Unseen Passage for Class 6 | Passage 1 The giraffe is the tallest of all living land animals. A male can go up to 18 feet and a female up to 15

 

Unseen Passage for Class 6 | Passage 1

The giraffe is the tallest of all living land animals. A male can go up to 18 feet and a female up to 15 feet. Such height enables them to escape the competition for ground level grass that exists among other leaf-eaters. It also gives him a long range of vision. He takes the warning of the approaching enemy early.

Giraffes eat a variety of leaves, but acacia leaves are their favourite diet. In spring when many trees are not in leaf, they spend 80 per cent of the day eating. In summer, when trees are in full leaf, they need only 15 per cent. The rest of the time is spent in resting and quarrelling.

A giraffe’s long neck is made up like that of man and most other mammals, of only seven vertebrae. The bones are attached to one another with ball and socket joints. These make the neck flexible. It can run at 50 km per hour.

Rising from a lying position is a problem for such a large animal. So it usually keeps standing even while it sleeps.

To reach water with such a long neck and legs, a giraffe spreads its front legs wide apart. Then it lowers its neck to drink. This awkward position makes it easy for the lion to attack it.

 

Q. 1: On the basis of your reading of the above passage fill in the blanks with suitable words:

A giraffe is the (a)_______________ of all land animals.

The height of a (b)___________ giraffe can go up to 18 feet.

The (c)________________ of a female giraffe can be up to 15 feet.

With this height it doesn’t have to (d)____________________________________ with other animals for leaves.

This enables it to see its (e) ______________ from a long distance.

It, however, creates problem in reaching (f) _____________ in tanks.

Q. 2: Find words from the above passage that mean opposite to the following:

(a) dead

(b) detached

(c) stiff

(d) hind

(e) narrow

Answers:

1.  (a) tallest

(b) Male

(c) height

(d) Compete

(e) Enemy

(f) Water

2.  (a) living

(b) Attached

(c) Flexible

(d) Front

(e) Wide