Passage One

Ecuador, in South America, is home to 417 types of frogs and toads. Many of these species, or types of frogs, are at risk of dying out. In the last 50 years, many amphibian species have gone extinct. Salamanders, frogs, and toads are all amphibians. Amphibians are animals that spend part of their life in water and part on land, and have backbones. Amphibians must live near water. Amphibian habitats can be found in forests, woodlots, meadows, springs, wetlands, streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, bogs, marshes. Frogs and toads are in trouble because their habitats are being destroyed as trees are being cut down to make room for farms and roads. Wetland spaces where frogs live are being drained and paved over. As these spaces are removed, the places frogs, toads, and salamanders can live shrink.

Amphibians also absorb pollution easily, because they breathe through their skin. Amphibians are usually the first to disappear when an environment is under threat from pollution. Due to pollution, some frogs are born with deformed, or wrongly shaped, body parts, such as extra legs and eyes. Frogs with deformed body parts are a clue for scientists that an environment is suffering. Between the destruction of their habitats and risks to frogs from pollution, frogs are at risk of endangerment and extinction. Scientists are working to save amphibians. Scientists want the government to pass laws that protect amphibian habitats and limit pollution.

Passage Two

My name is Maria and I am an amphibian conservation biologist. This means I am a scientist who studies and protects frogs, toads, and salamanders. My job is to protect amphibians and their natural habitats, share this knowledge with the public, and research ways to help reintroduce frogs in captivity back into the wild. I have the best job in the world. I work in a zoo, but I often travel to places like Brazil to observe amphibians in their natural habitats in the wild. Brazil, for example, has 1,022 different types of frogs, toads and salamanders! In my work at the zoo, I specialize in only a small portion of that number. Here in the zoo, we have many amphibians in our care because some or all of their natural habitats, or homes, were destroyed. We are not alone in our work to protect amphibians. Many people, in many kinds of jobs, are helping protect amphibians and their habitats. I partner with other scientists and lawyers, like my friend Fernanda, to help create laws that best support the conservation, or protection, of amphibians. Fernanda is an environmental lawyer who works to create laws that protect diverse wildlife. She, in turn, needs to partner with government workers to help get laws passed. Together, our goal is to work together to build a world where these amphibians have safe space to live outside of the zoo, in their natural habitat, protected from pollution or loss of space. We are working with a facility in Brazil to build a safe wild space for amphibians to be released from the zoo and into a space where they can thrive. The new habitat will be a protected wetland for these amphibians.

Passage 1 says that frogs are at risk of dying out due to pollution and the destruction of their habitats. Do you think there is a link between humans and the future of frogs?

Passage One

Ecuador, in South America, is home to 417 types of frogs and toads. Many of these species, or types of frogs, are at risk of dying out. In the last 50 years, many amphibian species have gone extinct. Salamanders, frogs, and toads are all amphibians. Amphibians are animals that spend part of their life in water and part on land, and have backbones. Amphibians must live near water. Amphibian habitats can be found in forests, woodlots, meadows, springs, wetlands, streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, bogs, marshes. Frogs and toads are in trouble because their habitats are being destroyed as trees are being cut down to make room for farms and roads. Wetland spaces where frogs live are being drained and paved over. As these spaces are removed, the places frogs, toads, and salamanders can live shrink.

Amphibians also absorb pollution easily, because they breathe through their skin. Amphibians are usually the first to disappear when an environment is under threat from pollution. Due to pollution, some frogs are born with deformed, or wrongly shaped, body parts, such as extra legs and eyes. Frogs with deformed body parts are a clue for scientists that an environment is suffering. Between the destruction of their habitats and risks to frogs from pollution, frogs are at risk of endangerment and extinction. Scientists are working to save amphibians. Scientists want the government to pass laws that protect amphibian habitats and limit pollution.

Passage Two

My name is Maria and I am an amphibian conservation biologist. This means I am a scientist who studies and protects frogs, toads, and salamanders. My job is to protect amphibians and their natural habitats, share this knowledge with the public, and research ways to help reintroduce frogs in captivity back into the wild. I have the best job in the world. I work in a zoo, but I often travel to places like Brazil to observe amphibians in their natural habitats in the wild. Brazil, for example, has 1,022 different types of frogs, toads and salamanders! In my work at the zoo, I specialize in only a small portion of that number. Here in the zoo, we have many amphibians in our care because some or all of their natural habitats, or homes, were destroyed. We are not alone in our work to protect amphibians. Many people, in many kinds of jobs, are helping protect amphibians and their habitats. I partner with other scientists and lawyers, like my friend Fernanda, to help create laws that best support the conservation, or protection, of amphibians. Fernanda is an environmental lawyer who works to create laws that protect diverse wildlife. She, in turn, needs to partner with government workers to help get laws passed. Together, our goal is to work together to build a world where these amphibians have safe space to live outside of the zoo, in their natural habitat, protected from pollution or loss of space. We are working with a facility in Brazil to build a safe wild space for amphibians to be released from the zoo and into a space where they can thrive. The new habitat will be a protected wetland for these amphibians.

