The Truth About Tarantulas

1. The Truth About Tarantulas Reading Comprehension

2. (1) What is the author’s purpose?

3. (2) Based on this passage, which title would be best?

4. (3) Why have tarantulas received “a bad rap”?

5. (4) As people learn more about tarantulas, what prediction is most logical?

6. (5) Why must tarantulas rely on their sense of touch?

7. (6) What is the purpose of this comparison? “The tarantula bite is no worse than a wasp sting.”

8. (7) What is the author’s attitude in this passage?

9. (6 details) Tarantulas are the largest spiders on Earth. Some of them grow to be the size of a person’s hand. A few get even bigger than that. The largest ones can be the size of a dinner plate. Maybe it’s their size that makes tarantulas so fearsome, or maybe it’s their hairy bodies.

10. Say back 6

11. (5 details) Their eight beady eyes do nothing to calm the nerves, either. Then there are all those large fangs filled with venom. All in all, tarantulas look quite frightening, so they have been portrayed as aggressive killers. In movies and on TV, tarantulas have long been a symbol of death.

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13. (5 details) Certain folklore may also play a part in the “bad rap” these creatures have received. The word tarantula comes from Taranto, a city in southern Italy, where these large spiders were first found. People once thought a bite from this spider caused a sickness caused tarantism.

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15. (6 details) People with this illness were said to leap into the air and run wildly, making odd noises. The best cure in that day was a lively folk dance. The dance became known as the tarantella, which is still performed today—but not to cure a disease.

16. Say back 6

17. (7 details) The truth about tarantulas is less frightening than the myths of old would have you think. Tarantulas do kill with their venom, but they don’t kill humans. Their venom is designed mostly for beetles and grasshoppers. It can’t disable anything larger than a mouse or bat.

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19. (9 details) Tarantulas rarely bite humans. When they do, the bite is no worse than a wasp sting. Although tarantulas do not hunt humans, they are still fascinating. Scientists have found about 800 kinds, which live mostly in warm climates. They live in the American Southwest, Europe, and Asia.

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21. 7 details All tarantulas share certain features. They have long, hairy legs and thick, hairy bodies. Despite their many eyes, tarantulas do not see well. In this case, more is not better. Tarantulas must rely on other senses to help them get what they need. Most important of these is the spiders’ sense of touch. Tarantulas travel by feeling their way along.

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23. 5 details Tarantulas find prey by picking up vibrations made by the prey as it moves. All the hairs on the tarantulas’ bodies help them sense these vibrations. The hairs move with the slightest breeze. When the hairs start vibrating, tarantulas know the air is swirling. That motion usually signals something nearby—dinner is on the way.

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25. 4 details Some people say that the more they learn about tarantulas, the more they like them. That may be why tarantulas have become popular in pet stores. More and more people are buying them. Owners praise tarantulas as being wonderful pets.

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27. (1) What is the author’s purpose? PREDICT RI.8

28. (1) What is the author’s purpose? • To prove tarantulas can be dangerous • To show how opinions about tarantulas will become more positive if people are given accurate information • To describe tarantulas and the way they live • To explain how history has viewed tarantulas

29. (2) Based on this passage, which title would be best? PREDICT RI.2

30. (2) Based on this passage, which title would be best? • All About Tarantulas • Tarantulas: Large and Dangerous • Tarantulas: Not as Bad as You May Think • Tarantulas: An Interesting Spider

31. (3) Why have tarantulas received “a bad rap”? PREDICT RI.1

32. (3) What is the most significant reason tarantulas have received “a bad rap”? • Some of them are scary because they’re so large. • They are spiders, and some people are scared of all spiders. • They have been wrongfully portrayed as symbols of death on television and in movies. • Their bite was once believed to cause a disease.

33. (4) As people learn more about tarantulas, what prediction is most logical? PREDICT RI.1

34. (4) As people learn more about tarantulas, what prediction is most logical? • Tarantulas will be feared less than they are now because people will know the facts. • Tarantulas will be feared more because people will understand the danger. • Tarantulas will be featured in more movies because their appearance makes them seem frightening. • Tarantulas will be removed from areas where people live.

35. (5) What is the purpose of this comparison? “The tarantula bite is no worse than a wasp sting.” PREDICT RI.8

36. (5) What is the purpose of this comparison? “The tarantula bite is no worse than a wasp sting.” • To show that a tarantula bite may burn like a wasp sting • To show that a tarantula bite is not any more dangerous than a wasp sting • To show that a tarantula bite and a wasp sting will be about the same size • To show how that a tarantula bite is similar to a wasp sting

37. (6) Why must tarantulas rely on their sense of touch? PREDICT RI.1

38. (6) Why must tarantulas rely on their sense of touch? • Some of their prey is too small to be detected by sight. • Prey will not come close enough to be caught when the tarantula’s eight eyes are open. • The tarantula’s sense of sight is not as strong as its sense of touch. • A tarantulas can catch more prey when it uses both its sense of sight and sense of touch.

39. (7) Which statement below best characterizes the author’s attitude in this passage? PREDICT RI.8

40. (7) Which statement below best characterizes the author’s attitude in this passage? • The author fears tarantulas because of the way they look. • The author feels sorry for tarantulas because people fear them. • The author is excited because he finds tarantulas so interesting. • The author thinks tarantulas do not deserve their bad reputation.