The animal world

Quiz

Here's an animal quiz which will refresh your memory on some key words as well as the names of about 150 animals. There are a lot ofwords in bold print here. Don't despair! Your own language may help you a lot, and you only need to remember those words that you may need to use. You just need to recognise the other ones. Try to learn the most general terms, in particular.

Select the correct answer to each question.

PART ONE (not very difficult)

1 Which is the largest of the ape and monkey families, full-grown?

19Which of these creatures is not extinct?

a mammoth b dinosaur с pterodactyl d buffalo e brontosaurus

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Theanimalworld

20Which birds are these? a the symbol of peace?

b the announcer of spring?

31 Which of these animals has hooves as opposed to paws and claws?

39 Which of these cold-blooded sea creatures has tentacles and no fins? a jellyfish b swordfish с stingray d flying fish

40Which bird:

a starts the day with its cry? b is a bit of a petty thief?

с is found in the expression: to learn something ...-fashion?

d is found in the expression: as dead as a ...?

Answers: 1с 2с За 4e 5c 6b 7b 8b 9c lOb lid 12c 13b 14c 15a 16d 17c 18d 19d 20 dove cuckoo owl nightingale 21c 22c 23b 24c 25h 26d 27c 28a 29b 30d 31a 32a 33d 34c 35a 36a 37a 38c 39a 40 cock(erel) magpie parrot dodo

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The animal world

Practice

In the case of some pets, farmyard animals, and even some wild ones, we don't stop at giving them a basic name. The male and the female are given different names. Whereas we don't often have to ask, 'Is that a man or a woman?' when it comes to animals, 'Is it a he or a she?' is a fairly common question.

If you think these words may be useful to you in future, try to decide which of these pairs is male and which female.

We also have a number of specific names for various animals' young. Match the grown animals, birds and insects (on the left) with their young (on the right).

Then, of course, all animals have got to live somewhere. Work out which animals live where.

Ifyou've learnt all those words, you must be a real animal-lover. Who knows when you might want to describe a hundred swans high above you, or two hundred buffalo charging or three hundred cattle stampeding towards you? Ifyou do, you will need the words used to describe a group of animals. Match the group words below with the correct kind of wildlife.

Note but do not try to learn (unless they are of particular interest to you) a pride of lions, a school of whales and other rarer group nouns.

[5] There are words for the particular noises that animals make. Read the poem on the next page. It should help you to remember them. Then think of an animal and test yourself by trying to remember the word for the noise it makes.

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The animal world

In Praise of Fish

Cats purr

As they lick their fur;

Horses neigh,

Donkeys bray;

Hounds bay

At the bloody ground

Horriblesound,

Barking hounds,

Snapping and yapping,

Tails wagging.

Lions roar

If they hurt their paw.

Hawks squawk

If they hurt their claw.

But fish don't talk,

Thank the Lord.

Mice squeak,

Sheep bleat -

So do goats;

A frog croaks.

Most birds cheep,

Some screech,

But fish can't speak,

Thank Heavens.

Unlike fish,

Snakes hiss,

And like it or lump it,

Elephants trumpet.

Pigs grunt,

Flies hum,

But fish are dumb,

ThankGod.

Wolveshowl,

Dogs will growl

With a vicious snarl

If you steal their meal.

Piglets squeal

So you know they feel

While their mothers snort

As they're brought to the slaughterhouse.

Fish don't buzz,

As a queen bee does.

Ducklingsquack,

And bulldogs snap

At the postman's boots.

Owls hoot,

But a fish is mute

Thank Goodness.

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The animal world

Below you see a list of parts of animals' bodies. Take each word and find a creature in this unit which has it as part of their body.

Write or discuss the answers to questions 1-6.

1 Which animals make the best pets?

2What, if anything, does keeping a pet teach a child?

3Would you like your children to be brought up on a farm?

4Why are we happy to eat certain animals and not others?

5Which animals would you rather not touch? Can you say why?

6Children get to know a lot of animals through books and toys. Think of about ten animals found in children's books. What image does each of them normally have?

Write part of a letter to a friend describing the afternoon you took a group of young children to a zoo or safari park.

Write the opening of your speech at an 'Animal Liberation' meeting, attacking the way animals are used and abused by human beings: in sport, circuses etc.

Add any other words about animals as you meet them.

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