Grade 7 Reading Comprehension Exercises

Mysterious Whale Sharks

Read the passage ‘Mysterious Whale Sharks’ and answer the questions that follow in the order given.

1. Not only is it the biggest shark, it is also the biggest fish in the world. Yes, we are talking about the whale sharks. However, even though it is enormous, the whale shark is not aggressive and of no danger to humans. The 3,000 teeth inside its huge mouth are very small and not used for hunting or feeding. Yet, little is known about these mysterious ocean giants.

2. Whale sharks are considered now an endangered species mainly because of over-hunting by fishermen. Shark fin soup is a delicacy in Asia, and this motivates much of the hunting of the whale shark. However, some are accidentally trapped in fishing gear. Furthermore, their ocean home is also in peril. The ugly specter of climate change results in the temperature of the oceans rising, affecting the habitat and feeding habits of these beautiful creatures. Furthermore, the amount of plastic debris in the ocean causes pollution, and many times entanglement. According to some estimates, the number of whale sharks killed each year is around 6 - 8000 individuals.

3. Whales and whale sharks are not related, although they are similar in size. The biggest whale shark ever measured was fourteen metres long, but scientists think they can grow bigger than this, possibly as much as twenty metres – about the length of a tennis court. However, these gentle giants are in fact harmless beings; they are dangerous only to the plankton, krill, squid, tiny fish and fish eggs that they feed on. As filter-feeders, whale sharks do not hunt for food, but continuously sieve it from the water with their gills.

4. Whale sharks are slow-moving compared to other types of sharks. While the fastest of them reach speeds of 60 kiometres per hour, a whale shark lumbers through the water at 3 or 4 kilometres an hour. While this may sound slow, it is faster than most humans can swim.

5. Whale sharks have broad heads and dark-blue or grey bodies that are covered in pale dots. Every individual apparently has its own spot pattern. In fact, whale shark researchers use specialized computer software to identify individual whale sharks from photos of their spot patterns. Whale sharks like warm waters and, with luck, can be found in seas and oceans across the world, but especially near Australia, the Philippines, Mexico, Ecuador, and Qatar. In some of these places, at certain times of year, large numbers of young male whale sharks gather to feed on fish eggs, although nobody knows why only males do this, or where the females are at these times.

6. As big as they are, whale sharks are shy and difficult to find. Indeed, in all his years diving, the famous marine biologist Jacques Cousteau only ever saw two whale sharks. Nowadays, some marine biologists are working on projects to tag whale sharks so they can track their movements. Others are investigating the reproductive cycle, which is difficult when only one dead pregnant shark has ever been found. This was in 1995 when a female was discovered near Taiwan with 300 embryos inside her.

7. One such research project is called The Galapagos Whale Shark Project. It was set up by diver and scientist Jonathan Green, who was curious to solve some of the mysteries surrounding whale sharks. The Galapagos Islands are located in the Pacific Ocean, about 1,000km from Ecuador, and are well known for their beauty and natural treasures. This place is one of the few where pregnant whale sharks are regularly seen. In fact, 99% of whale sharks around Galapagos have been identified by Jonathan Green and his team as female, and many are pregnant. Clearly, these waters are of great importance to whale sharks.

8. Recently, divers from the Galapagos Whale Shark Project started taking blood samples from pregnant whale sharks, as well as doing ultrasound examinations. This has never been done before and so the information these scientific tests provide is exciting, despite being difficult to do. Hopefully, as our knowledge of these magnificent creatures grows, we will be able to understand whale sharks better, appreciate them more, and help restore their numbers in the oceans.

9. Whale sharks are important for maintaining the balance of the marine food chain. They feed on plankton and small fish, which are abundant in the ocean, and are in turn preyed upon by larger fish and sharks. By controlling the population of smaller fish, whale sharks help to make sure that other marine species have enough food to survive.

10. Whale sharks are important for the tourism industry most because of their economic value. Tourists from all over the world travel to see these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat. Mexico, the Philippines, Thailand and a few other countries have flourishing eco-tourism industries which centre around sightings of whale sharks. Being gentle, tourists can swim alongside these giants. Thus whale sharks provide a source of income for local communities and generate revenue for the national economy.

11. The economic importance of whale sharks in the fishing industry is remarkable. In countries such as Taiwan and the Philippines, whale sharks are caught for their meat, fins, and oil. Nonetheless, the economic value of live whale sharks in the tourism industry is more than their value in the fishing industry. For that reason, many countries have banned the hunting of whale sharks so as to protect their populations and the tourism industry.

