Read Text 1 and Text 2.
Text 1: Bees are important pollinators. They visit flowers to collect nectar and pollen. When bees move from flower to flower, they help plants make seeds. Many fruits and vegetables depend on bees, so without bees we would have less food.
Text 2: Bees live together in colonies called hives. A queen bee lays the eggs, and worker bees collect food and care for young bees. Bees make honey from nectar. They can also communicate by dancing to show where food is.
What important point is in BOTH texts?
- Bees help people by making food from flowers.
- Bees collect nectar from flowers. (correct answer)
- Bees live only alone and never in groups.
- Bees can dive deep underwater to find fish.
Explanation: This question tests comparing important points in two texts on the same topic (CCSS.RI.3.9: Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic). Students must identify how texts are similar and different in their important points and key details. When comparing two texts on the same topic, readers look for: Similarities (important points that appear in BOTH texts), Differences (key details that differ between texts, or different focus/emphasis), and Unique information (what's in one text but not the other). Students should focus on IMPORTANT points and KEY details, not minor differences like wording or trivial facts. Good comparison identifies what is the SAME (both texts mention that bees collect nectar from flowers). Text 1 discusses bees as pollinators that visit flowers to collect nectar and pollen, help plants make seeds, and are important for food production. Text 2 discusses bee colonies in hives, with queens and workers, how bees make honey from nectar, and how they communicate through dancing. Both texts are about bees, and they both mention that bees collect nectar - this is a key fact about bee behavior that appears in both texts. Choice B is correct because 'Bees collect nectar from flowers' appears in both texts - Text 1 states 'They visit flowers to collect nectar and pollen' and Text 2 states 'Bees make honey from nectar' (which implies they collect it). Choice A is incorrect because while Text 1 mentions bees help with food production and Text 2 mentions making honey, the specific phrasing 'making food from flowers' doesn't accurately represent either text. Choice C is incorrect and contradicts both texts - Text 2 explicitly states bees live in colonies, not alone. Choice D is incorrect because neither text mentions bees diving underwater or finding fish. To help students: Use Venn diagram - Left circle (Text 1: pollination, helping plants), Overlap (Both: collect nectar, about bees), Right circle (Text 2: hive life, making honey). Teach students to look for facts that appear in different contexts but represent the same information. Model careful reading: Text 1 says 'collect nectar' directly, Text 2 mentions nectar in context of making honey. Practice identifying when the same fact appears with different details in each text.