5th Grade Koala Search

Though koalas can walk on the ground, they are better suited for life

• on islands off the northeastern coast

• in the high cover of branches and leaves in the forest

• by the coastline

• inside of the blue gum tree

How does the author organize the information in this passage?

• The author provides details about the unusual nature and habitat of koalas.

• The author compares the arguments for and against koala rescue.

• The author describes a current problem and investigates research on solutions.

• The author combines fiction and nonfiction information about koalas to explain their popularity in Australian society.

What can be inferred from the information in the second paragraph regarding koalas being “pictured everywhere” in Australia?

• Koalas are well-liked across Australia.

• Koalas are dying out, so pictures are difficult to find.

• Many ecologists are trying to save the koalas.

• Koalas have been found to be good advertisements for products.

What is the main idea of this passage?

• Koalas are very unusual, carrying their young in a pouch and inhabiting only the east coast of Australia.

• Bill Ellis studies marsupials and their habitats in order to ensure that koalas and wild goats can live harmoniously.

• Koalas are an Australian treasure, pictured on items in the grocery store and on sports team jerseys.

• Researchers and volunteers are researching koala habitats, many of which have been destroyed.

“The island is a natural laboratory, yielding findings that may help protect koalas elsewhere on the continent."

What words could best replace the phrase “yielding findings” in this sentence?

• giving treasures

• giving away materials

• making way for discoveries

• producing discoveries