activity of text interpretation, aimed at students in the fifth year of elementary school, about tchibum da cuíca. She is able to maneuver to all sides and explore the underwater environment. Very curious, no? Shall we understand better? So, read the explanatory text carefully! Then answer the various interpretive questions proposed!
You can download this text comprehension activity in editable Word template, ready to print in PDF and also the activity with answers.
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Read:
The water opossum – like skunks, kangaroos and koalas – is a marsupial. This means that females have a small pouch in the belly area, where they carry their young. This pouch in the region is called a marsupium and it is inside it that newborn marsupials suckle and live until they complete their development.
Now, tell me: how does the water opossum dive carrying its young inside a pouch in its belly, without drowning them? Oh! This animal is really interesting! For starters, it's the only known semi-aquatic species of marsupial and being like that includes, let's say, natural diving equipment…
The water opossum, imagine you, has waterproof fur. É! She doesn't get soaked when she goes into the water. This prevents your body weight from increasing, which makes it easier for you to float. Because of this natural wetsuit, the cuíca is able to maneuver in all directions and explore the underwater environment. This equipment is completed with paws adapted for swimming: they have a membrane between the toes similar to those of ducks. With this, the cuíca can push a lot of water back, propelling its body forward.
This excellent swimmer can be seen in Brazil in almost all biomes: in part of the Amazon, in the Cerrado, in the Atlantic Forest and in the Pantanal, always close, of course, to flooded environments. It is in fresh water, in rivers and streams, that the water opossum looks for food. On the menu are crabs, shrimp, small fish, amphibians, aquatic insects, snails and some aquatic vegetation.
To capture its prey, the cuíca swims with only its hind legs. The forelegs she keeps outstretched to catch whatever passes in front of her.
To reproduce and feed, water owls come out alone at night. When they feel threatened by predators, they hide in the water.
Magazine “Science Today for Children”. Edition 227.
Available in: .
Question 1 - In "That means that females have a small pouch in the belly region, where they carry their young.”, the highlighted term resumes information. What information?
Question 2 – The passage “The water cuíca […] has waterproof fur.” It's:
( ) a narration.
( ) a description.
( ) an argument.
Question 3 – According to the text, “[…] the cuíca can push a lot of water back, propelling its body forward.” Why?
Question 4 – In the passage “This excellent swimmer can be seen in Brazil in almost all biomes […]”, the highlighted word could be replaced by:
( ) "courageous".
( ) "great".
( ) "persistent".
Question 5 - Watch:
“To capture your prey, the opossum swims with only its hind legs.”
The highlighted fact is:
( ) the cause of another.
( ) the purpose of another.
( ) the consequence of another.
Question 6 - In the segment “To reproduce and feed, the water gourds come out alone at night.”, the underlined expression indicates:
( ) place.
( ) mode.
( ) time.
Question 7 - Identify the fragment that contains an opinion:
( ) “This animal is really interesting!”
( ) “[…] the cuíca is capable of maneuvering in all directions […]”
( ) “It is in fresh water, in rivers and streams, that the water opossum looks for food.”
By Denyse Lage Fonseca
Graduated in Letters and specialist in distance education.
