Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
Among the giraffes, zebra! and gazelles that roam the vast African savanna, perhaps remarkable creature is the Ostrich. Standing about 2.5 metres tall and weighing up to 155 kilograms, the ostrich is the largest bird in existence. No one can fail to be awed and fascinated by the bird's great height, powerful legs and beautiful fluffy feathers.
Like the camel, the ostrich is tolerant of high temperatures and thrives in desert country. It also has long luxuriant eyelashes which protect its large eyes from the dust of the bushveld. Its legs are long and sinewy and its feet are strong creeps or crawls. It also dines on insects, snakes, rodents, roots and most vegetation. Because of its great size it cannot fly. However, its muscular legs are powerful enough to make it one of the fastest creatures on earth. Running across desert country, it can attain speeds of up to 65 kilometres an hour! This extraordinary swiftness and its long-distance stamina enable it to outrun many of the fastest four-legged predators with ease.
The eggs of the ostrich are the largest in the world and can weigh up to 1.5 kilograms each. Prized for its size and delicious taste, each egg is the equivalent of 25 hens' eggs. The shell is hard and glossy and has a glazed porcelain-like finish. The empty shell is sometimes used as a container by bushmen for storing water.
In the 14th century, ostrich feathers became highly valued by fashion conscious Europeans, Yet hunting the ostrich was not easy, since the birth has very keen eyesight and swiftly flees from danger. Consequently, the ostrich was in no danger of extinction at that time.
But in the 19th century, armed with modern weapons, hunters slaughtered ostriches by the millions, and today the noble ostrich has become an endangered species.
(a) Give three reasons why the ostrich egg is considered valuable.
(b) How does the ostrich survive attack by predators ?
(c) What common characteristic of birds does the ostrich lack?
(d) Why did the Europeans value ostrich feathers?
(e) The eggs of the ostrich...." (i) What is the grammatical name given to this expression? (ii) What is its function as it used in the sentence?
(f) What is the writer's attitude to the ostrich?
(g) For each of the following words, find another word or phrase that means the same and can replace it as it is used in the passage: (i) vast; (ii) remarkable; (iii) fascinated: (iv) thrives; (v) outrun; (vi) extinction
Comprehension Answers: The Ostrich
(a) Give three reasons why the ostrich egg is considered valuable.
First, it is prized for its very large size, being the largest egg in the world and weighing up to 1.5 kilograms. Second, it is valued for its delicious taste, a single egg being the equivalent of twenty-five hens' eggs. Third, its hard, glossy shell is useful, for the empty shell is sometimes used by bushmen as a container for storing water.
(b) How does the ostrich survive attack by predators?
The ostrich survives because its powerful, muscular legs make it one of the fastest creatures on earth; with its great speed and long-distance stamina it can easily outrun even the fastest four-legged predators.
(c) What common characteristic of birds does the ostrich lack?
The ostrich lacks the ability to fly, which is a common characteristic of birds.
(d) Why did the Europeans value ostrich feathers?
Fashion-conscious Europeans valued the ostrich feathers because, in the fourteenth century, such feathers became highly prized as items of fashion.
(e) "The eggs of the ostrich ..."
(i) Grammatical name: Noun phrase.
(ii) Function: It is the subject of the sentence.
(f) What is the writer's attitude to the ostrich?
The writer's attitude is one of admiration and fascination; he regards the ostrich as a noble and extraordinary creature and is saddened that it has become an endangered species.
(g) Words and their replacements as used in the passage:
- (i) vast - immense / wide
- (ii) remarkable - extraordinary / striking
- (iii) fascinated - captivated / enthralled
- (iv) thrives - flourishes / prospers
- (v) outrun - outpace / run faster than
- (vi) extinction - dying out / total disappearance
Comprehension Answers: The Ostrich
(a) Give three reasons why the ostrich egg is considered valuable.
First, it is prized for its very large size, being the largest egg in the world and weighing up to 1.5 kilograms. Second, it is valued for its delicious taste, a single egg being the equivalent of twenty-five hens' eggs. Third, its hard, glossy shell is useful, for the empty shell is sometimes used by bushmen as a container for storing water.
(b) How does the ostrich survive attack by predators?
The ostrich survives because its powerful, muscular legs make it one of the fastest creatures on earth; with its great speed and long-distance stamina it can easily outrun even the fastest four-legged predators.
(c) What common characteristic of birds does the ostrich lack?
The ostrich lacks the ability to fly, which is a common characteristic of birds.
(d) Why did the Europeans value ostrich feathers?
Fashion-conscious Europeans valued the ostrich feathers because, in the fourteenth century, such feathers became highly prized as items of fashion.
(e) "The eggs of the ostrich ..."
(i) Grammatical name: Noun phrase.
(ii) Function: It is the subject of the sentence.
(f) What is the writer's attitude to the ostrich?
The writer's attitude is one of admiration and fascination; he regards the ostrich as a noble and extraordinary creature and is saddened that it has become an endangered species.
(g) Words and their replacements as used in the passage:
- (i) vast - immense / wide
- (ii) remarkable - extraordinary / striking
- (iii) fascinated - captivated / enthralled
- (iv) thrives - flourishes / prospers
- (v) outrun - outpace / run faster than
- (vi) extinction - dying out / total disappearance
