Indicate the answer choice that best completes the statement or answers the question. A Continent of Ice

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1 Indicate the answer choice that best completes the statement or answers the question. A Continent of Ice Imagine a place with bone-chilling temperatures and blizzards so thick you cannot see your hand in front of your face. You try to perceive your surroundings, but all you see is endless ice. The nearest city is thousands of miles away. At the coast, huge ice shelves extend over the ocean. You might be able to see massive icebergs floating as you look toward the horizon. The place is Antarctica, a frozen continent surrounded by the Antarctic Ocean. Antarctica is located in the southern hemisphere. Daytime there lasts for six months, followed by six months of night. It is the coldest zone on Earth, and about 98 percent of the continent is covered with ice. Rocks and mineral resources lie under tons of ice. Even mountains are buried beneath enormous frozen layers. For example, if you stand at the South Pole Earth's most southern point the ice beneath your feet is nearly two miles deep. The environment of Antarctica is extreme. You might logically conclude that life could not exist there. However, a surprising variety of plants, animals, and sea life make this frozen continent their home. About two percent of Antarctica is ice-free. Plant life can and does grow in these areas. The continent has only two kinds of flowering plants, a type of grass and an herb. Both grow on the west coast of a region called the Antarctic Peninsula. Both plants can withstand the very cold, dry environment. They can live at temperatures that would freeze other plants. Hardy plants called lichens and mosses can also survive in Antarctica's coastal areas. These plants grow very close to the ground or along the surface of rocks. Algae and microscopic plants called diatoms live in the ocean surrounding the continent. Diatoms are made up of only one cell. However, they are an important source of food for animal life in the ocean. The ocean around Antarctica is teaming with fascinating sea life. Tiny sea creatures called krill form the basis of the Antarctic food chain. Krill feed on ocean plant life. In turn, squids, sea birds, and even several types of whales feed on krill. Baleen and blue whales actually migrate to the Antarctic Ocean each summer to feast on krill. Animals Powered by Cognero Page 1

2 that do not eat krill rely on krill because smaller animals that do eat krill are one of their food sources. A number of seals live around the Antarctic coast. The southern elephant seal depends on a diet of squid for survival. These seals may dive to a depth of 400 meters in search of squid! Other seals, like Weddell seals, live in holes or cracks in the ice. The seals crawl out of the holes to dive in the ocean in search of food. All of these Antarctic seals have thick layers of blubber to protect them from the freezing temperatures of the ocean. Antarctica is also home to many different species of birds, including albatrosses, cormorants, and gulls. Most of these birds migrate each year to the islands surrounding the continent. The islands are important to many of the birds' life cycles. They are where the birds go to breed. Perhaps the most famous of the Antarctic birds is the penguin. Six different species of penguins live on the icy continent. Of these, the Emperor penguin is the largest, growing up to four feet tall. These penguins begin their breeding cycle in winter on the Antarctic coast. After a female penguin lays a single egg, her mate takes over, balancing the egg on his feet. The females go back to the ocean for up to two months to feed. Meanwhile, the males keep the eggs warm and safe. When the females return, they care for the newly hatched chicks. The male penguins are free to find food for the first time in months! Penguins, seals, whales, lichens all have adapted to life in Antarctica. They are able to survive in the most extreme place on Earth. But even though it is extreme, Antarctica is far from desolate. Powered by Cognero Page 2

3 1. Read this excerpt from the article. Imagine a place with bone-chilling temperatures and blizzards so thick you cannot see your hand in front of your face. You try to perceive your surroundings, but all you see is endless ice. What does perceive mean in the excerpt above? a. deny b. observe c. touch d. welcome 2. Read this sentence from the article. It is the coldest zone on Earth, and about 98 percent of the continent is covered with ice. The origin of the word zone is the Greek root zon-, meaning "belt." Knowing this suggests that a climate zone is most likely f. an icy area in the center of colder climates. g. a continent on Earth that has its own climate. h. a band around Earth with one type of climate. i. a moving mass of air that changes the climate. 3. Which detail from the article tells you that the environment of Antarctica is extreme? a. Plant life grows in areas that are ice-free. b. Antarctica has a surprising variety of life. c. Antarctica is almost entirely covered in ice. d. Lichens and mosses survive in coastal areas. Powered by Cognero Page 3

4 4. Read this sentence from the article. Antarctica is located in the southern hemisphere of the globe. The word hemisphere includes the Greek roots hemi, meaning half, and sphero, meaning sphere or ball. A hemisphere is f. an area that is half of Earth. g. a planet half the size of Earth. h. half an ocean that circles Earth. i. a continent that covers half of Earth. 5. Which paragraph does the following key detail best support? Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent and the only one located entirely within a polar circle. a. paragraph 1 b. paragraph 2 c. paragraph 3 d. paragraph 4 6. Read this excerpt from the article. Algae and microscopic plants called diatoms live in the ocean surrounding the continent. Diatoms are made up of only one cell. The word microscopic comes from two Greek roots micro- and scop-. Scopmeans "to see." What is the most likely meaning of micro-? f. invisible g. large h. small i. transparent Powered by Cognero Page 4

5 7. Which detail would best support the main idea of paragraph 7? a. The temperature ranges from 212 C to 260 C. b. Ninety percent of the world's ice is in Antarctica. c. Adelie penguins live farther south than most other penguins. d. Crabeater seals are another seal variety swimming in Antarctic waters. 8. Why do Antarctic seals have thick layers of blubber? f. to dive to depths of 400 meters g. to live in holes or cracks in the ice h. to survive in freezing temperatures i. to protect them from the harsh winds 9. Which paragraph would the following detail best support? The snow petrel, an Antarctic bird about the size of a pigeon, does not migrate long distances but moves north as winter sets in. a. paragraph 3 b. paragraph 4 c. paragraph 8 d. paragraph Read this excerpt from the article. The islands are important to many of the birds' life cycles. They are where the birds go to breed. The origin of the word cycles is the Greek root cycl-, meaning "circle." What type of cycle is being described in this excerpt? f. islands that form a circle g. patterns in which birds fly h. processes that repeat i. circles forming a pattern Powered by Cognero Page 5

6 Answer Key 1. b 2. h 3. c 4. f 5. b 6. h 7. d 8. h 9. c 10. h Powered by Cognero Page 6