activity of text interpretation, aimed at students in the fifth year of elementary school, about rays and sharks. Although they are different in external form, rays (or stingrays) and sharks (or sharks) belong to the same group of cartilaginous fish.. Shall we get to know them better? So, read the 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.
Download this text interpretation exercise at:
SCHOOL: DATE:
PROF: CLASS:
NAME:
Read:
Although they are different in external form, rays (or stingrays) and sharks (or sharks) belong to the same group of cartilaginous fish. This means that, unlike other fish, they do not have bones in their body, but a special tissue, cartilage.
Like most other fish, sharks and rays also breathe through gills, the famous gills, and it is in this organ that one of the great differences between these close relatives lies. In sharks, the gills and their openings, the gill slits, are located on the side of the body, close to the head. In rays, they are in the ventral region, close to the belly of the animal, which is the part that is most in contact with the seabed.
However, there is a cartilaginous fish that causes the greatest family confusion! He is known as the viola shark or viola ray! This is because, although the gills are in the ventral region as in other rays, the body of the animal is very similar to that of a shark. He is robust, tall, his tail is thick. It is a very different animal from most rays, which are usually flat and have a whip-shaped tail.
The fishermen call it the viola, because they think it is a small shark and because it is shaped like a viola, that stringed musical instrument. But biologists are sure they are rays by the position of the gill slits and other anatomical and behavioral characteristics. What a mess!
The important thing is that rays and sharks are interesting, beautiful animals and play very important roles in the environment in which they live. For these reasons, they must be preserved.
Alexandra Pinto de Quintans and Waisenhowerk Vieira de Melo.
Magazine “Science Today for Children”. Edition 217.
Available in:. (With cuts).
Question 1 - Read back:
“[…] they don’t have bones in their body, but a special tissue, cartilage.”
In this passage of the text, the authors refer to:
Question 2 – In the segment “Like most other fish, sharks and rays also breathe through gills […]”, the term “How”:
( ) points to a cause.
( ) introduces an example.
( ) indicates a comparison.
Question 3 – According to the text, one of the big differences between rays and sharks is in the gills. Because?
Question 4 – The snippet "He's sturdy, tall, his tail is thick." It's:
( ) a narration.
( ) a description.
( ) an argument.
Question 5 – In the fragment “It is a very different animal from most rays that are usually flattened and have a whip-shaped tail.”, the underlined word expresses:
( ) sum.
( ) contrast.
( ) conclusion.
Question 6 - Read back:
“[…] there is a cartilaginous fish that causes the greatest family confusion! He is known as a viola shark or viola ray!”
According to the text, biologists claim that this fish is a stingray, despite having a body similar to that of a shark. Point out the reasons:
Question 7 - In the last paragraph of the text, the authors seek:
( ) warn the reader.
( ) entertain the reader.
( ) make the reader aware.
By Denyse Lage Fonseca
Graduated in Letters and specialist in distance education.