Which option best describes the difference between the two articles?

To point out or show how things are similar or alike is to:

Adapted from The Ants and the Grasshopper by Aesop (620-560 BCE)

One bright day in late autumn a family of Ants was bustling about in the warm sunshine, drying out the grain they had stored up during the summer, when a starving Grasshopper, his fiddle under his arm, came up and humbly begged for a bite to eat.

"What!" cried the Ants in surprise, "haven't you stored anything away for the winter? What in the world were you doing all last summer?"

"I didn't have time to store up any food," whined the Grasshopper; "I was so busy making music that before I knew it the summer was gone."

The Ants shrugged their shoulders in disgust.

"Making music, were you?" they cried. "Very well; now dance!" And they turned their backs on the Grasshopper and went on with their work.

Adapted from Aesop’s The Lion and the Mouse (620-560 BCE)

A Lion lay asleep in the forest, his great head resting on his paws. A timid little Mouse came upon him unexpectedly, and in her fright and haste to get away, ran across Lion's nose. Roused from his nap, the Lion laid his huge paw angrily on the tiny creature to kill her.

"Spare me!" begged the poor Mouse. "Please let me go and someday I will surely repay you."

The Lion was much amused to think that a Mouse could ever help him. But he was generous and finally let the Mouse go.

Some days later, while stalking his prey in the forest, the Lion was caught in the toils of a hunter's net. Unable to free himself, he filled the forest with his angry roaring. The Mouse knew the voice and quickly found the Lion struggling in the net. Running to one of the great ropes that bound him, she gnawed it until it parted, and soon the Lion was free.

"You laughed when I said I would repay you," said the Mouse. "Now you see that even a Mouse can help a Lion."

How are the ants in the first story and Mouse in the second story similar to each other?

Passage One
Ecuador, in South America, is home to 417 types of frogs and toads. Many of these species, or types of frogs, are at risk of dying out. In the last 50 years, many amphibian species have gone extinct. Salamanders, frogs, and toads are all amphibians. Amphibians are animals that spend part of their life in water and part on land and have backbones. Amphibians must live near water. Amphibian habitats can be found in forests, woodlots, meadows, springs, wetlands, streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, bogs, marshes. Frogs and toads are in trouble because their habitats are being destroyed as trees are being cut down to make room for farms and roads. Wetland spaces where frogs live are being drained and paved over. As these spaces are removed, the places frogs, toads, and salamanders can live shrink.

Amphibians also absorb pollution easily, because they breathe through their skin. Amphibians are usually the first to disappear when an environment is under threat from pollution. Due to pollution, some frogs are born with deformed, or wrongly shaped, body parts, such as extra legs and eyes. Frogs with deformed body parts are a clue for scientists that an environment is suffering. Between the destruction of their habitats and risks to frogs from pollution, frogs are at risk of endangerment and extinction. Scientists are working to save amphibians. Scientists want the government to pass laws that protect amphibian habitats and limit pollution.

Passage Two
My name is Maria and I am an amphibian conservation biologist. This means I am a scientist who studies and protects frogs, toads, and salamanders. My job is to protect amphibians and their natural habitats, share this knowledge with the public, and research ways to help reintroduce frogs in captivity back into the wild. I have the best job in the world. I work in a zoo, but I often travel to places like Brazil to observe amphibians in their natural habitats in the wild. Brazil, for example, has 1,022 different types of frogs, toads, and salamanders! In my work at the zoo, I specialize in only a small portion of that number. Here in the zoo, we have many amphibians in our care because some or all of their natural habitats, or homes, were destroyed. We are not alone in our work to protect amphibians. Many people, in many kinds of jobs, are helping protect amphibians and their habitats. I partner with other scientists and lawyers, like my friend Fernanda, to help create laws that best support the conservation, or protection, of amphibians. Fernanda is an environmental lawyer who works to create laws that protect diverse wildlife. She, in turn, needs to partner with government workers to help get laws passed. Together, our goal is to work together to build a world where these amphibians have a safe space to live outside of the zoo, in their natural habitat, protected from pollution or loss of space. We are working with a facility in Brazil to build a safe wild space for amphibians to be released from the zoo and into a place where they can thrive. The new habitat will be a protected wetland for these amphibians.

