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Cold Reads Practice

November 3-7, 2025

📖 Directions: Read the selection carefully and answer the questions that follow. Click on your answer choice for each question.

The Amazing Octopus

Informational

Octopuses are some of the smartest animals in the ocean. They have eight long arms covered with hundreds of suckers that help them grab things and taste their food. An octopus can change its color and texture in less than one second to hide from danger or to sneak up on prey.

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These incredible creatures have three hearts and blue blood! Two hearts pump blood to their gills so they can breathe underwater, while the third heart sends blood to the rest of their body. When an octopus swims, the heart that pumps blood to the body actually stops beating.

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Octopuses are also famous escape artists. They can squeeze through tiny spaces because they don't have any bones in their soft bodies. The only hard part is their beak, which looks like a parrot's beak. Scientists have watched octopuses open childproof jars, solve mazes and puzzles, and even recognize different human faces.

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Some octopuses have been seen using coconut shells as portable hiding places. They pick up two halves of a shell, carry them along the ocean floor, and put them together to hide inside when danger appears.

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1 How many hearts does an octopus have, and what does each one do?
AOne heart for breathing and one for blood flow
BThree hearts: two for gills and one for the body
CTwo hearts that both pump to the body
DFour hearts like humans
2 Why can an octopus squeeze through tiny spaces?
AThey are very small animals
BThey have no bones in their soft bodies
CThey can make themselves flat
DTheir tentacles can shrink
3 Based on the passage, what evidence shows that octopuses are intelligent animals?
AThey have three hearts
BThey can open jars, solve puzzles, and recognize faces
CThey have suckers on their arms
DThey live in the ocean
4 What does the word 'portable' mean in the last sentence?
ASomething that is heavy
BSomething that can be carried or moved
CSomething that is permanent
DSomething that is broken
🎉 Great Job!
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