Mammals Like You've Never Seen Them

Based on information in the article, how has the environment of Ellesmere Island changed over time?

• Today the island is a cold forested environment, while a long time ago it was mostly low growing grasses and shrubs.
• Today the island is home to various inland marsupials, while a long time ago many swimming mammals lived on the coast.
• Today the island is home to polar animals such as coryphodons, while a long time ago it was home to caribou and wolves.
• Today the island is a cold tundra environment, while a long time ago it had high humidity and warm temperatures.

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What is this article mainly about?

• The American Museum of Natural History is hosting an exhibit that includes a platypus that lays eggs and a model of an extinct walking whale that may have lived on land.
• The American Museum of Natural History is hosting an exhibit that demonstrates the wondrous diversity of mammals, whether extinct, living, or newly discovered.
• The American Museum of Natural History is hosting an exhibit that includes a sugar glider as the only live specimen of an extreme mammal.
• The American Museum of Natural History is hosting an exhibit that includes a diorama of Ellesmere Island, which used to have a warm and humid environment.

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The reader can infer from the article that __________.

• Ellesmere Island will probably be the location for the next extreme mammal museum exhibit.
• Modern whales are probably better swimmers than any type of extinct whale, including the walking whales.
• The live sugar glider at the museum probably will be released in New York City when the exhibit ends in January 2010.
• The Batodonoides probably looks surprisingly small when viewed immediately after the Indricotherium.

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Which would be the closest synonym for the word intriguing?

• Fascinating 
• Superficial 
• Nostalgic
• Exhausting

Which of these is a statement of opinion?

• The Tasmanian wolf is an extinct animal that resembled a modern wolf, but was in fact a marsupial.
• The new show about extreme mammals at the American Museum of Natural History will be intriguing for visitors of all ages.
• The new show about extreme mammals at the American Museum of Natural History will be open until January 10, 2010.
• The dinosaur-sized Indricotherium was the largest mammal on Earth at 15 feet tall and weighing 20 tons.

The news article says all of the following except __________.

• The tiny, extinct mole-like Batodonoides weighed as little as a dollar bill.
• The new exhibit about mammals shows how diverse mammals can be.
• The only example of a live mammal in the exhibit is that of the sugar glider.
• The new exhibit about mammals focuses exclusively on animals that are extinct.

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Which is the closest antonym for the word generalization?

• Specification 
• Transmission 
• Insight
• Discord

Which statement from the article best supports the idea that the exhibit disproves established beliefs about mammals?

• The exhibit, which is open until January 10, 2010, debunks generalizations about mammals and shows visitors that these creatures can be big or small; two-legged or four-legged; hoppers, burrowers, swimmers, climbers, or walkers.
• Today, Ellesmere Island has a tundra environment and is home to polar bears, muskoxen, caribou, wolves, and various birds.
• As visitors enter the exhibition, they come face-to-face, or face-to-giant feet, with the largest mammal ever to walk the Earth, the dinosaur-sized Indricotherium.
• The only example of a live mammal in the show is that of the sugar glider, a chipmunk-looking creature with membrane wings that allow it to glide hundreds of feet from tree to tree.