Nonfiction Reading Test Asian Carp

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
The United States has a lengthy history of going to war. It is a nation born from war. Pick any year since 1776, and the
odds of America being involved in at least one war is over 90%. Every US President has faced war. Still, it may
surprise you to hear that the US government is at war with a fish.

Asian carp were introduced to American waters during the 1970s. Southern fish farmers began importing them to
help clean their ponds. Asian carp are phenomenal cleaners. Unfortunately, it didn't take too long for them to escape
from these ponds, perhaps from flooding, and get into the Mississippi River. From there they have followed their
natural tendency to swim upstream. This tendency may lead them into the Great Lakes and Canada, a nightmare
scenario for fisherman.

Asian carp are large fish. One species, the silver carp, can grow to be 100 pounds. But despite their size, they feed
from the bottom of the food chain. That means that they eat plankton and algae. A one-hundred-pound fish can eat
an awful lot of sea scum, and some of it is toxic. The carp are resistant to the toxins, but we aren't. Some Asian carp
are hazardous to eat because they have so many algal toxins in their systems. They also have lots of tiny bones in
their meat, which makes them difficult to prepare. Asian carp is not a popular delicacy.

Introducing the Asian carp into waters that have not known them can be devastating. Beneath the surface of the
water is a unique ecosystem. This system rests delicately on a balance that has evolved over millions of years. Then
along comes these big, hungry bottom feeders to mess up everything. They breed rapidly and densely populate the
waters. Worse still, they compete with the native bottom feeders. The native bottom feeders are smaller. Larger,
tastier fishlike salmon eat them. The native bottom feeders are an important part of the ecosystem. When the Asian
carp outperform them, the whole food chain suffers, all the way up to the people.

Not only do Asian carp mess up the food chain, they mess up people. Seriously. An Asian carp will bust you in head.
Remember that silver carp can be 100 pounds. There is a reason why they are also known as "flying carp." This
particular species of Asian carp has a tendency to jump when frightened. They can jump up to ten feet in the air, and
the sound of boat motors frightens them. Watch out watersportists! In 2003 a woman jetskier collided with one and
broke her nose and a vertebra. She almost drowned. In 2008 a teenager broke his jaw on one while tubing. Many
others have been injured by these flying logs. Asian carp pose a serious threat to water skiers and boaters.

In 2007 the U.S. Department of the Interior declared all silver carp to be an injurious species. In 2010, the State of
Michigan passed the $30 million CARPACT. In 2012 Congress approved the "Stop Invasive Species" act, legislation
written solely to protect the Great Lakes from Asian carp. The government has been on the offensive against these
large-bellied invaders.

But Asian carp are difficult to catch. Since they eat from the bottom, they do not go for lures or baits like most large
fish. The best way to stop them is to keep them out. The Great Lakes are connected to the Mississippi River through
the 28-mile Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. For Chicagoans, it is the final point of resistance.

A series of multimillion-dollar electrical barriers have been built along the canal. The barriers are effective at keeping
adult carp at bay, but some fear that baby carp may pass through. The United States Army Corps of Engineers has
been deployed along with EPA. In 2009 they poisoned the entire canal with rotenone, a chemical that kills fish. The
$3 million operation netted over 90 tons of dead fish, and a single carp.
Some think that Great Lakes must be cut off from the Mississippi River. The Michigan Attorney General sued to have
the canal closed. The Ontario government and some Great Lake states have also taken legal action. But the courts
have been persuaded by the value of the canal as a shipping conduit thus far. In the meantime, the barriers continue
to hold, but how long can they? The carp have the Great Lakes under siege. Is this a war that we are destined to lose?

1.What is the primary reason Asian carp were originally introduced to American waters?

A) To provide a food source

B) To control native fish populations

C) To help clean ponds on fish farms

D) To be harvested for commercial fishing

2.What makes Asian carp particularly challenging for the fishing industry to handle?

A) They are a small fish that’s hard to catch.

B) Their tendency to feed on toxic algae can harm consumers.

C) They reproduce slowly and are hard to locate.

D) They are popular with fishermen but dangerous to handle.

3.Why do some Asian carp pose a health risk if consumed by humans?

A) They contain toxic substances from algae.

B) Their meat is unusually dense and hard to digest.

C) Their scales carry harmful bacteria.

D) They are often diseased due to their size.

4.How do Asian carp disrupt the ecosystems of non-native waters?

A) They introduce toxins that kill other fish species.

B) They overpopulate, consume resources, and compete with native bottom feeders.

C) They consume smaller fish, affecting the entire food chain.

D) They carry diseases that affect native fish.

5.What unique danger do silver carp present to boaters and water skiers?

A) They create underwater currents that capsize boats.

B) They are known to aggressively attack boats.

C) They leap out of the water, potentially injuring people.

D) They release toxins that irritate swimmers’ skin.

6.What is the purpose of the electrical barriers installed in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal?

A) To prevent pollutants from entering the Mississippi River

B) To control shipping traffic along the canal

C) To block Asian carp from accessing the Great Lakes

D) To catch adult carp for research purposes

A) The removal of most adult Asian carp in the canal

B) The capture of a significant amount of baby carp

C) The death of thousands of fish but limited carp capture

D) Evidence of Asian carp breeding rapidly in the canal

8.What does the passage suggest is the main reason some governments want to close the Chicago canal?

A) To prevent further spread of Asian carp into the Great Lakes

B) To protect endangered fish species in the canal

C) To ensure safer water conditions for residents

D) To create a more effective barrier against water pollution

9.What role does the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers play in addressing the Asian carp threat?

A) Building permanent blockades to stop the carp

B) Overseeing canal closures and poisoning operations

C) Regulating fishing activities along the Mississippi River

D) Operating and maintaining electrical barriers along the canal

10.How does the passage characterize the struggle between the U.S. government and the Asian carp?

A) An inevitable loss due to the carp's reproductive capacity

B) An ongoing effort with uncertain success

C) A conflict that has been nearly won by the government

D) A historical issue that has since been resolved