What Beavers Build
Written by Studio AM.
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Beavers can change a stream by building a dam from branches, mud and stones. The dam slows the flow, and water spreads out behind it to form a pond. Deeper water helps beavers move safely and reach their homes.
A lodge is not the same as a dam. It is a home made from piled sticks and mud, with a dry space inside. Its entrance is under the water. Beavers can also make a home in a burrow in the bank beside a river or pond.
The pond changes conditions for other living things. Slower water allows some sand and mud to settle. Water can spread into nearby ground, creating wetland habitat for plants, insects, frogs and birds. The exact effects depend on the stream and surrounding land.
These changes can also cause problems when rising water reaches roads or fields. A beaver dam is therefore more than a pile of branches: it changes where water flows and which places stay wet.
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Questions
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Question 1 of 4
What is the main idea of the passage?
The answer is C: Beaver dams change water flow and create conditions that affect other living things.
The dam changes water depth and flow. That affects the beavers, other species and sometimes nearby roads or fields.
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Question 2 of 4
Where is the door of the beaver's lodge?
The answer is B: under the water
The passage says a lodge's entrance is under the water, while the space inside is dry.
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Question 3 of 4
Why might people manage a beaver dam near a road differently from one far from buildings?
The answer is D: Rising water near a road could cause damage as well as create habitat.
The pond can support habitat, but rising water may also reach roads or fields. The location changes which effects matter.
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Question 4 of 4
What does 'bank' mean in this passage?
The answer is C: the sloping ground at the edge of water
The bank is beside a river or pond and can contain a burrow. Here, it means the land along the water's edge.
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