What is the topic of passage 1 and passage 2?

Passage 1: Adapted from "The Busy Blue Jay" in True Bird Stories from My Notebooks by Olive Thorne Miller (1903).
The following passage is from a book in which the author talks about raising and releasing into the wild birds that had been captured and sold as pets.

One of the most interesting birds who ever lived in my Bird Room was a blue jay named Jakie. He was full of business from morning till night, scarcely ever a moment still.

Jays are very active birds, and being shut up in a room, my blue jay had to find things to do, to keep himself busy. If he had been allowed to grow up out of doors, he would have found plenty to do, planting acorns and nuts, nesting, and bringing up families. Sometimes the things he did in the house were what we call mischief because they annoy us, such as hammering the woodwork to pieces, tearing bits out of the leaves of books, working holes in chair seats, or pounding a cardboard box to pieces. But how is a poor little bird to know what is mischief?

One of Jakie’s amusements was dancing across the back of a tall chair, taking funny little steps, coming down hard, “jouncing” his body, and whistling as loud as he could. He would keep up this funny performance as long as anybody would stand before him and pretend to dance, too.

My jay was fond of a sensation. One of his dearest bits of fun was to drive the birds into a panic. This he did by flying furiously around the room, feathers rustling, and squawking as loud as he could. He usually managed to fly just over the head of each bird, and as he came like a catapult, every one flew before him, so that in a minute the room was full of birds flying madly about trying to get out of his way. This gave him great pleasure.

Wild blue jays, too, like to stir up their neighbors. A friend told me of a small party of blue jays that she saw playing this kind of a joke on a flock of birds of several kinds. These birds were gathering the cherries on the top branches of a big cherry tree. The jays sat quietly on another tree till the cherry-eaters were busy eating. Then suddenly the mischievous blue rogues would all rise together and fly at them, as my pet did at the birds in the room. It had the same effect on the wild birds; they all flew in a panic. Then the joking jays would return to their tree and wait till their victims forgot their fear and came straggling back to the cherries, when they repeated the fun.

Which of the following best summarizes the passage?

Paying Attention Pays Off

Jackson and his family were excited to be camping for the first time. They had never been to Yellowstone National Park, and they had been anticipating this trip all year. His father packed up the car, his mother made sure they had their maps, and he and his little sister Aly hopped in the back seat of their minivan ready to go. It only took about 15 minutes until Aly got on his nerves, so he put his earbuds in so he could watch videos on his phone. He must have fallen asleep because he woke up a few hours later and saw the large brown sign with white writing across the front, reading “Yellowstone National Park.” They had arrived.

They got all checked in and found their home for the next three days, campsite number 35. Dad set up the tents, and Mom consulted her itinerary for all of the upcoming activities and excursions. After they got settled in, it was time for a safety training class with the park ranger. The ranger went through what visitors should do if they encountered a dangerous wild animal, got lost, ran out of supplies, or fell into the fast-moving river. Jackson looked from side to side at his family and realized he was the only one paying attention! His mom was looking at her list, Aly was dozing off, and his father’s eyes were glazed over as he stared into the woods. He hoped they wouldn’t need to use any of these skills!

That night, after his mother and father were all tucked into their sleeping bags, Jackson and Aly snuck out of their tent to look at the stars. It was a quaint evening until Jackson heard grunting and banging coming from the campsite. He peeked around a tree with his flashlight and saw a juvenile bear pawing at the coolers and trash cans. Aly started to shout and tried to take off running. Jackson covered her mouth and reminded her that the ranger said not to scream or run away if confronted by bears. She nodded, and they stood still behind the tree and out of sight. The bear grew frustrated with the coolers and trash cans because Jackson had secured them with bungee cords, just as the ranger recommended. The bear padded off into the woods, and they snuck back to their tents exhausted. As Jackson laid in his sleeping bag, he smiled to himself, thinking about how lucky they were that he had paid attention in the ranger’s safety class.

Using context clues in the passage, what does the term itinerary mean?

