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STAAR Blitz 9 Exit Ticket

Last updated 10 months ago
10 questions
Excerpt from Day and Night in the Rainforest

1 Where in the World Are Tropical Rainforests?
When you think “tropical,” you should think sunny, hot, and humid. The word tropical refers to the area of the world that lies along Earth’s equator. The equator is the imaginary line that circles the middle of our planet.

2 Tropical rainforests are found in Central and South America, Hawaii, Madagascar, Indonesia, Australia, Asia, and Africa. The largest rainforests are in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
Why Are Tropical Rainforests So Special?
3 A rainforest is a biome (by•ohm). A biome is a large land area that has special features. These features make it different from other areas. What makes a tropical rainforest different from a desert or a grassland? In a tropical rainforest, it rains just about every day. The sun is always strong. There are no seasons. The temperature stays steady and very warm.

4 Tropical rainforests are the oldest kind of living ecosystem (eek•oh•sis•tuhm), or all the living and nonliving things in a certain area. They have been here since the time of the dinosaurs. The rainforest biome covers less than 2% of Earth’s surface. Yet it is home to more than half of all the animal and plant species (spee•sheez).

Day and Night in the Rainforest
5 Just think about it! Over half of the world’s species live in rainforests. How do they all live
together without running out of food, water, and space? Their secret is simple. They specialize.

6 Each species survives because it lives in its own special way. Animals find a special kind of food, a special place to build a home, a special way of getting around, and a special way of defending themselves.

7 For example, an anteater has a long, sticky tongue and a good sense of smell. It can find
and eat ants whenever it’s hungry.
1

Which words from paragraph 1 best help the reader understand what equator means?
Choose TWO correct answers.

1

What does the word tropical mean in paragraph 1?

1

What is the meaning of the word biome in paragraph 3?

1

Read the dictionary entry for the word species.

species \spee•sheez\ noun
1. The human race
2. A mental image
3. A group of similar living things
4. An object



Which meaning best matches the way the word species is used in paragraph 4?

1

Based on paragraphs 5 and 6, which detail supports why many different animals can live in the same area?

1

Which section gives information about the features of the tropical rainforests?

1

What is the most likely reason the author includes the photograph after paragraph 6?

1

Short Constructed Response:
Read the question carefully. Then enter your answer in the box provided.


Based on the information in paragraph 6, what can you infer about the animals in the rainforest?



Support your answer with evidence from the article.

1

Writing Review - Use the text to answer the following questions.


(1) Average rainfall in rainforests is about 80 inches a year. (2) That’s twice as much as new York State gets. (3) Some rainforests get over 400 inches of rain a year! (4) Texas does not get much rain during the summer.


The author has made an error in sentence 2. Select the response that corrects this error.

That’s twice as much as _________________ gets.

1

An unnecessary sentence has been included. Which sentence should be deleted from this
paragraph?