Dangerous or Desperate? Reading Test Prep

1. Part A - Based on the information in the article, what is the author’s purpose?

• to persuade people to adopt dingoes
• to explain a new method of training dingoes
• to inform farmers about a potential problem
• to explain both sides of the dingo issue

1. Part B - Which statement BEST supports the author's purpose from Part A of the previous question?

• The author believes that dingoes make excellent pets.
• The author discussed the danger to farm animals, and the decrease in food supply.
• The author provides examples of dingoes that have been trained by farmers.
• The author cited several cases of sheep attacks by dingoes.

2. Part A - How do you suppose the Aboriginal people feel about recent events?

• They would be in favor of protecting the dingoes.
• They would be unaware of any problems with the dingoes.
• They would be in favor of hunting the dingoes to decrease their population.
• They would be angry at the dingoes for causing so much trouble.

2. Part B - Which detail from the article BEST supports Part A of the previous question about how the Aboriginal people feel concerning recent events?

• “The dingo is a wild dog native to Australia.”
• “Dingoes have lived in harmony with the Aboriginal people for thousands of years.”
• “Many people think they are aggressive, but that simply isn’t true.”
• “Because of the numerous complaints from farmers, bounties have been set up across several states.”

3. What is the purpose of the graph in Paragraph 4?

• to turn public opinion away from the dingoes
• to provide information on public opinion
• to anger the farmers about the dingo problem
• to share ideas about saving the dingoes

4. Part A - What does the term, “three dog night” mean?

• It is so cold that it takes three dogs to help a person stay warm.
• It is so dangerous that it takes three dogs to protect a house.
• Dingoes are dangerous because they attack in threes.
• Dingoes are lucky because they travel in packs of threes.

4. Part B - Which detail from the article provides evidence for the answer to Part A of the previous question about a "three dog night"?

• “They are a symbol of protection . . .”
• “They serve as companions, physical protectors . . .”
• “ . . . poverty causes a lack of bedding when temperatures drop”
• “. . . a string of dingo attacks on their animals”

5. Part A - Which statement includes TWO central ideas of the article?

• Dingoes are dangerous, and their population is rising.
• Dingoes’ food sources are dwindling, and they are attacking the sheep population.
• Dingoes are breaking into homes, and they have been injured in these break ins.
• Dingoes have become extinct, and many people are upset about their extinction.

5. Part B - Which details support the answer to Part A of the previous question about the two central ideas? SELECT TWO ANSWERS

• “wildlife has greatly decreased the dingo food supply” (paragraph 6)
• "some recent attacks on farm animals (paragraph 1)
• “some recent attacks on humans” (paragraph 3)
• “They are shy animals, and a little bit skittish” (paragraph 4)
• “It is all about education and compassion” (paragraph 7)

6. “They are shy animals, and a little bit skittish.” What does the word, “skittish” mean?

• aggressive
• apprehensive
• famished
• lethargic