Advanced Reading Comprehension Test 01
The canopy, the upper level of the trees in the rain forest, holds a plethora of climbing mammals
of moderately large size, which may include monkeys, cats, civets, and porcupines. Smaller species,
including such rodents as mice and small squirrels, are not as prevalent overall in high tropical canopies
as they are in most habitats globally.
Small mammals, being warm blooded, suffer hardship in the exposed and turbulent environment
of the uppermost trees. Because a small body has more surface area per unit of weight than a large one
of similar shape, it gains or loses heat more swiftly. Thus, in the trees, where shelter from heat and cold
may be scarce and conditions may fluctuate, a small mammal may have trouble maintaining its body
temperature.
Small size makes it easy to scramble among twigs and branches in the canopy for insects, flowers,
or fruit, but small mammals are surpassed, in the competition for food, by large ones that have their
own tactics for browsing among food-rich twigs. The weight of a gibbon (a small ape) hanging below a
branch arches the terminal leaves down so that fruit-bearing foliage drops toward the gibbon’s face.
Walking or leaping species of a similar or even larger size access the outer twigs either by snapping off
and retrieving the whole branch or by clutching stiff branches with the feet or tail and plucking food
with their hands.
Small climbing animals may reach twigs readily, but it is harder for them than for large climbing
animals to cross the wide gaps from one tree crown to the next that typify the high canopy. A macaque
or gibbon can hurl itself farther than a mouse can: it can achieve a running start, and it can more
effectively use a branch as a springboard, even bouncing on a limb several times before jumping. The
forward movement of a small animal is seriously reduced by the air friction against the relatively large
surface area of its body. Finally, for the many small mammals the supplement their insect diet with
fruits or seeds, an inability to span open gaps between tree crowns may be problematic, since trees that
yield these foods can be sparse.
Question 1: The passage answers which of the following questions?
A) Why do large animals tend to dominate the upper canopy of the rain forest?
B) How is the rain forest different from other habitats?
C) How does an animal’s body size influence an animal’s need for food?
D) Why does rain forest provide an unusual variety of food for animals?
Question 2: Which of the following animals is less common in the upper canopy than in other
environments?
A) Porcupines
B) Mice
C) Monkeys
D) Cats
Question 3: The word “they” refers to
A) smaller species
B) trees
C) high tropical canopies
D) climbing mammals of moderately large size
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Question 4: According to paragraph 2, which of the following is true about the small mammals in the
rain forest?
A) They have body shapes that are adapted to life in the canopy.
B) They use the trees of the canopy for shelter from heat and cold.
C) They have difficulty with the changing conditions in the canopy.
D) They prefer the temperature and climate of the canopy to that of other environments.
Question 5: In discussing animal size in paragraph 3, the author indicates that
A) small animals require proportionately more food than larger animals do.
B) a large animal’s size is an advantage in obtaining food in the canopy.
C) Small animals are often attacked by larger animals in the rain forest.
D) Small animals and large animals are equally adept at obtaining food in the canopy.
Question 6: The word “typify” is closest in meaning to
A) resemble
B) characterize
C) protect
D) divide
Question 7: According to paragraph 4, what makes jumping from one tree crown to another difficult for
small mammals?
A) The dense leaves of the tree crown.
B) The thickness of the branches.
C) The inability to use the front feet as hands.
D) Air friction against the body surface.
Question 8: The word “supplement” is closest in meaning to
A) replace
B) add to
C) look for
D) control
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Answer Keys
Question Answer Question Answer
1 A 5 A
2 B 6 B
3 A 7 D
4 B 8 B
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