Passage One

Ecuador, in South America, is home to 417 types of frogs and toads. Many of these species, or types of frogs, are at risk of dying out. In the last 50 years, many amphibian species have gone extinct. Salamanders, frogs, and toads are all amphibians. Amphibians are animals that spend part of their life in water and part on land, and have backbones. Amphibians must live near water. Amphibian habitats can be found in forests, woodlots, meadows, springs, wetlands, streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, bogs, marshes. Frogs and toads are in trouble because their habitats are being destroyed as trees are being cut down to make room for farms and roads. Wetland spaces where frogs live are being drained and paved over. As these spaces are removed, the places frogs, toads, and salamanders can live shrink.

Amphibians also absorb pollution easily, because they breathe through their skin. Amphibians are usually the first to disappear when an environment is under threat from pollution. Due to pollution, some frogs are born with deformed, or wrongly shaped, body parts, such as extra legs and eyes. Frogs with deformed body parts are a clue for scientists that an environment is suffering. Between the destruction of their habitats and risks to frogs from pollution, frogs are at risk of endangerment and extinction. Scientists are working to save amphibians. Scientists want the government to pass laws that protect amphibian habitats and limit pollution.

Passage Two

My name is Maria and I am an amphibian conservation biologist. This means I am a scientist who studies and protects frogs, toads, and salamanders. My job is to protect amphibians and their natural habitats, share this knowledge with the public, and research ways to help reintroduce frogs in captivity back into the wild. I have the best job in the world. I work in a zoo, but I often travel to places like Brazil to observe amphibians in their natural habitats in the wild. Brazil, for example, has 1,022 different types of frogs, toads and salamanders! In my work at the zoo, I specialize in only a small portion of that number. Here in the zoo, we have many amphibians in our care because some or all of their natural habitats, or homes, were destroyed. We are not alone in our work to protect amphibians. Many people, in many kinds of jobs, are helping protect amphibians and their habitats. I partner with other scientists and lawyers, like my friend Fernanda, to help create laws that best support the conservation, or protection, of amphibians. Fernanda is an environmental lawyer who works to create laws that protect diverse wildlife. She, in turn, needs to partner with government workers to help get laws passed. Together, our goal is to work together to build a world where these amphibians have safe space to live outside of the zoo, in their natural habitat, protected from pollution or loss of space. We are working with a facility in Brazil to build a safe wild space for amphibians to be released from the zoo and into a space where they can thrive. The new habitat will be a protected wetland for these amphibians.

Passage 1 says that frogs are at risk of dying out due to pollution and the destruction of their habitats. Do you think there is a link between humans and the future of frogs?

Paying Attention Pays Off

Jackson and his family were excited to be camping for the first time. They had never been to Yellowstone National Park, and they had been anticipating this trip all year. His father packed up the car, his mother made sure they had their maps, and he and his little sister Aly hopped in the back seat of their minivan ready to go. It only took about 15 minutes until Aly got on his nerves, so he put his earbuds in so he could watch videos on his phone. He must have fallen asleep because he woke up a few hours later and saw the large brown sign with white writing across the front, reading “Yellowstone National Park.” They had arrived.

They got all checked in and found their home for the next three days, campsite number 35. Dad set up the tents, and Mom consulted her itinerary for all of the upcoming activities and excursions. After they got settled in, it was time for a safety training class with the park ranger. The ranger went through what visitors should do if they encountered a dangerous wild animal, got lost, ran out of supplies, or fell into the fast-moving river. Jackson looked from side to side at his family and realized he was the only one paying attention! His mom was looking at her list, Aly was dozing off, and his father’s eyes were glazed over as he stared into the woods. He hoped they wouldn’t need to use any of these skills!

That night, after his mother and father were all tucked into their sleeping bags, Jackson and Aly snuck out of their tent to look at the stars. It was a quaint evening until Jackson heard grunting and banging coming from the campsite. He peeked around a tree with his flashlight and saw a juvenile bear pawing at the coolers and trash cans. Aly started to shout and tried to take off running. Jackson covered her mouth and reminded her that the ranger said not to scream or run away if confronted by bears. She nodded, and they stood still behind the tree and out of sight. The bear grew frustrated with the coolers and trash cans because Jackson had secured them with bungee cords, just as the ranger recommended. The bear padded off into the woods, and they snuck back to their tents exhausted. As Jackson laid in his sleeping bag, he smiled to himself, thinking about how lucky they were that he had paid attention in the ranger’s safety class.

Which piece of text evidence demonstrates that Jackson had paid attention during the training class?

To point out or show how things are similar or alike is to: