How a Duck Stays Dry

Q: What would most likely happen if a duck could not preen for many days?

The oil would wear off and rain would start to soak in. (The passage says "The oil wears off, so the duck preens every day." Daily preening is what replaces the lost oil. Take the preening away and the oil keeps wearing off with nothing to replace it, so the water gets through.)

Q: In this passage, "preening" means:

spreading oil over the feathers with the beak (The passage defines the word right where it appears: the duck "takes oil with its beak and rubs it over each feather," and the next sentence names that work preening.)

Q: Where does the duck's oil come from?

From a small gland near its tail (One sentence states it: "Near its tail, the duck has a small gland that makes oil." The pond, the food, and the wings are never given as sources.)

Question

1. What is the main point of the passage?

A Ducks spend most of their day swimming on cold ponds. B A duck keeps itself dry through its own work: oil from a gland, spread over feathers that overlap like a roof. C Rain is dangerous for most water birds. D A duck's down feathers are warmer than any coat.

Answer 1

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B. A duck keeps itself dry through its own work: oil from a gland, spread over feathers that overlap like a roof.
The passage opens with the claim ("This is not luck. The duck builds it") and then gives the two parts of the build: the oil and the overlapping feathers. The other choices each grab a single detail.

Answer 2

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C. The oil would wear off and rain would start to soak in.
The passage says "The oil wears off, so the duck preens every day." Daily preening is what replaces the lost oil. Take the preening away and the oil keeps wearing off with nothing to replace it, so the water gets through.

Answer 3

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A. spreading oil over the feathers with the beak
The passage defines the word right where it appears: the duck "takes oil with its beak and rubs it over each feather," and the next sentence names that work preening.

Answer 4

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D. From a small gland near its tail
One sentence states it: "Near its tail, the duck has a small gland that makes oil." The pond, the food, and the wings are never given as sources.

Comprehension questions