activity of text interpretation, aimed at students in the fifth year of elementary school, about the flower of Christmas. The poinsettia! Let's get to know this plant better? So, read the text carefully! Then answer the various interpretative questions proposed!
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SCHOOL: DATE:
PROF: CLASS:
NAME:
Read:
When the year comes to an end and Christmas decorations begin to decorate streets and houses, the poinsettia gains space in markets and flower shops. It is successful all year round, but it is in December that it is present in the Christmas decorations, alongside Santa Claus and the Christmas tree. Because of its colors, green and red, the plant is one of the favorites at this time of year in several countries.
Before conquering the world and arriving in Brazil, the poinsettia lived only in Mexico and Guatemala and was called Cuitlaxochitl, which means “flower that grows in the ground”. The name poinsettia came much later, in honor of Joel Roberts Poinsett, an American ambassador who brought the plant from Mexico to his country around 1820. In Brazil, it is also known as “bico-de-parrot” or “Christmas flower”.
Like all known living beings, the plant also has a scientific name: Euphorbia pulcherrima. The scientific name does not vary from one language to another and is used by researchers all over the world. Often, they indicate some characteristic of the living being. For example, Pulcherrima Means "beautiful" in Latin. Does anyone disagree that this name suits the poinsettia very well?
This plant gains its red color at the time of flowering. But don't be fooled. True flowers are small and petalless. They appear in groups at the end of branches.
Surrounding the flowers are red leaves that look like petals. These leaves are called bracts. They draw attention to the small flowers and attract butterflies, bees and other pollinating insects. […]
In addition to attracting the attention of pollinators, the poinsettia bracts also attracted people's attention. More than 500 years ago, the Aztec people, who lived in Central America, used the red bracts to produce a dye used to dye fabrics. Cultivation on a commercial scale has promoted the creation of poinsettia varieties with white, pink, yellow, or other colored bracts.
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Available in:. (With cuts and adaptation).
Question 1 – According to the text, poinsettia is one of the favorite plants at Christmas time in several countries. What is the reason for this preference?
Question 2 – Identify the country in which, according to the text, the poinsettia is also known as “parrot beak” or “Christmas flower”:
( ) Brazil.
( ) Mexico.
( ) U.S.
Question 3 – In “Does anyone disagree that this name it goes very well for the poinsettia?”, the highlighted expression is an example of the language:
( ) informal.
( ) regional.
( ) scientific.
Question 4 – Underline below the passage that expresses a time circumstance:
“This plant gets its red color at the time of flowering.”
Question 5 – The text makes a comparison in the passage:
( ) “True flowers are small and without petals.”
( ) “They appear in groups, at the end of the branches.”
( ) “Around the flowers, there are red leaves that look like petals.”
Question 6 – In the "In addition to attracting the attention of pollinators, the bracts of the poinsettia also attracted people's attention.”, the underlined fact:
( ) concludes another.
( ) opposes another.
( ) adds to another.
Question 7 – The segment “More than 500 years ago, the Aztec people, who lived in Central America, used the red bracts to produce a dye used to dye fabrics.” It is:
( ) a narration.
( ) a description.
( ) an argument.
By Denyse Lage Fonseca
Graduated in Letters and specialist in distance education.
