The Penguin Circle in the Wind
Written by Studio AM.
Your result
- Words per minute
- Score
- Pace
Words per minute mean something only with the score beside them. They describe this passage on this read. With fewer than 3 right, try the next slower pace.
Choose a pace and select Start. The passage is paced and timed, then the questions check what you understood. How pace mode works
Reading time 0:00
An emperor penguin facing Antarctic winter can lose heat quickly. Many penguins stand close together in a huddle. Bodies block wind, and the middle becomes warmer than the outer edge.
The same birds do not stay warm in the center forever. Small movements travel through the group. Penguins at one edge step inward, and others gradually change position. Over time, birds move between colder and warmer places.
The huddle is not one frozen circle. Its shape changes with wind and space. A penguin must stand close without making movement impossible.
No bird directs the whole group. Many local steps create a shared shelter. Rotation spreads both the benefit of the warm center and the cost of the exposed edge. Cooperation here is a moving pattern made by neighbors responding to one another.
The passage is hidden while you answer. It comes back with your result.
Questions
Choose an answer. The explanation appears after you answer.
-
Question 1 of 4
What is the main idea of the passage?
The answer is C: Emperor penguins form a changing huddle whose local movements share warmth and exposure across the group.
The passage connects wind protection, movement, rotation, and decentralized cooperation.
-
Question 2 of 4
Why do penguins change positions?
The answer is D: Movement lets different birds share warmer and colder parts of the huddle.
The second and final paragraphs describe rotation distributing benefits and costs.
-
Question 3 of 4
What does “exposed” mean?
The answer is A: less protected from wind and cold
The exposed edge is contrasted with the warmer protected middle.
-
Question 4 of 4
What travels through the group?
The answer is B: small movements
The second paragraph says small movements travel through the group.
Score: none answered yet.