examples from the article.
6.

Practice 2: Speedy Exit

Read the selection, and then answer the questions that follow.

(1)	You're sweeping a dusty floor or sliding into second base. Suddenly some dust flies up your nose, irritating and tickling the insides. What can you do? You suddenly gasp and make a strange sound . . . AH-CHOO!
(2)	A rapid, violent stream of air rushes from your nose and mouth, carrying the dust with it! Out come up to 40,000 tiny liquid droplets at speeds of up to 150 mph (241 kph)! It's a sneeze. Unfortunately, that sneeze can blow out germs, too. Does that tell you why it's so important to cover your mouth when you AH- CHOO?

Reflex Reaction

(3)

Can you stop a sneeze from happening? No, your body acts automatically. Sensitive nerve endings that line your nose react to the invading stuff. Quickly, they send a message to your brain for help. Your brain then relays a message to some muscles in your body, telling them to work together to get rid of the stuff. Your stomach and chest muscles, your diaphragm (that large muscle under your lungs), your throat muscles, and even the muscles in your eyelids respond and go into action! Are you surprised to know your eyelids are involved? That's why you close their eyes when you sneeze!

(4)

Sneezing is a reflex action, over which you have no control. So some people once believed it was the closest thing to dying. According to a legend, that's why we have the tradition of saying, "Bless you" when someone sneezes. Other people believed a sneeze was a sign you'd soon come down with a serious life-threatening disease, like pneumonia or the plague! Today we know that sneezing's just a natural reaction to stuff in our environment. Even so, lots of people still remember to say, "Bless you" when anyone sneezes! In Germany, people say gesundheit (guh-ZUNT-hi–t), a word that means "health."

Sneeze Makers

(5)

Is dust the only thing that causes a sneeze? No way. Things like pepper, cold air, animal dander, pollen, and even sunlight can trigger a sneeze. About one in three people sneezes when exposed to very bright light, like from the sun, glaring headlights, or intense camera lights.

(6)

Have you ever felt like you were going to sneeze, but it seems to get stuck? The dust or other substance in your nose continues to tickle and annoy you. You may cough. You may even gasp in a few breaths of air and stand there panting, waiting for a sneeze to burst forth. But nothing happens! You try rubbing the sides of your nose and wiggling it, thinking that may help. It doesn't! Well, if ever that happens to you, try looking briefly . . . ever so briefly . . . at a bright lightbulb. Maybe you'll unstick your sneeze!

7.	To answer the author's first question, readers need to
	a.	look right there in the same sentence.
	b.	put together ideas from the first two paragraphs.
	c.	look up the answer in a dictionary.
	d.	review information from the glossary.
8.	Why did the author ask the question at the end of paragraph 2?
	a.	to use the word AH-CHOO again
	b.	to ask readers what a nostril is
	c.	to remind readers to throw away tissues
	d.	to make a connection with the reader
9.	The words No, it's a reflex action are the answer to which question?
	a.	Can only dust cause a sneeze?
	b.	Do your stomach muscles help you sneeze?
	c.	Can you stop a sneeze?
	d.	Can dust really blow up into your nose?
10.	Which question might the author have added in paragraph 4?
	a.	What is the German word for nose?
	b.	In which year did millions of people die of the plague?
	c.	Does a sneeze cause pneumonia?
	d.	Why do we say, "Bless you"?
11.	The author says you may be able to "unstick" a sneeze by
	a.	looking at a bright light.
	b.	standing on your head.
	c.	jumping up and down.
	d.	going to a hospital emergency room.

Practice 3: Chameleons: Quick-Change Artists

Read the selection, and then answer the questions that follow.

(1)	Why do chameleons change color? Some people think it's an example of natural camouflage that lets chameleons blend into their environment. But that's not really why. They change color as an emotional reaction to life!
(2)	How does a chameleon change color? The animal's transparent outer skin separates light rays, like a prism. Underneath are two layers of cells with red and yellow specks. Under that is a cell layer that reflects blue and white light. Amounts of heat and light, and the animal's emotions, expand or contract the cells. How they line up determines the chameleon's color!
(3)	If a chameleon's frightened or angry, it turns yellow. When it's happy, it turns green. When it's cold, the animal flattens its body to capture the sun's rays, and turns brown. When it's sleeping, a chameleon turns gray. So even though it doesn't really change color as camouflage from predators, it often works that way. A happy chameleon can hide in green grass and a sun-soaking chameleon can safely hide on a brown tree trunk!

12.	Which answers the author's first question?
	a.	Some people think the color change is natural camouflage.
	b.	They change color as an emotional response.
	c.	Some change as they get older.
	d.	Most change only when they are wet.
13.	What is another way to ask the author's second question?
	a.	What color is a chameleon's outer layer of skin?
	b.	How does sound affect a chameleon?
	c.	Why are some chameleons green?
	d.	How do a chameleon's skin cells affect its color?
14.	Which would be the best question for an author to ask in the last paragraph?
	a.	Where do chameleons live?
	b.	When does a chameleon sleep?
	c.	Which color is a happy chameleon?
	d.	What predators hunt for chameleons?

Answers

1.	c
2.	b
3.	d
4.	c
5.	a
6.	There are many listed; here is one possible answer: Humans have trained dogs to hunt, herd, guard, and guide the blind
7.	b
8.	d
9.	c
10.	d
11.	a
12.	b
13.	d
14.	c

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Author's Questions and Answers Practice Exercises (page 3)