The Canadian Beaver

The Canadian Beaver

By ReadWorks

ThetownofTadoussac,innorthernQuebec,Canada,liesbetweenmountainsandtheshoreline.
Its located just where the fresh Saguenay Fjord runs into the warm, salty waters of the St.
LawrenceRiver.Afjordisasmallarmoftheseainthemiddleofhighrocksorcliffs.
Every year, from the month of May, when the cold has passed, until October, hundreds of
thousands of tourists visit Tadoussac to go whale watching. They pile into kayaks and small
motorboats and search for hours in the hopes of glimpsing a gigantic tail or fin. The waters
aroundthesmalltownarefullofthem;baleenwhalesgathertoeatthekrill,smallshrimplike
thingsthatlivehereinabundance.Tadoussacswaterconditionsmakeittheperfectmeeting
placefortheseenormousanimals.
Those visitors who choose to stay on land, however, might meet a different, furrier kind of
creature.WorkingawayinTadoussacsforestsareCanadianbeavers,thosebroadtailedrodents
with the big chomping teeth. The beaver is an important part of Canadian culture. It even
appearsonthefaceofthecountrysnickels!
TheMaisonMajorique,alittlehousewitharedroofthatisTadoussacsonlyyouthhostel,offers
free beaverwatching tours that leave from its reception every day at 5 p.m. In the late
afternoon,thewebfootedanimalswakeupandbegintoworkthroughthenight.For21years,
thetourshavebeenledbythesamewoodsman,anoldermannamedCoco.Withaheadofwild
whitehairandamatchingbeard,Cocoknowsthewetlandsaroundthehostelasthoughthey
werehishome.

2014 ReadWorks, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Canadian Beaver

Iprefertheforesttothesea,hesays,explainingwhyhewouldrathertaketouristsintothe
woodsthanbringthemoutonthewatertoseethewhales.Cocosbeaverwatchingtoursbegin
atL'Ansel'Eau,aquietlakesurroundedbydarkgreenfirtrees.Alsoencirclingthelakearefive
differentbeaverhomes,eachonemadeofpiledlogs.Thewalkallthewayaroundthelaketakes
abouttwohourswithstops.Alone,Cocohikesthetrailinjust45minutes.
Thepathwindsitswayaroundfallentreesandeverysooftencomesoutatarockylookoutover
thelake.Fromthere,youarelikelytospotabeaverparentorpupusuallyjustasmudgeof
brown fuzz and a wide, scaly tail like the blade of a canoe paddle gliding across the water.
Sometimes,ifyourelucky,youmightcatchtheentirefamilyatwork,carryingpiecesofwood
fromtheforesttotheirlakesidelodges.Theyswimbackandforth,andhaulbitsoftreesthat
lookmuchtooheavyfortheirsmallbodies.
Youcangetwithintwometersofabeaverifyouconductyourselfproperly,Cocosays.Don't
walkonyourheelsoryourtoes,heinstructs,keepyourfeetflatontheground.Thesound
ofvoiceshasnoeffectonthebeavers,especiallyfromwayuponthepath,butthevibrationsof
thegroundeasilyscarethemoff.Itsextremelyimportanttostepverylightly.
Normally,Cocodoesntspeakmuch,buthehasanswerstoanyandallbeaverrelatedquestions
thatparticipantsmightpose.Alongthetrail,hepointsoutabandoneddamsandteethmarksin
logs. Having watched the animals for most of his life, he is familiar with almost all of their
habitsand there is a lot to learn. Only a single beaver family, for instance, can live in one
territory,andoneterritorycancontainmorethanonelake.Attheageoftwo,teenagedbeavers
areexpelledfromtheirhomebytheirparentsandforcedtofindtheirownhabitat.Beaverscan
stayunderwaterforaslongas15minutes.Theyrenocturnal,andtheymateforlife.
Thoughbeaversarehisfavorites,Cocodoesntliketodismissthemassivemarinemammalsthat
distractfromTadoussacsforests.Thewhalesbringthepeople,hesays.Heonlywishesthat
thepeoplewouldspendsomemoretimeawayfromthesea,exploringthewetlandsandthe
livesofthefurry,woodgnawing,dambuildingcrittersthathavebecomehisfriends.

2014 ReadWorks, Inc. All rights reserved.

Questions: The Canadian Beaver

Name:

Date:

1. What attracts most tourists to the town of Tadoussac?

A
B
C
D

hiking in the woods

observing beavers
watching whales
meeting Coco

2. What does the author mostly describe in the passage?

A
B
C
D

how beavers build their homes in the wetlands

the beaver-watching tours Coco leads
why the water conditions in Tadoussac are perfect for whale watching
the biodiversity of Tadoussacs forests

3. The author states that Coco knows the wetlands around the hostel as though they
were his home. Based on this evidence, what conclusion can be made about Coco?
A
B
C
D

Coco
Coco
Coco
Coco

has spent a lot of time in the wetlands.

is often alone.
must have been born in the wetlands area.
prefers spending time by the seaside.

