activity of text interpretation, aimed at students in the fifth year of elementary school, about corals. Did you know that corals grow less than an inch a year? How about getting 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.
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SCHOOL: DATE:
PROF: CLASS:
NAME:
Read:
Corals are not plants or stones, they are animals. They are also home to many marine animals. Preserving them, therefore, means protecting several other species of living beings. And, look, care for corals is not enough, because their formation is not easy: they grow less than one centimeter a year. You believe?
Corals are relatives of jellyfish and sea anemones. The difference is that they have a very tough skeleton. When they grow up, they are still, looking like stone, but very much alive! If you touch a coral, as well as a jellyfish, you will feel your skin burning a lot. This happens because the coral's body releases a poison that it uses to capture its favorite dish, plankton. So, it's really good to appreciate its beauty from afar. And you can rest assured, he will definitely not run after you!
Just as trees form a forest, corals form reefs. These places are home to an enormous amount of fish, turtles and other organisms. […]
Growth, as we said at the beginning of the text, is very slow. Here in Brazil, corals grow less than an inch a year! If we think that there are corals that are more than one meter, it is very likely that they are more than a century old.
If you are ever traveling along the northeast coast, try visiting a natural pool on a reef. You will be able to see some corals and the amount of fish and other animals that live in these formations. Just don't pull over, because – ow! - it will burn!
Christian M. Pereira and Alexandre Schiavetti.
Magazine “Science Today for Children”. Edition 265.
Available in:. (With cut).
Question 1 - The authors of the text clarify that corals are:
( ) plants.
( ) stones.
( ) animals.
Question 2 – In “[…] they grow less than a centimeter a year.”, the term “they” refers to:
Question 3 – According to the text, preserving corals “means protecting several other species of living beings”. That's because corals:
( ) “they are home to many marine animals”.
( ) “grow less than one centimeter per year”.
( ) “are relatives of jellyfish and sea anemones”.
Question 4 – Underline, in the fragment below, the word that introduces the purpose of the release of the poison by the body of the coral:
“[…] the coral’s body releases a poison that it uses to capture its favorite dish, plankton.”
Question 5 – Identify one of the passages in which the authors address the reader directly:
( ) “The difference is that they have a very hard skeleton.”
( ) “These places are home to a huge amount of fish [...]”
( ) “Just don't pull over, because – ow! – it will burn!”
Question 6 - In the segment "Just as trees form a forest, corals form reefs.”, the highlighted part expresses:
( ) a conclusion.
( ) a comparison.
( ) an example.
Question 7 - The exclamation point was used, after “Here in Brazil, corals grow less than one centimeter a year!”, to express the feeling of:
( ) fear.
( ) sadness.
( ) admiration.
Question 8 - Read back:
“If you are ever traveling along the coast of the Northeast, try to visit a natural pool on a reef.”
In this passage, the authors do:
( ) an appeal.
( ) an alert.
( ) an invitation.
By Denyse Lage Fonseca
Graduated in Letters and specialist in distance education.
