What Do Flies Think About

The author compares flies to fighter pilots to show that flies are which of the following?

•  complicated
• forceful  
• skillful 
• mysterious 

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.4

What information best develops the view that bees are “the ‘Einsteins’ of the insect world” 

•  the discussion about the larger brain sizes of bees
• the list of intellectual feats that bees can accomplish 
• the reasons that researchers are interested in studying bees 
•  the information about the complex colonies that bees live in 

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.8.2

 Which central idea of the article is most supported by Paragraph 5? 

•  Social insects develop larger brains. 
• Brain structures have changed little over time. 
• Bee colonies can help us understand social systems.  
•  Insect brains can help us understand the human brain. 

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.8.2

Which evidence from the article best supports the claim that “Researchers already know that insects living in groups need to have more computing power in their head.”? 

• “Larger brains usually utilize the same circuits over and over again.” 
• “The idea of life in a group is firmly rooted in their brains—which is what makes bees so interesting to brain researchers.” 
•  “We, too, are social creatures, after all, and scientists suspect that certain neuronal circuits have changed very little over the course of evolution.” 
• “It’s likely they need to possess greater thinking capacity in order to compete with rivals in the swarm.” 

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.W.8.1B

CCSS.W.8.9A

What is the most likely reason for including information about the Smithsonian laboratory in Panama? 

• to emphasize the results of a major study about bees 
•  to illustrate why biologists should conduct bee research 
•  to point out that biologists still know very little about locust brains 
•  to provide evidence that other countries are performing studies of locust brains 

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RI.8.6

The information in the last paragraph suggests that the author believes which of the following? 

•  the study of moths will reveal changes in insect brains 
• the study of moths can provide ways to enhance technology 
• moth research will teach scientists more about the human brain 
• scientists should develop more advanced methods of moth research 

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RI.8.6

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.8.2

 Read the following sentences from the article. 
_{"This precision landing requires perfect coordination of all its muscles. The fly’s swinging motion also needs to be calculated, which means information shoots through its body in the space of milliseconds. Not even an autopilot system controlled by a high-tech computer could carry out such a maneuver."}
 How do these sentences develop a key concept of the article? 

• by demonstrating how carefully a fly must target its landing place 
•  by revealing the difficulty of conducting research on how a fly lands 
• by illustrating the complexity of the process a fly’s brain must control 
• by explaining how rapidly the fly’s landing occurs after it makes a loop 

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.W.8.9A