Two Ways to Survive: the Hummingbird and the Kiwi: Grade 5 Reading Comprehension

Full of trees places are hard to live in, yet both the hummingbird and the kiwi manage it. They solve the same problem in different ways.

The hummingbird lives in gardens, forests and mountains across the Americas. It is about 8 centimeters long. It has wings that beat up to 80 times a second, which let it hover in one place and even fly backward. It is an omnivore and eats flower nectar and tiny insects.

The kiwi, meanwhile, lives in forests and scrubland across New Zealand. It is about 45 centimeters long. It has nostrils at the tip of its long beak, which lets it sniff out worms hidden in the soil. It is an omnivore and eats earthworms, insects and fallen fruit.

Both animals show that there is more than one way to survive in a full of trees place.

Questions

Compare and contrast What do the two animals have in common?
Both live in places that are full of trees. Both have wings that beat up to 80 times a second. Both live in the same country. Both eat exactly the same foods.
Compare and contrast Which detail is true of the hummingbird but not the kiwi?
It has nostrils at the tip of its long beak. It lives in forests and scrubland across New Zealand. It has wings that beat up to 80 times a second. It eats earthworms.
Details How does the kiwi use nostrils at the tip of its long beak?
It lets it sniff out worms hidden in the soil. It keeps it warm in freezing water. It protects its paws from the burning sand. They paddle it through the water.
Main idea Which sentence best states the main idea?
Weather changes every season. The hummingbird is the best animal in the world. The kiwi and the hummingbird live together in one group. Two animals survive the same kind of place in different ways.
Text structure How is this passage organized?
It describes one animal, then the other, then sums up what they share. It tells a made-up story with characters. It gives steps to follow. It lists events in the order they happened.

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All passages Next: Animal Fact Table 2

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