Instructions
Read the passage about the pumpkin life cycle. Then, answer the questions that follow. Use the information from the passage to help you find the answers!
The Amazing Journey of a Pumpkin
A pumpkin's life is a wonderful circle! It all begins with a small, oval-shaped seed. When planted in warm, sunny soil in the spring, the seed soaks up water and cracks open. A tiny root grows down, and a small sprout pushes up towards the sunlight.
This little sprout grows into a long, crawling plant called a vine. The vine has large, green leaves that are very important. The leaves use sunlight, water, and air to make food for the plant in a process called photosynthesis. Soon, beautiful, bright yellow flowers begin to bloom all over the vine.
Bees and other insects are attracted to these yellow flowers. As they fly from flower to flower, they carry pollen, which helps the flowers produce fruit. After a flower is pollinated, a tiny, green pumpkin starts to grow at its base. This small, green pumpkin is not ready to be picked yet!
Throughout the summer, the green pumpkin gets bigger and bigger. As autumn approaches and the weather gets cooler, it begins to change color. It slowly turns from green to a bright, vibrant orange. Inside this big, ripe pumpkin are hundreds of new seeds, ready to be planted and start the life cycle all over again next spring.
Questions
1. Circle the correct answer. What is the very first stage of the pumpkin life cycle?
- A) A yellow flower
- B) A green pumpkin
- C) A seed
2. Fill in the blank with a word from the passage.
The pumpkin plant grows a long, crawling stem called a _______________.
3. What important job do the big, green leaves have?
- A) They hold the pumpkin up.
- B) They make food for the plant using sunlight.
- C) They scare away bugs.
4. Number the following stages of the pumpkin life cycle in the correct order from 1 to 5.
____ A bright yellow flower blooms.
____ A small sprout pushes out of the soil.
____ A large orange pumpkin is ripe.
____ A tiny green pumpkin begins to form.
____ A seed is planted in the soil.
5. What color is a pumpkin before it turns orange?
____________________________________________________
6. What can be found inside a ripe, orange pumpkin that allows the life cycle to begin again?
____________________________________________________
Answer Key
1. C) A seed
2. vine
3. B) They make food for the plant using sunlight.
4. Number the stages in order:
__3__ A bright yellow flower blooms.
__2__ A small sprout pushes out of the soil.
__5__ A large orange pumpkin is ripe.
__4__ A tiny green pumpkin begins to form.
__1__ A seed is planted in the soil.
5. It is green.
6. Seeds