Question

1 there are few venomous lizards in north america. one of them is the gila (he - lah) monster. the gila monster is the largest lizard found in north america. they can be up to twenty inches long. they live in the deserts of arizona and mexico.
2 gila monsters are nest raiders. they feed mostly during the spring when eggs are laid. they eat the eggs from bird, toad, and lizard nests. they also eat the young from small mammal nests such as mice. the gila monster likes to eat large meals. in fact, a male gila monster can consume all it needs for a year in three or four meals. they store the energy as fat - mostly in their tails. you can tell when a gila monster has not eaten in awhile. its tail grows thinner.
3 the bite of the gila monster does not kill humans. however, it is a very painful bite. the venom is made near the gila monsters mouth. the teeth have special grooves in them. the venom flows through the grooves into the victim. the gila monster has been known to chew for fifteen minutes before releasing its bite. this is to release more venom into the victim.
4 if you see a gila monster in the wild, it is illegal to take it home with you. besides, you dont want to get bitten!

1. paragraph 2 is mostly about _.

a. how the gila monster raids nests
b. the gila monsters eating habits
c. how they go so long between meals
d. how the gila monster used its venom

1. from paragraph 2, the reader can infer that _.

a. the gila monsters tail is probably fat in the spring
b. the gila monster moves quickly to find food
c. the gila monster would make a good pet
d. the gila monster hides when a predator comes near

1. the author would probably agree that _.

a. more gila monsters should be killed because of their bite
b. a gila monster would make a good pet if you can find one
c. a gila monster is a lizard to watch but not touch
d. gila monsters are cruel because they raid nests

Explanation:

1. Paragraph 2 starts with "Gila monsters are nest raiders. They feed mostly during the spring when eggs are laid. They eat the eggs from bird, toad, and lizard nests." This clearly indicates that the paragraph is about the Gila monster's eating habits.
2. The text mentions that "You can tell when a Gila monster has not eaten in awhile. Its tail grows thinner." Since the tail gets thinner when it hasn't eaten, it can be inferred that the tail is probably fat (which is used as energy when there's no food) in the spring (a time when it might have eaten and stored energy).
3. The passage states "If you see a Gila monster in the wild, it is illegal to take it home with you. Besides, you don’t want to get bitten!" This implies that it would not make a good pet (as it's wild, illegal to take, and can bite), and there's no indication it should be killed. Also, it's a predator (nest raider, eats eggs etc.) but not cruel in a moral sense (just natural behavior). And it's a lizard (as per the first paragraph "There are few venomous lizards in North America. One of them is the Gila (he’-lah) monster. The Gila monster is the largest lizard found in North America").

Answer:

1. C. the Gila monster’s eating habits
2. A. the Gila monster’s tail is probably fat in the spring
3. B. a Gila monster is a lizard to watch but not touch