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Tigers | Nonfiction Reading Test 2

Who would win in a fight, a lion or a tiger? Well, if
size has anything to do with the matter, the tiger
would win. That’s because tigers are the largest of
all cat species. They grow up to eleven feet long and
weigh as much as 670 lbs. This makes tigers the
third largest land carnivore. The only larger land
carnivores are polar bears and brown bears. Tigers
are not only large, they are also fast. They can sprint
as fast as 40 miles per hour for short distances and
leap as far as 30 feet horizontally. This makes for
an extremely dangerous pounce. You might not
think that such large, fast, and ferocious creatures
need help to survive, but they do. The tiger is an
endangered species.

Despite all of the tiger’s strengths, the future of the Humans have done considerable damage to the
species is uncertain. Tigers face a very high risk of world’s tiger population through hunting, but perhaps
extinction. It is estimated that at the start of the 20th more damage has been caused through the
century, there were over 100,000 tigers living in the destruction of habitat. Tigers once ranged widely
wild. By the turn of the century, the number of across Asia, all the way from Turkey to the eastern
tigers outside of captivity dwindled to just over coast of Russia. But over the past 100 years, tigers
3,000. Interestingly, the most serious threats that have lost 93% of their historic range. Instead of
tigers face come from a much smaller species, one spanning all the way across Asia, the tiger population
with an average weight of around 140 lbs. That is now isolated in small pockets in south and
species is Homo sapiens, better known as humans. southeastern Asia. This is because humans have
Humans threaten tigers in primarily two ways: drastically changed the environments. Humans have
hunting and destroying habitat. built towns and cities. Road and transit systems were
created to connect these towns and cities. To feed the
Tigers are hunted for many reasons. People have people living in these areas, forests and fields have
long valued the famous striped skins. Though been cleared to create farmland. Large tracts of land
trading tiger skins is now illegal in most parts of the have been strip-mined to yield metals and other
world, tiger pelts are worth around $10,000 on the materials used in manufacturing. All of these
black-market. Though the fur would be incentive activities have consumed habitats that at one time
enough for most poachers, other parts of the tiger supported tigers.
can also fetch a pretty penny. Some people in China
and other Asian cultures believe that various tiger A major obstacle to preserving tigers is the enormous
parts have healing properties. Traditional Chinese amount of territory that each tiger requires. Each
medicine calls for the use of tiger bones, amongst wild tiger demands between 200 and 300 square
other parts, in some prescriptions. miles. Tigers are also both territorial and solitary
animals. This means that they are protective of the
Tigers have also been hunted as game. In other areas that they claim and they generally do not share
words people hunted tigers solely for the thrill and with other tigers. Because tigers need so much
achievement of killing them. Such killings took territory, it is difficult for conservationists to acquire
place in large scale during the 19th and early 20th land enough to support a large population of tigers.
centuries, when a single maharaja or English hunter Even when such these considerable spaces are
might claim to kill over a hundred tigers in their allocated, it is even more difficult to patrol such large
hunting career. Though this practice is much less areas to prevent poaching. There is no easy way to
preserve the wild tiger population without making
 popular today than it was in the past, it has not large sacrifices.
ceased entirely.
Though tiger population faces many threats and This organization brought these tigers to South
obstacles to recovery, there have been some Africa and helped them learn the necessary skills for
successes in conservation and preservation efforts. a predator to survive in the wild. Current evidence
For example, Save China’s Tigers, an organization indicates that the project was been successful. While
working to restore the wild tiger population, this is just a small step, it shows that restoring the
successfully rewilded a small number of South world’s tiger population is possible.
China tigers. These tigers were born into concrete
cages from parents who were also captive and
unable to sustain in the wild.

Directions: Read each question carefully and choose the best answer. Refer to the text if necessary. Write
your answer on the provided space.

1. Which of the following is not a reason in the article explaining why tigers are hunted? __________
a. Because tiger skins are worth a lot of money
b. Because tiger parts are used as medicines in some cultures
c. Because some tigers attack local villages
d. Because tigers are hunted for enjoyment by some people

2. Which animal does not grow larger than the tiger? __________
a. Brown bear b. Lion
c. Polar bear d. All of these animals grow larger than a tiger

3. Which number is closest to the estimation of the wild Tiger population in 2003? __________
a. 3,000 b. 100,000
c. 140 d. 30,000

4. Which of the following best describes the author’s main purpose in writing this article? __________
a. To provide readers with interesting information about the lifestyles of tigers
b. To persuade readers to help the world’s tiger population and to offer ways to help
c. To entertain readers with stories about how tigers hunt and are hunted
d. To explain to readers why the world’s tiger population is endangered

5. Information in the third paragraph is mainly organized using which text structure? __________
a. Cause and effect b. Compare and contrast
c. Chronological order d. Spatial order

6. Which best explains why tigers have lost so much of their habitat according to the text? __________
a. Because humans are afraid of tigers
b. Because tiger skins are extremely valuable
c. Because humans have changed the land
d. Because tigers need so much space to survive

7. Based on information in the text, which best explains why tigers are poached? __________
a. Poachers hunt tigers to protect their families from dangerous animals.
b. Poachers hunt tigers for medicine to cure sick family members.
c. Poachers hunt tigers because they enjoy killing dangerous animals.
d. Poachers hunt tigers to earn large amounts money.

8. Which best explains why it is so difficult to preserve the wild tiger population? __________
a. Tigers do not get along with most other animals.
b. Tigers must make their homes close to rivers and the world’s rivers are evaporating.
c. Tigers require a lot of space.
d. Tigers hunt in large packs and there are too few tigers left to make these packs.

9. Which of the following is an opinion? __________

a. Tigers can grow up to eleven feet long.
b. Saving the wild tiger population is important.
c. South China tigers were brought to live in South Africa.
d. Humans have endangered the world’s wild tiger population.

10. Based on context, which best defines the term “rewilded” as used in the last paragraph? __________
a. To preserve animals by keeping them in zoos
b. To teach animals to coexist with humans
c. To teach humans to coexist with animals
d. To bring animals born in zoos back to nature

11. What does this idiom mean: “other parts of the tiger can also fetch a pretty penny”? __________
a. The fur is the only valuable part of the tiger.
b. Other parts of the tiger are worth a lot of money.
c. The tiger is a very beautiful animal.
d. Tigers can be trained to do tricks like in the circus.

12. Which of the following could be best supported by information from the text? __________
a. Efforts to save tigers have had some success, but there are many obstacles to recovery.
b. Efforts to save tigers have failed in the past, but there is reason to continue trying.
c. Efforts to save tigers have been so successful that they saved tigers from endangerment.
d. Efforts to save tigers have failed completely.
Which would win in a fight, a tiger or a lion? Learn the
answer to that question and a whole bunch more while
reading this awesome nonfiction passage. Then
students answers questions covering many CCSS
reading skills. Suggested reading level for this text:
Grade 7-11.
AK
1. C
2. B
3. A
4. D
5. A
6. C
7. D
8. C
9. B
10. D
11. B
12. A