Create an account to track your scores
and create your own practice tests:
Test: Common Core: 2nd Grade English Language Arts
African Elephants
Elephants are the biggest animals living on land. An adult male elephant can weigh as much as 11,000 pounds and be more than 13 feet tall. The biggest elephants live in Africa.
Trunk
Elephants have a long trunk. An elephant uses its trunk in many ways.
An elephant’s trunk is its nose. It uses its trunk to smell and breathe. Elephants also use their trunks like a hand. An elephant can pick up grass and branches with its trunk. It uses its trunk to reach high up and grab food from trees. Elephants are herbivores, which means they only eat plants. Elephants eat fruit, leaves and grass. Adult elephants eat 300-400 pounds of food a day.
Elephants suck up water in their trunks and spray it onto themselves to stay clean. They also use their trunks as snorkels to help them breathe when they are swimming or in deep water.
Elephants use their trunks to make sounds. Elephants roar, rumble and growl. When there is danger, elephants use their trunks to make a loud horn noise to warn others and scare away predators.
Tusks
African elephants have 2 tusks on either side of their trunk. Elephants use their tusks to dig holes and find food and water. They also use their tusks to carry things and even rest their trunks on their tusks. An elephant’s tusks also help it stay safe. Elephants can use their tusks to battle and protect themselves from enemies.
Ears
Elephants have the largest ears of any animal. Elephants use their ears to hear, stay cool, and show feelings. Elephants flap their ears to cool off and keep insects away.
Wrinkled Skin
Elephants have wrinkled skin. Their skin looks rough and tough but it is very sensitive. Elephants cover their skin in mud and dirt to protect themselves from getting a sunburn and bug bites.
Feet
Just like the rest of its body, an elephant has very large feet. Elephants have pads on the bottom of their feet to protect them and help them walk quietly.
What has a long trunk, two big tusks, big ears and wrinkled skin? It’s an African elephant!
| 1. | According to the text, why does an elephant cover itself in dirt? |
to clean itself
to play
to protect itself from getting a sunburn
to hide from predators
Certified Tutor
