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A Sweet Stinger
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

If you hear that sound, it means that there could be a honey

bee nearby. Honey bees are very important insects. As
they fly from one flower to another, they carry pollen with
them. This helps the plants to grow and make new plants.
And, as you may have guessed from the name, honey bees
also make something that many people love to eat: honey.

Even though honey bees are helpful insects, you should

not get too close to them. Honey bees can sting you. If you
are allergic to bee stings, getting stung by a bee could be
very dangerous. It could even be deadly. However, even
people who are not allergic to bee stings should be careful
around honey bees.

Honey bees that are flying around by themselves probably will not sting you. They are looking for
food. They will not sting unless they think that they are in trouble. Some people get stung when they
step on a bee or swat at a bee that flies near them. For the most part, though, bees do not want to
sting you. There is a good reason for this. When a honey bee stings you, its stinger gets stuck in
your skin. When the bee flies away, the stinger stays behind—along with the back half of the bee!
This means that when a honey bee stings you, it dies. It is safe to say that unless you are allergic to
bee stings, it is worse for the bee than it is for you.

Getting stung by a bee hurts, but it is not very serious for people without allergies. Bee stings are
painful because of something called apitoxin. Apitoxin is a poison that bees leave in your body when
they sting you. Apitoxin causes pain. It causes redness. And it also causes swelling in the place
where you were stung. People who are allergic to bee stings will have much more serious problems.
They may have trouble breathing. They may even have trouble with their heart. But for most people,
getting stung by one bee is not that bad. The real danger comes when there are lots of bees trying to
sting you.

Honey bees live in a hive. There may be 50,000 to 60,000 bees living in a hive at one time. The hive
is where the bees make and store their honey. People are not the only ones who enjoy eating
honey. Many different animals also like honey, such as bears, possums, and raccoons. If an animal
gets to the honey, it will also probably destroy the hive and hurt many of the bees inside. When bees
think that their hive is in danger, they will use their stingers to protect it.

When a honey bee stings, it releases something called a pheromone. A pheromone is a kind of
chemical signal or message. As soon as other bees get the message, they rush to the scene. When
these new bees sting you, they also send out pheromones. This brings even more bees out to
defend their hive. In a moment’s time, one stinging bee can turn into thousands of stinging bees.
This is very dangerous, and not just for people who have allergies.

Honey bees do more than just make honey—they help keep the flowers blooming and the plants
growing. Honey bees may be helpful, but it is still important to be cautious around them. If you see a
honey bee, leave it alone. If you see a bee hive, do not go near it. And if you want to eat some
honey, the safest way to get it is to buy it from the store!
1) In paragraph 4, we learn that for the most part, "bees do not want to sting you." This is because

A. some people are allergic to bee stings

B. a bee dies when it stings a person
C. bees only eat flowers
D. bees are very helpful insects

2) According to the passage, a honey bee is likely to sting you if

A. you are allergic to bee stings

B. it is out looking for food
C. there are no other bees around
D. the bee is trying to protect the hive

3) According to the passage, what is apitoxin?

A. a chemical message
B. a type of honey
C. a poison
D. an allergen

4) As used in the final paragraph, another word for cautious is

A. careful
B. thankful
C. strong
D. patient

5) Which of the following sentences from the passage accurately communicates the main idea of the
passage?

A. "Honey bees are very important insects." (paragraph 2)

B. "Even though honey bees are helpful insects, you should not get too close to them."
(paragraph 3)
C. "Getting stung by a bee hurts, but it is not very serious for people without allergies."
(paragraph 5)
D. "When bees think that their hive is in danger, they will use their stingers to protect it."
(paragraph 6)

6) Have you ever been stung by a bee? If so, describe the experience. If not, how have you
managed to avoid this situation so far?
 Answers and Explanations

1) B
Core Standard: Key Ideas and Details

In paragraph 4, the author writes: “For the most part, though, bees do not want to sting you.” The
author then explains that when a honey bee stings a person, “its stinger gets stuck” in the skin.
When the bee tries to fly away, “the stinger stays behind—along with the back half of the bee!” In
other words: “when a honey bee stings you, it dies.” Therefore, (B) is correct.

The passage does not provide information to support choices (A), (C), or (D). Therefore they are
incorrect.

2) D
Core Standard: Key Ideas and Details

In paragraph 4, the author tells readers that honey bees are not likely to sting you “unless they think
that they are in trouble.” In paragraph 6, the author gives a specific example of a time when a bee
might think that it is in trouble. The author writes: “When bees think that their hive is in danger, they
will use their stingers to protect it.” Based on this information, we can tell that a bee is likely to sting
you if it is trying to protect the hive. Therefore (D) is correct.

Although the author does say that bee stings are much more dangerous for people who are allergic
to them, he or she never says that honey bees are more likely to sting people who are allergic to bee
stings. Therefore (A) is incorrect.

In paragraph 4, the author writes: “Honey bees that are flying around by themselves probably will not
sting you. They are looking for food.” These sentences tell us that honey bees that are looking for
food are not likely to sting you. Therefore (B) is incorrect.

