Plant Communication

What is the main idea of the article?

• Moths prefer tomato plants over other plants

• Plants can communicate with humans through sound

• Animals may respond to sounds made by stressed plants

• Plants are sentient and can feel emotions

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

Why did the researchers choose female moths for their experiment?

• They are easier to observe than male moths

• They lay eggs on tomato plants, which helps test plant health response

• They produce sounds that mimic plant distress

• They are known to avoid noisy environments

What evidence supports the idea that moths respond to plant sounds?

• Moths laid more eggs on noisy plants

• Moths avoided laying eggs on plants making distress sounds

• Moths flew away when researchers made loud noises

• Moths preferred plants with visible signs of dehydration

What does the word sentient most likely mean in the sentence “The researchers stress that plants are not sentient”?

• Able to grow quickly

• Capable of feeling and awareness

• Likely to produce sound

• Sensitive to light

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

Which statement best describes the tone of the article?

• Humorous and sarcastic

• Critical and skeptical

• Curious and scientific

• Emotional and persuasive

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

Explain how the researchers ensured that moths were responding to sound and not appearance.

What is one possible benefit of plants producing sounds, according to the researchers?

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.6.1

CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

Why might this discovery be considered a “first step” in understanding plant-animal communication?

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

Which sentence from the article best supports the idea that plants and animals may have coevolved to communicate through sound?

• “This is speculation at this stage…”

• “Plants could evolve to make more sounds or louder ones…”

• “The sounds are outside the range of human hearing…”

• “This is an exciting question…”

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

What is the author’s purpose in writing this article?

• To entertain readers with stories about moths

• To inform readers about new research on plant communication

• To persuade readers to stop eating plants

• To criticize scientific experiments on insects

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.6

CCSS.RI.6.9

CCSS.RI.7.6

CCSS.RI.8.9

CCSS.RL.6.6