Literal Questions

Master literal questions! Practice reading comprehension with fun passages. Get facts straight from the text.

Read the following passage and summarize the article below Scientists Fly Special Kite to Coldest Place on EarthBy Atlas Obscura, adapted by Newsela staffImage 1. The WindSled underway. Traveling by WindSled is an eco-friendly way to carry out polar exploration. Photo by: Rosa Martin Tristan CommonsOn December 12, 2018, a four-person team left a base camp in Antarctica. Their goal was to reach the center of the frozen continent … by wind. That's right! Ignacio Oficialdegui, Manuel Olivera, Hilo Moreno and Ramón Larramendi, all from Spain, traveled for 52 days in a "WindSled." They headed for the Fuji Dome. The dome has over 12,000 feet of ice. It is one of the coldest places on Earth. Recently, they returned to their starting point.The team is called Asociación Polar Trineo de Viento. That's the Polar Wind Sledging Association in English. The group crossed 1,577 miles. The temperatures went down to -43.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Just imagine how cold -43 F feels.Image 2. The windsled expedition rests at Fuji Dome plateau. The team completed 11 science experiments on their trip, for various agencies and universities. Photo by: Inuit WindsledTeam Returned In Great ShapeTheir WindSled is a vehicle with interchangeable parts. This makes repairs much easier. The vehicle has solar panels and built-in tents. A 1,600-square-foot kite powered the sled. That is roughly a 40-foot by 40-foot square. The kite was large and strong, but the journey was difficult. Still, it survived. The team of four returned in great shape.The European Space Agency (ESA) supported the trip. Larramendi sent out a statement from their offices. He said the trip was groundbreaking. It was the first time anyone got to the dome using wind power. Others went by motorized vehicles. The wind-powered sled did not pollute the air.The WindSled also comes apart easily. It goes from a big sled down to a cute little bundle. So it is easy to move the sled around by plane.11 Important ExperimentsThe team did 11 experiments along the way. They tested sensors for NASA's next Mars Rover. They worked with a snow-sampling drill. The drill was part of a climate change study.The team also did work for ESA. The ESA has a satellite system called Galileo. The Antarctic team used Galileo to collect measurements on their trip. ESA couldwork to improve the system. The expedition tookmeasurements at the most southern point ever.Image 3. The wind-blown explorers, in the driver's seat. The kite was battered by high-speed winds during the journey, but made it through in good condition. Photo by: Inuit WindsledLarramendi and his team will return to Madrid mid-February. They will study the data they collected over 52 days. He says the journey was a great success. Larramendi said the team proved that it is possible to travel long distances and not pollute. The experiments were important, too. And the team did all of this in far-away Antarctica. What date did the scientist leave the base camp in Antarctica? When will Larramendi and his team will return to Madrid? How many experiments did the team complete? What is WindSled? What is a literal question? the answer must be inferred you must use your schema the answer is in the text Literal questions can be answered with facts. true false You must use your prior knowledge to answer a literal question. true false Read the following passage and answer the questions below. Loris uses its colorful fur to keep other animals awayBy National Geographic, adapted by Newsela staff02 1. The Javan slow loris is one of the world's most endangered species. This loris lives in West Java, Indonesia. Photo by: Jefta Images / Barcroft Images / Barcroft Media via Getty ImagesThe Javan slow loris is a cute little animal. It has a pair of large eyes and a button nose. Its face looks like a cross between a red panda and a sloth. To humans, the loris is adorable. Other animals may see it as a danger, though.Lorises are the world's only venomous primates. They release toxins in their spit and arms.Anna Nekaris is a scientist. She says that when the twotoxinsmix, they make a double venom. It is strong enough to kill.Image 2. A Javan slow loris is being released in Mount Halimun Salak National Park in West Java, Indonesia, by International Animal Rescue. Photo by: Jefta Images Images/ Barcroft Media via Getty Images [click to expand]Lorises are deadly, but they are also tiny and slow.It helps for them to warn other animals about their venom. That way, the lorises can avoid fighting. Lorises do this with their colorful fur markings.Nekaris says this is common for animals. They use color to show that they are strong or dangerous, she said.Animals See Loris MarkingsNekaris and a group of scientists did a study. They found that many other animals can see the lorises' markings. They include eagles, hawks and pythons. These animals are loris predators. The lorises' face masks warn the animals to keep away.The scientists also found something else. Lorisface masks change over time. Young lorises have more contrast in their masks. Contrast is the difference between light and dark. It makes the face masks look more dramatic.The markings may help the animals communicate with other lorises.Lorises live in couples of one male and one female. Together they guard a small area of the forest. Unfortunately, every piece of the forest where they liveis already taken. Young lorises have to go out on their own. They have to fight for their own land.Strong face masks may help them. The coloring might be a way to scare other lorises away.Venom Not Just For PredatorsTed Stankowich is a scientist. He studies color markings in different animals. Usually, the signals are meant to scare away only predators.Lorises are different, though.That is because the animals use their venom on other lorises, not just predators.It is also interesting that their face masks change as they get older. That is not the case in other animals. Skunks are a good example, Stankowichsays. They keep the same stripes for their whole lives.Scientists do not know why young lorises have different masks. Perhaps they need more reason to scare off other animals. That may be because they are smaller. It could also be because they are easier to catch. How do Lorises release venom? How are Lorises different from other primates in the world? What happens to the Lorises face masks as they get older?