12. Whale sharks are also valuable for academic purposes too: biomedical research and innovation. It has been found that whale shark skin can be used to develop new products, such as antibacterial coatings for medical devices and textiles. The study of whale sharks can also provide valuable knowledge of the biology and physiology of other marine species.

From paragraph 1
Read each sentence below and write down T for true or F for false in the brackets.
1. The whale shark does not hurt people. [ ]
2. The whale shark is the biggest whale on earth. [ ]
3. People do not know much about whale sharks. [ ]

From paragraph 2
4. Give any three reasons for the whale shark population decreasing drastically.

From paragraph 3
5. In your own words, explain why whale sharks are described as ‘gentle giants’.
6. What is meant by the term ‘filter-feeders’.

From paragraph 4
7. What does ‘lumbers’ mean?

From paragraph 5
8. Why are individual whale sharks identifiable by the use of specialized computer software?
9. What is the reason for whale sharks to be found in the seas near Australia, the Philippines, Mexico, Ecuador, and Qatar?

From paragraph 6
10. Why is it surprising that whale sharks are difficult to find?
11. Which two aspects of the life of whale sharks are scientists trying to investigate?
12. What is meant by ‘embryo’?

From paragraph 8
13. Write down one word from this paragraph that means ‘splendid’.

From paragraph 9
14. Why are whale sharks important for maintaining the balance of the marine food chain.

From paragraph 10
15. Explain in detail how whale sharks have economic value for the tourism industry.

From paragraph 11
16. Why have many countries banned the hunting of whale sharks?

From paragraph 12
17. How is the study of whale sharks valuable for academic purposes?

Answer Scheme

From paragraph 1
Read each sentence below and write down T for true or F for false in the box.
1. The whale shark does not hurt people. [T]
2. The whale shark is the biggest whale on earth. [F]
3. People do not know much about whale sharks. [T]

From paragraph 2
4. Give any three reasons for the whale shark population decreasing drastically.
a) overhunting by fishermen
b) rise in the temperature of the ocean
c) entanglement in plastic waste

From paragraph 3
5. In your own words, explain why whale sharks are described as ‘gentle giants’.
Whale sharks do not harm human beings, and they are very big.
6. What is meant by the term ‘filter-feeders’.
Whale sharks take in food by continuously sieving them from the water with their gills.

From paragraph 4
7. What does ‘lumbers’ mean?
Moves slowly

From paragraph 5
8. Why are individual whale sharks identifiable by the use of specialized computer software?
Whale sharks have grey bodies that are covered in pale dots. Every individual apparently has its own spot pattern. So, whale shark researchers use specialized computer software to identify individual whale sharks from photos of their spot patterns.
9. What is the reason for whale sharks to be found in the seas near Australia, the Philippines, Mexico, Ecuador, and Qatar?
In some of these places, at certain times of year, large numbers of young male whale sharks gather to feed on fish eggs,

From paragraph 6
10. Why is it surprising that whale sharks are difficult to find?
They are very big.
11. Which two aspects of the life of whale sharks are scientists trying to investigate?
Their movements and reproductive cycle.
12. What is meant by ‘embryo’?
Unborn babies still in the developmental stage.

From paragraph 8
13. Write down one word from this paragraph that means ‘splendid’.
magnificent

From paragraph 9
14. Why are whale sharks important for maintaining the balance of the marine food chain?
Whale sharks feed on plankton and small fish, which are abundant in the ocean, and are in turn preyed upon by larger fish and sharks. By controlling the population of smaller fish, whale sharks help to make sure that other marine species have enough food to survive.

From paragraph 10
15. Explain in detail how whale sharks have economic value for the tourism industry.
Tourists from all over the world travel to see these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat. Being gentle, tourists can swim alongside these giants. Thus whale sharks provide a source of income for local communities and generate revenue for the national economy.

From paragraph 11
16. Why have many countries banned the hunting of whale sharks?
The economic value of live whale sharks for tourism industry is more than its value for the fishing industry. So the hunting of whale sharks is banned in many countries.

From paragraph 12
17. How is the study of whale sharks valuable for academic purposes?
Whale sharks are important in biomedical research and innovation because whale shark skin can be used to develop new products, such as antibacterial coatings for medical devices and textiles. The study of whale sharks can also provide valuable knowledge of the biology and physiology of other marine species.