In paragraph 4, the author writes: “Honey bees that are flying around by themselves probably will not
sting you.” Later, in paragraph 5, the author tells readers that “getting stung by one bee is not that
bad. The real danger comes when there are lots of bees trying to sting you.” Paragraph 7 then
explains how “one stinging bee can turn into thousands of stinging bees if you get too close to a bee
hive.” According to this information, bees are actually less likely to sting you if they are alone.
Therefore (C) is incorrect.

3) C
Core Standard: Key Ideas and Details

In paragraph 5, the author explains why bee stings hurt. The author says that “bee stings are painful
because of something called apitoxin. Apitoxin is a poison that bees leave in your body when they
sting you.” These sentences tell us that apitoxin is a poison. Therefore (C) is correct.
The passage does not provide information to support choices (A), (B), or (D). Therefore they are
incorrect.

4) A
Core Standard: Craft and Structure

cautious (adjective): careful to avoid potential dangers or problems; wary; alert; on guard.

In the final paragraph, the author writes: “Honey bees may be helpful, but it is still important to be
cautious around them.” We can use context clues—hints from known words or phrases around the
unknown word or phrase—to help us figure out what the word cautious most nearly means. In the
passage, the author tells us that bee stings can be dangerous. For example, in paragraph 3, he or
she writes: “even though honey bees are helpful insects, you should not get too close to them.
Honey bees can sting you. If you are allergic to bee stings, getting stung by a bee could be very
dangerous. It could even be deadly. However, even people who are not allergic to bee stings should
be careful around honey bees.” The author returns to this idea in the final paragraph. After reminding
readers that honey bees are helpful, he or she says that it is “important to be cautious around them.”
The author then explains how to be cautious: “If you see a honey bee, leave it alone. If you see a
bee hive, do not go near it. And if you want to eat some honey, the safest way to get it is to buy it
from the store!” The author tells us to stay away from honey bees because they can be dangerous.
By telling us to be “cautious” around honey bees, the author is saying that we need to be careful.
Based on this information, we can tell that we are looking for a word that means careful. Therefore
(A) is correct.

Based on the above information, we can tell that we are looking for a word that means careful.
Thankful does not mean careful. Therefore (B) is incorrect.

Based on the above information, we can tell that we are looking for a word that means careful.
Strong does not mean careful. Therefore (C) is incorrect.

Based on the above information, we can tell that we are looking for a word that means careful.
Patient means being calm in an annoying or difficult situation. Patient does not mean careful.
Therefore (D) is incorrect.

5) B
Core Standard: Integration of Knowledge

The main idea of a passage can often be found in the first paragraph. In the case of this passage,
the first paragraph is “Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!” Obviously, this is not the main idea of the passage—it is
simply a way of getting the reader’s interest. This means that readers will have to keep looking in
order to find the main idea. In paragraph 2, the author writes “honey bees are very important
insects.” If the entire passage were about how honey bees help plants and animals, then this would
be the main idea of the passage. However, the entire passage is not about how honey bees are
helpful. In paragraph 3, author writes: “Even though honey bees are helpful insects, you should not
get too close to them. Honey bees can sting you.” The words “even though” are a good sign that the
author is about to write something important. Usually, this phrase means that there is more to the
story than what you have just read. Here, the author uses “even though” to show you that honey
bees are helpful, but there is more to the story—they can also hurt you. Throughout the passage, the
author gives readers information about how honey bee stings can be dangerous. For example, in
paragraph 5, the author says: “People who are allergic to bee stings will also have much more
serious problems, such as trouble breathing or trouble with their heart.” In paragraph 7, the author
writes: “In a moment’s time, one stinging bee can turn into thousands of stinging bees. This is very
dangerous, and not just for people who have allergies.” In the final paragraph (also a good place to
look for hints about the main idea), the author writes: “Honey bees do more than just make
honey—they help keep the flowers blooming and the plants growing. Honey bees may be helpful,
but it is still important to be cautious around them.” These sentences from the passage tell us that
honey bees are helpful but can be dangerous, so we should be careful around them. This is the
main idea of the passage. Therefore (B) is correct.

In paragraph 2, the author writes: “Honey bees are very important insects.” The author then gives
readers some examples that show why honey bees are so important. Although the author does
mention why honey bees are important again at the end of the passage (“Honey bees do more than
just make honey—they help keep the flowers blooming and the plants growing,”) most of the
passage is about why we need to be careful around honey bees. Therefore (A) is incorrect.

In paragraph 5, the author writes: “Getting stung by a bee hurts, but it is not very serious for people
without allergies.” As the author explains, bee stings are painful for most people, but can be deadly
for people who are allergic to bee stings. Although the author does talk about a similar idea in
paragraph 3 (“If you are allergic to bee stings, getting stung by a bee could be very dangerous. It
could even be deadly”), most of the passage is about why everyone needs to be careful around
honey bees, not just people who are allergic to them. Therefore (C) is incorrect.

Based on the above information, we can tell that most of the passage is about why everyone needs
to be careful around honey bees. In paragraph 6, the author explains one reason why honey bees
can be dangerous: “When bees think that their hive is in danger, they will use their stingers to protect
it.” This is not the main idea of the passage—it is a detail or piece of evidence that supports the main
idea of the passage. Therefore (D) is incorrect.