Step 1: Skim the Passage for Structure & Main Idea
Main Idea: Aesop prawns have advanced camouflage abilities, changing color to blend with seaweed and light conditions.
Key Points:
- Lifecycle: Start transparent → mature inshore → attach to seaweed → change color.
- Adaptability: Can re-camouflage if their home is destroyed.
- Daily Changes: Turn blue at night, revert at dawn.
- Mechanism: Pigment cells (red, yellow, blue) respond to light via hormones.
Step 2: Question Breakdown & Strategies
Q1: When Aesop prawns become mature they __________.
- Locate: “On reaching maturity, they drift inshore…”
- Answer: (c) move inshore
- Why Not Others?
- (a) & (b): They’re already transparent/colorless as infants.
- (d): Coloring happens after attaching to seaweed.
Q2: It is difficult to spy Aesop prawns because __________.
- Locate: “they proceed to colour themselves to blend with it… safe from closest scrutiny.”
- Answer: (c) they camouflage with the seaweeds
- Why Not Others?
- (a): Transparency is for infants, not adults.
- (b): “Hidden” is vague; “camouflage” is precise.
- (d): No mention of distance.
Q3: What makes for the blue “night suit” of the Aesop prawn?
- Locate: “after dark, red and yellow are withdrawn to make way for the nocturnal blue.”
- Answer: (a) the colours red and yellow are withdrawn
- Trap Avoided: (d) mentions blue-yellow mix, which is for green camouflage.
Q4: It takes the prawns __________ days to merge with their new homes.
- Locate: “A week zips past… they change colour.”
- Answer: (c) seven
- Key Detail: “A week” = 7 days.
Q5: The word “desirable” means __________.
- Context: Not in the passage; likely a typo. Assuming “required” (from “colour required”).
- Answer: (b) worth having or doing (best fit for context).
Vocabulary Questions (Q6–Q10)
Q6: Synonym for “merge” (as used in the passage)?
- Context: “change colour to merge beautifully with their new homes.”
- Answer: (d) Blend (implies seamless integration).
- Why Not Others?
- (a) Unite / (b) Combine: More about joining, less about color.
- (c) Mix: Implies stirring, not matching surroundings.
Q7: Synonym for “adopt” (as used in the passage)?
- Context: “decision to adopt a particular colour.”
- Answer: (d) Select (active choice).
- Why Not Others?
- (a) Assume: Too passive.
- (b) Appoint: Irrelevant.
- (c) Follow: Imitates, doesn’t choose.
Q8: Synonym for “camouflage” (as used in the passage)?
- Context: “green camouflage is required.”
- Answer: (b) Protective colouring (biological term).
- Why Not Others?
- (a) Disguise: General, not color-specific.
- (c) Smokescreen: Artificial.
- (d) Conceal: Action, not mechanism.
Q9: Antonym for “transparent”?
- Context: “colourless, almost transparent infants.”
- Answer: (a) Opaque (direct opposite).
- Why Not Others?
- (b) Cloudy / (c) Unclear / (d) Vague: Less precise.
Q10: Antonym for “invisibility”?
- Context: “cloak of invisibility.”
- Answer: (b) Detectable (can be seen).
- Why Not Others?
- (a) Masked: Still hidden.
- (c) Ghostly: Implies partial visibility.
Key Takeaways for Success
- Fact-Based Questions (Q1–Q4):
- Scan for numbers, comparisons, and cause-effect phrases.
- Avoid assumptions; stick to the text.
- Vocabulary Questions (Q6–Q10):
- For synonyms, prioritize contextual fit over dictionary definitions.
- For antonyms, choose the strongest opposite.
- Trap Answers:
- Half-truths (e.g., Q2’s “hidden in seaweed”).
- Out-of-scope details (e.g., Q3’s “blue-yellow mix”).