Question

Read the passage carefully and complete the activities: 

A1. Complete the following sentences.   [2]

1. Female sparrows lay ______.
2. Sparrows build their nest out of ______.
3. The eggs are ______.
4. In cities, sparrows build their nest in ______.

A sparrow is a small bird which is found throughout the world. There are many different species of sparrows. Sparrows are only about four to six inches in length. Many people appreciate their beautiful songs. Sparrows prefer to build their nests in low places-usually on the ground clumps of grass low trees and low bushes. In cities, they build their nests in building nooks or holes. They rarely build their nests in high places. They build their nests out of twigs grasses and plant fibers. Their nests are usually small and well-built structures. Female sparrows lay four to six eggs at a time. The eggs are white with reddish-brown spots. They hatch within eleven to fourteen days. Both the male and female parents care for the young. Insects are fed to the young after hatching. The large feet of the sparrows are used for scratching seeds. Adult sparrows mainly eat seeds. Sparrows can be found almost everywhere where there are humans. Many people throughout the world enjoy these delightful birds. The sparrows are some of the few birds that engage in dust bathing. Sparrows will first scratch a hole in the ground with their feet then lie in it and fling dirt or sand over their bodies with flicks of their wings. They will also bathe in water or in dry or melting snow. Water bathing is similar to dust bathing with the sparrow standing in shallow water and flicking water over its back with its wings also ducking its head under the water. Both activities are social with up to a hundred birds participating at once and are followed by preening and sometimes group singing.

A2. How do sparrows take a bath?   [2]

A3. Find out adjectives for the following nouns from the passage.   [2]

1. ______ Song
2. ______ Water
3. ______ Bird
4. ______ species

A4. Do as directed.   [2]

1. A sparrow is a small bird which is found throughout the world.
   (Underline the subordinate clause)
2. Female sparrows lay four to six eggs at a time.
   (Frame a ‘wh’ type question to get the underlined part as an answer.)

A5. ‘We have to save the birds.’ Do you agree with this statement? Why?   [2]

Answer 1

A1.

1. Female sparrows lay four to six eggs at a time.
2. Sparrows build their nest out of twigs, grasses, and plant fibres.
3. The eggs are white with reddish-brown spots.
4. In cities, sparrows build their nest in building nooks or holes.

A2. A sparrow takes bath in dust, water, and dry or melting snow. It stands in shallow water and flicks water over its back with its wings. It also ducks its head under the water. Sparrows engage in dust bathing by first scratching a hole in the ground with their feet, then lie in it and fling dirt or sand over their bodies with flicks of their wings. Both these activities are social with up to a hundred birds participating at once and are followed by preening and sometimes group singing.

A3.

1. Beautiful Song
2. Shallow Water
3. Small Bird
4. Different species

A4. 

1. A sparrow is a small bird which is found throughout the world.
2. How many eggs do female sparrows lay at a time?

A5. Many people derive great pleasure, fulfilment, and inspiration from watching birds and listening to them. Birds keep the climate stable, oxygenate the air and transform pollutants into nutrients. Birds play an important role in the effective functioning of the ecosystem. As birds are high up in the food chain, they are also good indicators of the general state of our biodiversity. Thus, we definitely need to save birds.