Name: ________________________ ID: A

DIRECTIONS: Choose the best answer for each question.

Musical Elephants
In the town of Lampang in northern Thailand, there is an unusual group of musicians. They play many
different kinds of music--from traditional Thai songs to music by Beethoven. Both children and adults
love this group. What makes them so popular? Is it their music? Their looks? Yes, it's both of these
things, but it's also something else: they're elephants.

These musical elephants are from the Thai Elephant Conservation Center (TECC) in Lampang. The
TECC protects elephants. It teaches people to understand and care for these huge, but gentle, animals.
And, like many zoos around the world, the TECC encourages elephants to paint.

Richard Lair works with the TECC. He knew that elephants hear better than they see. So he had an idea:
if elephants are intelligent and they have good hearing, maybe they can play music. To test his idea, Lair
and a friend started the Thai Elephant Orchestra. During a performance, the elephants play a variety of
instruments, including the drums and the xylophone. The animals also use their voices and trunks to make
sounds.

But can elephants really make music properly? Yes, says Lair. They're very creative. Humans may
encourage the animals to play instruments, but the elephants make their own songs; they don't just copy
their trainers or other people. There are now CDs of the group's music, which earn money for the TECC.
And the music these artists create is pretty amazing.

____ 16. What is the purpose of this passage?

a. to show how elephants are the smartest animals
b. to tell about an interesting group of elephants
c. to compare different kinds of elephants
d. to explain how elephants think

____ 17. In paragraph 1, what is unusual about the musicians?

a. They play different kinds of music.
b. They're from Thailand.
c. They are elephants.
d. They are popular.

____ 18. What is probably true based on this sentence in paragraph 1?

"Both children and adults love this group."

a. Children and adults usually like different kinds of music, so this group is special.
b. Adults make their children listen to the music, so children don't have a choice.
c. The music reminds adults of when they were children, so they like it.
d. The group only makes children's music, but adults still like it.

____ 19. Which paragraph explains how elephants first started making music?
a. paragraph 1
b. paragraph 2
c. paragraph 3
d. paragraph 4

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Name: ________________________ ID: A

____ 20. In the last paragraph, how are the elephants creative?
a. They learn from their trainers.
b. They make their own songs.
c. They copy other people.
d. They make money.

How Do You Train an Elephant?

Perhaps you have heard about elephants that can paint pictures or play musical instruments. They seem
able to learn how to do everything except speak. Have you ever thought about what methods trainers use
to get these huge animals to perform this way? Although elephants are very intelligent, they are still wild
animals, after all.

First of all, an elephant knows the difference between a kind person and a mean one. The best trainers are
able to imagine themselves in the elephant's place. They realize that the better they understand the
animal, the better teachers they will be. They are always gentle with the animals and prefer to encourage
them to do things instead of forcing them.

Some trainers use a system that involves giving the animal a treat, such as an apple, whenever it does
what it is asked to do. One advantage of this strategy is that it helps the elephant feel comfortable with its
trainer. When an elephant does something wrong, a good trainer thinks, "How would elephants treat each
other in this situation?" Sometimes the answer is to use force, but to use it properly and as gently as
possible.

____ 21. What is the main idea of the passage?

a. the advantages of training elephants
b. why training elephants is dangerous
c. how trainers teach elephants
d. a very intelligent elephant

____ 22. According to the text, a good elephant trainer ____.

a. knows how to paint
b. forces the animal to do its job
c. is able to think like an elephant
d. uses music as part of the training

____ 23. What does its refers to in the second sentence of paragraph 3?
a. the elephant's
b. the trainer's
c. a system's
d. an apple's

____ 24. According to the passage, what is NOT true?

a. Elephants can tell if a trainer is mean.
b. Some trainers use treats to help train elephants.
c. Trainers never use force to train their elephants.
d. Trainers are unable to teach elephants how to speak.

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Name: ________________________ ID: A

____ 25. What does this sentence from paragraph 2 mean?

"The best trainers are able to imagine themselves in the elephant's place."

a. Trainers ride on top of their elephants.

b. Trainers and elephants live in the same place.
c. Trainers think about how their elephants are feeling.
d. Trainers have to show elephants that they are in charge.

DIRECTIONS: Read each paragraph below from the passage "An Animal's Defense." Select the
sentence that gives the main idea.

____ 26. Think of the skunk--that well-known animal you hope to never meet. If a skunk feels threatened, it will
spray out a horrible-smelling liquid. The smell is so bad that other animals will learn to stay away from
the skunk. The skunk protects itself from possible predators by using the sense of smell.

a. Think of the skunk--that well-known animal you hope to never meet.

b. If a skunk feels threatened, it will spray out a horrible-smelling liquid.
c. The smell is so bad that other animals will learn to stay away from the skunk.
d. The skunk protects itself from possible predators by using the sense of smell.

____ 27. Other animals have parts on the outside of their bodies that protect them. The porcupine has sharp
needles all over its back. These needles shoot out at predators if they get too close. Some lizards have
horny spikes on their heads. This stops predators from biting them. These outer parts make it difficult for
predators to kill and eat these animals.

a. Other animals have parts on the outside of their bodies that protect them.
b. The porcupine has sharp needles all over its back.
c. These needles shoot out at predators if they get too close.
d. Some lizards have horny spikes on their heads.

Multiple Response
Identify one or more choices that best complete the statement or answer the question.

DIRECTIONS: Choose two or more choices to answer each question.

____ 1. If two people are alike, they ____.

a. are liked by other people
b. do things the same way
c. enjoy other people
d. are not different

____ 2. Which words mean the same as method?

a. net
b. way
c. time
d. plan