The Man-Eating Komodo Dra ', Exams of English Literature

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The Man-Eating

Komodo Dra '

Imagine this scene.

You're walking through

the Indonesian jungle

w i t h some friends. After

a while, you become

tired and decide to rest

a bit. You sit down on a log, telling

your friends to keep going. You'll catch

up with them later. As you begin to

relax, you suddenly realize that you're

not alone. Your blood runs cold. When

you turn around, you find yourself

face to face with a 10-foot Komodo

dragon rapidly flicking its tongue in

and out. Say hello to the world's

largest lizard. But do it fast. This

dragon isn't here to talk.

Here, four full-grown Komodo dragons fight over a chunk of goat meat. Given the chance, any of the four would take all the meat for itself And if there were not meat available, it would attack its fellows.

- Luckily for you, you're not really

sitting on that log. But a real person

once did sit on a similar log. He was a

Swiss tourist visiting the island nation

of Indonesia. He grew tired of hiking

and sent his friends on ahead. Later,

when the tourist didn't show up, his

friends went looking for him. All they

found was his camera case and a

bloody shirt. Everything else had been

eaten by a hungry Komodo dragon.

' Then there is the story of a father

and his two adult sons. They went

into the Indonesian jungle to cut

some wood. The tropical heat tired

them out. And the work was tedious.

So the men were not particularly alert.

They didn't notice the Komodo

dragon sneaking up on them until it

was too late. The lizard leapt at the

three men. They jumped out of the

way and began to run for their lives.

But one of the sons got caught in a

low-hanging vine. In a flash, the

Komodo dragon seized him and bit off

a huge chunk of his back. The father

and the other son raced back and beat

the lizard off. But it was too late. The

son who had been attacked bled to

death within an hour.

^ You may be relieved to learn that

your chances of running into a

Komodo dragon are pretty slim. You

can find these lizards at some large

zoos. Other than in these zoos, they

live on only a few small islands in

Indonesia. They get their name from

one of these islands, Komodo. If you

should happen to visit these islands,

take care. Heed the warning signs

along jungle paths. Pay attention

when the signs say Dangerous Area or

WATCH OUT: Komodo Crossing,

otherwise, you might end up in the

opening paragraph of a story like this.

The Komodo dragon certainly looks

the part of a killer. It has scaly skin, a

yellow forked tongue, sharp teeth, and

curved claws. It's also huge! Most

Komodos are about seven feet long. A

few grow to be 10 feet. Many weigh

200 pounds. Some are even bigger

than that. The biggest ones probably

come close to 500 pounds. It's hard to

be precise, though—no one has

volunteered to weigh them!

Komodo dragons are predators.

They feed off the flesh of the animals

they kill. Often they attack small

creatures such as rats, goats, hens.

Finding tlie Main idea

One statement below expresses the main idea of the article. One statement is t o o general, or t o o broad. The other statement explains only part of the article; it is t o o narrow. Label t h e statements using the f o l l o w i n g key:

M—Main Idea B—Too Broad N—Too Narrow

1. Other than in large zoos, the only place where y o u can see K o m o d o dragons is o n a f e w small islands in Indonesia.
2. Anyone traveling t h r o u g h the jungles of K o m o d o Island has a very g o o d reason t o stay alert—the K o m o d o d r a g o n.
3. Beware of the K o m o d o d r a g o n , a powerful lizard that is happy t o eat the flesh of monkeys, rats, and h u m a n beings.

Score 15 points for a correct M answer.

Score 5 points for each correct B or N answer.

Total Score: Finding the Main Idea

READING COMPREHENSION

B (^) Recalling Facts How well do y o u remember the facts in the article? Put an X in the box next t o the answer that correctly completes each statement about the article.

1. Most K o m o d o dragons are about

• a. 7 feet long.
• b. 20 feet long.
• c. 2 feet long.

2. K o m o d o dragons' favorite foods d o not include n a. pigs.

• b. rodents.
• c. bananas.

3. Komodos have been k n o w n t o keep watch on pregnant animals so that they can

• a. eat the newborn babies and their mothers.
• b. protect the mother and baby.
• c. keep track of the animals in their area.

4. K o m o d o dragons are attracted by

• a. b r i g h t lights.
• b. loud noises.
• c. strong odors.

5. After a K o m o d o dragon takes a big bite o u t of its prey, it

• a. carries the animal back home.
• b. waits for the animal t o bleed t o death.
• c. leaves the scene and comes back much later.

Score 5 points for each correct answer.

Total Score: Recalling Facts

READING COMPREHENSION

Making Inferences W h e n y o u c o m b i n e y o u r o w n experience w i t h i n f o r m a t i o n f r o m a text t o d r a w a conclusion t h a t is n o t directly stated in t h a t text, y o u are making an inference. Below are five statements t h a t may or may n o t be inferences based o n i n f o r m a t i o n in the article. Label the statements using the f o l l o w i n g key:

C — C o r r e c t Inference F—Faulty Inference

1. The K o m o d o dragon is used t o h o t and h u m i d weather.
2. K o m o d o dragons are ruthless killers t h a t never show pity on their victims, no matter h o w y o u n g or helpless they are.
3. If y o u are o n K o m o d o Island and w a n t t o attract a K o m o d o d r a g o n , p u t o u t some rotten meat and then wait.
4. The natives of K o m o d o Island make g o o d use of the body parts t h a t a K o m o d o dragon leaves behind after it has eaten its prey.
5. A g o o d way t o escape f r o m a K o m o d o d r a g o n is by j u m p i n g i n t o a river or the ocean.

