Excerpt from
"Gardening without Irrigation"
I'm
from Michigan. I moved to Oregon in
April, and made a home on 5 acres. At
the time, I thought this land was a cool, showery green valley of liquid
sunshine and rainbows. I planned to grow a big garden and grow as much of my
own food as possible.
Two months later,
in June—just as my garden began needing water—my so-called 15-gallon-per-minute
well began to falter, yielding less and less with each passing week. By August
it delivered about 3 gallons per minute.
So, without enough
water, I decided that food self-sufficiency on my land was not possible. In
late September of that first year, I could still only run a single sprinkler. What a relief not to have invested every
last cent in land that couldn't feed us.
Without
regular and heavy watering during high summer, many of my vegetables become
stunted in a matter of days. Even my raised-bed garden came close to that several times. Before my frantic efforts got the water flowing
again, I could feel the stressed-out garden screaming like a hungry baby.
As I
came to understand our climate, I began to wonder about complete food self-sufficiency. How did the
early pioneers irrigate their vegetables?
Hand pumping into hand-carried buckets is impractical and extremely
tedious. Wind-powered pumps are expensive and have severe limits.
The combination of rainless summers, the realities of
self-sufficient living, and my land's poor well turned out to be an
opportunity. I continued wondering about gardens and water, and set out to
discover a method for growing a lush, productive vegetable garden on deep soil
in a very dry climate…
Reading
Comprehension Questions
1) What above passage can best be described as which of the
following?
a.
fantasy
b.
infographic
c.
autobiographical
d.
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2) In the 1st paragraph of the above passage, the
phrase “this land was a cool, showery
green valley of liquid sunshine and rainbows” can best be described as
which of the following?
a.
understatement
b.
metaphor
c.
simile
d.
alliteration
3) Based on the above passage, which of the following types of
irrigation is the most limiting?
a.
15-gallon-per-minute well
b.
3-gallon-per-minute well
c.
hand pumping
d.
wind-powered
4) The above passage features an author that shows “perseverance.” Which word means the same as “perseverance”?
a.
weakness
b.
determination
c.
pessimism
d.
insanity
5) The above passage includes the phrase: “…stressed-out
garden screaming like a hungry baby...” This is an example of which two figures of
speech?
a.
simile & personification
b.
metaphor & alliteration
c.
idiom & personification
d.
euphemism & metaphor
6) In the 3rd paragraph of the above passage, the
author refers to “food self-sufficiency.” What is the meaning of “self-sufficiency” in
this context?
a.
deprived
b.
reliant
c.
independent
d.
lacking
Answer Key
1)
What above
passage can best be described as which of the following?
a.
fantasy
b.
infographic
c.
autobiographical
d.
advertisement
2)
In the 1st
paragraph of the above passage, the phrase “this
land was a cool, showery green valley of liquid sunshine and rainbows” can
best be described as which of the following?
a.
understatement
b.
metaphor
c.
simile
d.
alliteration
3)
Based on the
above passage, which of the following types of irrigation is the most limiting?
a.
15-gallon-per-minute well
b.
3-gallon-per-minute well
c.
hand pumping
d.
wind-powered
4)
The above
passage features an author that shows “perseverance.” Which word means the same as “perseverance”?
a.
weakness
b.
determination
c.
pessimism
d.
insanity
5)
The above
passage includes the phrase: “…stressed-out garden screaming like a
hungry baby...” This is an example
of which two figures of speech?
a.
simile &
personification
b.
metaphor & alliteration
c.
idiom & personification
d.
euphemism & metaphor
6)
In the 3rd
paragraph of the above passage, the author refers to “food self-sufficiency.”
What is the meaning of “self-sufficiency” in this context?
a.
deprived
b.
reliant
c.
independent
d.
lacking