Activity oftext interpretation, aimed at students in the fifth year of elementary school, about the act of crying when cutting onions. Do you know why this happens? Let's understand? For this, read the explanatory text carefully! Then answer the various interpretative questions proposed!
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SCHOOL: DATE:
PROF: CLASS:
NAME:
Read:
It doesn't matter who is in charge of the culinary arts, even the bravest of the master chefs bursts into tears in front of an onion! If you've ever gone through the experience of cutting one, you know that it's not about a cook's emotion, but about burning in the eyes. But why does onion make anyone cry?
The explanation is in chemistry. Inside the cells of the onion, there are compounds of a substance called sulfur, which is responsible for the characteristic smell of the vegetable. When cells are broken by the action of the knife, these compounds turn into gases that are released into the air and reach our eyes, causing them to burn.
We feel discomfort in our vision because the gases released by the onion turn to acid when they come into contact with the natural tear that lubricates our eyes. As this acid is a foreign compound for the body, our organism finds a way to protect itself: it activates our glands tears – our, say, ocular windshields – which produce more tears to wash away irritation and expel acid unwanted.
Do you mean that every time we need to cut an onion, it's going to be a cry? None of that! Here's a precious tip you can spread to adults: wash the onion thoroughly and cut it under the tap. This way, the acid will form when it comes in contact with water and not your eyes. But you have to be agile to avoid wasting this precious liquid!
Alexandre Leiras Gomes.
“Ciência Hoje das Crianças” magazine. Edition 218.
Available in: .
Question 1 - The text aims to:
( ) explain something.
( ) tell a story.
( ) teach how to prepare a recipe.
Question 2 - According to the author of the text, sulfur compounds, present in onion cells, turn into gases when:
( ) “are released into the air”.
( ) “they reach our eyes”.
( ) “the cells are broken by the action of the knife”.
Question 3 - In “We feel discomfort in the vision why the gases released by the onion turn into acid […]”, the underlined word could be replaced by:
( ) "because".
( ) "but".
( ) "that is why".
Question 4 – Reread this fragment:
“As such an acid is a foreign compound for the body, our organism finds a way to protect itself […]"
The highlighted excerpt is:
( ) the cause of a fact.
( ) the purpose of a fact.
( ) the consequence of a fact.
Question 5 - In “[…] produce more tears to wash away irritation and expel unwanted acid.”, the text refers to:
Question 6 – In the segment "I mean that every time we need to cut an onion, it will be a cry?”, the term underlined is an example of the language:
( ) cult.
( ) informal.
( ) regional.
Question 7 – In the tip given in the text, “[…] wash good the onion and cut it under the tap.”, the underlined word indicates:
( ) place.
( ) mode.
( ) time.
Question 8 – In the passage “But it is necessary to be agile to avoid wasting this very precious liquid!”, the author of the text:
( ) makes an alert.
( ) gives an order.
( ) expresses a wish.
Per Denyse Lage Fonseca
Graduated in Languages and specialist in distance education.