Score 5 points for each correct answer.

Total Score: Making Inferences

Using Words Precisely Each n u m b e r e d sentence below contains an underlined w o r d or phrase f r o m the article. Following the sentence are three definitions. One definition is closest t o the meaning of the underlined w o r d. One definition is opposite or nearly opposite. Label those t w o definitions using the f o l l o w i n g key; d o n o t label the remaining definition.

C—Closest O—Opposite or Nearly Opposite

1. A n d the w o r k was tedious. a. exciting and fast-moving b. backbreaking c. tiresome, dull, and slow-moving
2. You may be relieved t o learn t h a t your chances of r u n n i n g into a K o m o d o dragon are pretty slim. a. set free f r o m w o r r y or pain b. worried c. excited
3. Heed the w a r n i n g signs along jungle paths. a. read b. pay attention t o c. ignore
4. But sometimes they move up t o larger prey. a. lizards b. animals w h o kill other animals for f o o d c. animals w h o are killed by another animal f o r f o o d

Summarizing and Parapiirasing

Follow the directions provided for question 1. Put an X in the box next t o the correct answer for the other questions.

1. Reread paragraph 7 in the article. Below, write a summary of the paragraph in no more than 25 words.

Reread your summary and decide w h e t h e r it covers t h e i m p o r t a n t ideas in the paragraph. Next, decide h o w t o shorten the summary t o 15 words or less w i t h o u t leaving o u t any essential i n f o r m a t i o n. Write this summary below.

2. Choose the best one-sentence paraphrase for the f o l l o w i n g sentence f r o m the article: "The faster a K o m o d o flicks its t o n g u e in and o u t , the tastier it thinks y o u will b e. "

• a. If the K o m o d o dragon has enjoyed a meal it has eaten, it flicks its t o n g u e in and o u t quickly.
• b. Before a meal, the K o m o d o d r a g o n always flicks its t o n g u e in and o u t quickly.
• c. W h e n a K o m o d o dragon flicks its t o n g u e in and o u t quickly near its v i c t i m , it is showing that it thinks the victim will be delicious. 3. Read the statement f r o m the article below. Then read the paraphrase of that statement. Choose the reason t h a t best tells w h y the paraphrase does n o t say the same t h i n g as the statement.

Statement: The K o m o d o uses its t o n g u e t o sniff o u t r o t t i n g meat f r o m as far away as five miles.

Paraphrase: The K o m o d o can smell meat f r o m a distance of five miles.

• a. Paraphrase says t o o m u c h.
• b. Paraphrase doesn't say e n o u g h.
• c. Paraphrase doesn't agree w i t h the statement.

N u m b e r of correct answers

Record your personal assessment of your w o r k o n the Critical Thinking Chart on page 104.

Critical Thinlcing Follow the directions provided for questions 1, 3, and 4. Put an X in the box next t o the correct answer for the other questions.

1. For each statement below, write 0 if it expresses an opinion or write F if it expresses a fact. a. A 110-pound K o m o d o once ate a 68-pound pig in 17 minutes. b. But the K o m o d o dragon is a marvel of nature. c. It [the K o m o d o dragon] has scaly skin, a yellow forked t o n g u e , sharp teeth, and curved claws.

2. From w h a t the article t o l d a b o u t w h a t happened t o the Swiss tourist, y o u can predict t h a t

• a. tourists w h o have heard the story will watch o u t for K o m o d o dragons.
• b. no one else w i l l ever walk t h r o u g h the Indonesian jungle again.
• c. no one will visit Indonesia o n vacation anymore.
  3. Choose f r o m the letters below t o correctly complete the f o l l o w i n g statement. Write the letters o n the lines. O n the positive side, , b u t o n the negative side

a. the K o m o d o dragon can g r o w t o be 10 feet long b. the K o m o d o dragon is well suited t o its h o m e c. the K o m o d o dragon sometimes hunts humans

4. Reread paragraph 13. Then choose f r o m the letters below t o correctly complete the f o l l o w i n g statement. Write the letters on the lines. According t o paragraph 13, because a. Komodos w a n t t o prevent other Komodos f r o m eating their prey b. a l l 0-pound K o m o d o once ate a 68-pound pig c. K o m o d o dragons eat quickly 5. W h a t d i d y o u have t o d o t o answer question 4?

• a. find a cause (why something happened)
• b. find a comparison ( h o w things are the same)

n c. f i n d an opinion (what someone thinks about s o m e t h i n g )

N u m b e r of correct answers Record your personal assessment of your w o r k o n the Critical Thinking Chart on page 104.

Personal Response What was most surprising or interesting t o you about this article?

Self-Assessment

When reading the article, I was having trouble w i t h