The Great Auk: An Extinct Species

Comprehension Questions
Directions: Highlight the keywords in the question. Use the keywords to find the topic
containing the keywords. Locate the information to answer the question.
Write the answer in complete sentences and in your very best handwriting.
1. Why did the Great Auk become extinct?
2. What three characteristics did the great auk have that contributed to its
extinction?
3. How was the great auk important to sailors and fishermen?
4. Why did a ban on hunting great auks not save the species?
5. What steps did the Icelanders take to keep hunting the great auk and yet keep
the population of the colonies strong?
6. In what ways did the great auk’s colouration protect it from natural predators?
7. What is the purpose of the map on page two of the passage on the great auk?
8. Based on the Venn diagram activity, do you think the great auk was a penguin?
Why?
Just the Facts
1. Write five facts about the Great Auk you found the most interesting.
Thinking About What You Have Learned
1. There is an expression that goes like this: “Those that ignore their history and
doomed to repeat it?” What does this mean and how does it apply to the great
auk?
© Prepared by Jim Cornish, Gander, Newfoundland, 2003. -7-