Name: _____________________________________________________
Date: ____________________
Squishy Snack
By: Britt Norlander
A fast food chain in northern Thailand doesn't have French fries on the menu. Instead, diners at a restaurant
1 called Insects Inter choose from a selection of fried insects. One popular item is wormlike larvae, or the immature stage
of an insect.
The thought of snacking on insects might make you squirm, but roughly 80 percent of the world's population
practices entomophagy, or the eating of insects. In many cultures, the organisms are considered a delicacy. Japanese
2 menus sometimes feature fried grasshoppers. And companies in Mexico pack bees in cans filled with syrup and export
them to Europe and the United States as a gourmet food.
Just like the more familiar animal meats chicken and beef, insects provide valuable nutrients. Bugs' bodies
contain minerals such as calcium and iron. Plus, insects are packed with protein, an important body-building nutrient.
3 "The protein content is quite high in a lot of insects," says Tom Turpin, an entomologist who studies insects at Purdue
University in Indiana.
Like the snack in the photo above, insect entrees are often made from larvae. That's because larvae don't have
as
much
hard outer exoskeleton material as adult forms. "[Exoskeletons] contain the protein chitin, which is not highly
4
digestible," says Turpin.
As for the taste, most insects are cooked with spices or flavorful sauces. "Like anything else, they taste like how
5 they are prepared," says Turpin. Eaten plain, he says, "most of them have a bit of a nutty flavor."
But don't start munching on bugs from your backyard, warn experts; insects that live close to human
6 populations may contain toxic pesticides.
Name: _____________________________________________________
Date: ____________________
Squishy Snack
1. Part A – What is the best definition of organisms as it is used in paragraph 2?
A: insects
B: delicacies
C: organs
D: bacteria
2. Part B – Choose one of the following phrases from the text that best helps the reader understand the meaning of the word
organisms as it is used in paragraph 2.
A:
B:
C:
D:
“As for the taste, most insects are cooked with spices or flavorful sauces.”
“Like the snack in the photo above, insect entrees are often made from larvae.”
“Japanese menus sometimes feature fried grasshoppers.”
“…roughly 80 percent of the world’s population practices entomophagy, or the eating of insects.”
3. Part A – What is the best definition of nutrients as it is used in paragraph 3?
A: a type of nutty flavor found in many adult insects
B: pesticides found in insects that are close to human populations
C: components in foods that an organism uses to survive and grow
D: flavors found in animal meats like chicken and beef
4. Part B – Which of the following phrases from the text best helps the reader understand the meaning of the word nutrients
as it is used in paragraph 3?
A:
B:
C:
D:
“Bugs’ bodies contain minerals such as calcium and iron. Plus insects are packed with protein.”
“Eaten plain, he says, ‘most of them have a bit of a nutty flavor.’”
“…diners at a restaurant called Insects Inter choose from a selection…”
“…an entomologist who studies insects at Purdue University in Indiana.”
5 Part A – What is the name of the restaurant in Thailand that serves insects?
A:
B:
C:
D:
Bug Buffet
Roaches Restaurant
Insects Inter
Squishy Snack
6. Part A – Which word is an antonym the word immature as it is used in paragraph 1?
A:
B:
C:
D:
juvenile
undeveloped
young
developed
7. Part A – Why would a person benefit more from eating the insect larvae instead of the adult insect?
A: Larvae soak up the seasonings or flavorful sauces and taste better.
B: Adult insects have a bit of a nutty flavor.
C: Larvae don’t have exoskeletons with the indigestible protein, chitin.
D: Adult insects can contain toxic pesticides.
Name: _____________________________________________________
Date: ____________________
8. Part B – What paragraph best supports your answer to question 7 – Part A?
A: Paragraph 1
B: Paragraph 4
C: Paragraph 5
D: Paragraph 6
9. Part A – Which of the following best represents the central idea of this article?
A:
B:
C:
D:
Everyone should try to eat insects so they can grow up to be big and strong.
Eating insects provides valuable nutrients and is common in many other countries.
Insect Inter is expanding and will be serving insects in other countries from around the world.
People that eat insects live longer than people who do not eat insects.
10. Part B – Choose three of the following pieces of evidence that best represent the central idea of this article.
A: “The thought of snacking on insects might make you squirm, but roughly 80 percent of the world's population
practices entomophagy, or the eating of insects.”
B: “As for the taste, most insects are cooked with spices or flavorful sauces.”
C: “But don't start munching on bugs from your backyard, warn experts; insects that live close to human populations
may contain toxic pesticides.”
D: “And companies in Mexico pack bees in cans filled with syrup and export them to Europe and the United States as
a gourmet food.”
E: “Bugs' bodies contain minerals such as calcium and iron.”
11. Part A – The author included many pieces of evidence in the text. Which two pieces of evidence are the most compelling?
A: “ ‘The protein content is quite high in a lot of insects,’ says Tom Turpin, an entomologist who studies insects at
Purdue University in Indiana.”
B: “The thought of snacking on insects might make you squirm, but roughly 80 percent of the world’s population
practices entomophagy, or the eating of insects.”
C: “One popular item is wormlike larvae, or the immature stage of an insect.”
D: “Like the snack in the photo above, insect entrees are often made from larvae. That’s because larvae don’t have as
much hard exoskeleton material as adult forms.”
E: “Japanese menus sometimes feature fried grasshoppers. And companies in Mexico pack bees in cans filled with
syrup and export them to Europe and the United States as gourmet food.”