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CELPIP Reading Part 3: Reading for Information

CELPIP Reading Part 3 Practice Test: The Lifecycle of Monarch Butterflies

By Iris

A free Reading Part 3 practice test in the CELPIP format: 9 questions with the answer key. Choose your answers, then check them at the bottom of the page.

Questions
9
Time
about 10 minutes
Question style
Match each statement to a paragraph

Paragraph A

Monarch butterflies undergo complete metamorphosis, starting as eggs laid singly on milkweed leaves by adult females, with each laying 100-300 in a lifetime. Eggs are tiny, creamy white, and hatch in 3-5 days under warm conditions. This host plant is crucial as it provides food and toxins that make caterpillars unpalatable to predators. The egg stage is vulnerable to weather and parasites. Benefits include rapid reproduction in favorable seasons. In migration areas like North America, eggs align with milkweed availability. Challenges involve habitat loss reducing laying sites.

Paragraph B

Upon hatching, the larva or caterpillar emerges, consuming its eggshell first before devouring milkweed voraciously. It grows through five instar stages, molting each time, increasing in size from 2mm to 5cm. Bright stripes warn predators of toxicity from milkweed. This phase lasts 9-14 days, focused on eating to store energy. Examples show caterpillars eating 200 times their weight. Benefits are building reserves for later stages. Challenges include predation by birds despite defenses. The final instar prepares for pupation by seeking a safe spot.

Paragraph C

In the pupa stage, the caterpillar forms a chrysalis, a jade-green case with gold spots, hanging from a silk pad. Inside, it liquefies and reorganizes into adult structures over 8-15 days. No feeding occurs; stored energy fuels transformation. Temperature influences duration, slower in cooler weather. Examples include chrysalises darkening before emergence. Benefits encompass protection from elements. Challenges involve vulnerability to ants or weather damage. This metamorphosis highlights nature's efficiency in insect development.

Paragraph D

The adult monarch emerges with wet wings, pumping fluid to expand them for flight within hours. Adults live 2-6 weeks in summer generations, feeding on nectar for energy. Migratory ones live up to 9 months, traveling 3,000 miles to overwinter in Mexico. They mate and lay eggs, continuing the cycle. Benefits include pollination during feeding. Challenges are threats from climate change disrupting migration. Multiple generations occur annually, with four in North America. Conservation efforts focus on planting milkweed to support populations.

Decide which paragraph, (A) to (D), has the information given in each statement below. Select (E) if the information is not given in any of the paragraphs.

  1. Female monarchs deposit 100-300 eggs individually on milkweed for larval food supply.
  2. Caterpillars progress through five instars, molting and growing significantly each phase.
  3. Adult monarchs hibernate in large groups during winter in northern forests.
  4. The chrysalis stage involves complete tissue reorganization without external feeding.
  5. Migratory adults can survive up to 12 months due to special adaptations.
  6. Temperature affects the length of the pupal transformation period.
  7. Adults contribute to ecosystems by pollinating flowers while nectaring.
  8. Larvae consume milkweed to gain toxins that deter most predators.
  9. Eggs hatch in 7-10 days regardless of environmental conditions.
0 of 9 answered

Answer key

Show all 9 answers
  1. Female monarchs deposit 100-300 eggs individually on milkweed for larval food supply. A
  2. Caterpillars progress through five instars, molting and growing significantly each phase. B
  3. Adult monarchs hibernate in large groups during winter in northern forests. E
  4. The chrysalis stage involves complete tissue reorganization without external feeding. C
  5. Migratory adults can survive up to 12 months due to special adaptations. E
  6. Temperature affects the length of the pupal transformation period. C
  7. Adults contribute to ecosystems by pollinating flowers while nectaring. D
  8. Larvae consume milkweed to gain toxins that deter most predators. B
  9. Eggs hatch in 7-10 days regardless of environmental conditions. E

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