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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.
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
Have you ever walked into trouble and found that
twelve days. Welcome to the world of carnivorous
you couldn't get out? So has every insect that has
plants!
ever wandered into a corkscrew plant. Bugs love
There are over a quarter of a millions plant to investigate plants for nectar and food.
species. Only 600 or so are carnivorous. We call Corkscrew plants have inviting stems. Curved
them this because they attract, trap, and eat bugs. hairs line the inside of these stems. These hairs
Like other plants, they get energy from the sun. allow insects to go up the stems, but not back.
But unlike other plants, they get their nutrients Going forward leads a chamber filled with
from their prey. Carnivorous plants live in bogs digestive fluid, the plant's stomach. Bugs who
and places where the soil lacks nutrients. Most wander into the corkscrew plant find that they are
plants get nutrients from the soil. Carnivorous unable to escape. They must march to their own
plants have turned to other sources. demise.

The snap of the Venus flytrap is not the only way And then there are the bladderworts. They're about
that plants eat bugs. Pitcher plants trick their prey as nice as they sound. They live in water and float
into landing on them. They offer nectar bribes to near the surface. Their traps are like small bladders
the foolish insects that would take them. True to hidden beneath the water. Only their flowers are
their name, pitcher plants have deep chambers. visible from the surface. When bugs swim into the
Their landing surface is slippery. They have trigger hairs, the plant reacts. A trapdoor in the
inward pointing hairs, making it hard to escape. bladder opens up. The bladder sucks up the prey
The fly lands on the pitcher plant to eat, but slips and the water surrounding it. A tenth of a second
into a pit filled with digestive fluids and is eaten. later, the bladder shuts again. The plant has
trapped the prey. It releases digestive fluids. The
Then there're sundews. We call them sundews prey will be digested within hours.
because they sparkle in the sun as if covered in
morning dew. Of course, that sparkle is from Carnivorous plants might sound tough, but they
something much more treacherous. It is a sweet are difficult to keep at home. They are built to
goo called mucilage that bugs can't resist. survive in places that other plants cannot. This
Sundews create mucilage to attract bugs. As they specialization comes at a cost. They have a hard
fly in to eat, bugs become trapped in the very time adapting to other environments. Their
object of their desire. They soon exhaust strengths become weaknesses in rich soil. They
themselves by trying to escape the mucilage. Or depend on the harsh yet delicate environments in
the sundew's tentacles, which respond to prey by which they thrive. They are not so hardy after all.
curling around them, smother them. Bugs usually Still, there's something to be said about the power
die in about 15 minutes. Then the plant dissolves of life when one finds a plant that can survive in
its prey in enzymes and absorbs the nutrients. barren soil.
1. Which statement would the author most likely agree with?
a. There are too many species of carnivorous plants.
b. There are too few plant species in the world.
c. Only a small number of plants are carnivorous.
d. A majority of plants are carnivorous.

2. Which plant traps bugs in its stem and forces them to walk forward?
a. Corkscrew plants b. Sundews
c. Bladderworts d. Pitcher plants

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.

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.

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.

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.

7. Which best describes the overall text structure of the second paragraph?
a. Chronological order b. Compare and contrast
c. Sequential order d. Spatial

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.
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.

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

Long Response

1. In what ways are carnivorous plants stronger and more resilient than other plants? In what ways are
they weaker? Answer both parts of the question and support your answer with quotes from the text.
Explain what your quotes show.
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2. Compare and contrast two types of plants described in this passage. How are they similar? How are
they different? Refer to the text in your answer and explain your arguments completely.
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3. Carnivorous plants have some unique and amazing characteristics. What do these characteristics
suggest about life and the world that we live in? In other words, what can carnivorous plants teach us
about the world? Make a point and support it with an example from the text. Explain what your support
shows.
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