4. How does Coco feel about the people that visit Tadoussac?
A
B
C
D

Coco
Coco
Coco
Coco

wishes
wishes
wishes
wishes

that
that
that
that

people
people
people
people

werent interested in whale watching.

would become more interested in the beavers.
left him alone in the woods.
wouldnt talk so loudly because it scares the beavers.

5. What is this passage mostly about?

A
B
C
D

the beauty of whale watching

Tadoussacs weather conditions and unique wildlife
Cocos love for the wetlands and the beavers that live in it
how beavers build their homes

1
2014 ReadWorks, Inc. All rights reserved.

Questions: The Canadian Beaver

6. Read the following sentence: Every year, from the month of May, when the cold has
passed, until October, hundreds of thousands of tourists visit Tadoussac to go whale
watching. They pile into kayaks and small motorboats and search for hours in the hopes
of glimpsing a gigantic tail or fin.
As used in the passage, what does the word glimpsing mean?
A
B
C
D

catching sight of
staring at
overlooking
grabbing hold of

7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.

Vibrations on the ground can scare beavers off, ________ Coco tells people to keep
their feet flat on the ground and to step lightly.
A
B
C
D

moreover
specifically
although
so

8. In the passage, the author states that the beavers have become Cocos friends. What
evidence from the passage supports this statement?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

2
2014 ReadWorks, Inc. All rights reserved.

Questions: The Canadian Beaver

9. What makes Coco different from most of the other individuals involved in tourism in
Tadoussac?
______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

10. Using evidence from the text, describe Cocos personality. Explain why he must love
the wetlands so much.
______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

3
2014 ReadWorks, Inc. All rights reserved.

Teacher Guide & Answers: The Canadian Beaver

Teacher Guide & Answers

Passage Reading Level: Lexile 1110
1. What attracts most tourists to the town of Tadoussac?
A
B
C
D

hiking in the woods

observing beavers
watching whales
meeting Coco

2. What does the author mostly describe in the passage?

A
B
C
D

how beavers build their homes in the wetlands

the beaver-watching tours Coco leads
why the water conditions in Tadoussac are perfect for whale watching
the biodiversity of Tadoussacs forests

3. The author states that Coco knows the wetlands around the hostel as though they were his home.
Based on this evidence, what conclusion can be made about Coco?
A
B
C
D

Coco has spent a lot of time in the wetlands.

Coco is often alone.
Coco must have been born in the wetlands area.
Coco prefers spending time by the seaside.

4. How does Coco feel about the people that visit Tadoussac?
A
B
C
D

Coco wishes that people werent interested in whale watching.

Coco wishes that people would become more interested in the beavers.
Coco wishes that people left him alone in the woods.
Coco wishes that people wouldnt talk so loudly because it scares the beavers.

5. What is this passage mostly about?

A
B
C
D

the beauty of whale watching

Tadoussacs weather conditions and unique wildlife
Cocos love for the wetlands and the beavers that live in it
how beavers build their homes

1
2014 ReadWorks, Inc. All rights reserved.

Teacher Guide & Answers: The Canadian Beaver

6. Read the following sentence: Every year, from the month of May, when the cold has passed, until
October, hundreds of thousands of tourists visit Tadoussac to go whale watching. They pile into kayaks
and small motorboats and search for hours in the hopes of glimpsing a gigantic tail or fin.
As used in the passage, what does the word glimpsing mean?
A
B
C
D

catching sight of
staring at
overlooking
grabbing hold of

7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.

Vibrations on the ground can scare beavers off, ________ Coco tells people to keep their feet flat on the
ground and to step lightly.
A
B
C
D

moreover
specifically
although
so

8. In the passage, the author states that the beavers have become Cocos friends. What evidence from
the passage supports this statement?
Suggested answer: Coco has been giving tours of the woods where the beavers live for over 21 years.
He knows the area the beavers live in as if it were his home. He hikes the area often and knows lots of
information about the beavers and how they live, such as how to not scare them off, where their homes
are, the territories they inhabit, and how they raise their young. He has spent a lot of time with them and
has gotten to know them well.

9. What makes Coco different from most of the other individuals involved in tourism in Tadoussac?
Suggested answer: Coco is more interested in the forest than the sea, which is different from most of
the other people involved in tourism in Tadoussac, because the majority of tourists come to Tadoussac for
whale watching. Whale watching attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists to Tadoussac each year, but
Coco would prefer to bring people into the woods for beaver-watching tours as opposed to out on the sea
for whale-watching tours.

10. Using evidence from the text, describe Cocos personality. Explain why he must love the wetlands so
much.
Suggested answer: Coco seems to be a quiet, shy person. He doesnt talk much, unless you get him
talking about the beavers that he knows so much about. He knows the wetlands well because he has
probably spent so much time there, alone. He feels like he is friends with the beavers, which means that
he is comfortable just observing quietly. Coco is most likely a reserved person, unless he is talking on the
topic of beavers.

2
2014 ReadWorks, Inc. All rights reserved.