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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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Most K o m o d o dragons are about
- a. 7 feet long.
- b. 20 feet long.
- c. 2 feet long.
- K o m o d o dragons' favorite foods d o not include n a. pigs.
- 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.
- K o m o d o dragons are attracted by
- a. b r i g h t lights.
- b. loud noises.
- c. strong odors.
- 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
- The K o m o d o dragon is used t o h o t and h u m i d weather.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- A n d the w o r k was tedious. a. exciting and fast-moving b. backbreaking c. tiresome, dull, and slow-moving
- 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
- Heed the w a r n i n g signs along jungle paths. a. read b. pay attention t o c. ignore
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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