Read the following passage and answer the questions given after it. The giraffe is the tallest land mammal alive, its long legs and neck contributing to its impressive stature. Males can be up to 18ft (5.5m tall), females a little less. In the wild, these beautiful creatures stretch their necks beyond those of antelope, kudu and even elephants to strip leaves from the untouched upper reaches of trees. The French zoologist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck is usually credited as the first person to suggest that long necks have evolved in giraffes because they allow them to get to the parts other herbivores cannot reach. As the giraffe lives "in places where the soil is nearly always arid and barren, it is obliged to browse on the leaves of trees and to make constant efforts to reach them," he wrote in his 1809 book ‘Philosophie Zoologique’. "From this habit long maintained in all its race, it has resulted that the animal's forelegs have become longer than its hind legs and that its neck is lengthened." The English naturalist Charles Darwin also thought the giraffe's extraordinary legs and neck must have something to do with foraging. "The giraffe, by its lofty stature, much-elongated neck, fore-legs, head and tongue, has its whole frame beautifully adapted for browsing on the higher branches of trees," he wrote in ‘On the Origin of Species’ in 1859. In short, giraffes' long necks are the result of generation upon generation of repeated stretching and inheritance. During the dry season when feeding competition should be most intense giraffe generally feed on low shrubs, not tall trees. What's more, giraffes feed most often and faster with their necks bent. Male giraffes often fight for access to females, a ritual referred to as "necking". The rivals stand flank to flank, then start to whack each other with their heads. The top or back of the well-armoured skull is used as a club to strike the neck, chest, ribs, or legs of the opponent with a force capable of knocking a competitor off balance or unconscious. The largest males usually win these battles and do most of the breeding, says zoologist Anne Innis Dagg of the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, who has been studying giraffes since the 1950s. "The other giraffes don't get much breeding opportunity." There is also evidence that females are more receptive to advances from larger males.
Match the words with their meanings. a. forage 1. hit b. stretch 2. search c. whack 3. draw out
a-2, b-3, c-1
Understanding Vocabulary from the Giraffe Passage
This question asks us to match three words from the provided passage about giraffes with their correct meanings. To do this effectively, we need to understand how these words are used in the context of the passage or recall their general definitions.
Let's look at each word and its context:
- a. forage: The passage mentions that Charles Darwin thought the giraffe's structure was "adapted for browsing on the higher branches of trees," connecting this idea to "foraging." Later, it notes that during the dry season, giraffes "generally feed on low shrubs, not tall trees," also related to feeding or foraging. Foraging means to search for food or provisions.
- b. stretch: The passage states, "these beautiful creatures stretch their necks beyond those of antelope, kudu and even elephants to strip leaves from the untouched upper reaches of trees." Stretching involves extending or drawing something out to its full length or beyond its usual limits.
- c. whack: Describing the "necking" ritual among male giraffes, the passage says rivals "start to whack each other with their heads." To whack someone is to hit them hard.
Now, let's match these words to the given meanings:
- hit
- search
- draw out
Based on our analysis:
- 'forage' matches with 'search' (2).
- 'stretch' matches with 'draw out' (3).
- 'whack' matches with 'hit' (1).
Therefore, the correct matching is a-2, b-3, c-1.
| Word | Context/Definition | Matching Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| forage | To search for food. Used in the passage regarding browsing on trees. | 2. search |
| stretch | To extend or draw out. Used in the passage about extending the neck. | 3. draw out |
| whack | To hit hard. Used in the passage about male giraffe fighting. | 1. hit |
The pairings derived from the passage context and general definitions are a-2, b-3, and c-1.
Revision Table: Key Vocabulary from Passage
| Word | Meaning Used Here | Example from Passage | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| stature | height | "impressive stature" | |||
| arid | dry | "soil is nearly always arid" | |||
| barren | unproductive; bare | "soil is nearly always ... barren" | obliged | forced or required | "it is obliged to browse" |
| heretofore | before now | "heretofore unreached parts" | |||
| provisions | supplies of food | "searching for provisions" (This specific phrase isn't in the text, but relates to foraging) | |||
| ritual | a prescribed procedure or ceremony | "a ritual referred to as “necking”" | |||
| receptive | willing to consider or accept new suggestions | "females are more receptive to advances" |
Additional Information: Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary
Understanding vocabulary is a key part of reading comprehension. When you encounter an unfamiliar word in a passage, try to understand its meaning using context clues. Context clues can include:
- Definitions or explanations: Sometimes the passage directly defines the word.
- Examples: The passage might give an example of the word in action.
- Synonyms or antonyms: The passage might use words with similar or opposite meanings nearby.
- Inference: You can often guess the meaning based on how the word is used in the sentence and the overall topic.
In this question, understanding the context of 'forage' (related to feeding/browsing), 'stretch' (extending the neck to reach leaves), and 'whack' (hitting in a fight) helps confirm the correct meanings.
Important Questions from Reading Comprehension
Why, according to the writer can't people be motivated to use a resource prudently?
1. They feel that others may overuse the resource
2. It is possible to substitute the resource
3. Abundance of the resource availability
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
When do people use resources exhaustively?
The self-interest of people affects the use of renewable resources
People rooted in a locality
Which among the following is closest in meaning with the word 'deplete'?
