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Tuatara — Reading Comprehension — Answers

Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the Year 3 reading comprehension comprehension exercise.

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Year 3 · English · Reading Comprehension

Tuatara — Reading Comprehension — Answers

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Part A — Find the facts

Look back at the text to find each answer.

1.What kind of animal is a tuatara?[1 mark]

Answer: A reptile.

2.Where do tuatara live?[1 mark]
  1. Aall over the world
  2. Bonly in New Zealand
  3. Conly in Australia
  4. Din the sea

Answer: only in New Zealand

The text says the tuatara 'lives only in New Zealand'.

3.What does the name 'tuatara' mean?[1 mark]

Answer: Peaks on the back.

4.Name one insect that tuatara eat.[1 mark]

Answer: Beetles or wētā.

5.How long can a tuatara live?[1 mark]

Answer: More than 100 years.

Part B — Think about it

Use clues from the text to explain your answers.

6.The text says tuatara are 'not lizards at all'. Why might people think they are lizards?[2 marks]

Answer: Because they look a bit like lizards: they have scaly skin and four legs.

7.Why do most tuatara now live on islands with no predators?[2 marks]

Answer: Because rats and other predators eat tuatara eggs and babies, so tuatara are safer where there are no predators.

8.Why is the tuatara special compared with other reptiles in its group?[2 marks]

Answer: All the other members of its very old group have died out. Only the tuatara is left.

Part C — Words in the text

9.A predator is...[1 mark]
  1. Aa type of egg
  2. Ban animal that hunts other animals for food
  3. Ca kind of island
  4. Da baby tuatara

Answer: an animal that hunts other animals for food

The text explains: 'A predator is an animal that hunts other animals for food.'

10.A sanctuary in the last paragraph is a place that...[1 mark]
  1. Asells pets
  2. Bkeeps animals safe
  3. Cis under the sea
  4. Dis very hot

Answer: keeps animals safe

Fenced sanctuaries keep predators out, so animals are safe there.

Part D — Your turn

11.Write three facts about tuatara in your own words. Start each one on a new line.[3 marks]

Model answer: Tuatara are reptiles that live only in New Zealand. They have spikes down their back. Their eggs take more than a year to hatch.

Success criteria:

  • Three facts from the text
  • Facts written in your own words
  • Each fact is a complete sentence
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Marking tips

  • Give credit for correct method even when the final answer slips — the working shows where the thinking went right.
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