The Tasmanian devil is a carnivorous(meat-eating marsupial now found in the wild only on the Australian island of Tasmania. It hunts for prey as well as scavenges-feeds on carcasses (bodies of dead animals). The size of a small dog, it became the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world following the extinction of the thylacine in 1936. Devils are weaned (taken off mother’s milk) in summer, between December and February, after which they disperse widely, but with a higher proportion of females remaining in the birth areas. Up to 60 percent die before reaching maturity.Even so, the sudden increase in numbers over summer can give the appearance of a large population because juveniles are more active at dusk than adults and are regularly seen at this time on roads, scavenging infields or on beaches and around farm complexes.
1.Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
A.The sudden increase in devils during the summer can be observed in fields, on beaches, and around farm complexes.
B.Even though devils are regularly seen at dusk, it does not mean that there has been a sudden increase in numbers.
C.The number of devils may seem high in summer because juveniles search for food at various places at dusk, when they are more active than adults.
D.Juveniles are more likely to be seen at dusk during the summer, as they are active on roads, in fields,on beaches, and around farm complexes.
▉Newly weaned devils become solitary at once, ▉They are agile hunters, taking a wide variety of small animals, and their excellent climbing ability enables them to obtain food from trees, such as grubs (young, worm like insects).and eggs from birds’ nests. ▉They are fully grown and mature by the age of two. The uniqueness of a solitary animal surviving through communal feeding sets the devil apart from other carnivores. ▉Young devils quickly learn to congregate at the site of a dead animal’s body.drawn by the scent and, just as importantly, the vocalizations of those that have already arrived at the site, Conflict over the body is avoided through behavioral communication.
2.The word“congregate”in the passage is closest in meaning to
A.communicate
B.share
C.get excited
D.come together
3.According to paragraph 2, all of the following are true of the feeding behavior of young Tasmanian devils EXCEPT:
A.They climb trees to eat bird eggs
B.They eat together despite living alone.
C.They feed at different sites from other carnivores
D.They are attracted to food by the sounds made by other Tasmanian devils.
Young devils, because they are active at dusk, have the advantage of arriving at food sources before the more competitive adults. This, however, puts them into competition with spotted-tailed quolls (another carnivorous marsupial), which are also active daytime feeders. Feeding devils communicate with each other through a range of visual signals, vocalizations, and a suite of chemical signals. It was once assumed that devils made little use of visual communication because they are active at night. Devils have night-adapted eyesight and their white chest and backside markings are distinctly visible at night, interaction between devils at feeding sites takes the form of a contest, with the dominant feeder not being displaced until it is satisfied.
4.Why does the author include the information that devils’ “white chest and backside markings are distinctly visible at night”
A.To highlight the risks of being active at dusk
B.To suggest that the assumption that devils make little use of visual communication was incorrect
C.To indicate the communicative advantage that devils have over daytime predators, such as spotted-tailed quolls
D.To identify additional features that allow devils to be active at night
5.According to paragraph 3, which of the following is an advantage that adult devils have over young devils when feeding?
A.Adults do not have to compete with spotted-tailed quolls for food
B.Adult devils fight less over food than young devils do.
C.Adults can feed multiple times during the day and night.
D.Adult devils have better eyesight than young devils have.
A devil eats up to 40 percent of its body weight per meal every two to three days. Eating such a large quantity of food in a short space of time-about half an hour on average-often results in the animal lying down not far from the feeding site; a devil in this state is easy to approach. It is likely that the absence of other large predators has facilitated this form of feeding, even during the long period when thylacines were Australia’s largest carnivore. This lends some support to the belief that thylacines ate only choice parts of their prey, leaving the rest to devils and other scavengers, Being as cavenger able to digest a wide variety of food matter-flesh, fish, bone-was an advantage to the devil’s survival. It may also be that the thylacine’s narrower food base (and less productive breeding cycle) meant that it existed in comparatively lower numbers, leaving it more vulnerable to changed circumstances, such as human predation, than the devil.
6.Which of the following can be inferred from the discussion of feeding habits in paragraph 4 about the relationship between thylacines and devils?
A.Devils ate very quickly to avoid competition from thylacines.
B.Devils ate more parts of prey animals than thylacines did.
C.Thylacines and devils ate at different feeding sites.
D.Thylacines ate a greater percentage of their body weight than devils did
7.According to paragraph 4, which TWO of the following factors contributed to the extinction of thylacines Toreceive credit, you must select TWO answer choices.
A.Their large body size
B.Competition for food from other scavengers
C.Their limited diet
D.Their small population size
The number of devils feeding together is generally determined by the size of a carcass: groups of two to five are common. The first to arrive becomes the dominant feeder (unlike communal hyena feeding. where the higher-ranking clan members feed before subordinates)which makes way for a challenger once it is full. The size of the carcass affects the extent to which the feeding devil will chase off a challenger: the feeder defends the amount of food it needs, not the entire carcass. Feeling full. rather than dominance, is the most likely information conveyed by the interactions. This means all devils, small and large, resident and transient, can feed together. lt is an efficient way of sustaining apopulation.. David Pemberton was the first to make scientific field studies of devils feeding in the wild. The absence of unrestrained aggression while feeding, and the complex behavior occurring in its place, was a critical discovery. overturning popular perceptions of the animal.
8.The feeding behavior of devils is “an efficient way of sustaining a population for which of the following reasons?
A.It allows devils to feed in larger groups while keeping away challengers.
B.It allows devils to maintain a clear ranking system between resident and transient devils at feeding sites.
C.It allows devils to share the same carcass based on the extent of hunger and amount of food available.
D.it allows adult devils to protect younger devils feeding on carcasses so that all devils are able to eat.
9.Look at the four squares [▊] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.Where would the sentence best fit?
At this point, they are capable of obtaining many kinds of food.
10.Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.
The Tasmanian devil is a carnivorous marsupial that lives on the Australian island of Tasmania.
A.Because most female devils remain in birth areas even after they are weaned, a higher proportion of them survive than other juveniles, who spread out and are exposed to more dangers.
B.Young devils are better at finding food sources than the more competitive adults, but they always wait for adults to arrive at feeding sites before eating.
C.Tasmanian devils, unlike other carnivores, live alone but feed in groups, eating both animals that they have hunted and there mains of dead animals.
D.Devils communicate at feeding sites through visual, vocal.and chemical signals and compete for access to food, with dominant animals feeding until they are full.
E.The variety of foods that devils eat as well as their feeding and reproductive behaviors may have helped them to survive better than the now extinct thylacines.
F.Devils lie down after eating a certain percentage of their body weight and this lack of activity makes it possible for them to eat only every two to three days.
