Mollusk Reading Worksheet
Name: __________________________
Period: __________________________
Before you start reading, answer these question in the “pre-reading” column based on what you know or you
think you know about mollusks! When you are finished, start reading Chapter 28, Section 1 on page 676. While
you read, check your understanding by answering the questions again based on the information in the text in
the “after reading” column. See if you were right and find out what was new to you!
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Questions to answer…
Snails, octopuses, and oysters all
belong to the phylum Mollusca; that
comes from the Latin word mollis.
Based on what they have in common,
what do you think that means?
Are these animals coelomates?
What kind of symmetry do these
animals have?
True or False: Having a coelom
allows organs to be organized in
different ways and move a little.
What does visceral mass mean?
What is a mantle?
What is a foot? Does a snail have
one?
What is a bivalve?
True or False: Snails and octopuses
have teeth-like structures.
What are radula?
True or False: Teeth are always
located inside of the mouth.
What do nephridia do?
What are the 3 functions of a
mollusk’s circulatory system?
What does respiration mean?
True or False: All mollusks have gills.
What is the mantle cavity? Where is
it?
What does terrestrial mean?
Why do snails that live on land pull
into their shells and plug the opening
during dry weather?
Pre-reading
After reading
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True or False: All mollusks are
hermaphrodites.
True or False: A female organism will
be female for as long as she lives.
What is a trochophore?
True or False: Individuals of the
mollusk phylum can be found in fresh
water, marine water, and on land.
True or False: There are more
vertebrate animals on land than
mollusks.
What are the three major classes of
mollusks?
How small is the smallest snail? How
large is the largest?
Do snails have eyes? If so, where are
they located?
Why do snails that live on land
secrete mucus?
What is an herbivore?
What is a predator?
True or False: There are sea snails
that can drill holes into other animals’
shells.
True or False: Touching a jellyfish’s
nematocyst will kill any mollusk.
How many tentacles do octopuses
have?
How many tentacles do squid have?
What is located on these tentacles?
True or False: Octopuses are the
smartest of all invertebrates and can
be trained to tell squares from
triangles.
What is a siphon?
Why do octopuses and squid release
ink?
True or False: All two-shelled
mollusks are sessile.
What are the two functions gills have
in bivalves?
How are pearls made?