Reading Comprehension

Anthropologists who study orangutans,
distant cousins of the human race, find
in the animals' behavior hints of how our
earliest ancestors may have lived. It has
5 long been accepted that primates
originally dwelt in the treetops and only
migrated to the ground as forests began
to dwindle. While to a certain extent all
primates except humans spend at least
10 some time dwelling in trees, the
orangutan hardly ever ventures to the
forest floor. Adult orangutans can grow
as heavy as 330 pounds and live for
decades, requiring copious amounts of
15 fruit simply to stay alive. Thus, they
become very jealous of the territory
where they find their food.
Compounding this territoriality are the
breeding habits of orangutans, since
20 females can only breed every few years
and, like humans, give birth not to litters
but single offspring.
Consequently, orangutans are solitary,
territorial animals who have difficulty
25 foraging in any part of the forest where
they were not raised. Orangutans taken
from poachers by customs agents
undergo incredible hardship on their
return to the wild. Incorrectly relocating
30 a male orangutan is especially
problematic, often ending in the animal's
death at the hands of a rival who sees
not only his territory but also the females
of his loosely knit community under
35 threat from an outsider. While humans,
like chimpanzees, are more gregarious
and resourceful than orangutans, the
latter provide anthropologists with useful
information about the behavior of pre-
40 hominid primates and how apelike
behavior influenced our ancestors'
search for food and family beneath the
forest's canopy

Q1
The primary purpose of this passage is to:

describe some behavioral and evolutionary characteristics of orangutans

analyze the reasons why early primates left their forest dwellings

illustrate the dangers posed to orangutans by poachers

show how orangutan behavior differs from that of other primates

criticize anthropologists who misinterpret orangutan behavior



Q2.
The author of the passage discusses
"orangutans taken from poachers" (lines 23) in order to:

stress the importance of preserving orangutans as a species

indicate the widespread practice of animal poaching

refute the theory that orangutans can live in a variety of environments

contrast the behavior of orangutans with that of other apes

emphasize the consequences of orangutan territoriality



Q3.


The passage indicates that it is difficult to return orangutans to the wild for which of the following reasons?

I. The threat posed by newcomers to other orangutans' territory
II. The conflict between males over available females
III. The scarcity of available food in the orangutan's environment


a) I only

b) I and II only

c) I and III only

d) II and III only

e) I, II, and III



[spoiler]
OAs are A E B[/spoiler]