Questions About the Facts
RI.3.1
Read the text, then answer the questions.
How a Canal Lock Works
A canal cannot run uphill. Where the land rises, engineers build a lock: a chamber with a gate at each end. A boat going uphill enters the lock through the lower gate. The gate closes behind it. Sluices in the upper gate are opened. Water flows in from the higher stretch of canal, and the boat rises with it. No pump is needed, because the water comes down by gravity. When the water inside matches the level above, the upper gate can be opened and the boat moves on. Going downhill, everything runs the other way: the water is let out, and the boat sinks with it.
- 1. What are opened to let the water in?
- 2. What is a lock?
- 3. Which gate does a boat going uphill enter through?
Why Swallows Leave
Swallows do not leave Britain because of the cold. They leave because of the insects. A swallow eats flying insects, and it catches them in the air. In October the insects disappear, and a bird that eats nothing else has to follow the food. So swallows fly to southern Africa: about six thousand miles, taking roughly six weeks. They travel by day and feed as they go. They lose about a third of their body weight on the way. Many do not arrive. The following spring they return, and a swallow will often nest in the very barn it hatched in.
- 1. How far do swallows fly?
- 2. How much weight do they lose?
- 3. How long does the journey take?
LessonPrint · RI.3.1 · Set 19 · free to copy for classroom use