The canopy, the upper level of the trees in the rain forest, holds a plethora

of climbing mammals of moderately large size, which may include monkeys,

cats, civets, and porcupines. Smaller species, including such rodents as mice
and small squirrels, are not as prevalent overall in high tropical canopies as
they are in most habitats globally.

Small mammals, being warm blooded, suffer hardship in the exposed and
turbulent environment of the uppermost trees. Because a small body has
more surface area per unit of weight than a large one of similar shape, it
gains or loses heat more swiftly. Thus, in the trees, where shelter from heat and
cold may be scarce and conditions may fluctuate, a small mammal may
have trouble maintaining its body temperature.

Small size makes it easy to scramble among twigs and branches in the
canopy for insects, flowers, or fruit, but small mammals are surpassed, in the
competition for food, by large ones that have their own tactics for browsing
among food-rich twigs. The weight of a gibbon (a small ape) hanging below
a branch arches the terminal leaves down so that fruit-bearing foliage drops
toward the gibbon’s face. Walking or leaping species of a similar or even
larger size access the outer twigs either by snapping off and retrieving the
whole branch or by clutching stiff branches with the feet or tail and plucking
food with their hands.

Small climbing animals may reach twigs readily, but it is harder for them
than for large climbing animals to cross the wide gaps from one tree crown to
the next that typify the high canopy. A macaque or gibbon can hurl itself
farther than a mouse can: it can achieve a running start, and it can more
effectively use a branch as a springboard, even bouncing on a limb several
times before jumping. The forward movement of a small animal is seriously
reduced by the air friction against the relatively large surface area of its body.
Finally, for the many small mammals the supplement their insect diet with fruits
or seeds, an inability to span open gaps between tree crowns may be
problematic, since trees that yield these foods can be sparse.

1. The passage answers which of the following questions?

a) Why do large animals tend to dominate the upper canopy of the rain
forest?
b) How is the rain forest different from other habitats?
c) How does an animal’s body size influence an animal’s need for food?
d) Why does rain forest provide an unusual variety of food for animals?
2. Which of the following animals is less common in the upper canopy than in
other environments?
a) Porcupines
b) Mice
c) Monkeys
d) Cats
3. The word “they” refers to
a) smaller species
b) trees
c) high tropical canopies
d) climbing mammals of moderately large size
4. According to paragraph 2, which of the following is true about the small
mammals in the rain forest?
a) They have body shapes that are adapted to life in the canopy.
b) They use the trees of the canopy for shelter from heat and cold.
c) They have difficulty with the changing conditions in the canopy.
d) They prefer the temperature and climate of the canopy to that of
other environments.
5. In discussing animal size in paragraph 3, the author indicates that
a) small animals require proportionately more food than larger animals
do.
b) a large animal’s size is an advantage in obtaining food in the canopy.
c) Small animals are often attacked by larger animals in the rain forest.
d) Small animals and large animals are equally adept at obtaining food in
the canopy.
6. The word “typify” is closest in meaning to
a) resemble
b) characterize
c) protect
d) divide
7. According to paragraph 4, what makes jumping from one tree crown to
another difficult for small mammals?
a) The dense leaves of the tree crown.
b) The thickness of the branches.
c) The inability to use the front feet as hands.
d) Air friction against the body surface.
8. The word “supplement” is closest in meaning to
a) replace
b) add to
c) look for
d) control
In the 16th century, an age of great marine and terrestrial exploration,
Ferdinand Magellan led the first expedition to sail around the world. As a
young Portuguese noble, he served the king of Portugal, but he became
involved in the quagmire of political intrigue at court and lost the king's favor.
After he was dismissed from service by the king of Portugal, he offered to
serve the future Emperor Charles V of Spain.

A papal decree of 1493 had assigned all land in the New World west of 50
degrees W longitude to Spain and all the land east of that line to Portugal.
Magellan offered to prove that the East Indies fell under Spanish authority. On
September 20, 1519, Magellan set sail from Spain with five ships. More than a
year later, one of these ships was exploring the topography of South America
in search of a water route across the continent. This ship sank, but the
remaining four ships searched along the southern peninsula of South America.
Finally they found the passage they sought near 50 degrees S latitude.
Magellan named this passage the Strait of All Saints, but today it is known as
the Strait of Magellan.

One ship deserted while in this passage and returned to Spain, so fewer sailors
were privileged to gaze at that first panorama of the Pacific Ocean. Those
who remained crossed the meridian now known as the International Date
Line in the early spring of 1521 after 98 days on the Pacific Ocean. During
those long days at sea, many of Magellan's men died of starvation and
disease. Later, Magellan became involved in an insular conflict in the
Philippines and was killed in a tribal battle. Only one ship and 17 sailors under
the command of the Basque navigator Elcano survived to complete the
westward journey to Spain and thus prove once and for all that the world is
round, with no precipice at the edge.

1. The 16th century was an age of great ______ exploration.

a) cosmic
b) land
c) mental
d) common man
e) None of the above
2. Magellan lost the favor of the king of Portugal when he became involved
in a political.________
a) entanglement
b) discussion
c) negotiation
d) problem
e) None of the above
3. The Pope divided New World lands between Spain and Portugal according
to their location on one side or the other of an imaginary geographical
line 50 degrees west of Greenwich that extends in a _________ direction.
a) north and south
b) crosswise
c) easterly
d) south east
 e) north and west
4. One of Magellan's ships explored the _________ of South America for a
passage across the continent.
a) coastline
b) mountain range
c) physical features
d) islands
e) None of the above
5. Four of the ships sought a passage along a southern.______
a) coast
b) inland
c) body of land with water on three sides
d) border
e) Answer not available
6. The passage was found near 50 degrees S of.________
a) Greenwich
b) The equator
c) Spain
d) Portugal
e) Madrid
7. In the spring of 1521, the ships crossed the _______ now called the
International Date Line.
a) imaginary circle passing through the poles
b) imaginary line parallel to the equator
c) area
d) land mass
e) Answer not available